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A La Carte (July 3)

A La Carte Thursday 1

Logos users, you’ll want to check out the Best Commentary sale since you can save up to 50% on a huge selection of great resources. Be sure to also take a look at the list of free and almost free books.

Today’s Kindle deals include a book for parents wanting to raise confident kids, one for people struggling with anxiety, and one for people who want to read some systematic theology.

(Yesterday on the blog: Is It Fair of God?)

In Defence of Silly Summers

Yes, it’s okay to allow your children to have a “silly summer!” “This summer, I’m prioritizing silliness over seriousness. No more reading charts. No more daily checklists. I will still pursue growth, but no more measuring progress. This summer, I want to be more of a dad than a dictator.”

The Gospel for Broken Bodies and Anxious Souls

This is an interesting and instructive explanation of how the gospel can help those who experience chronic illness.

How Can the Church Care for Its Disabled Members?

John Kwasny explains how churches can care for their disabled members (and, of course, their families). On a similar note, Sandra Peoples offers 10 Things You Should Know About Disability Ministry.

How to Survive Prosperity: On Ministry Scandals and David’s Fall

Owen considers people who fell into sin and says, “There is in many such instances a clear and unmistakable element: the men in question fell when they were doing well. They did not flame out of gospel ministry when they were barely surviving; they flamed out when they were prospering.” Prosperity, it seems, can sometimes be harder to navigate than adversity.

Relying on the Spirit When Meeting With the Grieving

“A big reason Christians feel ill-equipped (myself included) to help our grieving brothers and sisters is that we often rely on our own wisdom and strength to do so. Which, of course, falls incredibly short. Rather than remembering that there is a spiritual battle taking place, we show up without our armor. We forget to pray ahead of time or ask for the Spirit’s help. We assume that our own wisdom is sufficient.”

What Makes a Sermon Work

What makes a sermon work? Or perhaps better said, who makes a sermon work?

Flashback: Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life

…life is full of gaps, moments, and seasons when all we can do is wait—wait for clarity, wait for answers, wait for changes, wait for God to make his will clear to us and to others. The question is, what are we meant to do with these times?

The wheels of justice may seem to turn slowly, but they turn surely.

—Randy Alcorn


  • Weekend A La Carte (May 30)

    Think pieces and long-form articles on: Fifteen questions / The unretirement / Nihilism with a business model / 10 Guideposts for young men / The great stork derby / Labor and legacy / The typo vibe shift / Gen Z and belonging to the church / and more.

  • A La Carte (May 29)

    The Commodification of Christianity / Can Christians smoke weed? / Having Kids when there’s never a good time / The curse of climate anxiety / Advice on how to “preach the gospel” to yourself / Admitting defeat / Three respectable sins of pastors / Kindle deals.

  • Thursday A La Carte

    A La Carte (May 28)

    Stephen Colbert didn’t get cancelled / Raising kids in a world that’s changing fast / Christian nationalism and AI maximalism / Ben Sasse on the indoor childhood / You should (try to) get married / AI and the deformation of the student’s soul / sales and deals / and more.

  • What Does It Mean to Be Discerning

    What Does It Mean to Be Discerning?

    Though I have heard it said of others, I have never had anyone tell me that I am a man of discerning tastes. I do not have a discerning palate or a discerning sense of style. I can, however, contentedly live without these if only I can have a discerning mind and a discerning spirit.