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

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Reformed Free Publishing)

    Have you ever wondered what it would be like to uproot your life and sacrifice everything for the sake of your faith? Enter today’s Free Stuff Fridays giveaway to win a copy of Grace House, the story of one young Hindu girl who is forced to choose between the only world she’s ever known and…

  • Family Tech Books

    Books to Help Parents With Tech

    Christian parents are well-served with books meant to inform and equip them as they lead their families. Here are some of my top picks for parents who want to faithfully disciple their children to live well in a world of smartphones, social media, AI, and a host of other world-shaping technologies.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (January 30)

    A La Carte: The biggest crisis ever / When God’s plans leave us distressed / The rise and fall of gay activism / Boundaries in dating / How to derail a Bible study / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New-and-Notable January

    New and Notable Christian Books for January 2026

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of books in January and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 29)

    A La Carte: Church buildings / Resist assisted suicide / Beauty will win / Finish strong / Glorifying ourselves / Jen Wilkin and the great omission / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Amplify Not a Fool by Responding to His Folly 

    Amplify Not a Fool by Responding to His Folly 

    Where you think your wisdom may make the fool better, it’s more likely that his folly will make you worse. You are more likely to stoop to his level than he is to rise to yours. Ironically, fools can be clever at times and wise men naive, for the fool has an intuitive understanding of…