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A La Carte (April 24)

wednesday

There’s a pretty good selection of Kindle deals today, many of them from John MacArthur.

Chip Away at Your Children’s Spiritual Growth

Jen Oshman wrote an article I was working on! “We humans are drawn to get rich quick schemes, to lose 10 pounds by this weekend diets, to the express lane. Like moths to a flame, we love instant gratification, magic formulas, and silver bullets. But we know silver bullets are rare. We know the truth is that real growth comes in one small, right decision after another. And so it is with bringing up children in the Lord.”

Themelios 44.1

There’s a new issue of Themelios available. I haven’t read much of it yet, but I look forward to doing so. Many of the articles concern the debate about the ongoing miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We live in an age where passion is often considered an adequate substitute for precision. Many of us, even Christians, have little patience for rigorous thinking and little interest in the careful definition. We emote better than we reason, and we describe our feelings better than we define our words.

Simply Put

What a great idea for a podcast! Ligonier Ministries just released the first episode of Simply Put. “Simply Put is a new weekly podcast to help you build your Christian vocabulary. Each episode explains a different theological term in clear, concise language and shares stories and illustrations that apply it to your life.”

Google Earth National Parks

Google Earth is offering virtual tours of America’s national parks.

God Has a Plan Through Your Life

Trevin Wax draws a good distinction here. “When the New Testament talks about God’s plan, it is not always in reference to circumstances that happen to us; it also refers to blessings that happen through us. In other words, God’s plan doesn’t just involve your circumstances; it involves the blessing you pass on to others.”

Simple Suggestions for a Successful Church Business Meeting

Done well, members’ meetings can be a joy. Done poorly, they can be unbearable. Here are a few suggestions for doing them well.

The Goose that Conquered America (Video)

I was going to apologize for this invasion, but it turns out America really has no one but herself to blame.

Flashback: Why John Piper’s “Shells” Illustration Transformed a Generation

Piper holds up the American dream, and he tests it against the light of eternity and the judgment of Christ. And it fails miserably.

Satan may build a hedge about us and fence us in and hinder our movements, but he cannot roof us in and prevent our looking up.

— Hudson Taylor

  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…