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A La Carte (October 21)

weekend

My thanks goes to the Missionary Conference for sponsoring the blog this week. They did so to tell you about the upcoming conference (which is taking place next year) and the accompanying documentary film. It will be quite an event! Be sure to give it a look.

A couple of days ago I mentioned the new ESV Chronological Bible. A reader notified me it’s discounted almost 40% at Christianbook.com. You’ll also find the ESV Scripture Journal NT set marked down 84%, the leather ESV Study Bible at 52% off, and so on. This is all part of their huge Bible Sale of the Season promotion. There are lots of good deals to be had.

(Yesterday on the blog: Does God Care About Gender Identity?)

Persevere in Praying for Unbelieving Loved Ones

“Many times, I’ve wanted to give up praying for unbelieving family and friends under the weight of it all. I prayed for my aunt and uncle for decades, and I have no positive evidence they ever came to believe in Jesus. I have no guarantee that my sister will repent. Praying for unbelievers isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Can Pro-Life Advocates Lie to Save Lives?

John Piper considers whether Christians can lie in order to save lives. “I think that one of the great needs of the hour is for Christians to stop compromising our biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world in the service of strategies that we think are more likely to do good because we have calculated that compromise will work.”

How to Dismantle Loaded Questions While Enjoying An Apple

Tim from Red Pen Logic looks at a recent viral video (from Canada, of all places) to explain what we can learn from it.

A Word to My Inner Perfectionist

Amy has an article that may resonate with people who struggle with perfectionism. (Much of what she has to say is related to Kelly Kapic’s excellent book You’re Only Human which was a game-changer for me.)

When You Feel Like a Failure

Meanwhile, Barbara has one for people who feel like failures. And don’t we all at some points in life?

The Last Word in the Book of Ruth

Sometimes the very ending of a story reveals the whole point of the story.

Flashback: The Earliest Prayer Ever Prayed

In the new book Fount of Heaven which shares prayers from the earliest Christians, you’ll find this sweet prayer which dates from late in the first century. Yet, like any good prayer, it could as easily be prayed by any of us today.

There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian.

—A.W. Tozer

  • Church Livestream

    Is It Time To Stop Streaming Your Service?

    It always surprises me how quickly an idea can go from introduction to expectation, from mere inquiry to accepted standard. And once an idea has become mainstream in that way, it is difficult to revisit and evaluate it.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 28)

    A La Carte: What canoeing can teach us about marriage / What are spiritual gifts and how do I discover mine? / How a troll becomes a troll / The biggest Evangelical divide / When Bible reading doesn’t produce a neat and tidy takeaway / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for August 2024

    We live at a great time to be readers! Christian publishers labor diligently to provide us with good books on every conceivable topic. Once a month I like to sort through all the new releases and put together a list of some of the new and notables. Here are my picks for August, 2024.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 27)

    A La Carte: Keith Green, Bill Hybels, steeples, and bells / Did negligence kill my baby? / Rethinking nostalgic postpartum advice / Yes, all things / We can’t be friends / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Nothing Can Separate Us from God

    This week the blog is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. This excerpt from The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible: One-Volume Edition explains the original meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 8:31-39 and shows how his message can apply to our lives today. We begin with words from the Apostle Paul: 31 What, then, shall we…

  • I Used To Dream Big Dreams

    I Used To Dream Big Dreams

    I used to be a dreamer. I used to lie awake at night thinking of the great man I might be, the great awards I might win, the great deeds I might accomplish for the Lord. I would eventually drift to sleep convinced of my own potential and glimpsing visions of my own grandeur. As…