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A La Carte (July 14)

A La Carte Collection cover image

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

  • An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    There is a lot I miss from the days when our children were young. High on the list is family devotions. Nick once described our family as having a “Spartan-like commitment” to them, though I remember as much failure as success and as many misses as hits. Still, there’s no doubt that over the 26…

  • A La Carte (June 12)

    The curious case of extra resurrections / Are kids too expensive? / Why hot takes are the enemy of conviction / Piper on preaching outrage / A daily rhythm of prayer / Forgetting and pursuing / A La Quiz / The funnies / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 11)

    We lost the baby / The Bible is cessationist (and wondrous!) / Thinking about Eastern Orthodoxy: a primer for evangelicals / Virtue signalling in the church / What is God’s providence? / Restlessness / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Conform

    You Can Conform to Christ Even if You Don’t Conform to Me

    One of the aspects of the Christian faith that I find particularly perplexing is the freedom God gives his people to obey him in different or even opposite ways, so that one person’s obedience is another person’s disobedience. Even as two people take the same action, one might be obeying him and the other disobeying…

  • A La Carte (June 10)

    Does prayer make a difference? / Portrait of an abortionist / Pushing back against the black tax / Bring your whole self to work / Blessed are the weak / When service isn’t a transaction / A pastoral analogy / Bill C-9 will soon be law in Canada / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 9)

    Thawed embryos, reproductive rights, and the grey marshlands of ethical ennui / 14 World Cup stars who follow Jesus / The God of small churches / How a critical theorist influenced the sexualization of everything / When culture trumps strategy / Fasting and feasting / Kindle deals / and more.