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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

  • 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.