A La Carte (January 19)

Today’s Kindle deals include just a couple of books. Westminster Books is featuring Nancy Pearcey’s excellent new book Love Thy Body.

(Yesterday on the blog: Why I Pray With an App)

Is Jesus Really the Answer?

Elspeth Pitt writes, “It’s been my practice for years to read the Bible one to one with all sorts of people – those who are going well and who can be encouraged to minister to others, those who are not yet Christian or very new to belief, those who are struggling, or those who are just Christian friends. Occasionally the results are dramatic. Mostly they are not. But in this area, as in many in the Christian life, we walk by faith, not sight. Trusting that God’s word works, that this is part of how the word of Christ dwells richly in our lives and that over time it will produce deep roots, stability, life and growth — for those in crisis and for those who are not.”

A New “Wikileaks for Religion” Publishes Its First Trove of Documents

Here is yet another reason for churches to ensure they are operating according to Scripture and according to the law. “FaithLeaks, a young transparency organization focused on religious communities, published its first big trophy this week: a collection of 33 letters and documents from an internal investigation into alleged sexual abuse within a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Stars Size Comparison (Video)

This amazing video compares the size of different stars.

Workplace Trial

This is an interesting bit of longform writing.

How Pastors Can Model and Teach What God’s Word Says About Financial Stewardship

Randy Alcorn: “How we manage God’s money is a central biblical subject of extreme importance. Hence, financial stewardship should be unapologetically addressed by Christian leaders—we who are called upon to declare “the whole counsel of God” to the people He entrusts to our care”

Everyone Wants to Be More Productive

“Whether you are a student or a professional, working from home or raising a family, everyone wants to be more productive. Some of us have even made resolutions to do so in 2018. But do we know what we’re aiming for? Do we know what it means to be ‘productive’ and how to make it happen?”

Be Pro-Life in Action, Not Only on Paper

“This year will mark the forty-fifth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade—the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in all fifty states. Since that time, voters have passionately identified with the ideology of either the pro-life or pro-choice mindset. As believers, we consider ourselves to be pro-life. To be content with the murder of lives forming inside the womb is unimaginable. But being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion. Buying a bumper sticker, wearing a ribbon for awareness, or voting against certain candidates is not sufficient. Being pro-life must be a way of life.”

The Peculiarity of Early Christian Worship

“‘What in the world is this Christianity thing?’ A phrase like this would not have been unusual among Romans in the first couple of centuries. In the eyes of the average citizen, Christians were an odd bunch. And what made them odd was not just what they believed. It was how (and who) they worshiped. To be sure, worship was a big deal in the ancient world. The ancient Greco-Roman culture was very religious. Even more to the point, they were publicly religious. Worship rituals and activities were visible for all to see. And it was precisely here that this ‘Christianity thing’ was found to be strange and unusual. Indeed, Christian worship seemed to hack off just about everybody. “

Flashback: God’s Tapestry

We are meant to see and admire the front of the tapestry, not the back, and this has often served as an illustration of the truths of Romans 8:28: That God promises to use every single event in our lives to bring about good.