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A La Carte (June 19)

friday

The Good Book Company has a free e-book copy of Jeff Medders’ Humble Calvinism for you. I say again, free book.

Today’s Kindle deals are highlighted by Tessa Thompson’s Laughing at the Days To Come.

Sharing Jesus with Mormon Missionaries

You can read this one now, of course, but it may also be a good one to bookmark and return to in the future when you have the opportunity to speak with Mormon missionaries. (Always remember to not just counter their arguments, but to preach the gospel as well!)

That Christian You’re Frustrated With? Imagine Them Resurrected

This is a good strategy to ensure you are relating well to other Christians. “If you are looking for practical, but biblical strategies for peace-making in the midst of conflict, for dealing with that frustrating relationship, consider turning your imagination toward the coming resurrection. There is some untapped power there that could be of some real help.”

Websites for Churches. Made By Missionaries.

SolaSites makes beautiful websites for churches, but the company also serves as a platform for missionaries to be on the field in a closed access country. They design sites, write code, and support clients, but they also preach the gospel, train pastors, and strengthen the church in a very needy place. If your church, ministry, or business needs a new website, consider SolaSites. (They’re giving $200 off of the setup fee if you sign up between now and July 15.) (SPONSORED LINK)

How the Gospel Speaks Into Our Longing For Normal

“The regular use of hand sanitizer became a regular practice, holding back on our kisses, and fervently entertaining her in the stroller so that she wouldn’t crawl around on the dirt – which harbours bacteria and parasites that her body may not be able to handle. A time of learning careful hygiene, practicing distance and isolating ourselves…sound familiar? We lived it three years ago.” (See also: Emergence.)

The American Soviet Mentality

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of articles comparing out current cultural moment with that of Soviet Russia. It may sound melodramatic, but there really are legitimate comparisons. “Twitter has been used as a platform for exercises in unanimous condemnation for as long as it has existed. Countless careers and lives have been ruined as outraged mobs have descended on people whose social media gaffes or old teenage behavior were held up to public scorn and judged to be deplorable and unforgivable. But it wasn’t until the past couple of weeks that the similarity of our current culture with the Soviet practice of collective hounding presented itself to me with such stark clarity. Perhaps it was the specific professions and the cultural institutions involved—and the specific acts of writers banding together to abuse and cancel their colleagues—that brought that sordid history back.”

Not Many of You Should be Teachers

Anne Kennedy has quite a lot to say here, but the recurring theme is the danger inherent in being a teacher (especially when leading others astray).

How Long-Haul Trucking Works (Video)

This video explains how long-haul trucking works. It’s one of those things we depend upon, but undoubtedly take for granted!

What You Should Know About My Empty Chair in Church

I guess this is a call to believe the best about one another. “Navigating the reopening of church buildings is difficult for many people. This is especially true for me. I’m a pastor’s wife and the mom of three children who have a serious health condition and are at risk for complications from coronavirus.”

Flashback: Why the Best Missions Sermon Is All About God’s Sovereignty

“A high view of God’s sovereignty fuels death-defying devotion to global missions.”

The man who tries to do something and fails is infinitely better than the man who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

—D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  • When God Plants an Acorn

    When God Plants an Acorn, He Means an Oak

    We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there…

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    A La Carte (April 28)

    A La Carte: Protestantism’s Catholic converts / How healthy is your pursuit of health? / God’s special calling on your life / Considering a Christian university? / Testing the teachings of Catholicism / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for April 2025

    It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 26)

    A La Carte: Every pinch of pain has purpose / China closed Christian bookstores / Watch for the thing after the thing / For everything there is a time / Showers of blessing / What Pope Francis can teach us about preaching / and more.

  • What Makes You Beautiful

    What Makes You Beautiful

    I have often thought of a conversation that took place when my girls were little. Abby was perhaps 5 or 6 at the time and Michaela just working her way through the “terrible twos” (which for our kids always happened when they were three or four). A stranger saw me interacting with them one day…