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A La Carte (June 25)

thursday

Lately I’ve been catching up with episodes of the Reformanda Initiative podcast. It’s a fascinating analysis and discussion of Roman Catholic theology and practice from an Evangelical perspective. Highly recommended!

There is just one Kindle deal today, but it’s a relatively new book by Alistair Begg and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on sale before.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Gasp of Pain, A Sigh of Relief)

What John Stott Learned about Theology from Bird-Watching

I love these kinds of anecdotes. “John Stott is well known as an evangelist, preacher and writer, and a major influence of contemporary evangelicalism. But he was also a passionate bird-watcher. As a child, he collected butterflies. But, in the midst of a sibling squabble, a cushion landed on his collection. It was destroyed. So Stott turned to birds. The church council at All Souls wisely insisted that whenever he traveled overseas he take some time out to go bird-watching. He was known for his ability to wait patiently, sometimes lying flat to the ground, while looking at birds.”

Why Is ‘Mayday’ the International Distress Call?

Why do pilots call out “mayday” when they are in distress? This article answers.

Be an Intentional Encourager

In the last little while I’ve seen a number of articles and books about encouragement. That’s a good development!

Waiting on the Lord Is Not a Waste

“Why is waiting so difficult? Because it feels as if we’re not doing anything. And that’s the point. You’re not doing anything, but God is. However, waiting is one of the greatest applications of the Christian faith. You are putting your trust in God, placing your hope in him, and expressing confidence that he is in control. Waiting puts us in an uncomfortable place where we’re out of control of our lives. This is ‘active patience’? That season is when God will shape and define us the most.”

It’s the End of the World as We Know It

Keith Mathison: “Most of us don’t have a lot of control over the kind of things that are happening in the larger world around us, but what we have to remind ourselves as Christians is that God does have control, complete control. Not only is He in control, but all of what is happening is also part of His plan. God is sovereign. God is not wringing His hands right now crying, ‘What am I going to do?’ He is sovereign and He knows what He is doing. We don’t have to know the reasons for it. We simply have to know that he is good and trust Him. In short, we need to know the biblical doctrine of God. We need to know theology, and we need to trust our Father.”

Who Really Killed Emmanuel and Juliana Bileya

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra writes about the tragic murder of Emmanuel and Juliana Bileya in Nigeria.

Christian, You Are Able Not to Sin

What an amazing ability God has given us! We are able not to sin.

Flashback: Writers Write

It’s the most obvious advice in the world, I know. But it’s advice every writer needs to hear and take to heart. Writers write.

While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves—blessed riddance.

—A.W. Tozer

  • 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…

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    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.

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    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…