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A La Carte (November 21)

thursday

Some people have asked me about a 2020 Christian Reading Challenge. I’m hard at work on it and expect it will be ready in very early December. Stay tuned!

Westminster Books has a sale on R.C. Sproul’s commentaries.

(Yesterday on the blog: When the Forbidden Woman Is in Your Home)

Hurdles to Literacy and God’s Grace

What an interesting and exciting report from Cameroon! “When we first moved to Cameroon, I was introduced to the machete which is all so common in daily life here. It is used to kill snakes, cut fingernails, slice vegetables, clear a field in the bush, plant seeds; it is used for absolutely everything. And yet, I had never known life with a machete, so I frankly didn’t see the immediate value of it (that has since changed). If “my people” have survived for generations without a machete, is it really that important? This is exactly the same question that is often asked among illiterate people when being introduced to the idea of reading and writing.”

Is It a Sin to “Swear to God”?

“‘Do not take an oath at all,’ commands Jesus (Matthew 5:34). This prohibition raises quite a few questions. Is Jesus forbidding Christians from things like swearing to tell the truth in court? To understand what Jesus is prohibiting and how to apply it in our lives we must take a closer look at this passage.”

When the Apostle Paul Called Out Two Women in Church

Trevin Wax: “Whatever the disagreement was about, it must not have been a major doctrinal issue. It wasn’t something so serious that it compromised the gospel. What’s happened here is that the intensity of this disagreement is compromising the gospel – not the issue itself. There’s a difference.”

Ask Pastor Charlie – On Congregational Singing

I wish I had thought of this article idea first! Be sure to look to the bottom to see who Pastor Charlie is.

Domesticating Death

Keith Evans wants to make sure we are not domesticating death. “We have essentially taken that which is heinous; that which is abnormal to God’s original design and creation; that which has intruded upon all he has made ‘very good’ and sullied this sphere of life, blessing, and bounty; and we have made that intruder something it is not.”

10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan

Graham A. Cole outlines 10 things you should know about demons and Satan.

Yet Not I But Christ Through Me

CCLI has posted to YouTube a couple of excellent acoustic versions of songs by CityAlight. You’ll find “Yet Not I But Christ Through Me” and “Only a Holy God.”

Flashback: Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith

As parents we are to commit ourselves to the task of raising our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, to teach them the facts of the faith, to show how it answers our questions and meets our needs, to insist that the good news of the gospel must be personally apprehended.

We need to really hear the law in all its threatening power, and then we will be prepared to flee to Christ for safety.

—Michael Horton

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (August 29)

    A La Carte: How to identify a false teacher / The rise of cultural Christianity / 19 Christian Para Athletes / Turn off social media until the election / Examining our assumptions about disability / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Church Livestream

    Is It Time To Stop Streaming Your Service?

    It always surprises me how quickly an idea can go from introduction to expectation, from mere inquiry to accepted standard. And once an idea has become mainstream in that way, it is difficult to revisit and evaluate it.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 28)

    A La Carte: What canoeing can teach us about marriage / What are spiritual gifts and how do I discover mine? / How a troll becomes a troll / The biggest Evangelical divide / When Bible reading doesn’t produce a neat and tidy takeaway / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for August 2024

    We live at a great time to be readers! Christian publishers labor diligently to provide us with good books on every conceivable topic. Once a month I like to sort through all the new releases and put together a list of some of the new and notables. Here are my picks for August, 2024.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 27)

    A La Carte: Keith Green, Bill Hybels, steeples, and bells / Did negligence kill my baby? / Rethinking nostalgic postpartum advice / Yes, all things / We can’t be friends / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Nothing Can Separate Us from God

    This week the blog is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. This excerpt from The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible: One-Volume Edition explains the original meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 8:31-39 and shows how his message can apply to our lives today. We begin with words from the Apostle Paul: 31 What, then, shall we…