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A La Carte (October 24)

monday

Grace and peace to you today, my friends.

There are some very interesting books discounted in today’s Kindle deals.

Remember This About Spiritual Fruit

“Fruit in the Christian life is essential. We read our Bibles, pray, do good works, love others—Christians exhibit fruit. The produce of the Holy Spirit is guaranteed. God does the work in us, through us, with us. And this is where our struggles with assurance of salvation and frustrations in sanctification crop up. We forget two essential lessons about fruit.”

Why We Must Teach Kids Safety Skills

Julie Lowe wants to make sure parents are teaching their kids necessary safety skills.

Stream the Luther Documentary for Free

October 31 marks 505 years since Martin Luther effectively—and unintentionally—sparked the Protestant Reformation with his Ninety-Five Theses. Discover Luther’s story by watching the award-winning documentary Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. It’s available to steam for free on Ligonier Ministries’ YouTube channel. You can also download the accompanying study guide for free. (Sponsored Link)

Jeffrey Dahmer and Killing Our True Crime Obsession

CT makes the case for not watching certain kinds of shows. “The voyeuristic pleasure that comes with another serial killer story, or another version of a familiar killer’s story, is evidence of a gross fixation. If anything, the industry that produces such depictions of violence and profits from it enables the expression of what is already true: We’re fascinated with evil.”

Why Christians Should Oppose Marijuana Legalization

Meanwhile, Joe Carter makes the case against the legalization of marijuana.

Iran’s Church Seeks God amid Protests

Nima Alizadeh: “On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman visited the Iranian capital, Tehran, where she was arrested by ‘morality police’ for not having a proper hijab. They claimed she violated a law requiring women to cover their hair completely. She was beaten and later died while in custody.”

Has the Internet Corrupted Our Moral Outrage?

“I recently had an experience that is common to all. After rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline, I hit publish on one of my articles, and I awoke the following day to an unpublished comment by someone who was literally shocked at the ambiguity of the article, its lack of biblical truth, and my dangerous practice. They then let me know that it may be time to unsubscribe.”

Flashback: Prayer for the Unconverted

Buried deep in an old, mostly-forgotten anthology of poetry, I found this little gem from Newman Hall—a poem that expresses in rhyme and meter the longing of many a Christian heart. May it give you words to pray for “those who do not pray, who waste away salvation’s day.”

Since Satan can’t destroy the gospel, he has too often neutralized its usefulness by addition, subtraction, or substitution.

—J.C. Ryle

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  • The Path to Contentment

    The Path to Contentment

    I wonder if you have ever considered that the solution to discontentment almost always seems to be more. If I only had more money I would be content. If I only had more followers, more possessions, more beauty, then at last I would consider myself successful. If only my house was bigger, my influence wider,…

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  • It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    Part of the joy of reading biography is having the opportunity to learn about a person who lived before us. An exceptional biography makes us feel as if we have actually come to know its subject, so that we rejoice in that person’s triumphs, grieve over his failures, and weep at his death.

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  • The Anxious Generation

    The Great Rewiring of Childhood

    I know I’m getting old and all that, and I’m aware this means that I’ll be tempted to look unfavorably at people who are younger than myself. I know I’ll be tempted to consider what people were like when I was young and to stand in judgment of what people are like today. Yet even…