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A La Carte (June 15)

thursday

Westminster Books has announced a new podcast that should prove interesting. Guests include Kevin DeYoung, Rosaria Butterfield, and Al Mohler. (Also, what an accomplishment to mark 20 years and 6 million books!)

Today’s Kindle deals include several interesting titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: When You Do Not Dare To Go Alone)

The Problem Is Your Worship

“Have you ever wondered why your life isn’t going according to your plans? Your spouse isn’t playing his or her part in the marriage. Your kids aren’t following their well-behaved script. Your career isn’t flourishing the way you expected it to be. Your bank account isn’t where you want it to be. Your body doesn’t look the way you want it to look. Your house isn’t exactly where or the size you want it to be.”

Prophetic, or Merely Performative?

In this article, Kevin DeYoung discusses how Christians are to honor each other and Christ when critiquing and correcting each other.

How Can Leaders Become Difference Makers?

“Healthy, courageous leaders are humble, fearful followers.”—David M. Cook and Shane W. Parker (Sponsored Link)

The Day I Told God No

Seth tells of a time he knew what God was asking of him, but said no. “My first feeling was surprise, followed by a sense of freedom. I was free to say ‘no’ to the God who made me, and he let me do it. I was free to make my own way, choose my own path, make my own rules. And what would I do with that freedom? One thing was for sure: I would not do the hard, costly thing God wanted me to do. What else?”

Should My Church Staff Be Hesitant About Using ChatGPT?

Joe Carter takes an optimistic approach toward ChatGPT and suggests some ways it may prove helpful to churches.

What I Learned in My First Seven Years of Ministry

Justin shares some of the lessons he has learned through his first seven years of ministry. They are well worth reading!

When Christians Consult the World-Wide-Web as Psychic

“I’ve never graced the beaded, purple fabric doorway of a woman donning a headdress and crystal ball, but I have attempted to see a medium, and my guess is you have too. My psychic has taken the form of late-night internet searches, book purchasing, talking to trusted mentors ad nauseam, and my all-time favorite: worrying and predicting in my own mind. It’s a strategy I put hope in, devoid of drawing from the deep well God gives me in himself.”

Flashback: The Things You Think You Can Handle On Your Own

What kinds of things do I not pray about? The things I neglect to pray about are the things I believe I can handle on my own, the things for which I don’t think I need God’s wisdom, perspective, or intervention. I may never say or even think such terrible thoughts, but my lack of prayer proves my independence, my lack of God-dependence.

The experience of beauty does something profound and powerful within the heart and soul of every human being. Beauty creates wonder in us.

—Steve DeWitt

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.