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A La Carte (September 16)

A La Carte Collection cover image

It has been a blessing to hear from people who have begun using the prayers in Pilgrim Prayers and are telling me, “Now I get it!” If you have benefited from the book, would you consider dropping a quick star-rating or review at Amazon?

Today’s Kindle deals include Al Mohler’s excellent The Gathering Storm, Vaneetha Risner’s Walking Through Fire, several books by John MacArthur, and much more.

Why Christians Won’t Stop Singing

“Christians can’t seem to stop singing: in catacombs, in cathedrals, everywhere throughout church history. In Saudi Arabia, the underground churches soundproof the walls and windows, sometimes with mattresses, so they can lift their voices in praise without detection. As Jesus said of the rejoicing multitudes, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out’ (Luke 19:40).”

Exercising an Idle Mind

Kelly Needham: “Idleness is being busy at the wrong things. I see in myself the need to flee not just from idle hands but also an idle mind. As is true of many women, unless I’m sleeping, my mind is quite active. And if I do not give my mind a steady intake of good fuel to burn, I will often be burning whatever fuel I can find. The result? Lots of thoughts about aimless things.”

How to Set Your Hope Fully on the Grace

Cara writes about those times when you need to fight—to fight with a very particular type of weapon.

The Scars of Hope

“The Japanese art of kintsugi beholds an object’s brokenness as beauty instead of flaws that must be hidden. Skilled artisans mend broken pottery using melted gold or silver. They gently press each piece together, then seal them with a lacquer until the precious liquid hardens in the cracks. The result is a beautiful design on a previously common vessel.” What a great analogy for Christians.

What was David’s Sin in Ordering a Census?

Kenneth has an interesting look at David’s sin in ordering a census—one of the stranger episodes in the Old Testament.

Is This Actually Accomplishing Anything?

“When it comes to evangelism, outreach and mission I think there is a really important question that we often fail to meaningfully ask: is this actually accomplishing anything? More specifically, can we realistically expect this to accomplish anything? I can already hear the howls and responses coming.”

Flashback: What Not To Say at the Beginning of a Worship Service

Why is it that pastors and worship leaders are so prone to blurt out trite phrases like these as they open their services? I’d like to offer a few suggestions.

We need fewer aspiring conference speakers and more faithful pastors committed to their local churches.

—Jason Helopoulos

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.