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A La Carte (February 22)

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of noteworthy titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: Which Country Sends the [Second] Most Missionaries?)

9 Things You Should Know About Billy Graham (1918–2018)

“The Rev. Billy Graham passed away today at the age of 99. Here are nine things you should know about the man who was considered one of the most influential evangelists in modern history.”

10 Point Sermon Checklist

Here’s a helpful checklist for pastors to go through after they finish preparing a sermon.

The Cynical J.K. Rowling

Samuel James writes, “For the past decade, J.K. Rowling’s relationship to her own work has been incredibly cynical and stunningly mercenary. As a serious fan of the Harry Potter books, I’m thankful for her obvious talents and the richness and beauty of the mythology she’s made. Her mammoth wealth and fame is just. What is much harder to empathize with is the way that Rowling seems determined to dry up all the wonder and joy from her stories and turn them into low-rent cultural memes.”

I Have Forgotten How to Read

“For a long time Michael Harris convinced himself that a childhood spent immersed in old-fashioned books would insulate him from our new media climate – that he could keep on reading in the old way because his mind was formed in pre-internet days. He was wrong.”

When Did Evangelicals Start Observing Lent?

This is an interesting take on how Evangelicals began observing Lent. (Also, I don’t observe Lent.)

Why Transgenderism Threatens Parental Rights

“According to CNN, the parents refused to call the boy by his chosen name and would not allow him to undergo hormone treatment. The parents’ attorney had argued that the child was not “even close to being able to make such a life-altering decision at this time,” while the county prosecuting attorney argued the parents wanted to stop the treatment because it violated their religious beliefs. The judge not only gave custody of the teen to the grandparents, but said they could legally change his name in probate court and could help make medical decisions for the child going forward.”

I Won’t Let Cancer Take Away My Sundays

“The profundity of her mumbled explanation for why she hadn’t stayed home this Sunday or any in the last year for that matter hit me hard. I’ve always said that there’s no place I’d rather be than with God’s people on Sunday morning and Sunday night but I’ve never had cancer in my lungs.”

Flashback: Why Papa of The Shack Is not Aslan of Narnia

If it is wrong to portray God the Father as the human Papa, isn’t it equally wrong to portray God the Son as the lion Aslan?

A Christian husband sees his wife not as a woman to manipulate or dominate, but a treasure to serve and protect.

—John Piper

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (April 4)

    The erosion of deep reading / Cable news and religious lines / AI slop and the pursuit of learning / The best AI for Christians / Drag queens and blackface / New music / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (The Good Book Company)

    Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God through the Heartache of Divorce and find honest, compassionate guidance for navigating the heartache of divorce, rooted in God’s word and based on personal experience.

  • Our People

    Where and How To Meet ‘Our People’

    I do not know Carl Trueman all that well, but from what I do know of him, he is not a man who is prone to overexcitement or hyperbole. Because of that, when he does get excited about something, I am likely to pay attention.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (April 3)

    A La Carte: Good Friday greeting / Between loss and glory / The return of the eyewitness / The resurrection’s centrality / Paul Tripp’s complaint about Easter Sunday / A La Quiz / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (April 2)

    Canada’s new hate bill / On judging books / The “Liberal Trad” / Project Hail Mary and positive masculinity / God’s Word and our feelings / Networking and platforming / Friend after friend departs / and more.

  • Its a Risk To Be in Front of a Room

    It’s a Risk To Be in Front of a Room

    Few people are ‘cancelled’ in the pews, but many are in the pulpit. Preaching today carries real risk—yet the Word must still be proclaimed. Here’s why it’s worth it.