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A La Carte (October 29)

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Logos users, there are a couple of current deals that may interest you: A Reformation flash sale (a highlight being Reformed libraries) and a pre-Black Friday sale (a highlight being Pillar commentaries).

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of good books. Remember that Zondervan has a huge selection of books on sale, many of them academic.

Female Culture Is Being Pornified

I think this is an especially important article by Samuel James. “Here, and in the surrounding promotional commentary around her new book, Hatmaker makes one thing clear: She’s done taking orders from the Bible about how to be a woman. From the beginning of the piece, Hatmaker makes her complaints clear. Purity culture horribly twisted her mind, to the point where she wore a one-piece swimsuit on her Mexican honeymoon. Grim stuff, indeed.”

Betrayed by My King (Video)

This conversation from The Pastor’s Heart explains why it is such a big deal that King Charles recently prayed with the pope. It explains also why Roman Catholics may understand this differently from Protestants.

A New Children’s Curriculum from Ligonier Ministries

As we remember the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation this week, we recognize the importance of passing down the truth of Scripture to the next generation. To assist the church in this calling, Ligonier Ministries has created a 52-lesson Bible curriculum for K–5 students: Growing in God’s Word. Each lesson plan reinforces the truths of Reformed theology and Scripture’s unifying covenantal framework. Order your copy today and engage children with the Bible’s transformative story. Save on shipping to Canada when you order at Ligonier.ca/store. (Sponsored)

How Brokenness Taught Me the Beauty of Sex

“As I watched the world around me, I began to notice something striking: Even while rejecting God’s design for sex, most people betrayed an unspoken agreement with it. Nowhere was this clearer than in hookup culture. None of the swipe-right Tinder hookups, hazy one-night stands after clubs, or campus situationships eased the emptiness, emotional pain, or loneliness plaguing my peers. If anything, it worsened them.”

If Not You, Then Who?

Jacob tells about a realization he once had that ended up making a big difference in his life.

Help! The Wrong Type of Person Is Turning Up at Church!

Stephen McAlpine points out an interesting fact: “Many of our more middle class, evangelical churches – especially in urban areas – have been prepping themselves for a certain type of non-Christian to come through their doors. Yet in the wake of Kirk’s murder they are less prepped for another type of non-Christian altogether – the type that actually is coming through their doors!”

Teenagers and Sports: A Living Letter Being Read by All

“I wasn’t the only one on the team who felt that tension. Deep down, many of us wrestled with it: the pull to blend in, to fit in, and to avoid standing out as ‘too religious.’ Many of the students we serve are wrestling with this same tension in their schools and maybe especially on their sports teams. Here’s the advice I encourage you to give student athletes you disciple.”

Flashback: 18 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Wife

In all the sin, stress and strain life can bring, it is so easy to lose that sense of wonder and delight in the gift of a wife. I will never regret thinking about her, thanking God for her, and increasing my delight in her.

When the tide comes in, you might more easily with your broom sweep back the surges than you could drive back the ocean of your unforgiven transgressions.

—De Witt Talmage

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    A La Carte (October 29)

    A La Carte: Female culture is being pornified / Betrayed by my king / Brokenness and the beauty of sex / The wrong kind of person is turning up at church / Teens and sports / and more.

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    A La Carte (October 28)

    A La Carte: When pleasing our kids becomes idolatry / Christian thinking about dating and marriage / Everyday hospitality / Ministry doesn’t have to be a spectacle / A theology of the bed / Kindle, commentary, and Bible sales.

  • Thy Will Be Endured

    Thy Will Be Endured

    To pray “Thy will be done” means more than “Thy will be endured.” It is more than a promise that we will grit our teeth and bear whatever his providence dictates. It will involve endurance, to be sure, but it must involve more than that. It must also involve submission and commission.

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    A La Carte (October 27)

    A La Carte: The age of the algorithm / Why we become prayerless / The king prays with the pope / Hollywood’s misstep on men’s mental health / Glory in getting old / A huge Kindle sale / and more.

  • Church

    The Church Is There

    A well-known pastor was once asked whether he was offended that a new church near his had taken on the same name. “Are you offended that they are also calling themselves Grace Church?” “No,” he replied. Then said something like, “I’m not bothered that they are calling themselves ‘Grace.’ I’m bothered that they are calling…

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    Weekend A La Carte (October 25)

    A La Carte: Goodbye “Big Eva” / Why pop culture feels blah / When people leave our churches / Digital hirelings / Premil pretrib / Kindle deals / and more.