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A La Carte (May 5)

Today’s Kindle deals include just a couple of titles that may be of interest. One of them is among my favorite works by John Piper.

Why You Really Need to Stop Using Public Wi-Fi

“It isn’t hard to see that a few moments of online convenience are far outweighed by your money or financial information being stolen, or by suffering the embarrassment of your personal information being publicly released.” But it may not be worth it.

Tolerating Acceptance

“Tolerance is now seen as bad. That’s right. Bad! And I spend the 80s at school and university being told how good it was as an idea. Turns out, once again, that the children of the revolution are getting chewed up and spat out by their children.”

Too Young to Cross a Street, But…

WORLD magazine points out the absurdity of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Meaningful Confession

This is a helpful little article on corporate confession as part of worship services.

Responding to Open Theism in 14 Words

“Here are fourteen common sense objections to open theism, framed around thirteen words and one number.”

Hurtful Sheep and Bullied Shepherds

This is one to read and consider: “Pastors are only men, and just because they’re public servants doesn’t mean they don’t have private anguish. It hurts when sheep are meticulous fault-finders in everything a pastor says and does. It wounds when sheep lay all the blame only on a pastor’s shoulders. It’s traumatic when sheep hold their pastor to their unbiblical and unrealistic expectations. It aches when sheep neglect the material needs of a pastor and his family.”

For Those Who Are “Over” Church

This is wise: “If you’re thinking about giving up on church, reconsider. Punishing the church with your absence actually weakens both sides. That’s a lose-lose. Don’t be fooled by the idea that you’re better off without the body. And don’t put the burden on the church to get it all sorted out.”

The FAQs: Trump’s Executive Order on Religious Liberty

Joe Carter breaks down President Trump’s executive order on religious liberty.

Flashback: I Miss the Absurdity

I know now that there are some kinds of sorrow a parent can only experience as his children grow up and grow older. There’s the sorrow of missing what they used to be, and the sorrow of seeing them make the same mistakes I made once upon a time.

Don’t let your feelings inform your doctrine, let your doctrine inform your feelings.

—Burk Parsons

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    A La Carte: The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Mental illness / Why didn’t Christ come sooner? / When it’s okay to die / Spiritual formation / and more.

  • Unlock Your Ministry Potential with Microcredentials

    Are you looking for accessible faith-based resources that can help you serve your church community with confidence? Check out Redeemer University’s online church leadership microcredentials—available anytime, anywhere. #Sponsored

  • 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.