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A La Carte (December 23)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Today’s Kindle deals include an excellent book on the always-important subject of humility. For the kids, there’s the first volume in Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather saga. If you’re looking for a “just for fun” read, Nate Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes is just a couple of dollars.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Collected Best Books of 2025)

My Generation’s Digital Boredom Makes Us Spiritually Hungry

Luke Simon says, “My generation is bored. It’s not the quiet, porch-swing boredom our grandparents knew. Not the kind that sends you outside just to see what happens or forces you to make up games. It’s not the boredom that arises in the absence of entertainment but the boredom that comes when entertainment no longer entertains.” No, it’s a whole different kind.

The Joy of Making Discoveries in God’s Animal Kingdom, and the Discoveries Yet to Come

Randy Alcorn: “Animals declare God’s glory, yet the vast majority of people who’ve ever lived have never seen—or in many cases even heard of—all the animals that exist. Those of us who happen to know a few hundred species, or even a few thousand, know only a tiny fraction of the total.”

Earth’s Epic Start

This entertaining and engaging study of Genesis 1-3 helps middle-grade readers gain a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s amazing creation. (Sponsored)

Sermon Criticism

J.V. Fesko writes about the inevitable sermon criticism. “Critical remarks weigh ten-times more than compliments. A number of people might offer compliments about the sermon, but it would be the critical remark that echoes in my mind for days on end.”

Mary: Enduring Shame for the Cause of Christ

“Pain?  Sure.  Hardship? Yes.  Poverty? OK.  Hard work? Count me in. Death?  That one is very hard, but yes. Public humiliation? Uh, maybe not.”

Another Ordinary, Holy Day

Andrea celebrates another ordinary, holy day. “Under snow-frosted trees, with visible breath I ask it. Perhaps you’ve asked it too. Rinsing the dish I’ve rinsed a thousand times before, I wonder. Maybe you’ve wondered too. Do I matter? Am I seen?”

What a Fruitful Devotional Feels Like

John Piper cracks the door just a little bit to allow a hesitant glance at his devotional life.

Flashback: Devotionals I Recommend For a New Year

I’ve collected some of the resources I most recommend and hope you find something here that will serve you as you devote yourself to reading the Word of God.

Emotional appeals based on tear-jerking stories do not change human behavior.

—D.A. Carson

  • A La Carte (September 15)

    Emotional affairs: am I in one? How do I get out? / Who’s ruling your home? / You think you’re willing to die for Christ, but will you work in the nursery for him? / Gluttony in the age of GLP-1s / Invite God into your anxieties / Vipers in diapers? / Book sale.

  • Your Life is a Sermon

    “God saves us just as we are, but he is not content for us to remain just as we are. No—God’s great purpose for us, having saved us, is to conform us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29).”

  • A La Carte (September 14)

    The kind of mom I’ve become / Young Christians, you need older Christians in your life! / 6 observations about ‘online’ church / An age of mechanical providence / God’s people don’t become angels at death / Why women are celebrating Lindsay Clancy / Kindle deals / and more.

  • weekend 3

    Weekend A La Carte (September 12)

    It’s 10 p.m., and your kids want to know where you are / The dark side of mindfulness / Planet of bots / How to love your local public school / The beautiful complexity of the human eye / Hard cases: no time to talk / Reader recommendations.