A La Carte (May 13)

Today’s Kindle deals include a trio of books from Crossway.

Become a Patron

(Yesterday on the blog: A Pastoral Prayer)

U.S. Adults Are Spending Big on Video Games

Gamers aren’t exactly who most people think they are. “The average American video gamer is 33 years old, prefers to play on their smartphone and is spending big on content — 20 percent more than a year ago and 85 percent more than in 2015, a report showed on Thursday.”

Youth and Church Membership—Or, Stop Baptizing Children into the Ether

“When we don’t keep baptism and membership close together, we turn membership into something unbiblical. So, unless you’re doing parachurch ministry among some remote tribe, baptism should accompany church membership.” I believe, as a baptist, this is the best way to understand the relationship between baptism and membership.

She Was the “Queen of the Mommy Bloggers”

Here’s the sad story behind the woman who was once queen of the mommy bloggers.

No, Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill Won’t Imprison Women Who Have Abortions

David French: “I expected activist resistance and protest against the bill. I expected radical voices to urge corporate boycotts of Georgia. But I must confess that I did not expect to see a series of stories with lurid headlines and fundamentally mistaken premises to go viral — and to stay viral for days.”

MODERN HYMN-WRITERS KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY (IN CHRIST ALONE) HOST THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DEEP THEOLOGY IN WORSHIP (Sponsored Link)

Keith & Kristyn are joined by John Piper, Tim Challies, John MacArthur, Mark Dever, D.A. Carson, Joni E. Tada, H.B. Charles, Andrew Peterson, Trip Lee, Jackie Hill Perry, Bob Kauflin, Fernando Ortega, Matt Boswell & 30+ other speakers for a three-day conference on building a Biblical understanding and creative vision for worship in families and churches.  Aug. 19 – 21 in Nashville, TN.  General registration closes May 23 – register today.

The Staggering Rise of the Church in Iran

“As we near the fortieth anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, however, we see that the prayers of many Christians over the years have been answered, and the climate in Iran is vastly different. The gospel has spread throughout the land in unprecedented fashion despite increased persecution of Christian believers. To use the words of the apostle Paul, ‘A wide door for effective work has opened . . . and there are many adversaries’.”

Giving Up Darwin

This is a fascinating article from the Claremont Review of Books which tells how David Gelernter came to see the fatal flaws in Darwinism. As Justin Taylor says, it’s “a wonderfully clear overview of the issues.”

101 Small Ways to Share the Gospel

Perhaps the real benefit to a list like this is so much the ideas themselves, but just the sense of how many different ways there are to share the gospel or otherwise initiate spiritual conversations.

Flashback: The Joy of Self-Discipline

When we associate discipline only with avoidance of negative outcomes we rob ourselves of a means God uses to promote our joy and ultimately our joy in him. Where would God have you develop a discipline for your joy?

Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior. —John Newton

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