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A La Carte (June 9)

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Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include some books meant to help you grow in your understanding of evangelism.

When Did Hitler Replace Jesus as the Reference Point for Good and Evil?

“Before the war, Jesus Christ was the most potent moral figure in Western culture. You don’t have to look hard for evidence when you travel around Europe today. Just take in the medieval art and visit the ancient churches. In town squares where bells tolled on Sunday mornings, even non-Christians measured themselves according to Jesus’s example of love. He set the moral standard in his sinless life.” But that all changed after World War II.

Why Young Women Fear Dating

I think Jonathon Van Maren is onto something important here: That many young women fear dating because of what they have seen in pornography. “I am increasingly convinced that only by targeting that industry can we begin to heal the gender divide, because as long as porn consumption is normative, relationships will be risky and genuine trust and intimacy impossible.”

The Mass Trauma of Porn

This article strikes a similar note: “These days we talk a lot about trauma. We worry about the impact of words, we agonize about our parenting, we inspect every inch of our childhoods. But one trauma being tragically ignored, potentially lasting trauma, changing the minds and souls of children, is porn.”

Kim Riddlebarger writes about several Christian books that were proven to have unintended consequences.

Pentecostal not Provincial

“To be provincial is to be narrow minded. It is to think just of your little province, your little corner of the world. To be Pentecostal is the opposite. It is to have an expansive view of the church and to be on mission to the whole world. At Pentecost Jesus sends the church out the door not just to Judea, but to Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

Eight Years Later: Her Name is Sarah…

“This week, I was given an unexpected and priceless gift. After I said my name to introduce myself to a stranger, her eyes widened as a smile broke across her face, and she said, ‘You’re Sarah’s mom!’ My heart leapt in my chest. It had been so long since I heard those precious words together, ‘Sarah’s mom.’”

Flashback: It’s Not a Life of Ease

Each of us will encounter adversity and adversaries, and each of us will have to wage war against our fearsome foes— the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

Persecution often does in this life what the last great day will do completely—separate the wheat from the tares.

—Lord Milner

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    A La Carte (June 10)

    A La Carte: Should Christians practice surrogacy? / Intentional simplicity / I feel like I’m taking crazy pills / Prayers to renew the way you work / Why I chose not to believe in Jesus / and more.

  • Nicea Conference

    One Lord. One Faith. One Gospel. In 325 A.D., pastors gathered in the city of Nicea to proclaim the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Seventeen centuries later, we’re gathering again—this time in Istanbul—to remember that moment, rejoice in our shared confession, and renew our commitment to the gospel. Join us October 22–25, 2025, in Istanbul,…

  • Sanctified or Tired

    Am I Sanctified or Am I Tired?

    How much am I actually becoming holier and how much am I just becoming wearier? How much have I really grown in sanctification and how much am I just too tired to be bothered pursuing sin?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 9)

    A La Carte: Hitler and Jesus / Why young women fear dating / The mass trauma of porn / Christian books with unintended consequences/ Pentecostal not provincial / Her name is Sarah / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Praying together

    We Neglect it at Our Peril

    We know that prayer is a crucial discipline for the individual believer, but how often do we consider that it is also a crucial discipline for the assembled church? The Bible prescribes only a few elements for local church worship, but among them is prayer.

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    Weekend A La Carte (June 7)

    A La Carte: The most important quality in church musicians / Don’t make friends with doubt / The midlife spiritual plateau / There’ll be no sighing there / Because Jesus said so / and more.