Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (June 22)

friday

I’m in San Diego today and looking forward to speaking several times at the IBCD conference on the theme of “Loving Wayward Souls.” I hope to meet some of you here! Then it’s back home Saturday to worship with my church family on Sunday.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Lost Spiritual Discipline)

The Dangers of Distracted Parenting

Parents (like myself) ought to consider this: “A mother telling kids to go out and play, a father saying he needs to concentrate on a chore for the next half hour—these are entirely reasonable responses to the competing demands of adult life. What’s going on today, however, is the rise of unpredictable care, governed by the beeps and enticements of smartphones. We seem to have stumbled into the worst model of parenting imaginable—always present physically, thereby blocking children’s autonomy, yet only fitfully present emotionally.”

How Much Money Do You Save by Cooking at Home?

Now you’ve got the data to back up what you already know: It’s way cheaper to eat at home. “Intuitively, we all know there are benefits to cooking at home. You can use healthier ingredients, set portions to a reasonable size, avoid food allergies, and of course you can save money compared to ordering restaurant delivery or using a meal kit service. But just how much money do you save by cooking at home?”

The Great Commission Ought to Be Ordinary

“In this brief clip from his new teaching series, The Great Commission, Burk Parsons explains that what Christ calls Christians to do in the Great Commission ought to be ordinary.” So simple but so very true.

EARN THEOLOGY AND COUNSELING DEGREES ONLINE IN SMALL GROUPS. NOW FROM WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Westminster has launched new, online degrees designed around small groups of experienced peers and top-in-class video courses. Classes have the flexibility you need around work and life, yet the face-to-face community and course quality you need for growth and training in ministry. Their online programs have a 4.5/5 average course rating and 99% student support rating. You can study either counseling or theology. The Master of Arts in Counseling is a biblical counseling program, taught by CCEF faculty, pioneers in biblically-based counseling and discipleship for 50 years. You can even transfer in courses you’ve taken from CCEF. The Master of Arts in Christian Studies is a concise, introductory degree to reformed theology for Christians who desire to grow in leadership and knowledge in other than pastoral roles. (Sponsored Link)

Brazil’s Geography Problem (Video)

Standing between Brazil and its place as one of the world’s powerhouse nations is a significant geography problem. This video explains.

The Legacy of John Gerstner, Presbyterian Historian and Mentor to R.C. Sproul

I quite enjoyed this conversation about John Gerstner, who was a major mentor to R.C. Sproul.

When Children Say They’re Trans

I’m linking to this longform article from The Atlantic because it’s one of the few I’ve seen in a mainstream publication that at least grapples with the fact that transgenderism is causing a lot of terrible problems in a lot of people’s lives. The author affirms far too much, but at least draws attention to young people for whom a gender transition proved a horrible solution.

William Wilberforce’s Lesser Known Campaign

William Wilberforce was, in many ways, an exemplary individual. Here’s just one of those ways.

Flashback: How To Distinguish True Zeal from False Zeal

While zeal is a noble trait, it must be properly directed, for not all zeal is good. Here are some pointers on distinguishing true from false zeal.

I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.

—John Wesley

  • Endure

    Why We Can Confidently Persevere in Prayer

    I remember the days when my children were younger and would ask me to give them something—then ask me again, and ask me again. At that age, they had no ability to gain or purchase these things for themselves, so they were entirely dependent upon their parents to grant their requests (which were usually for…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 19)

    A La Carte: Learning to struggle / When “Stranger Things” stopped being strange / “If God Is For Us” / Reading as stewardship / A sermon you need to hear / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.

  • Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Many Christians feel they are too unholy or too sinful to participate in the Lord’s Supper. They come to the table downcast, convinced that their sin makes them unworthy. They may refuse to participate at all.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (January 17)

    A La Carte: Look to and learn from older saints / Don’t overthink your problems / Rebellion / When there is no good church / Teens and popular music / Where the gospel costs everything / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of Why We’re Feeling Lonely (And What We Can Do About It) and be encouraged by Shelby Abbott’s practical, biblical insights for young adults struggling with loneliness.

  • Gospel way

    Truths That Take on the World

    Christianity has a long history with catechisms—summaries of key doctrines that are arranged in a question-and-answer format. Traditionally, Presbyterians would be taught The Shorter Catechism, Dutch Reformed believers The Heidelberg Catechism, and Baptists one of the Baptist equivalents. Sadly, the use of catechisms began to decline as the years went by, so that it became…