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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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    A La Carte (July 14)

    A La Carte: Distorted doctrine destroys lives / Making sense of bad things / Be the Jonathan / A bridegroom of blood / Administrative sludge / Musical elements / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Prayer

    Spread Too Thin

    With so much to do, we can easily begin to wonder whether prayer is an appropriate use of scarce time. Wouldn’t it be better to give my attention to something that would let me cross something off my to-do list?

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    Weekend A La Carte (July 12)

    A La Carte: Where art thou Rob Bell? / The case against in vitro fertilization / Praying and weeping for those suffering in Texas / Greet each other with a holy hug / The example of Jimmy Swaggart / and more.

  • Thriving Marriage

    Thriving Marriage

    I have often wondered about the best time to write a book about marriage. When a couple is young, there is so much about marriage they have not yet experienced. They can still impart wisdom and teach lessons, of course, but there is so much of marriage that remains unknown to them. Yet when a…

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    A La Carte (July 11)

    A La Carte: Falling out of repentance / Tattoos as confession / The Epstein List and secret sins / Teaching generosity / Lessons from a former youth pastor / Bedbugs in the bowels of the city.

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    A La Carte (July 10)

    A La Carte: Questions for a maturing marriage / The lesbian seagulls that weren’t / But mommy, why? / A time to be tired / The modern rise of Stoicism / and more.