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A La Carte (July 14)

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Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

I am taking vacation with my family, so will be on light duty this week! That means A La Carte will go out each day, but I won’t be sharing new articles until next week.

Today’s Kindle deals include some excellent books on the best subject of all: Jesus.

Distorted Doctrine Destroys Lives

John Piper explains how distorted doctrine destroys lives and, therefore, why correct doctrine is so important.

Trying to Make Sense of the Bad Things That Happen

Paul Tautges: “Pain has the potential to stimulate growth in our relationship with God, since it often reawakens us to eternal realities. In this way, God can use our sorrow to draw us closer to him. God has not forgotten to be gracious.”

Be the Jonathan

“Men, how good are you at supporting your fellow brothers in their lives? It can be tricky stepping into another brother’s life and entering into their hardship, sadness, or sorrow. We usually are not the most emotional creatures, so whether we are either trying to be there for one another or to receive that care, it can be awkward.” But hopefully that doesn’t stop you.

Why Did the Lord Seek to Put Moses to Death, and What Is a “Bridegroom of Blood”?

Here’s a helpful explanation of one of the Bible’s strangest passages.

A Biblical Understanding of Musical Elements

For those who aren’t very musical, this is a look at the elements of music (and why it matters for what we sing in church).

The Dehumanizing Force of Administrative Sludge

Alan Noble writes about the way administrative sludge dehumanizes us and tells why it’s likely to get worse in the years to come.

Flashback: Making the Christian Life More Complicated Than It Needs To Be

The only thing that really matters in any context or any circumstance is obedience to God’s will as it is revealed in God’s Word. Thus it is always necessary, and never superfluous, to search the Bible to know the mind of God. Thus it is always right, and never wrong, to pray, “Lord, teach me to obey you in this.”

He who is well trained in the school of affliction often has little to do, when death comes, but to gather up his feet in his bed, and bid a glad farewell to earth and a joyful welcome to heaven.

—William Plumer

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    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…

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    A La Carte (February 25)

    A La Carte: Why wouldn’t God provide more proof? / Gospel antidotes to anxiety / The predictable pastor / Writing is pain / Depths of Mordor / The Lord’s Supper is the best altar call / and more.