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A La Carte (January 13)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Today’s Kindle deals include several books designed to help you understand and overcome various challenges to the Christian life (e.g. forgiveness or wayward children). You’ll also find a newer book by Tim Keller and a good one by Randy Alcorn. On the general market side, the Andrew Carnegie biography is excellent.

(Yesterday on the blog: Petty Annoyances and Minor Insults)

Rabbits and Social Media: A Cautionary Tale

I am convinced there are many people who would benefit from reading this cautionary tale. While it is set in a specific denomination, there’s a lot for everyone to consider. (On a similar note, see Answer Not a Kinist according to His Folly.)

Are Raised Hands in Worship Just Showing Off?

I appreciate John Piper’s wisdom here as he considers raising hands in worship. “Should Christians ever be concerned that lifting hands, closing eyes, or expressing emotion in worship might cross the line into practicing our righteousness before others? Or does worship fall into a different category?”

10 Ways to Freshen Your Prayer Life

There are some helpful tips here for freshening up your prayer life. “If you’re in a season where you want to try something new in your prayer life, here are ten ideas to get started.”

Book Brief. Those with an interest in the Second World War will enjoy An Army at Dawn, the opening volume in Rick Atkinson’s “Liberation Trilogy,” which follows the U.S. military in its three major European campaigns—North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe. It strikes just the right balance in being thorough but not exhaustive (and, therefore, exhausting). I’m looking forward to pressing on with the next two volumes in the series.

An Uplifting Story (Video)

I always enjoy the videos from the John 10:10 Project as they celebrate God’s extraordinary design in the natural world. This one celebrates something you’ve probably never thought about before (or if you have, only to be annoyed by it).

Exposing Adultery to the Light

Kyle Borg: “In a society saturated with sexual immorality — in entertainment, media, politics, and even churches — our moral instincts have become really desensitized. Few of us hate adultery with the seriousness it deserves. If we are to recover a biblical hatred for this sin and a biblical love for holiness and purity, we must shine God’s light on adultery from several angles.” (See also Randy Alcorn’s Moral Failings of Christian Leaders Should Make Us Examine Ourselves Closely.)

Reject the Religion of Efficiency

Samuel James tells us why it’s sometimes neither good nor wise to pursue every avenue for efficiency.

Flashback: Who Is the Greatest?

“Jesus doesn’t condemn the quest for greatness,” warns Piper. “He radically transforms it. Go ahead and pursue it, he says. But the path is down, not up.” Where is God calling you to go low?

The future is a series of small decisions to live the new life and not to fall back into the old.

—Sinclair Ferguson

  • Harder to Change

    I’m Finding It Harder to Change

    As 2026 began, I decided to change up my devotions. I have followed roughly the same pattern for the last 15 or 20 years and thought it would be nice to freshen things up a little bit. It went poorly.

  • A La Carte (July 15)

    Hell’s evangelistic appeal / Sleepless nights / Was the multiplication of the early church a miraculous movement? / When evangelism is dispiriting / The fiery darts / In praise of a sending church / Preparing for ministry / and more.

  • A La Carte (July 14)

    Should you marry her anyway? / Be sure your sin will find you out / How can we be ready to meet the Lord? / Aging is a series of relinquishments / Making the Christian life more complicated than it needs to be / Happy birthday to you! / Sales and deals / and more.

  • Virtuoso

    Everything I Might Have Been

    The world can feel unfair when we ponder all we might have been. But God sovereignly places each of us exactly where we can best serve and honor him.

  • A La Carte (July 13)

    Does the church need your worship song? / God’s plan for your prayers / Guard your women’s ministry against false teaching / When we despise ordinary help / Inspire others to be better Christians / Bowing our heads to the providence of God / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Works & Wonders - July 12

    Works & Wonders (July 12)

    Works & Wonders offers a collection of interesting and uplifting bits and pieces on: Viking Christians, wedding vows, magnified sand, Amazon knockoffs, a giant “chicken and egg” problem, and a brief devotional, of course.