This is going to be a week in which I post only the daily A La Carte articles. I returned from my last trip (which took me to several African nations) with an ugly bug bite and some kind of insect-borne illness. I’m trying to get that sorted and think I’m on the right track. But it has been a rough few days.
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Logos users will find some good deals for pastor appreciation month. You’ll also want to look at this month’s free and nearly-free books.
For Kindle deals I’ve divided them into some that are for only a day or two and some that are for the whole month. There is a lot to choose from.
(Yesterday on the blog: Could There Be a Worse Home Than This?)
The Porn Talk: Nine Ways Parents Can Lead Children
Parents will benefit from Garrett Kell’s thoughts on having the porn talk with their kids.
Competing Voices
“One evening, after speaking at a church gathering in Akron, a woman came up to me with an unusual request. She said, ‘You seem to really like stories…would you mind if I shared one with you?'” Who doesn’t like a good story?
The Christian Life Involves Dance, not Drudgery
This is a sweet one. “I feel so privileged to have this little girl in my life, and I am not even her daddy (just her daddy’s daddy). But that day, and every day since, everything in me has wanted to give her a sense of security, love, acceptance, and safety.”
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
“The little girl talked fondly to her. In fact, she had never done otherwise. And though she had only one eye, and was blind in the other, and though deaf and unable to speak, she was adored. When the other children entered into the room she instinctively embraced the helpless doll even tighter. To her, this baby was precious and nobody else could have her.”
Does Scripture Agree with My Personal Experience?
“I was listening to a podcast recently regarding the subject of maintaining one’s deliverance and lukewarm Christianity. During this discussion between two former ex-New Agers, personal experiences alleging indwelling demons being cast out of them while being professing born-again believers was highlighted, along with no longer calling oneself a sinner but a saint. There was also a heavy emphasis on coming into agreement with God’s Word and speaking it over your situation.”
How to Use Your Hymnal
This is good guidance on using your hymnal.
Flashback: Two Habits of Successful Parents
It is an incredible honor that God allows us to create, birth, and raise other human beings made in his image. With this incredible honor comes great responsibility. You’re unlikely to fulfill this task well, or as well as you could have, without the input of the community God has given you. So take advantage of it!
The biggest reason for the ineffectiveness of contemporary Christianity is a failure to take seriously the radical difference that Jesus calls for as we follow him as King. —Alistair Begg