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A La Carte (March 11)

wednesday

Boyce College, where my son attends and my daughter will soon attend, has a slick new web site. Parents and future students will find it informative and helpful, I’m sure!

There are a few new Kindle deals today. Also, Westminster Books has a deal on a new series of 50-day devotionals.

How to ‘Disciple’ Your Kids into Church Dropout Status

Jared Wilson is thinking about a new study that shows a “same old” result—the majority of young adults stop attending church. “Working backwards, what are some ways religious families may be reinforcing the dropout trend, despite their own hopes?” He suggests six.

Where’s Your Treasure? Three Questions to Ask Yourself

Cindy Matson writes insightfully about our “treasure” and suggests some questions that are worth asking. “The truth is we’re all completely obsessed with treasure. We’re actually wired that way. God designed us to be active worshipers, and treasure is simply shorthand for the object of our worship.”

A Flea’s Fantastic Jump Takes More Than Muscle (Video)

“Before they can bite your cat or dog, these little ‘itch hikers’ make an amazing leap 100 times faster than the blink of an eye. So how do they do it?” This brief video explains.

The Most Important Instrument on Sunday Morning

I expect you know the big point of this article, but I think we need to keep pushing hard against the performance mindset that can otherwise invade our worship.

Sharp Eyes, Soft Hearts, and Sanctified Minds

David Steele, one of the most prolific and trustworthy book reviewers out there, describes how he evaluates the books he reads.

Does the Book of Acts Teach Spontaneous Baptisms?

Does the book of Acts teach that churches today should practice spontaneous baptisms? It’s a pressing question for a number of reasons, not the least of which is this: “With the hashtags #BaptismSunday and #FilltheTank, Southern Baptist Convention leadership have been calling on SBC churches to participate in a nationwide push for baptisms this Easter Sunday, April 12. They present it as an opportunity for unbelieving attendees and unbaptized believers to respond to the gospel by taking that ‘first step of obedience and faith’ of baptism. Some of these baptisms will happen after several weeks of discipling and deciding; many of them will happen spontaneously.”

Sweating Sickness: The Forgotten Epidemic

While reading history I’ve often come across references to sweating sickness. This article describes it and suggests what it might have been. “The most terrifying aspect of the sweating sickness was the speed with which it killed. Most victims were dead within 18 hours after the first onset of symptoms. Only those who survived the first 24 hours went on to make a full recovery.” (And speaking of epidemics, this is a helpful little video on exponential growth.)

Flashback: What’s the Purpose (and the Benefit) of Family Devotions?

By relating to the Lord as a family, we teach how to relate to him as individuals. All the kids need to do to build a habit of private devotion is to begin to imitate and individualize this habit of family devotion.

Jesus doesn’t promise to give us more of what death will only steal anyway. He wants to give us what death can’t touch.

—Matt McCullough

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.