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A La Carte (January 17)

monday

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

There is a small list of Kindle deals today.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Angel of Patience)

Five Things I Learned as a Pastor’s Kid

Samuel James grew up a PK and offers a few of the lessons he learned along the way.

Will Few Be Saved?

“On several occasions the gospels record Jesus teaching that only a few will be saved (Matthew 7:14, Matthew 22:14, and Luke 13:23). Careful readers of Scripture should begin to wrestle with how these passages found in the gospels fit together with other passages that teach that many will be saved.” So how can those be reconciled?

The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition

Ligonier Ministries recently released an edition of their popular Reformation Study Bible with many new features for students and young adults. This week, you can use code CHALLIES in the Ligonier store to save an extra 5% on the Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition in any cover style or color. (Sponsored Link)

A Whale of a Story (Video)

“Humpback whales. They are among the largest and most magnificent creatures on Earth. But how did these warm blooded, air-breathing, fully aquatic mammals come into existence? Evolutionary scientists have long proposed a slow, gradual process driven by random mutations and natural selection. Yet, 21st century biology and genetics have clearly revealed that these naturalistic explanations are woefully inadequate. Instead, the most convincing evidence for their creation now points to intelligent design.”

Virtual Vocation

Gene Veith considers TikTokers and other influencers to consider whether what they do could be classified as a vocation in the Christian sense of the term.

Our escape room

In her latest column, Andrée Seu Peterson writes about an escape room, of all things.

In What Sense is Jesus a Nazarene?

“When you come to a passage that you don’t understand, it’s always a good idea to jot down a note to further study to learn what the text means. We encounter one such section of Scripture in the Advent readings in Matthew’s gospel: ‘And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.’ (Matt. 2:23)”

Flashback: For the Christian Who Is Afraid To Die

What we know of life after death we must know by faith. And what does the faithful heart believe about the experience of death? James Meikle beautifully tells us in these words.

Two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded than all the troubles in the world: peace with sin, and peace in sin.

—Joseph Alleine

  • Water Glass

    The Deepest Thirst of All

    The God who created us formed us in such a way that we are not meant to exist apart from him. To live apart from God is the spiritual equivalent of trying to live without food and water. It will lead only to weakness, pain, and death.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (February 28)

    A La Carte: How marriage actually refers to Christ and the church / Does it matter if stories are true? / To cover or overlook? / Should Christians feel guilty for being patriotic / Sinful desires / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for February 2026

    New and Notable Christian Books for February 2026

    Not a single month goes by without Christian publishers providing us with great new resources. Thankfully, most of those new books end up in my mailbox. That allows me to sort through them and distil them down to a list like this one: A list of new and notables.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (February 27)

    A La Carte: Time / More than a book / If you knew him, you would ask / The multitasking myth / Beware AI-generated Christian content / It’s sad that you believe that / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 26)

    A La Carte: Death with dignity / On “balance” and young men / No need to fear / A gospel reset for the weary Christian / A shy guy’s guide to big groups / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Substacks I Read and Recommend in 2026

    30 Christian Substacks I Read and Recommend in 2026

    t is a blessing to have so many dedicated and talented Christian writers who are willing to share their work with us. Many of them choose to share it through Substack, a platform for email newsletters. I follow all kinds of Substacks and thought it might be helpful to create a roundup of some of…