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A La Carte (February 13)

Today’s Kindle deals include just three books, but they are all by or about J.I. Packer. That means they are all worth checking out.

Who Is the Subject of Your Bible Study?

Jen Oshman has a good article directed to women. “If that Christian book on your nightstand or if your women’s bible study points you back to you, then may I please encourage you to put it down and give it some thought?”

Marital Love Must Be Sexual

I’ve enjoyed Joel Beeke’s series on the Puritans and their views on marriage, love, and romance. He concludes with an article on their decidedly non-Puritanical views of sex in marriage.

Hawaii’s Lava Fire Hose (Video)

This is amazing: A lava fire hose.

An Intro to the Institutes

Derek Thomas’s introduction to Calvin’s Institutes will make you want to read them. Or read them again. “What is it about Calvin that so inspires me? This: his disciplined style, his determination never to speculate, his utter submission to Bible words as God’s words, his submission to Christ’s Lordship, his sense of the holy, his concern to be as practical as possible; the fact that godly living was his aim and not theology for the sake of it. In a forest of theologians, Calvin stands like a Californian Redwood, towering over everyone else.”

Why is the Passenger Seat Called “Shotgun”?

Rather satisfyingly, it has something to do with the Wild, Wild West.

The Antidote to Evolution

I love this! “God in His most glorious, wonderful, sovereign, holy wisdom, determined that His own ‘creative genius’ would best be beheld by the creature, if the actual works of the world, were structured in this way. This was more than skeletal framework but also sumptuous fulness – six whole days, structured beautifully and logically, that both the most eminent scholar and wide-eyed infant, might grasp something of the glory of the Most Wise God who made it all, by the Word of His power.”

To Libya and Back

This was an informative account of a Stealth Bomber’s long sortie to Libya to lay waste to an ISIS camp.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

Justin Taylor has a wonderful account of a tragedy—the execution of Lady Jane Grey.

Flashback: 10 Articles on Pornography

For some time pornography was a prominent theme on this site. Here are ten of the articles I wrote about it.

Grumbling is the most serious sin, a capital crime, a primal offense against the God whose universe this is.

—David Powlison

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    A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: Carl Trueman on James Talarico / In honor of John M. Perkins / The Chosen / Sincerity, sarcasm, and the memeification of life / The bad news we still need / Venting vs complaining / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pleasure Obligation

    A Pleasure More Than An Obligation

    Christians are often portrayed as downcast and dour, as people who are trapped in a system of beliefs that robs them of joy and life. And with a bit of honest self-examination, we can probably think of times when we have fit the cliché.

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 14)

    A La Carte: The West’s strange genius / Healing the way women hurt each other / AI skeptics / The world after reading / What about the children? / What caregivers should know about dementia / and much more.

  • Sex and Self-Forgetfulness

    Sex, Self-Forgetfulness, and the Joy of Serving Your Spouse

    I often think there is a kind of paradoxical quality to sex within marriage. It’s paradoxical in that few things have greater ability to bring blessing (through its right use) or to bring cursing (through its misuse). Not only that, but few things bring greater joy to a marriage, and also, in so many cases,…