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A La Carte (November 11)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of excellent books by Derek Cooper that will help you understand other religions (and cults). You’ll find some other good picks as well.

Westminster Books is offering a good discount on Tim Keller’s posthumous book What Is Wrong with the World?.

(Yesterday on the blog: When It Feels Like the Temptation Is Coming From Outside)

A Significant Action for a Ministry to Move From Addition to Multiplication

Here’s a neat little observation about the way the early church went from addition to multiplication.

The Post-Literate Pastor

“Johann Hari recently described his screen-addled godson as ‘whirring at the speed of Snapchat, somewhere where nothing still or serious could reach him.’ If that description starts to characterize the up-and-coming generation of pastors, the future is grim. I want my generation’s pastors to succeed. But I believe that will require them to be better readers and learners. So if you’re a seminary professor or a mentor of aspiring pastors, train them to be rigorous readers and don’t bless their entrance into ministry until they’ve proven an aptitude for reading.”

10 Things to Pray for Children Who Have Walked Away From Jesus

Parents who are laboring in prayer for children who have walked away from Jesus may benefit from considering these 10 different prayer points.

To My Almost-Adult Kids: Don’t Be Afraid of These Three Words

Amy shares a letter she has written to her children in which she gives them three words they should never be afraid to say. “I try not to tell you about all my worries. But one fear that I want you to know about? I worry you will be afraid to say these three words…”

Shame Today Is Worth It

John Piper does a great job explaining these tough words: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

When We’re All Grown Up: The Goal of Our Soul Care

As we care for other people’s souls (and our own), it’s important that we keep in mind the goal of spiritual maturity. “When we are all grown up, we will finally do the right thing without a struggle. That’s because we will want to do what Jesus would–submit unreservedly to the will of our Heavenly Father. Our good works will become perfect works. But, strangely enough, this will include resigning ourselves to suffering.”

Flashback: Doctor Google, Influencer Moms, and the Local Church

We have become so accustomed to Googling everything, relying on the expertise of digital experts, and experiencing community online that we may fail to make use of the resources God has given us and means for us to take advantage of.

Money can be an expression of love but never a substitute for love.

—John MacArthur

  • Weekend A La Carte (June 13)

    Egg freezing is a booming business / Talk to the A.I. me / Is aging becoming optional? / Feminism and the Fall / The lie of living your truth / Moving on from the Christian Nationalism moment / and more.

  • An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    There is a lot I miss from the days when our children were young. High on the list is family devotions. Nick once described our family as having a “Spartan-like commitment” to them, though I remember as much failure as success and as many misses as hits. Still, there’s no doubt that over the 26…

  • A La Carte (June 12)

    The curious case of extra resurrections / Are kids too expensive? / Why hot takes are the enemy of conviction / Piper on preaching outrage / A daily rhythm of prayer / Forgetting and pursuing / A La Quiz / The funnies / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 11)

    We lost the baby / The Bible is cessationist (and wondrous!) / Thinking about Eastern Orthodoxy: a primer for evangelicals / Virtue signalling in the church / What is God’s providence? / Restlessness / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Conform

    You Can Conform to Christ Even if You Don’t Conform to Me

    One of the aspects of the Christian faith that I find particularly perplexing is the freedom God gives his people to obey him in different or even opposite ways, so that one person’s obedience is another person’s disobedience. Even as two people take the same action, one might be obeying him and the other disobeying…

  • A La Carte (June 10)

    Does prayer make a difference? / Portrait of an abortionist / Pushing back against the black tax / Bring your whole self to work / Blessed are the weak / When service isn’t a transaction / A pastoral analogy / Bill C-9 will soon be law in Canada / and more.