Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (July 15)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Today’s Kindle deals include some theological texts and some reader-friendly commentaries.

“You Don’t Love Your Daughter”

Forrest McPhail explains how what he thought was love for his daughter was actually a failure to love. “Jennifer and I were at our wits end with our four-year-old. She was a little terror. Every day there was a battle. We were parenting the best we could, thinking we were doing everything that there was to do to raise our daughter well. But something was wrong.”

Cultivating a Godly Sense of Humor

“To be grave and serious is a virtue. To be exclusively grave and serious is a shame.” That’s worth considering, isn’t it?

Three Excuses for Not Reading Your Bible

Though Alan specifically addresses young people, these excuses are common to all of us. “Be honest. You’re not reading the Bible as often as you should. What are your excuses? Whatever they are, you need to uncover and crush them. Recently, I challenged young believers to overcome their excuses for not reading the Bible. Here are their top three. Find out if you make one or more of the same excuses.”

The Danger of Inaction

“Church leaders face temptations almost daily. These temptations push us away from biblical faithfulness every day. The ease and simplicity of using worldly tactics and weapons entice us. Satan attacks church leaders so that the sheep may be scattered. The pressures of our ministry and lives cause us to push away situations that we know need to be addressed. This is a particularly dangerous temptation.”

Take a Closer Look at Noah’s Ark

Peter Y. Lee takes a closer look at Noah’s ark and points out some features you may not have noticed. “Several themes in the narrative are worthy of reflection, but this essay will focus on one: the ark itself. An analysis of its design indicates that the ark represents three things: a microcosm of creation, a temple-home, and an emblem of resurrection.”

Sharing Our Struggles, Not Our Perfection

Barbara explains why it is important that we share our struggles with one another and not just our supposed perfection.

Flashback: My Most Common Pastoral Counsel

He provides the boundaries of his will in those matters the Bible makes clear, but then leaves it to us to operate according to wisdom and desire. He leaves it to us to evaluate the wisest course of action and then to consider our desires—wisdom and desires that have been shaped by the Word and molded by the Spirit.

Today we’ll either fix our eyes adoringly on Jesus, selfishly on ourselves, or critically on others. Let’s choose wisely!

—Scotty Smith

  • Reflecting the Son – Love God with All Your Mind

    What does it mean to love God with all of our minds? Jesus not only talked the greatest commandment, he walked it better than anyone. How, then, did the greatest keeper of history’s greatest commandment love God with his mind?

  • Alice Cooper

    Is Alice Cooper a Christian?

    Alice Cooper’s new memoir Devil on My Shoulder talks openly about God. But is Alice Cooper a Christian? Here are some thoughts after reading his story.

  • A La Carte (October 12)

    Caleb Flynn and the deadly sin of greed / Do we have free will? / The (super)natural beauty of men and women serving Christ together / How patient attention nurtures the life of the church / AI is weakening pastors’ authority / The Dutch pastor who hid the hunted / Kindle deals

  • Weekend A La Carte (October 10)

    How a Boeing 737 MAX survived a nosedive at the speed of sound / One saving word / The Wild West of commercial surrogacy / The best apologetic is you / Why baseball for 6-year-olds is breaking the bank / The trouble with kids’ sports / Rise Under / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Harvest House Publishers)

    This week, the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by Harvest House Publishers. Help your child see how the Bible is organized and how key people, events, and themes in each of its books connect. The Bible Infographics for Kids Bible Handbook uses fun, colorful, easy-to-follow visuals to give kids helpful context as they read…