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A La Carte (October 13)

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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

  • Pleasure Obligation

    A Pleasure More Than An Obligation

    Christians are often portrayed as downcast and dour, as people who are trapped in a system of beliefs that robs them of joy and life. And with a bit of honest self-examination, we can probably think of times when we have fit the cliché.

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 14)

    A La Carte: The West’s strange genius / Healing the way women hurt each other / AI skeptics / The world after reading / What about the children? / What caregivers should know about dementia / and much more.

  • Sex and Self-Forgetfulness

    Sex, Self-Forgetfulness, and the Joy of Serving Your Spouse

    I often think there is a kind of paradoxical quality to sex within marriage. It’s paradoxical in that few things have greater ability to bring blessing (through its right use) or to bring cursing (through its misuse). Not only that, but few things bring greater joy to a marriage, and also, in so many cases,…

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    A La Carte (March 13)

    What happened to our pastor? / Youth ministry needs seasoned saints / God’s sovereignty when things don’t go as planned / Preach sermons that algorithms don’t reward / A pastor remains in Beirut / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 12)

    The grief ambush / Forgotten, and that’s good / The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Welcome back, church planting / Weakness is not the enemy / Bad reasons to read the Bible / Bible and book sales.