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A La Carte (February 1)

monday

Grace to you and peace as you begin a new day, new week, new month…

The new ESV Preaching Bible is a great one for pastors, and Westminster Books has it on sale for 50% off.

Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good list that crosses a lot of genres.

(Yesterday on the blog: Threescore and Ten)

We Are Family Now

I love hearing how Christians in different areas grapple with unique cultural quirks. Like this one: “In this culture, it’s very important that men who are not relatives never see a woman wet, whether that’s swimming, wearing wet hair from a shower, etc. Wet hair and clothes are viewed as very sensual. So baptism, where a woman is publicly soaking wet, is the kind of event that could lead to strong feelings of shame, of dishonorably exposing oneself, a wife, sister, or daughter to the eyes of unrelated men.”

Layers Of Story, Layers Of Sorrow, Layers Of Grace

Speaking of which, here’s another cross-cultural article. “This. has. been. a. week. What would you think of a high school girl who comes back to boarding school pregnant? It’s sad and complicated for her life, for sure. What if she was an orphan who had received generous aid? Feels frustrating or irresponsible.”

The FAQs: What You Should Know About the Mexico City Policy

You’ve probably been hearing about the Mexico City Policy. Joe Carter explains what it’s about.

Nanobots Show Promise with Artificial Muscle

This is neat. “According to Revelation 4:11, a choir around God’s throne declares that all honor belongs to Him for His amazing creation. The evidence of His handiwork extends all the way down to bacteria. While doctors still cannot fully copy the locomotor ability of bacteria, researchers have already pumped out some promising designs.”

The Lost We Love the Most

I expect many of us can identify with this struggle. “What do we say when we’ve already said it all? How can we persevere in pursuing the lost we love?”

In Days of Trouble, the Church Matters

“Psalm 20 is an anthem for the pandemic. It begins, ‘May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!’ And certainly, we’ve been living in trouble for the past 365 days—ever since we first heard about the novel coronavirus.”

Flashback: Error Can Never Produce the Effects of Truth

If genuine religious experience is nothing but the impression of divine truth on the mind by the energy of the Holy Spirit, then it is evident that a knowledge of the truth is essential to genuine piety. Error never can, under any circumstances, produce the effects of truth.

Sometimes we have disappointments, but even these are really God’s appointments, as some day we shall find out.

—J.R. Miller

  • Educated, Free, Wealthy, and Privileged

    We are an educated people with high standards of literacy. We are a free people who enjoy religious liberty. We are a wealthy people with unlimited access to a nearly infinite quantity of Bibles. We are a privileged people who may not realize how blessed we are.

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    Weekend A La Carte (November 2)

    A La Carte: Coldplay’s prayer in Melbourne / Zombies, Heath Lambert, and gatekeeping biblical counseling / Keep the Feast (a new song) / Stop playing the numbers game / Squandering security / and more.

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    Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Yesterday was Reformation Day, when many Protestants celebrate the sixteenth-century recovery of the biblical gospel. It was while Martin Luther was studying the book of Romans that he rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So, today…

  • Daily Liturgy Devotional

    Why Not Use a Daily Liturgy for Your Devotions?

    Trends come and go. Certain habits or interests rise for a time, wane, then rise again, often at unexpected moments. One of the recent trends I have found particularly surprising and also particularly interesting is the rise (or re-rise, if you prefer) of liturgy. This may be liturgy within formal worship services of the local…

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    A La Carte (November 1)

    A La Carte: When a Berkeley feminist had three sons / The tragedy of IVF / What if I don’t feel forgiven? / Piper on how not to respond to suffering / What sola scriptura protects us against / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    As October draws to its close, I wanted to ensure you know about at least some of the most notable books it brought our way. I did not see quite the quantity of new books I have seen in some previous months, but there were still some special ones. For each, I’ve provided the publisher’s…