Skip to content ↓

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

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (January 11)

    A La Carte: Parents can’t fight porn alone / Victory in Jesus (a new song) / Will you pass the test? / What God meant is what God means / Lessons from caring for a disabled child / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books for ministry leaders.  The Bundle includes: As you look at all things through the lens of the gospel, you’ll increasingly become the fully-formed follower of Jesus and servant of his church that you have been…

  • Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State

    These are strange days in Canada. The incoming President of the United States has suddenly promised to slap a 25% tariff on cross-border trade—a tariff that has the potential to devastate the Canadian economy. Some suggest it could cost Canada a 3% hit to its economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (January 10)

    A La Carte: Dawkin’s gender dilemma / The worst of all possible worlds / Value character over performance / Is heaven a real place right now? / Last of the middlebrow Protestants / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 9)

    A La Carte: Discipleship in the Reformed world / Why Christians need to watch out for Jordan Peterson / The forbidden woman and the path to death / I’m no gambler / a firm foundation in an uncertain world / and more.

  • Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Do I have a library made up of thousands of books or do I have a library made up of a couple dozen? I suppose it depends on what you count as a book. It has been many years—at least 15, I think—since I decided to go all-in with ebooks, a decision I have stuck…