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A La Carte (January 8)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include a collection of titles from Crossway.

(Yesterday on the blog: How Little It Takes To Be Happy (And How Much To Be Wretched))

The Unmatched Impact of Being Christians in Front of Each Other

Casey McCall eschews that whole “if necessary use words” philosophy of evangelism but still wants people to consider the necessity of behaving like Christians in front of others.

You Could Be Faithful With Your Frailty

Glenna Marshall: “There is much in the Christian life that demands us to be faithful with our frailty. Beyond admitting our weaknesses and inability to save ourselves comes the long charge to suffer with the glory of Jesus in view.”

Parents, Discipline Your Little Children

William Boekestein writes about the importance of disciplining little children. “Proverbs 13:24 isn’t saying that physical discipline is the only way. And surely there will be a cut-off age for spanking your children, perhaps somewhere between age six and ten. As children grow the discipline they receive should become more nuanced, and better matched to their changing situations. If older children fail to do a chore, make them do it with added penalties.”

The Boy at the Front Desk

This is a sweet story about a boy at the front desk.

Discouragement Is Not Always Our Enemy

“How do we live with discouragement? When people look at you, they see courage, but you know it is nothing but a stiff upper lip. The last thing you want to do is burden your loved ones more than necessary, so you keep your disappointment as hidden as possible.”

The Best Is Still Yet to Be

Randy Alcorn reminds us that the best is still yet to be.

Flashback: Have You Read a Book Yet This Year?

A new year presents an ideal opportunity to address some bad habits, to interrupt some apathy, to start something fresh. And with all that in mind, I wonder: Have you read a book yet this year?

Aged Christian people should be like trees in the autumn, their branches full of ripe fruit to feed the hunger of those who live about them.

—J.R. Miller

  • Pastoral Prayer

    The Pastoral Prayer: Examples and Inspirations

    Of all the elements that once made up traditional Protestant worship, there is probably none that has fallen on harder times than prayer. It is not unusual to visit a church today and find that prayer is perfunctory, rare, or absent altogether. If that is true of prayer in general, it is particularly true of…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (September 11)

    A La Carte: Pro-natalism / Why a good God commanded the destruction of the Canaanites / An encouragement to husbands / Pastoring, productivity, and priorities / I had a horrific childhood / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (September 10)

    A La Carte: Why we worry when choosing a Bible translation / Why Christian parents should resist school-issued devices / Take your worst to the table / The quickest to anger and the slowest to forgive / A big batch of Kindle deals / and more.

  • What Is God’s Calling For Me?

    This week the blog is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association. Today’s post is written by William Boekestein, author of the  new book, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling. William is a pastor and husband. He and his wife have four children: a college student, two high schoolers, and a…

  • Past Through Over Around

    Past Them, Through Them, Over Them, Around Them

    It is inevitable that we face times of difficulty and impossible that we escape them altogether. To be born is to suffer and to live is to endure all manner of trouble and trial. Just as none of us escapes death, none of us escapes all hardships. And when we face such hardships, we invariably…