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A La Carte (December 26)

A La Carte Thursday 1

I trust you enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did. The Lord is good to give us days to rest and simply enjoy his gifts.

It is a bit of a slow stretch for Kindle deals, but be sure to check in after 6:30 AM and I’ll see what I can find.

The Thief’s Good Works

Jackson Gravitt provides a couple of perspectives on the thief’s good works.

It’s a Wonderful Strife

“Shaping rock, shaping students; I’d be hard-pressed to say which is more difficult. Rock is less resistant to change and fights back far less often, but again, it’s just rock in the end. Students, while tough as granite at times, are well worth the effort – well worth the strife.” Josh reflect on this “wonderful strife.”

Hospitality: The Forgotten Qualification

“When considering the qualifications for elders, ‘able to teach’ is often recognized as the one qualification uniquely required for the office. Certainly, the unique role of elders centers on ‘the ministry of the word.’ But another qualification is often missed or underdeveloped, which is vitally supplemental to the teaching ministry.”

How Should I Spend My Time During the Final Days of the Year?

There’s an important challenge here. “Christians love to debate the final days on Earth, but few Christians discuss the final days of the year. Effective time stewardship is crucial during the last days of December because the way you spend this time will influence how you begin the new year. If done well, you’ll start 2025 with a burst of energy and enthusiasm. But if done poorly, you may start the new year feeling sluggish.”

Give Me Faith

Here’s a new poem that has a good message.

5 Lessons for New Church Planters

Church planters will benefit from these lessons.

Flashback: When I Get to the End of the Way

“By and by I shall see him and praise him, in the city of unending day, and the toils of the road will seem nothing, when I get to the end of the way.”

Legalistic remorse says, “I broke God’s rules,” while real repentance says, “I broke God’s heart.”

—Tim Keller

  • A La Carte (July 16)

    Gen-Z revival / Devotional material that hinders spiritual growth? / Does the day end in night / When you cannot sing, let the church sing for you / Three prayers for prodigal children / The ordinary and enduring gifts of the Spirit / and more.

  • Harder to Change

    I’m Finding It Harder to Change

    As 2026 began, I decided to change up my devotions. I have followed roughly the same pattern for the last 15 or 20 years and thought it would be nice to freshen things up a little bit. It went poorly.

  • A La Carte (July 15)

    Hell’s evangelistic appeal / Sleepless nights / Was the multiplication of the early church a miraculous movement? / When evangelism is dispiriting / The fiery darts / In praise of a sending church / Preparing for ministry / and more.

  • A La Carte (July 14)

    Should you marry her anyway? / Be sure your sin will find you out / How can we be ready to meet the Lord? / Aging is a series of relinquishments / Making the Christian life more complicated than it needs to be / Happy birthday to you! / Sales and deals / and more.

  • Virtuoso

    Everything I Might Have Been

    The world can feel unfair when we ponder all we might have been. But God sovereignly places each of us exactly where we can best serve and honor him.

  • A La Carte (July 13)

    Does the church need your worship song? / God’s plan for your prayers / Guard your women’s ministry against false teaching / When we despise ordinary help / Inspire others to be better Christians / Bowing our heads to the providence of God / Kindle deals / and more.