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A La Carte (June 9)

A La Carte Collection cover image

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

  • A La Carte (June 15)

    Preparing for spiritual warfare / Navigating bribery / Innovation isn’t the answer / Husbands and bitterness / A son’s disability / Assurance of salvation / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Works & Wonders June 14

    Works & Wonders: Bowing the knee or shaking the fist, 39 years to translate the Bible, And Can It Be, How to understand a trillIon, Landsat images, and World Cup covers.

  • Weekend A La Carte (June 13)

    Egg freezing is a booming business / Talk to the A.I. me / Is aging becoming optional? / Feminism and the Fall / The lie of living your truth / Moving on from the Christian Nationalism moment / and more.

  • An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    There is a lot I miss from the days when our children were young. High on the list is family devotions. Nick once described our family as having a “Spartan-like commitment” to them, though I remember as much failure as success and as many misses as hits. Still, there’s no doubt that over the 26…

  • A La Carte (June 12)

    The curious case of extra resurrections / Are kids too expensive? / Why hot takes are the enemy of conviction / Piper on preaching outrage / A daily rhythm of prayer / Forgetting and pursuing / A La Quiz / The funnies / and more.