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A La Carte (August 14)

A La Carte Collection cover image

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a new book on sale for which I provided a foreword—a thoughtful and creative adaptation of the Heidelberg Catechism. It’s worth a look!

There are several new Kindle deals to look over today.

The Olympic Vision: ‘My Way’

I enjoyed Murray Campbell’s reflections on the beginning and ending of the Olympics. “I enjoy the Olympics as much as any diehard sporting fan. And watching the Green and Gold outdo the Red, Blue and White is kinda ‘slay’. There was, however, a hubris weaving throughout the Games that tarnished the gold, silver, and bronze. The alkaline isn’t achievement and success, it’s Rousseau’s imagining that set the Olympic message from start to finish: secular humanism.”

Can a Man Feel Like He’s a Woman?

Ryan Welsh considers whether it’s even possible for a man to feel like he’s a woman.

Strategies for Evangelism from J.A. Medders and Doug Logan

J.A. and Doug’s new book, The Soul-Winning Church, was written to advise Christians about how to create a culture of evangelism and outreach in the church. Get 25% off with code SOULWIN. (Sponsored)

Jonathan Noyes outlines three different kinds of doubt and offers help in navigating them.

When Criticized, Don’t Defend. Clarify.

Nicholas McDonald explains that when we are criticized we often have an ideal opportunity to clarify ourselves (rather than to defend ourselves). “I haven’t read [Megan] Basham’s book, so I’m not going to defend or refute her claims. What has been of particular interest to me … is the conversation folks have been having about how to respond to these kinds of things.”

Is the Multi-Service Model Really Practical?

Many churches end up going to the multi-service model for practical reasons, but is it really that practical? So much depends on what you believe church is meant to accomplish. “For most members, I’m convinced it’s because they just can’t see how it would be practical for their church to turn people away . . . since the church’s goal is to reach as many people as possible. And therein lies the problem. What if there is a better, clearer goal that should matter more to us than simply solving the ‘problem’ of a full building?”

I Do Not Know This Year

I enjoy Esther’s original poems, and this one is no exception.

Flashback: When You Pray With Your Children, You Are Teaching Your Children to Pray

…this is not a time to fulfill a duty or cross something off my list. When I pray with my children, I am teaching my children to pray.

The real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us?

—C.S. Lewis

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.