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A La Carte (January 26)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Westminster Books has a great deal on a pair of helpful resources from Alec Moyter.

Today’s Kindle deals should include some excellent choices from Crossway. They include relatively new ones like Paul Tripp’s book for teens and the “repacked” version of D.A. Carson’s Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor.

Is Carney’s Davos Sermon the Way Forward?

I think it’s interesting that David Robertson frames Mark Carney’s Davos talk as a sermon. “Is there hope? Yes, but it is not in Carney’s Brave New World. China, the EU, Iran and Canada.  It is not in the American empire. These are all destined to fall. Maybe God will raise up new hope in Africa, South America, Asia or Australia … but these too will ultimately fall. But there is another kingdom – one that is not of this world but is for this world. That is the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.”

The Lure of Rome

This long column at WORLD assesses the lure of Roman Catholicism, especially in Washington. “When young Protestants move to Washington, it’s usually not long before they start meeting smart, influential conservatives who believe Rome is the one true church. Like many of her peers, Smith began to ask herself: Should I swim the Tiber?” (You may need a free account to read it.)

The Weight of Story: Catastrophes & Eucatastrophes

There are lots of good thoughts here about stories. “Why? Why must we do this? If there is no God and our lives here have no ultimate meaning or purpose, then what sense is there in creating or engaging with stories? Why do anything if everything is, at the day’s end, ultimately and bitterly pointless? Why are you lecturing to me about social justice when, according to your own worldview, justice itself has no real substance?”

Be Willing to Learn From Gen-Z

Leslie Schmucker was at the recent CrossCon and came away encouraged by what she saw of Gen-Z. For what it’s worth, I came away equally encouraged!

Died: Christian Publishing Executive Robert Wolgemuth

I appreciated CT’s article about Robert Wolgemuth. Warren Cole Smith was probably right when he said that Robert was “one of the most important and influential men in evangelicalism you’ve never heard of.”

Where Is God’s Love When Life Goes Wrong?

This is a common, and perhaps even universal question: Where is God’s love when life goes wrong?

Flashback: A Message for Young Men

It falls to you, young man, to honor his diligence in so faithfully interceding for his daughter. It falls to you, young man, to be God’s answer to a father’s prayers.

Man’s life is a tale quickly told; ensure that its theme is Christ.

—Thomas Goodwin

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.