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A La Carte (June 25)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Westminster Books is having a big sale on summertime new releases. There’s a whole list of great books to choose from—something for everyone, I’m sure!

There are, as usual, some Kindle deals to be had today.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Most Dangerous Thing a Christian Can Do)

Principles for Leading an Effective Meeting

If it falls to you to lead meetings, you’ll benefit from Dan Doriani’s tips.

Longing for Home with C.S. Lewis and Tyler Childers

“We live in a discontented, rootless age. Rarely do we experience the loyalty that arises from a sense that we rightly belong somewhere. Rarely do we pass on the opportunity for economic advancement because we feel duty-bound to these people in this place. As a pastor, I notice a continual drive to climb higher. When the bigger church with the bigger salary comes calling, it’s rarely a difficult decision for many.”

A Prayer from the Cave (Psalm 34) 

What do you think of when you imagine a cave? Darkness? The sound of water dripping from the ceiling? Mysterious animals scurrying about the cave floor? If you were alone inside a cave, would you be afraid? David was in a cave. And afraid. Yes, the warrior king, the man after God’s own heart, the giant slayer, the master of weapons. That David. (Sponsored)

The Uncategorizable Suffering

Lara d’Entremont: “As I grieved our losses and trials, I, like Elisabeth Elliot, realized not all suffering falls into neat and tidy boxes. We can’t simply assess our pain and drop it into the right category and then deduce what results should follow.”

How (and How Not) to Wait

Mark Vroegop explains how (and how not) to wait. “Do you know anyone who likes to wait? I don’t. If you were to take a quick survey, there’d be a strong consensus that waiting is difficult, annoying, or downright bad. Waiting should be avoided and not affirmed, right? Everyone knows that!”

Things Too Marvelous

“Oh, how I would like to be able to say that I do not occupy myself with things too marvelous for me! How about you?” Yes, me too!

Eat This, Not That

“There are instructions in Leviticus and Deuteronomy about certain foods the Israelites were to eat and certain foods they were to avoid. The main places in the Torah addressing Israel’s dietary laws are Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. The instructions pertain to food from the land, from the sea, and from the sky.” Mitch makes some interesting observations about them.

Flashback: The Duty of Reflection

In troubled times we shall find ourselves starving if we do not taste of what God has done.

The nearer men are to being sinless, the less they talk about it.

—D.L. Moody

  • Crash and Burn

    When Christians Crash and Burn

    The pictures quickly made their way around the world—pictures of an aircraft lying upside down in the snow just beyond runway 23 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. On February 17, Delta flight 4819 landed hard, shearing off the right wing and flipping over before finally sliding to a stop. Remarkably, despite the crash and subsequent…

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    A La Carte (March 24)

    A La Carte: Wokeness as a tax / The religion of wellness / Freckles, thigh gaps, and beauty / The 50 most edifying films / If I have matching dishes but not love / The Bible and sexuality / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pastoral Prayer

    A Pastoral Prayer

    Every now and again I like to share an example of a pastoral prayer from Grace Fellowship Church. I do this because there are few examples of pastoral prayers online and I thought these may serve to inspire themes, passages, or ideas as other pastors and elders prepare to lead their churches in prayer. Please…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 22)

    A La Carte: In case I die unexpectedly / The daily midlife crisis / Anora and the end of #MeToo / Building the habit of family worship / We are not Númenóreans / Iain Murray / and more.

  • The Future of New Calvinism

    The Future of New Calvinism

    I was intrigued by Aaron Renn’s recent article The Maturation of New Calvinism. His thesis is that “New Calvinism has shifted from an ‘All-Star team’ model designed to exert influence over the broader evangelical world to a post-superstar model that primarily serves its own community. This represents the maturity of the movement, perhaps putting it…