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A La Carte (August 16)

wednesday

Good morning from beautiful, chilly New Zealand.

This week Westminster Books has a deal on the new CSB Life Counsel Bible.

Today’s Kindle deals include another pretty good little list of titles.

My Heavenly Father Taught Me Not to Hate My Earthly One

Dudu Mkhize explains her troubled relationship with her father and then tells what healed it.

When Puzzles Drive Me Mad

Chris Thomas: “I’m the kind of guy that likes to have stuff figured out, to have it all squared away and packaged neatly (preferable alphabetised). Not knowing, or seeing the gaps, mean that puzzles are prone to driving me mad. I need to solve the mystery. This makes me a tenacious problem solver: 1. Define the mystery 2. Figure out the steps 3. Win! Easy.”

Victoria’s Anti-Conversion Legislation Promotional Is A Soothing Bed-Time Story

Australia’s state of Victoria has passed what is probably the world’s strongest law against so-called conversion therapy. They released a video to explain it and Stephen McAlpine gave it a look. “So soothing. So seductive. Its narrated in the most calm, wonderful sleepy-bye-byes bedtime story voice one could ever hope for. Before reading any further on this blog post, have a watch. A watch, and a listen. Especially a listen.”

100 Bible Trivia Questions

If you’re in the mood for some Bible trivia, Logos has got you covered.

When the Fireworks of Marriage Stop

“If you’re married, can you recall the fireworks from your wedding day? What about the months following? Was the world teeming with possibilities—the cup of adventure overflowing with magic? Did you believe anything was possible, and nothing could stand in the way of your dreams, goals, desires, love? Did you feel weightless, like a feather floating on a summer breeze?”

Can Preventative Medicine Become the Fountain of Youth?

“The fountain of youth. The elixir of life. The golden apple. For centuries, such myths have reflected humankind’s obsession with immortality. With the right magic, the stories proclaim, we can unnaturally lengthen our lives. With enough bravery and smarts, we can evade the cruel grasp of death. Such promises tantalize the imagination, luring us into the false belief that we can escape the wages of sin by our own efforts.”

Flashback: Success Beyond What We Can Handle

Those who pray for no more than they can handle will find joy and comfort in even modest achievements, for they will know and trust that God has given them what is for their best and withheld from them what would be to their harm.

The motion of our praise must be like the motion of our pulse, which beats as long as life lasts.

—Thomas Watson

  • 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.