Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (October 13)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include lots of interesting books. Among them are several that are basically brand new. Also, you’ll now find the entire The Bible Speaks Today, Tyndale Old Testament, Tyndale New Testament, and Reformation Commentary on Scripture commentary series heavily discounted. You’ll find those discounts here. I find the BST especially helpful, most notably the volumes by Stott and Motyer, though many others are equally excellent.

I Miss the Stars

“Stars were never meant to be countable. They’re meant to overwhelm us, to remind us of how big the universe is and how small we are down here on our wet little garden rock.” 

Context Matters: Count the Cost

It is a phrase we use often: Count the cost. This article takes a look at the phrase in its biblical context and then teaches how to use it well.

Shame as the Vicious Trap of Sexual Sin

“I remember working with a military service member wrestling with bondage to sexual sin. As we talked, he eventually said, ‘You know, this reminds me of the training I received about what to do if I was ever stranded in the ocean off a sunken ship.’ I was perplexed and intrigued. Maybe you feel the same as you read his reply. I asked him to explain what he meant.”

The Clouds of Shame and Unbelief Distort the Glory of God’s Goodness

Sarah Walton: “Friend, Satan wants you and I to stay trapped and hidden in the cloud of shame and hopelessness. All he wants us to see are the muted colors of life that seem tell us that God really isn’t good, he’s keeping us from what will actually make us happy, or he’s saved up good for everyone except us.”

3 Helpful Questions to Ask When You’ve Been Blindsided

Lois offers three questions that would be helpful to ask in those times when you’ve been blindsided.

Set Your Heart

Jacob: “‘I just don’t want to be a Pharisee.’ This is normally how it starts. There is a good impulse to want to avoid self-righteousness or gospel-less obedience. But this good impulse quickly gets co-opted by the devil.”

Flashback: The Devoted Mind

The purpose of Owen’s book, and therefore the purpose of Lundgaard’s, is to draw our attention to the Beloved—to the triune God…That practice, and therefore this book, will take some effort, but it is effort that will be richly rewarded.

The cup of sin is sparkling at the top, but there is death at the bottom.

—De Witt Talmage

  • Support

    Would you Consider Supporting My Work?

    I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for well over 22 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 25)

    A La Carte: Are you still gospel-centered? / Christian liberty / Triumph in trouble / Being faithful in little things / How we choose songs / I’m not sabbatarian / and more.

  • Danger

    The Danger of Defensive Sanctification

    There is a certain kind of sober-mindedness that seems to come over Christians as they age. It can flow from many sources, I’m sure, but I think it often arises from a kind of fear—a fear that they may not finish their race without some kind of a major stumble. After living the Christian life…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 24)

    A La Carte: A wonderful short film / Science confirms a literal, historical Adam and Eve / Go low, aim high / Stop brainstorming / Structured and spontaneous prayers / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Fire prayer

    Trimmed and Set on Fire

    Sometimes humor accomplishes what soberness cannot, as an old quote from D.L. Moody illustrates. “Some people’s prayers need to be cut off at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” After all, we have all had to endure prayers that were a little too long (or perhaps a lot too long) or that…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (November 22)

    A La Carte: Keep your well full / No atheists at Nuremberg / On refusing to panic / Sports open surprising doors / Practicing Christian hospitality / Kindle deals / and more.