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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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    Weekend A La Carte (January 11)

    A La Carte: Parents can’t fight porn alone / Victory in Jesus (a new song) / Will you pass the test? / What God meant is what God means / Lessons from caring for a disabled child / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books for ministry leaders.  The Bundle includes: As you look at all things through the lens of the gospel, you’ll increasingly become the fully-formed follower of Jesus and servant of his church that you have been…

  • Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State

    These are strange days in Canada. The incoming President of the United States has suddenly promised to slap a 25% tariff on cross-border trade—a tariff that has the potential to devastate the Canadian economy. Some suggest it could cost Canada a 3% hit to its economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.…

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    A La Carte (January 10)

    A La Carte: Dawkin’s gender dilemma / The worst of all possible worlds / Value character over performance / Is heaven a real place right now? / Last of the middlebrow Protestants / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 9)

    A La Carte: Discipleship in the Reformed world / Why Christians need to watch out for Jordan Peterson / The forbidden woman and the path to death / I’m no gambler / a firm foundation in an uncertain world / and more.

  • Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Do I have a library made up of thousands of books or do I have a library made up of a couple dozen? I suppose it depends on what you count as a book. It has been many years—at least 15, I think—since I decided to go all-in with ebooks, a decision I have stuck…