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A La Carte (March 8)

wednesday

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a special on a new book you may want to consider for the kids or grandkids.

The steady stream of Kindle deals continues today.

24 Lessons from 24 Years of Marriage

Jen reflects on 24 years of marriage by offering 24 lessons she has learned along the way.

Pastoring in a Pandemic: Of Grey Hair and Glory

This is an interesting take from Mark Jones. “Moving forward, even today, where the wounds have not fully healed, will only be possible if we can all try to admit we may have made mistakes, acted with self-righteousness at times, and failed to adequately appreciate that certain contexts were fraught with problems we cannot fully understand or appreciate. Love believes all things, and I’d like to believe that while my brothers who defied were acting in love, the same was also true of us who did not defy but did so out of love as well.”

Tuma Kitu Home

Writing from a Kenyan context, Kuza writes about the cultural obligation for children to provide for their parents and family. “Does scripture advise on how to approach this matter of family support? Is it in line with the principles set forth for the saint as an expression of practical love? Yes.”

The Trauma of Criticism

I appreciate this pastoral letter. “The truth is that all of us find criticism difficult. If you are anything like me your initial response to criticism is often pretty ungodly and I find it tempting to climb up on my defensive high horse. Tragically, criticism can be devastating and send us into a spiral of self pity.”

God Cares for the Odd Sparrow

“Sometimes I can read the Bible and miss something totally obvious. For example, have you ever noticed that Jesus tells of God’s care of the sparrows two different ways?”

Never Underestimate the Power of a Handwritten Note

“We live in a day and time where life is lived digitally more than ever before. We communicate primarily through apps, texts, and emails. Businesses increasingly send advertisements, bills, and communications via email than snail mail. Even birthday cards are now sent virtually. This means, a handwritten note is a rare gift.” Yes, rare and a gift.

Flashback: The Uninvited Lodger

God’s righteous anger toward his people is real, but lasts only as long as necessary; his favor toward his people is equally real, and never ends.

…if we fasten ourselves to Christ when life is a sinking ship, then we learn to treasure him as our anchor. We discover that our faithfulness is tethered to his, especially during the troubling seasons of life.

—Glenna Marshall

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    Of all the elements that once made up traditional Protestant worship, there is probably none that has fallen on harder times than prayer. It is not unusual to visit a church today and find that prayer is perfunctory, rare, or absent altogether. If that is true of prayer in general, it is particularly true of…