Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (December 1)

thursday

The beginning of a new month is a good time to remind ourselves that right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne.

This month Westminster Books has great deals on all kinds of ESV Bibles.

There are a few Kindle deals to look at today.

(Yesterday on the blog: No, It Wasn’t the Vaccine)

Disney’s ‘Strange World’ Embodies Strange New World

Brett McCracken: “Two 2022 releases: Disney’s Strange World and Carl Trueman’s Strange New World. Any youth unfortunate enough to have seen the former should be required to read the latter. Disney’s film represents the cultural sickness Trueman’s book analyzes.”

What Does It Mean to Enter into Temptation?

“Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Watch and pray, so you won’t be tempted.’ There is no way you can get into a place in the Christian life where you are no longer tempted. He says, ‘Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.’ Literally it says, ‘so that you will not enter into temptation.’”

The Life and Ministry of Rev. William Pettigrew

I appreciate Boboy Nameirakpam Singh introducing us to “the first Christian missionary in Manipur, one of the northeastern states of India.”

Gospel Diversity & not hiding our light under a bushel

“Many of us insist that our churches are open to everyone. We want our churches to express the manifold wisdom of God and the glory of Christ through the gospel. I am quite sure everyone who says these things genuinely means them. But many of us are in contexts that make it harder to see.”

Preacher, What’s on Your Kids Menu?

John Joseph encourages preachers to ensure there’s something “on the menu” for kids during the sermon.

Sunday evening exhaustion

“Do you ever get to the end of a Sunday feeling shattered? If you’ve come to church in the morning, gone to someone’s house for lunch (or done the actual hosting), made it to the afternoon service, then talked to people after the service, by the time you get home, you can be exhausted, and frazzled. Rather than being replenished by Sundays, it’s easy to feel drained.”

Flashback: Services Shaped Like an Hourglass

We begin our service distracted, narrow our focus to Jesus Christ, then broaden our gaze to living in this world for God’s glory. We do it again the next week, and again the week after that.

Prayer is a very hard thing to do because it seems like we aren’t doing anything. But it’s also hard because it’s a humble act. We must humble ourselves before God’s mighty hand regularly and cast our cares on Him.

—Tony Merida

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 15)

    A La Carte: Young people are turning to the Bible / What conservative young men need / Justifying self-gratification / The influence of reading / On boredom / and more.

  • Remember

    It Doesn’t Matter What You Remember

    I have a memory like a … what do you call it? That thing in the kitchen you use to sift the stuff you want from the stuff you don’t. A sieve! That’s it. I have a memory like a sieve. I joke about it at times, and about how I have to outsource remembering…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 14)

    A La Carte: Always being right / Sex advice for newlyweds / Making Christianity look good / Soul care / Stop straining for shortcuts / When writing feels like a chair / Rare Kindle deals / and more.

  • Post Woke

    Are We Post Woke?

    It is too early to tell, I think, whether the “wokeness” craze has already peaked and even begun to slip into decline, or whether it’s just pausing to gather energy for another surge. What seems clear for the moment, though, is that it has lost at least some of its initial momentum, probably because it…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 13)

    A La Carte: A cautionary tale / Raising hands in worship / Freshen your prayer life / Exposing adultery to the light / Reject the religion of efficiency / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Petty Fight

    Petty Annoyances and Minor Insults

    I wonder if you are like me in that, as you look back on your life, you realize that most of the circumstances that have troubled you, most of the annoyances and disgruntlements, were produced by circumstances that were hardly worth noticing.