A La Carte (September 11)

Sales & Deals

Today’s Kindle deals include a book on spiritual maturity, a biography, and a couple of books on evil and suffering. You’ll find lots of commentaries as well.

Meanwhile, Westminster Books has a deal on a great edition of Spurgeon’s Lectures to my Students.

Recommended Reading

Pastors Who Prey on the Flock: Their Days Are Numbered. Trevin Wax: “Sickened. Furious. Fed up. That’s how I felt this summer when I came across a news story about a pastor arrested for sending nude pictures to a teenager on multiple occasions. I probably wouldn’t have given much thought to this case, as I must confess a level of desensitization at the alarming rate of such stories appearing these days, and because the offender doesn’t belong to my convention of churches. But this time, the pastor exposed for exposing himself had been a visiting speaker at the Christian school my kids have attended. He had delivered a sermon the week of my daughter’s graduation. We had watched him extend an invitation and call students to come forward and get right with God, to recommit their lives to holiness.”

On (Not) Making Very Important Christian People. Dani Treweek has a thought-provoking article on modern forms of partiality. While this article was inspired by a particular example, it should help us think about a wider issue within the church. “What follows is not a critique of the speakers, purpose, intention, theme, content or target audience of [this particular] conference. Indeed, what follows is not even a critique limited to that particular conference. I’m sure this post could apply equally to a bunch of other evangelical Christian conferences. But it was an ad for this conference that appeared in my feed. And so it is this conference that I’m engaging with as a case study of how easily we contemporary Western Christians justify the insidious sin of partiality within the Christian community.”

The God Party Kids will join Millie and the REAL BAD GUYS as they learn about our amazing three-in-one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Sponsored)

5 Helpful Reminders for Praying Moms in Any Parenting Season. Lois Flowers has some useful reminders for praying moms. “These days, I’m the one lifting my own children before the throne of heaven, and how could I not? I’ve seen the impact of a praying parent in my own life and the lives of my siblings, so it’s my joy and privilege to carry this on for my own family. That said, I’ll be the first to acknowledge it’s not always easy. It takes perseverance, intentionality and—most importantly for me and perhaps also for you—a plan that is easy to follow and not too overwhelming.”

Conspiracy Theories are Simple. Eddie LaRow offers his take on conspiracy theories and makes a useful claim: that they are often an attempt to bring simplicity out of complexity. “I’ve been a bit taken aback lately by the theories not only surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death, but also the accusations regarding Patrick Clancy in the trial dominating the news. How is it that in an age of abundant information, we are falling for theories that are blatantly false?”

Something Borrowed: The Faithful Friendship a Marriage Needs. Katie Laitkep explains that being a bridesmaid entails more than just being present on the big day. Rather, it involves supporting a friend’s marriage for life. “Over the course of fifty years, there will be plenty of moments when your friend needs to borrow something from you. What you lend to her will merely be what God has given you. Even the desire to remain a faithful friend is grace borrowed, in a sense, from the One whose resources never run out.”

A Catechism on Technology. Darryl Dash has put together a brief catechism on technology that provides a biblical and theological perspective on a key topic.

Flashback

The Glory of Children Is Their Fathers. The primary call here isn’t for children to honor their parents, though that’s certainly in view. It’s first a challenge for parents to be worthy of honor, for parents to be the glory of their children.