Just a reminder that this week I am featuring A La Carte only. The usual slate of original articles will return next week as the holiday season wraps up.
There are some new Kindle deals today for the avid collectors.
(Yesterday on the blog: How I’ll Be Reading the Bible in 2024)
Let Us Resolve This . . . A Few Thoughts About Personal Resolutions
This is quite a long article about new year’s resolutions and other kinds of resolutions. “As Christians, such a miserable ratio of success to failure should cause us to examine the whole concept of the new year’s resolution from a biblical perspective.”
Plan to Grow
Jacob thinks back to his growth as a Christian and concludes, “I’ve learned that if I don’t plan to grow, I’ll be less like Jesus than I could be.”
Free eBook: How to Build an Effective Missions Program
When discussing the specifics of church missions programs, it is critical to begin by understanding the motivation behind missions. Properly understanding “God’s Mission” will result in a more deeply rooted mission program and, ultimately, a more effective gospel witness. So, today, The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) is offering How to Build an Effective Missions Program as a free ebook. Download your copy today at tmai.org/challies to develop a strategy for an effective missions program in your church. (Sponsored Link)
Pope Francis, LGBTQ, and Semi-Pelagianism
Rob Golding explains why Protestants can struggle to understand how the Pope can bless same-sex marriages while also standing “firm” on the traditional doctrine of marriage.
Are You Actually Responsible for How Your Year Turned Out?
“If we are honest with ourselves, many of the things that happened in the past year we didn’t plan or expect. We probably were unwell at some stage. We might have lost a job or had an unexpected job offer. Any number of things might have happened that we could never have known in advance.”
What Were Mary and Joseph Doing After Jesus Was Born?
Mitch offers a short explanation of what Mary and Joseph did after Jesus was born.
Good News Times Four
This is a helpful little summary of the four gospels—what makes them similar and what makes them distinct. “One story told from four viewpoints into four first century situations they might be, but we wouldn’t be without any one of the four twenty centuries later.”
Flashback: A Supreme Yearning To Be a Blessing
As I’ve considered the year that is almost upon us, I have been helped by this prayer from John MacArthur’s At the Throne of Grace. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
To desire revival…and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.
—A.W. Tozer
