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A La Carte (June 17)

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Today’s Kindle deals include some academic titles, a couple that teach how to read and understand the Bible, and a few good general market options as well.

(Yesterday on the blog: Master Your Moments and Master Your Days)

Three Gifts We Are Guaranteed in Prayer

Brianna Lambert tells about three gifts we are guaranteed to receive in prayer. “Whether we come with the smallest troubles or we repeatedly bring the same request to the throne of grace, we can be sure that we will receive abundantly. We might not receive the material solution we desire, but Christ will always say ‘yes’ to his grace.”

Don’t Tolerate Secret Sin

Darryl writes especially for pastors, but the exhortation is appropriate for any Christian: don’t allow yourself to tolerate secret sin!

The Power of Stability in a World of Chaos

“Looking forward, perhaps the greatest gift we can offer an anxious age is our calm, faithful stability. Something unchanging. Something rooted. Imagine future generations looking back on our era, commending the quiet, steady, resilient witness of Christians in our time, who met the unprecedented chaos and uncertainty of our era with persistent, prayerful faithfulness.”

Advice to a Young Father

John Beeson: “A parent’s role never ends; it just changes. Every time I hold a child in my arms on a dedication Sunday, I reflect on the holy and weighty call of a parent. If I had the opportunity to sit with myself over coffee on the day we dedicated our children, here is what I would say.”

Marriage Yields Compound Interest

Zak explains how, over time, marriage yields a kind of compound interest. This being the case, he urges couples to consider marrying sooner rather than later, when possible. “We got married at 21 (my wife was 19). A lot of people were excited for us. But some thought it was way too early. Finish college first. Get a good job. You’re rushing it. But we weren’t. We were following God’s good design.”

Diabolus Ex Machina

I saw this article (which is not from a Christian writer) doing the rounds and decided to read it. It’s a fascinating and alarming look at the way ChatGPT “thinks” and “lies” (to the degree that AI is capable of such things).

Flashback: Let’s Hear It For the Second Parents

I don’t know of anyone who, as a young man or woman, dreamed of being a second husband or second wife…Yet I have had the joy of meeting so many who have joyfully accepted this role, who have embraced it, and who have sought to carry it out well.

We do not love to learn that we can do nothing without Christ.

—J.C. Ryle

  • 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.