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A La Carte (September 14)

monday

Here’s a final reminder that the good folk at Faithlife have asked me to let you know about an upcoming free webinar for church leaders who are preparing for fall ministry in light of COVID.

It’s not the best day ever for Kindle deals, but I did unearth a few at least.

Enjoying Imperfection

“Only God does all things perfectly. In a world that has written God out of the story, we have written ourselves into the role of perfection-attainment. And it is killing us—our dusty little frames, our finite abilities can’t handle it. It’s not that we shouldn’t ever aim to be the best—it’s about what we do when we fall short. And what failing does to us. It’s realising that not all things need to be the ‘best’, but can simply be enjoyed for what they are.”

18 Trillion Feet of You (Video)

The John 10:10 Project produces some neat videos, like this new one about DNA. “Through extraordinary computer animation you’ll discover how the more than 18 trillion feet of DNA in your body is organized, stored and processed.”

Joshua Janavel and the Plight of the Waldensians

I’ve always thought the Waldensians haven’t gotten as much attention in church history as they should have. This is a good little look at a part of their history.

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

There are some great, comical shots in this year’s collection.

What Makes a Man — or a Woman? Lost Voices on a Vital Question

This has always been an important question, but perhaps never more so than today. “When it comes to understanding what it means to be a man or a woman, we live in a confused and confusing time. Distinctions that were obvious to previous generations are no longer so clear. The reasons for this confusion are complex, and addressing the question requires not only wisdom but also courage.”

The Other Side of the Coin

I think Eddie addresses a genuine concern here, in his call for confident and passionate prayer.

How Costco Became A Massive “Members Only” Retailer (Video)

I enjoyed this video explaining how Costco got so respected and so big.

Flashback: What Makes the Spiritual Gifts Discussion Different

We cannot allow the apparent lack of gifts to make us turn to Scripture already determined to prove their cessation; we cannot allow the apparent existence of gifts to make us turn to Scripture already determined to validate their continuation.

Fiery trials make golden Christians.

—Theodore Cuyler

  • When God Plants an Acorn

    When God Plants an Acorn, He Means an Oak

    We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there…

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    A La Carte (April 28)

    A La Carte: Protestantism’s Catholic converts / How healthy is your pursuit of health? / God’s special calling on your life / Considering a Christian university? / Testing the teachings of Catholicism / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for April 2025

    It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 26)

    A La Carte: Every pinch of pain has purpose / China closed Christian bookstores / Watch for the thing after the thing / For everything there is a time / Showers of blessing / What Pope Francis can teach us about preaching / and more.

  • What Makes You Beautiful

    What Makes You Beautiful

    I have often thought of a conversation that took place when my girls were little. Abby was perhaps 5 or 6 at the time and Michaela just working her way through the “terrible twos” (which for our kids always happened when they were three or four). A stranger saw me interacting with them one day…