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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


  • Prayer

    Spread Too Thin

    With so much to do, we can easily begin to wonder whether prayer is an appropriate use of scarce time. Wouldn’t it be better to give my attention to something that would let me cross something off my to-do list?

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    Weekend A La Carte (July 12)

    A La Carte: Where art thou Rob Bell? / The case against in vitro fertilization / Praying and weeping for those suffering in Texas / Greet each other with a holy hug / The example of Jimmy Swaggart / and more.

  • Thriving Marriage

    Thriving Marriage

    I have often wondered about the best time to write a book about marriage. When a couple is young, there is so much about marriage they have not yet experienced. They can still impart wisdom and teach lessons, of course, but there is so much of marriage that remains unknown to them. Yet when a…

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    A La Carte (July 11)

    A La Carte: Falling out of repentance / Tattoos as confession / The Epstein List and secret sins / Teaching generosity / Lessons from a former youth pastor / Bedbugs in the bowels of the city.

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    A La Carte (July 10)

    A La Carte: Questions for a maturing marriage / The lesbian seagulls that weren’t / But mommy, why? / A time to be tired / The modern rise of Stoicism / and more.

  • The Stranger

    The Stranger: A Short Film For You

    Based on a true story and inspired by the truth that character comes before competence, “The Stranger” is an honest, light-hearted and meaningful picture of what it means to truly serve others.