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A La Carte (December 19)

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The God of love and peace be with you today.

Newsletter subscribers, I apologize for the second email this morning. It’s my fault!

There are a few new Kindle deals today for the collectors.

(Yesterday on the blog: 32 Random Thoughts About the Local Church)

God With Us on the Escalator

This is such a sweet article about an incredible moment.

Not Neurotypical: A Love Story

This is another sweet and encouraging read. “With my firstborn, I learned that my child was not a problem to be solved or fixed, but a person to be loved and understood as God made him. I came to believe in my heart that this child was given to us for a reason—because God knew that we were exactly the parents and the family that he needed.”

Decapitating the Serpent

“Earlier this month, a man named Michael Cassidy allegedly tore down and beheaded a statue erected by the Satanic Temple in the Iowa state capitol. He reportedly took this action because ‘it was extremely anti-Christian.’” Robb Brunansky considers whether Christians should applaud this action.

I Am Not Perfect, but I Will Not Lie About God

There is a really solid admonition at the heart of this piece by Jacob Crouch. “I want to be honest about my sin and shortcomings, but I also want to be honest about my God. He has not left me or forsaken me. He is accomplishing all that He has promised.”

What Are Angels, and How Should Christians Think About Them?

“You have probably seen pictures, movies, or cartoons portraying angels, but it’s likely that none of them portrayed angels in any way close to what they are actually like! What does the Bible say?” Jon Nielson answers well.

Embarrassed of My Embarrassment

Kraig transparently expresses embarrassment over his former embarrassment (which you may well identify with).

Flashback: A Church with Great Music

I am convinced that the best measure of a church’s music is not what takes place on the stage, but what takes place in the pews. It is not so much the sounds and sights of a band leading, but the sounds and sights of a congregation worshipping. 

The gospel isn’t a summons to work harder to reach God, it’s the story of how God sovereignly worked all things together to reach you.

—Burk Parsons

  • Epic

    My Epic Documentary Series Is Now Free to Watch

    In 2020 I teamed up with Zondervan to release Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History. This is a two-part product that takes the form of an illustrated book and a ten-part documentary video series. Epic is ideal for group studies, homeschool curriculum, and enjoying either alone or with the whole family. I am pleased…

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    A La Carte (May 8)

    A La Carte: Slouching toward Saul / Did the Jews kill Jesus? / The growing boredom toward movies / Expecting temptation before it comes / 5 things prayer has the power to do / A good neighbor / Book sale / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 7)

    A La Carte: How to love every version of your wife / A Christian’s perspective on AI / If God is sovereign, why pray? / Summer break and the challenge of home / Assessing the arguments for and against physician-assisted suicide / and more.

  • Do You Practice

    Do You Practice?

    There is little we are called to in life that is purely intuitive. There is little that truly matters to our lives, yet comes to us innately. To the contrary, almost everything that is important and almost everything that matters requires practice. What matters most in life is love. We are called to love the…

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    A La Carte (May 6)

    A La Carte: A response to John MacArthur’s statement on mental health / How much should churches pay their pastors? / Love is no longer my god / The fatally friendless father / Fear of missing out / Keeping watch / Kindle deals / and more.

  • As He Reaches Toward Us

    As He Reaches Toward Us, We Reach Toward Him

    When it comes to our growth as Christians, there are two related truths we need to understand and keep constantly in mind: Advance in the Christian life, which is to say advance in our relationship with God and advance in being like God, comes by a combination of God’s work and our work.