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A La Carte (September 10)

thursday

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good books, one of them suitable for those struggling with pornography (or attempting to help someone who is).

(Yesterday on the blog: Learning To Thrive as a Diverse Church)

Why Unhealthy People Crave Controversy

This is good and important. “Quarrels sometimes come, and sometimes those controversies are what it takes to be faithful to the Spirit. But just as one engaged in sexual immorality can always convince himself that this is a special case of ‘love,’ ‘soulmates,’ or ‘destiny,’ the one with an unhealthy craving for controversy can always convince himself that he’s a warrior for Christ—instead of a captive to his passions.”

How a Massive Bomb Came Together in Beirut’s Port

This is an amazing visualization from the New York Times—and a good bit of journalism to go with it.

Plus Ça Change And Clapped Out Cars

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. So goes the old epigram. The more it changes, the more it stays the same. I was set to thinking about this phrase as I received yet another call from the police about another abandoned car that had dumped on our church car park.”

A Short History of Racism

As this article so aptly shows, racism has a long, ugly, and worldwide history.

The Christian And the State

There are lots of good takeaways from this article by Paul Carter which concerns churches and the pandemic. Including this: “Government regulations differ region to region, province to province and country to country, so every church must wrestle with the correct application of these principles to their particular context…”

When Detours Become Destinations

Sometimes the detour does become the destination…

What Is Time?

Consider how much our lives are governed by time, we probably don’t think much about what time really is…

Flashback: The Folly Bound Up in the Heart of a Child

The beautiful jewel of salvation highlights the deep darkness of sin. Our children’s holiness reveals just how foolish they were, it displays how badly they needed to be saved, and it proves the great power of God’s salvation.

Anger is against God because he is the one who directs the details of our lives. In fact, in our anger and outrage, we have decided that we want to be God rather than submit to him.

—Ed Welch

  • A La Carte (June 4)

    The pastor as anti-professional / On grieving when your loved one’s faith was ambiguous / God’s mercy in withholding wealth / Not mere memories: God’s sovereign purposes in every season / 10 theses on intercession / Bargatze’s ‘Breadwinner’ should be funnier / Podcasts / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 3)

    Ben Sasse’s theology of suffering for a death-phobic culture / You don’t need testosterone therapy / While I was busy helping save the free world / The discipline of joy / Stop believing your best years are behind you / We are not alone? No, we never were / Medical evacuation / The SBC /…

  • General Market Titles

    10 General Market Books I Have Enjoyed Recently

    While I am committed to reading and reviewing Christian books, I also enjoy reading a steady diet of books published for the general market. Though my interests lean toward history, I do enjoy other topics as well. Here are a few of the titles I’ve enjoyed over the past couple of months.

  • A La Carte (June 2)

    Millennials tried being angry—it didn’t work / The life God didn’t let you live / He’s not nice, but He is good / Creating passive parenting wins / AI, ghostwriting, and the ethics of book writing / John Stott’s dream church / On caring for the property of others / Books on sale / and…