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A La Carte (March 17)

Who’s Your Daddy?

“Christianity unapologetically places fathers (or father-types) at the head of the church and the table and the household, but commands that they lead with a servant’s heart with Christ as their model. The problems stem not from obeying the godly mandate, but from shirking it.” The article goes on to look at the problem of fatherlessness in literature.

A Willingness to Listen

Yes! This was one of my big takeaways from reading Black & Reformed. “Making your church more diverse is about more than just adding another shade to your elder board. It often means having a willingness to learn and be challenged by opposing viewpoints.”

The Theology of Donald Trump

Writing for Christianity Today, Michael Horton takes a look at the theology of Donald Trump. His unfortunate conclusion: “If the working theology of American spirituality is a combination of ‘moralistic, therapeutic deism’ (Christian Smith) and pragmatism (William James), then perhaps Donald Trump is after all exactly the right candidate for the moment.”

Punting Isn’t An Option

“I hear women talking about wanting to go deeper with God, so they buy books written by women who talk about their experiences of God. To me, that is robbing ourselves of a much richer treasure. If you want to go deeper with God, go to the source: the Bible. That is where you will see God, high and lifted up, exalted, in His glory. That will change you.”

This Day in 1780. 236 years ago today, Thomas Chalmers was born. Chalmers was a pastor, social reformer, and one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland. He preached the important sermon, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” *

When Faith Is Under Attack

This one-minute video (a sermon excerpt) is worth watching.

Your Meaningless Ministry

“We all want to succeed. We all want our efforts to mean something in the end, to be worth it when all is said and done. But when death comes knocking, I would hate to find I received my entire reward here on earth.”

In Praise of Administration

Put your hands together for the invisible administrators who make our lives so much better and our churches so much stronger.

Alexander

A healthy body that houses a sick soul is not something to be coveted.

—Eric Alexander

  • The Benefit of Boring Television

    The Benefit of Boring Television

    Aileen and I like to watch boring shows right before we turn in for the night. An exciting game or an intense movie might get us too engaged and keep us from being able to fall asleep. But a boring show nicely slows the pace and prepares us to rest.

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    A La Carte: Awaken your hunger / Abortion pills and emergency contraception / Cybersecurity for churches / Delighting in God in unfavorable circumstances / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Power of a Single Snowflake

    The Power of a Single Snowflake

    There are blessings that come with living in a part of the world that sees four distinct seasons. There are trials, too, like when the days are scorching or the nights are bitterly cold. But if I were to leave this part of the world, I know I would miss the seasonality of Southern Ontario…

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    A La Carte (October 22)

    A La Carte: AI will tell you to get divorced / Glorifying God with our words / The fork in the road / Children’s ministry / Successful parenting / Giving without worrying / and more.

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    A La Carte (October 21)

    A La Carte: The worst parenting advice / John Mark Comer’s cafeteria approach / Giants in the Bible / How a wife can help her husband / Social media and pornography / Book and Kindle sales / and more.