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A La Carte (July 24)

I’m back! I enjoyed a much-needed relaxing week with my family in Newfoundland. We went straight from there to Muskoka Bible Centre where I am teaching for the week. But as of today it’s business as normal at the blog, which means the return of A La Carte. Here we go…

Today’s Kindle deals include several excellent picks from Crossway.

A High View of Marriage Includes Divorce

This really needed to be said, and I’m thankful to Rebecca VanDoodewaard for saying it. “Divorce does not end a covenant. It protects the spouse whose covenant has been violated—a picture of covenant protection in the face of human unfaithfulness. Always discouraging divorce, always making it a last, desperate option that really fails to show gospel power, implies that we know more about marriage than God does and value it more highly. If there are legitimate reasons for divorce, then making divorce look like a lesser option is wrong. God allows it: who are we to discourage people from choosing a biblical option?”

Why I Love the Evening Service (And You Can Too)

Kevin DeYoung: “Every church I’ve ever been a part of has had a Sunday evening service. I’ve always gone. It’s what I grew up with. It’s part of my rhythm as a Christian, and I am immensely grateful for it.”

The Church of England’s Nietzschean Proposal

Carl Trueman says this of the Church of England’s motion calling for a liturgy to help transgender people celebrate their transitions: “This motion is consistent with liberal Protestantism’s age-old calling, that of baptizing the moral norms du jour of the respectable chattering classes, presumably in hopes of enhancing the appeal of religion to its cultured despisers. Transgenderism was bound for liturgical acceptance.”

The Agonizing Ordeal of Eugene Peterson — You Might Be Next

Here is Al Mohler on the Eugene Peterson situation. “The ordeal experienced last week by popular author Eugene Peterson was agonizing to observe, largely self-inflicted, and virtually inevitable. You should pay close attention to it, for you might very well be next.”

Gospel + Safety + Time

It’s a simple but proven formula. “Gospel + safety + time. It’s what everyone needs. A lot of gospel + a lot of safety + a lot of time.”

Who Are the Least of These (and Why Does It Matter)?

My pal Paul Carter shows who Jesus was referring to and why it matters so much.

Haddon Robinson (1931-2017)

Darryl Dash shares his memories of Haddon Robinson (who has just died) as well as some of his choice quotes.

Flashback: She Strengthens Me

Supporting, delivering from distress, rescuing the weak, comforting: those are exactly the ways in which Aileen comes alongside me and helps me.

We have to learn to commit not only the future but also the past to the Lord.

—Daniel Fuller

  • Reading fresh

    10 Ways To Keep Your Reading Fresh

    Most of us want to read more than we do. Many factors can interfere, whether the busyness of life, the allure of our devices, or the limitations of our budget. But I find that as often as not, we stop reading becauseF our habits have grown stale.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 15)

    A La Carte: Influencers and imitators / Autism and God’s purpose / We need to talk about jealousy / God sees your secret sin / Evangelism and cynicism / A Christian deathbed / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 14)

    A La Carte: The mother I meant to be / A theology of preaching / Forgiveness / Resist the machine / Evangelists with cheerful confidence / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Paradoxes of Christianity

    Learn how to engage with cultural issues in a deeply countercultural way. When we embrace the paradoxical character preached by Jesus in the Beatitudes, we experience rich and surprising blessing.

  • Foggy future

    On the Far Side of Obedience

    To be human is to be finite—to be limited in our knowledge of past, present, and future. We exist within strict boundaries of time and space, so that we cannot see beyond our present location or beyond our present moment. This is a feature of our humanity and not a bug…

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    A La Carte (October 13)

    A La Carte: I miss the stars / Count the cost / Shame as the vicious trap of sexual sin / Clouds of shame and unbelief / When you’ve been blindsided / Book and commentary sale / and more.