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A La Carte (November 9)

Today’s Kindle deals include a few good options, three of them excellent choices by John Stott.

Halladay Was Everybody’s Hero

Here is one for the baseball fans. Roy Halladay was one of my all-time favorite players (and my son’s) and it was truly sad to hear of his death. (This is also a great tribute.)

How Do I Love God More Than My Entertainment?

Here is an Ask Pastor John with John Piper that deals with the subject of entertainment.

Watch a Jacobean Painting Emerge From 200 Years of Grime (Video)

There are spiritual analogies to be found here! “Two hundred years ago an aspiring art conservator, perhaps—took a brush and coated a 1618 oil painting of a lady in red with a thick coat of ostensibly protective varnish. Over the decades, the varnish naturally discolored, turning first yellow and then brown, until the whole painting appeared covered in grime. Now—in a flourish—those two centuries of discoloration are gone. “

The World’s Tiniest Wonders

A photomicrograph, which is any image taken through a microscope, reveals in incredible detail the wonder of God’s creation.

Inspiring Transgender Testimony (Video)

This is an interview with Laura Perry. Laura was born a woman but lived as a transgender male for ten years before God brought her to himself. (Also perhaps read this account of a teen who first transitioned and then returned.)

Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical Gospels Attributed to Matthias?

J. Warner Wallace has been taking a careful look at many of the non-canonical gospels. It’s a solid series!

Deranged, Depraved, or Dejected?

“In the wake of yet another tragic mass shooting, this time affecting another church, we’re called to reflect again about how to process these events. Many writers have discussed how to grieve, heal, and avoid living in fear following heartbreaking tragedies. Today I want to advocate for a marginalized group often indirectly hurt by the public response to these events: those who struggle with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and other emotional difficulties.”

Flashback: God’s Not Really That Holy, I’m Not Really That Bad

How do you know that you really get the gospel, that you really understand and believe it? Or perhaps better said, how do you know that the gospel has really gotten you, that it has taken hold of you and begun to permanently transform you?

Is there any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?

—C.S. Lewis

  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…