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A La Carte (August 16)

monday

Good morning. May grace and peace be with you today and in the week ahead.

I have listed a few new Kindle deals; besides the ones listed, Zondervan’s entire 37-volume Counterpoints series is marked down.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Parent’s Prayer for Obedience)

Of Minds and Machines : Transhumanism and the Christian

Christopher Brown has written an interesting essay on transhumanism. If you don’t know the term, you probably should.

Rejection That Cuts Deep

“I have come to believe that rejection and separation from your child is one of the most painful experiences to carry.” So says Kath Thomas. Many parents would tearfully agree.

5 Questions about Church Membership

Jonathan Leeman: “Let me start here: the local church is the authority on earth that Jesus has instituted to officially affirm and give shape to my Christian life and yours. Just as Jesus instituted the state, so he instituted the local church. It is an institutional authority because Jesus instituted it with authority.”

Redemptive Regret

Rut Etheridge III: “Maybe you’ve seen a meme that says something like this: ‘Don’t ever regret your past decisions. At one time, they were what you wanted.’ This emboldening counsel is no doubt born of deep pain. It offers emotional and ethical self-defense as we process a personal history of questionable choices. Yet this morality is, in every sense of the phrase, self-righteous. And self-righteousness is never a good means of self-defense.”

Seek Unity, Fear the Lord, and Wash Your Hands

“I’m in no way an expert on the medical aspects of COVID-19. What I do know is our enemy, Satan, loves to take moments of crisis and divide people by steering them toward extremes.” Daniel Seabaugh encourages Christians away from polarizing extremes.

10 Safeguards for Church Nurseries and Children’s Ministry

This is simple, common sense, and crucial stuff.

Why Afghanistan Is Impossible to Conquer (Video)

This video is a couple of weeks old and, hence, already out of date. Still, it helpfully explains why Afghanistan is impossible to conquer.

Flashback: The Power Over Christian Publishing We’ve Given To Amazon

We cannot be shocked when non-Christians are affronted or offended by genuinely Christian ideas. We cannot demand of non-Christians any more than of Christians that they violate conscience to sell materials they consider repugnant.

Do for duty’s sake what you cannot do as a pleasure, and you will find it becomes delightful.

—F.B. Meyer

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    5 signs your marriage is unhealthy / The preacher’s life / A life of prayer / The miracle of Christian unity / Conforming to non-conformity / Football won’t save the world / What I’m enjoying / and more.

  • Stop Losing Your Sermon Notes in Old Notebooks

    What if you could see every note you’ve written on the Sermon on the Mount when you read Matthew 5? That’s InBible. When writing a note, tap any Bible reference to see the passage in context. When reading Scripture, select a verse to see every note that cites it. Insights you recorded years ago resurface…

  • A La Carte (July 20)

    Pillaging of the digital commons / The Marxist who understood sex better than the UMC / Intrusive thoughts and gospel hope / Predestination should give you confidence / How to wait for cultural reckoning / Invite as many as you find / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Works & Wonders - July 19

    Works & Wonders (July 19)

    Works & Wonders has interesting and uplifting material on: Bluebirds, the rarest books on earth, a new song, berries berries everywhere, the amazing electric eel, and a devotional to start your Sunday.

  • Weekend A La Carte (July 18)

    This weekend’s collection of long-form and think-pieces covers declining fertility rates, the Boy Scouts, The Odyssey, AI and the elderly, and Gen Z, plus reader recommendations.