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A La Carte (January 23)

A La Carte Friday 2

I maintain a page where you’ll find up-to-date deals on commentaries in both print and Kindle formats, with most of the deals being 40% off or more. It received a big update yesterday! You can find it here.

Today’s Kindle deals include a nice little variety of books that span different genres and audiences.

Escaping the Touchscreen Trap

Brad Littlejohn uses his frustration with his car’s touchscreen as the entry to providing his thoughts on “why we keep buying bad products—and worse narratives.”

How to Deal With a Censorious Spirit

“This sin is insidious because it can hide under the banner of ‘discernment,’ when in reality the sin often being exposed isn’t in the person under attack but in the wicked assumptions of the one doing the attacking. (I sometimes wonder if one of the primary spiritual effects of social media—especially X—has been the cultivation and the exposure of this spirit in ourselves, to the point it begins to feel “normal” or, worse, righteous.)”

How We’re Praying More with the PrayMore App

A pastor and software business owner and his team created an app to help you and your small group pray! It’s packed with thoughtful features: a personal prayer journal, easy sharing with your private group, customizable daily reminders, and they are now offering it free forever for your group of up to 15 people! So, why are you waiting? Install it today—God is listening and ready. (Sponsored)

Why Is Christianity the Best Religion?

John Piper offers his thoughts on why Christianity is the best religion.

The Evil of Envy

Envy is a particularly insidious sin, and this article helpfully exposes it for what it is. “Envy is a vice that leaders can easily tolerate, even nurse, for years, thinking it safe and inconsequential. True, it may slip out occasionally as a whiff of gossip or in a particularly sharp critique during a sermon. But for the most part, envy remains undetected, a poison we imbibe slowly, sometimes with encouragement from others who join us in our hushed gossip or indignant outrage.”

The Men God Uses

What kind of men does God use? Jacob describes some of their characteristics.

Some Tips on Managing Email

Here are a few basic but helpful tips on managing email. “An overflowing inbox can be demoralizing and time-consuming. For better or worse, however, email is still a means by which we can love our neighbor, whether they are family, a coworker, or a stranger.”

Flashback: We Don’t Sing for Fun

The alternative to fun worship is not worship that is drab or boring, but worship that is meaningful and true, worship that gives voice to the full range of biblical truth and Christian experience. It’s not just about emotion, but reflection. It’s not just about feeling, but thinking. It’s not just about having a good time, but serving others.

I am — and will never, this side of the resurrection, be more than — a creature of dust. I will rest content in my creaturely weakness.

—Christopher Ash

  • Rocking the Cradle and Tending the Grave

    Rocking the Cradle and Tending the Grave

    A few Sundays ago we had picture day—the day we take updated photographs for the church directory. Aileen and I were overdue to have our photo taken and, for the first time in 26 years, it was just the two of us. Over the years, our directory photos climbed from two people to three, then…

  • A La Carte (July 22)

    A pastor and a salesman get into an Uber / Something greater than outrage / Spend time with the gruntled / Lost relational opportunities and heaven? / If Jesus returns tonight / A letter from the leaders you are raising / One spirit, one faith, many opponents / and more.

  • A La Carte (July 21)

    5 signs your marriage is unhealthy / The preacher’s life / A life of prayer / The miracle of Christian unity / Conforming to non-conformity / Football won’t save the world / What I’m enjoying / and more.

  • Stop Losing Your Sermon Notes in Old Notebooks

    What if you could see every note you’ve written on the Sermon on the Mount when you read Matthew 5? That’s InBible. When writing a note, tap any Bible reference to see the passage in context. When reading Scripture, select a verse to see every note that cites it. Insights you recorded years ago resurface…

  • A La Carte (July 20)

    Pillaging of the digital commons / The Marxist who understood sex better than the UMC / Intrusive thoughts and gospel hope / Predestination should give you confidence / How to wait for cultural reckoning / Invite as many as you find / Kindle deals / and more.