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A La Carte (March 29)

Today’s Kindle deals include a relatively new book by John Piper, a good one by John MacArthur, and a few other picks.

We’ve Lost Our Vocabulary of Wonder About Heaven

Randy Alcorn: “By losing our vocabulary of wonder, I mean that we’ve come to think of Heaven as utterly immaterial and non-physical, a home suited for body-less angels, not real people. Floating in clouds while strumming harps isn’t anybody’s idea of a great time.”

No, You’re Not Welcome To Our New Church Launch!

I love this: “Not beating about the bush, let me give you this blog in a sentence: Thanks SO much for supporting our church plant. But unless you’re local to Gracemount, please, please, please DON’T come to our church launch on Easter Sunday.”

Why We Think Outhouses All Had Crescent Moons in Their Doors

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the classic symbol of an outdoor toilet was probably just made up.

You Might Be a Pharisee If …

“The odds are good that someone, somewhere, at some point has called you a Pharisee. The odds are even better that you’ve slapped that label on someone else.” Here’s what it really does and does not mean.

The Spiders Will Eat Us All

Here are interesting facts about spiders that you probably don’t want to know.

A Friendly Critic on the Best New Resource for Charismatics

I really appreciate Steve Timmis’s review of Practicing the Power by Sam Storms. “Practicing the Power reflects a form of the reductionism it critiques. It sets out to challenge its readers to faith and expectancy, yet it inadvertently encourages them to be satisfied with something less than the New Testament Christianity it claims to espouse. It’s a form of revisionism.”

Did Jesus Ever Experience Doubt?

Denny Burk answers a recent article in the New York Times where the author finds comfort in the fact that Jesus at times experienced doubt.

Flashback: What the Law-Keeper Cries to the Gospel-Lover

It is simple enough to look at other people’s religious observances and stand in judgment. But we would be remiss if we did not look for ourselves here. Even Christians are prone to hedge ourselves around with rules. It’s as if grace is so foreign a concept to us that we simply cannot or will not believe it, and instead flee back to the law.

Men are opposed to God in their sin, and God is opposed to men in His holiness.

—J.I. Packer

  • Discernment

    What Does a Discerning Person Do?

    Some Christians seem to be specially gifted when it comes to spiritual discernment. Others take a special interest in discernment and expend the hard effort of growing in the discipline of it. But they may sometimes wonder: What should I do with this discernment?

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    A La Carte (May 19)

    A La Carte: Dangers of theological controversy / No confidence? No problem! / The goodness of gardening friends / Jeff the low stakes prophet / Hurting people / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Prayer

    The Reward They Longed for They Received

    Jesus, who knew what was in the heart of men, warned of the hypocrisy of those whose prayer life is only ever public. “When you pray,” he said, “you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen…

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    Weekend A La Carte (May 17)

    A La Carte: Generalizations are not stereotypes / Hospitality and reaching the dechurched / Essential lessons for pastors / The rise of Islam and the resilience of the church / Gossip and godly church / Fear takes you where grace has not yet gone / and more.

  • Planted in the Word

    Planted in the Word

    There are a lot of Bible study guides out there. However, the need is not nearly saturated because there are also a lot of Bible readers, many of whom study the Word carefully and repeatedly throughout their Christian lives. For that reason, we cannot have too many guides to assist in reading, understanding, and applying…