A La Carte (March 13)

Here’s one final reminder that I will be giving away a $150 gift card for Westminster Books this weekend. To enter, you simply need to be signed up for my newsletter (which is the contents of this site sent to your email on a regular basis). You can one-click subscribe at any time.

Today’s Kindle deals include several books that, to my knowledge, have never been on sale before.

What Happened to Our Pastor?

This is a tremendous article from Dan Doriani as he considers a sobering matter. “In recent years, the church has suffered numerous reports of catastrophic moral failure by some of its most talented and visible leaders. But it isn’t only famous, highly regarded pastors who falter. It happens to all sorts of pastors from churches large, small, and mid-sized. They hail from every nation and every branch of Christendom. Their sins violate all sorts of biblical standards …Why are so many pastors failing in these ways? Is moral failure among pastors really as much of an epidemic as it seems? How can we have confidence in our leaders amidst all the bad news?”

Why Youth Ministry Needs Seasoned Saints

Katharine Rose: “In many churches across the U.S., youth ministry has become synonymous with energy, relevance, and staying current. We look for leaders who understand youth culture, social media trends, and the ever-shifting language of the next generation. While these qualities are important, an unintended consequence has quietly taken root: We often overlook the older generations sitting faithfully in our pews. These men and women’s lives are rich with spiritual depth, hard-won wisdom, and a steady faith formed over decades.”

God’s Faithful Sovereignty When Things Don’t Go as Planned

I enjoyed reading of Hannah Hagarty’s confidence in God’s faithful sovereignty when things don’t go according to our plans. “My husband and I have two failed adoptions, chronic illness, and an unexpected mission field exodus to our names. Things not going as planned? I may be an unwilling expert on the subject. But it turns out, being an expert on disappointment can mean possessing a deep appreciation for the goodness of God’s sovereignty.” (Also on this subject, read or listen to Everything Happens for a Reason, John Piper’s new episode of Ask Pastor John on Romans 8:28.)

The Things We Missed

This article strikes some of the same notes as Hagarty’s, and does so no less poignantly. “We’ve all missed opportunities, missed out on what others got, missed the way things used to be, missed the things that never were. It can become overwhelming when we think about all the things we missed. We wonder why. We question God’s care. We question our own worth. We can grow bitter and angry and let our hearts grow hard.”

Preach the Sermons That Algorithms Don’t Reward

Benjamin Vrbicek addresses a common temptation for churches. “In our cultural moment, so many once-faithful churches and denominations have gone the way of the peddler, untethering from orthodoxy and moving beyond the fruit of the Spirit to get more people in the building. ‘If we change what God says about sex,’ some say, ‘we’d have a whole new demographic to reach,’ while others might say, ‘If we preach angry hot takes and political rants, we’d have a whole new demographic to reach.’”

‘If Staying Brings Scars’: A Pastor Reflects on Remaining in Beirut

Pastor Marwan Aboul-Zelof explains his decision to remain in Beirut even as it comes under attack. “About a week after the United States and Israel entered direct conflict with Iran, Lebanon was pulled into regional conflict. After a couple of days of missile strikes in Beirut, Israel issued two mass evacuation orders in Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese were told to flee their homes if they wanted to save their lives. Mass panic ensued.”

Flashback: We Who Have Few Talents and Sparse Gifts

…the God who used spit and dust to cure a man of his blindness can most certainly make use of you. And I assure you that if you had great talents, you would simply compare yourself to those who have more still.