Happy new year, my friends! May 2026 bring you many of the Lord’s richest blessings. Today’s A La Carte features articles related to the dawning of a new year.
Because it’s the first day of a new month, today’s Kindle deals include a lot of neat books, including, for example, a couple of whole collections of John Stott’s works.
New Year’s Goal-Setting for People with Actual Lives
“The advice on how to fix your life arrives every January with the confidence of someone who has never had a toddler wake him at 3 a.m. or worked a double shift on New Year’s Day. There’s no fine print, no ‘your results may vary.’ The articles and podcasts imagine a generic professional with a predictable schedule, abundant free time, and unlimited options.” Joe Carter gets realistic with his goal-setting counsel.
You Have Time to Read the Bible in the New Year
Glenna Marshall wants you to know that you definitely have time to read the Bible in 2026. “I’ve often been told my others that they don’t have time to read the Bible regularly. It’s one of the most common excuses I get now as a Bible teacher. It might be the thing holding you back right now. But I’m lovingly calling your bluff. You do have time to read the Bible. And so did I during all those years I swore I didn’t. Here’s how I know.” (See also Tessa Lind who is committed to treasuring the Bible in 2026.)
Get up to 90% Off During Crossway’s Annual Ebook and Audiobook Sale
From January 1–8, 2026, Crossway+ members can purchase ebooks and audiobooks for up to 90% off. It’s free to join! Members also receive a free ebook of What God Has to Say about Our Bodies by Sam Allberry and a free audiobook of A Little Theology of Exercise by David Mathis. (Sponsored)
The Only Guarantee for 2026
Many people will be setting goals for 2026, but Jana wants to ensure we consider the only thing that’s guaranteed in the year ahead.
Holding True Today Prepares Us For Tomorrow
“As 2026 begins, surely for some who read this today, tomorrow feels leaden. Unknown. Filled with dread. And you may have wondered, how? How do I go forward? What am I to do when a year in the future holds more burden than light, more questions than answers, and greater sadness than joy?”
Ring it in
Seth shares “Ring it in,” a poem for a new year.
Thirty Minutes a Day: A Reading Challenge for 2026
Jon Cleland offers a challenge: “Reading, thinking, and writing are fundamental practices of a well-ordered mind, and they are increasingly neglected. Why read when you can watch and listen? Why think when a media influencer can tell you what to think? And why write when ChatGPT can do it for you? Our neglect of these three practices not only leads us to be lazy, but it also leads us to become apathetic and uncritical.”
Looking for a Year of Impossible Things
Kevin Schaal reminds us that what we should want most in a new year is something that is impossible without divine help.
Flashback: New Year, New Joys, New Sorrows
…no matter what may be taken from us in the year ahead, we know that we have possessions beyond measure that are ours in Christ. No matter what may be added to us in the year ahead, we know that the greatest gain on earth is as nothing compared to what already awaits us in heaven.
Tell me not of your justification unless you have some marks of sanctification.
—J.C. Ryle
