Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (August 29)

monday

Grace and peace to you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include a selection from Crossway.

(Yesterday on the blog: God Has Thrown Some Husks)

God Has Something to Say in Your Worship Service

This is a key to understanding worship. “The Scriptures … [teach] that worship is not where we gather together to speak about God; rather, worship is where God summons us into his presence in order to speak to us. To be sure, we will speak as well, but only as a response to what first God says to us.”

Trusting in the Absence of Peace

“We often think that trust means we won’t have any anxiety. But what if the goal isn’t to rid ourselves of anxiety? What if the goal is to learn how to trust in the midst of anxiety?”

Do Reformed Protestants and Roman Catholics understand grace differently?

You probably know that Protestants and Catholics understand grace differently, but in this video Sinclair Ferguson explains how.

What If Jesus Turns Me Away?

“Throughout history, many Christians have struggled with the fear that they’re not one of God’s elect. Might God keep certain people from approaching Christ, even though they know he’s the only one who can save us? Does Jesus keep some people from coming to him for mercy? And if you’re struggling with these questions, what should you do?”

Sometimes I Struggle With the Bible

If we’re honest, we all struggle with the Bible from time to time, don’t we?

I Didn’t Want to go to Church

“Recently it took everything within me to drag myself to church (for Wednesday night Bible study). My body was tired, my mind exhausted, and my heart fatigued. Further, it meant bringing both children who, for one reason or another, always decide to act wild on those nights. Long story short, I went to church that evening.”

Flashback: Is It Time To Go Back to The Heart of Worship?

Somehow music changed from being a means to worship Jesus to a means to impress unbelievers (who, ironically, weren’t that impressed).

A good bit of homely, practical, common-sense wisdom, says that there are two classes of things we should not worry about—things we can help, and things we cannot help.

—J.R. Miller

  • Why I Believe in Church Membership

    Why I Believe in Church Membership

    I believe in church membership. I believe in membership as a practical matter that allows a church to function well. But even more so, I believe in membership as a biblical matter that allows a church to faithfully follow the Scriptures. I suppose we ought to define our term. While acknowledging that membership can vary…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 25)

    A La Carte: Confessionalism or fundamentalism? / Sexual ethics and the doctrine of God / Does James contradict Paul? / Ways to be kind to someone you disagree with / The increasing value of Christian testimonies / So many Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pastoral Prayer

    A Pastoral Prayer

    Our Father in heaven, we love you. We have freely proclaimed that here this morning. Yet we also acknowledge that we only love you because you first loved us. On our own, there was nothing in us that was inclined toward you. Our hearts were all turned inward toward ourselves—our own honor, our own glory,…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (November 23)

    A La Carte: Gifting is not godliness / The post-Christian morality of “Wicked” / Adult children and their parents / Wanting what I already have / Ashamed of the gospel / The book and Kindle deals continue.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)

    This week the giveaway is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. Will technology change what it means to be human? You don’t have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wonder where we’re headed. Even now, technological innovations and machine learning have a daily impact on our lives,…

  • Other side of the Wall

    On the Other Side of the Wall

    A story is told of a convalescent woman and the lovely vine that grew in her yard. Confined to her property during her long recovery from an accident, she turned her attention to the little plot of ground behind her home. She planted the vine on a cool spring morning, dreaming of the day when,…