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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

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Matthias Media)

    This week the blog and the giveaway have been sponsored by Matthias Media. Matthias Media is hosting Evangelize 2024 in Denver, Colorado on October 7-9, 2024. We have partnered with 10ofThose, Calvary Family of Churches and Vinegrowers to help you raise the evangelistic temperature at your church. We want to motivate and equip people to…

  • When Christians Disagree

    When Christians Disagree

    Wouldn’t it be nice if Christians only ever got along? Wouldn’t it be grand if all the discord we see in the world around us was completely foreign to the church? Wouldn’t it be heavenly if believers ever only experienced peace? I suppose it would be heavenly and, therefore, more than we can realistically hope…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (July 26)

    A La Carte: Therapy and bug men / How to have joy in hard times / Can a single pastor date in his church? / Life from barren ground / Shulamith Firestone was a prophet / Different ways of reading people we disagree with / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (July 25)

    A La Carte: What does it mean to die with dignity? / Did Paul endorse slavery? / Forgiveness in marriage / 5 ways to pursue contentment / The immense value of encouragement / and more.

  • Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult

    Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult

    Of all the Christian disciplines, it is my guess that meditation may be the least practiced—though I suppose fasting might have something to say about that. Most people diligently make time to read the Bible and pray. And yet, while most people have good intentions when it comes to meditation, it so often seems to…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 24)

    A La Carte: A mother to me, too / Never look your age? / Nine reminders for the struggle with body image / A ruler who trusts in Yahweh / No, I will not stop calling the church a family / Criminalizing sexual ethics / Bible journal sale / Kindle deals / and more.