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A La Carte (May 21)

tuesday

There are a couple of commentaries in today’s Kindle deals; the Galatians volume is a great buy at that price.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Following a Parenting Method)

The Subtle Art Of Growing

Chris Thomas writes about writing. “Though the act of writing has helped, more significantly, understanding why I write has also shaped the craft. For me, writing is a way of saying, and saying is way of seeing. Crafting words helps hone ideas, collecting images to better reflect the greatest subject of them all—the gospel of the grace of God given to us in Christ. I want you to be in awe of God, and I want my writing to point you to him. Writing is for more than self-expression, writing exists to fill our hearts with glorious realities that draw us ever up into Christ.”

It’s Not All Going to Burn

Lore Ferguson Wilbert: “Once, while two friends and I walked the coast of Maine, through tall sea grasses and rock walls on a November day where the wind is more foe than friend, we turned a corner in the path and ran into an older couple enjoying the view too. “It’s a shame it’s all going to burn,” one of my friends quipped to them. He intended to shock them, I think, and not to begin a theological discussion, but I have never forgotten the shock in my own spirit upon hearing those words.”

Face It, You’re Being Watched (Video)

Facial recognition is taking over and there isn’t much we can do about it.

How To Prepare a Sermon: A Layman’s Guide

This may be helpful to occasional preachers. “There are about as many ways to do this as there are preachers, so what I am about to present should not be taken as dogma. It is simply an example from which you may benefit. I also realize that many full-time pastors already have their routine, so I am presenting this as a layman, for laymen.”

Tesla: Insane or Clever

“Over the years, these zigzags, the lofty promises and changing stories have become a Musk trademark. In the past, I’ve wondered when and how Tesla’s autocratic founder would “exaggerate too much” and cause shareowners to give the CEO, who owns about 20% of the company, more time with his family and SpaceX.” This is an interesting one about Tesla, the company that may be seeing something others aren’t.

Riptide

You’ll enjoy this one, I think.

If Not This Forum, Then Which?

“Much has been said about the online life that bears thinking about. More often than not, Evangelical voices are calling us to caution and care about how we come across online. I think the things that have been said are important and, in the most part, bear serious consideration.” While many people (myself included) tend to lament Twitter and the way it’s used, here’s a defense of it.

Flashback: How To Tell if it’s a Prosperity Gospel Church

Prosperity churches tend to align their identity with their senior pastor. If a church’s web site or other material prominently features the pastor, it may be an indication the church is part of the prosperity movement.

There is a great gulf between the Christianity that wrestles with whether to worship at the cost of imprisonment and death, and the Christianity that wrestles with whether the kids should play soccer on Sunday morning.

—John Piper

  • A La Carte (June 9)

    Thawed embryos, reproductive rights, and the grey marshlands of ethical ennui / 14 World Cup stars who follow Jesus / The God of small churches / How a critical theorist influenced the sexualization of everything / When culture trumps strategy / Fasting and feasting / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Six Counsels for a Sending Church

    Sacrificial obedience to the One who sends is what it will take to reach every language. Join us October 14 to 16 in Dallas–Fort Worth for The Lord Who Sends as we reflect on God’s word and the lives of missionaries who followed the Great Commission.

  • The Two Kinds of Content You Consume

    The Two Kinds of Content You Consume

    At some point we all began to refer to articles and video as content. And today we are drowning in it! Here is a simple filter for telling content created to serve you apart from content created to serve its maker.

  • A La Carte (June 8)

    The humbling I needed / There must be blood / How to read the Bible when your heart feels cold / The delightful duty of married sex / Are we forgiven for the sins we can’t remember? / All things without complaining or arguing

  • Works & Wonders June 7

    This week’s Works & Wonders offers: The wonder and the beauty, older and rarer, His Love, Ferrari Luce, The Covenanter Story, and cheese curds.

  • Weekend A La Carte (June 6)

    There’s a playbook for college, there should be one for marriage / Ben Sasse is teaching us how to die—and live—well / The biggest tell that something was written by AI / Why China got rich and India didn’t / AI slop is coming for your playlists / The blood cancer that became solvable /…