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A La Carte (July 2)

thursday

There are once again some good picks in the daily roundup of Kindle deals. Also be sure to check yesterday’s list if you missed it.

(Yesterday on the blog: Hope When Life Unravels)

With Liberty and Justice for All

Kevin DeYoung has written a reflection on national history and identity. Here’s a key quote: “We do not have to believe we are as bad as we’ve ever been to acknowledge that we aren’t what we can be.”

Inter-Faith Prayers for the Pandemic to Cease?

Well, when you put it like this it becomes pretty obvious, doesn’t it? “Can you imagine an Apostle Paul who, at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17), invites his listeners (followers of various philosophical schools and ancient cults) to unite in prayer, each to his own god/ideal as a sign of fraternity? Can you imagine an Apostle Peter who, in writing to Christians at the four corners of the Roman Empire (1 Peter 1:1), recommends that they raise petitions together with the faithful of the Eastern, Greek and Roman religions, to invoke the end of a pandemic?”

Pastors, Covid, and Criticism

“In this post I want to address Pastors, Covid, and criticism. Criticism is one of the main things which could damage your elders’ and pastors’ capacity to lead at this very moment, and that could imperil their tranquility of mind. Criticism could significantly throw their sense of direction, and dent their confidence as they try, under God, to lead into territory where no one has gone before.”

The Tricky Math of Herd Immunity

Over the past few months we’ve heard an awful lot about herd immunity. This interesting article deals with some of the complexity. It also reveals how little even the experts know about this virus and what it will take to defeat it. “While determining that threshold for COVID-19 is critical, a lot of nuance is involved in calculating exactly how much of the population needs to be immune for herd immunity to take effect and protect the people who aren’t immune.”

Contemplating God with the Great Tradition

There’s a new issue of Credo magazine available to read for free. This issue “is an entryway to the fathers, encouraging you to go deeper and read the fathers for yourself. But it’s more: this issue is a call to be humble and sit at the feet of the fathers as they admonish us for the sake of renewal in the church today.”

Why Taiwan and China are Battling over Tiny Island Countries (Video)

Why are Taiwan and China battling over tiny island countries in the Pacific? This video explains.

Review: The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser

Lots of people have been looking for reviews of Michael Hesier’s The Unseen Realm. This review from TGC Australia highlights its strengths and weaknesses, saying “Michael Heiser’s The Unseen Realm is simultaneously a refreshing, odd and timely book.”

Flashback: When Failure Saves and Success Destroys

God’s care for us may be better expressed in allowing us to fail than permitting us to succeed. That’s because we’re often better at handling failure than success.

Love those who differ with you by respecting them, not disdaining them. Don’t assume that anyone who is stricter than you is legalistic or that anyone who is freer than you is licentious.

—Jonathan Leeman & Andy Naselli

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (May 13)

    A La Carte: She and I / The ruthless elimination of sloth / Do we need to see ourselves represented? / How do I leave my sin at the foot of the cross? / Is your family calendar built on faithfulness? / and more.

  • Does Prayer Change Things?

    Throughout Scripture God commands prayer consistently and pervasively. There’s no denying that it’s essential to Christian living. But does prayer really change things? #Sponsored

  • What Does Trouble Do

    What Does Trouble Do?

    To live is to experience trouble. There is no path through this life that does not lead through at least some kind of difficulty, sorrow, or trial—and often through a cornucopia of them. This being the case, we rightly wonder: What does trouble do? Though we may not see an answer in the immediate circumstances…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (May 12)

    A La Carte: When prayer starts with panic / Tell the truth about children / When Christ is en vogue, Christians beware / Keeping learning after college / A word on diligence / Kindle deals / and more.

  • God overrules

    God Must Sometimes Overrule Us

    When we pray to God and bring our petitions before him, and then say in earnest “thy will be done,” how should we expect God to respond? Is asking God to overrule our will with his own admitting that he may actually bring us harm?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (May 10)

    A La Carte: Pope Le XIV / A gift continually unfolding / Hopefully broken / This Mother’s Day / Support the caregivers in your church / One of the hardest things you’ll ever do / and more.