Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (September 17)

friday

Grace and peace to you today.

There are a few books discounted for Kindle today, and I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen any of these titles on sale before.

Pride (in the Name of Love)

Jared Wilson: “Jesus was perfect, and yet he did not look down on others. I am ridiculously imperfect, but I do look down on others. Jesus was perfectly holy, and yet was not arrogant. I am frustratingly unholy, but I am arrogant a lot. Like, a lot. I am not Jesus. But I do want to be like him.”

The Ends and the Means

Seth Lewis considers how small things can lead to big things. “A quiet phone call. That’s all it would take, and no one would know the difference. Except me. And my wife. And our friend. And God.”

There Is Power in Counting It All Joy

Paul Tautges: “To ‘count it all joy’ does not refer to being happy about the trial itself. Nor does it take away your permission to grieve. James is not saying, ‘No matter how painful your loss is, you need to just put on a happy face. Pretend, if you have to. Don’t let anyone see how much you hurt.’ No! True joy is not a spiritual façade.”

Trojan Horse Christians

“Satan will allow you to avoid all kinds of temptation if you continue to believe the lie that your moral life is the reason you have God’s acceptance. The enemy loves it when we build our monuments and look in amazement upon them. The problem with wooden horses is that they burn. They will not stand on the day of judgment.”

Say It, Even if It’s Been Said Before

This is true and worth considering: “The reality is, content you write today will be written again by someone tomorrow. It has probably already been written by someone before you. There is nothing new under the sun. Being faithful to God and encouraging others is more important than being on the cutting edge of a given topic.”

Why Waiting is Good News

Though we are impatient people, there is value in waiting. “Waiting reminds us that although we have agency, we are not ultimately in control. For those of us who find value in achieving, working hard, and crossing off tasks on our to-do lists, waiting can push us into a tailspin as it unhooks the lynchpin between who we are and what we do.”

Flashback: The Bit of Heaven the Heaven Tourism Books Never Touched

Heaven is the place where there is no trace of sin. In fact, the joys of heaven are dependent on sinlessness.

If we get a discouraged man to take heart again, and to set out bravely to fight his own battles and carry his own burdens we have done him a far greater kindness than if we had fought his battles and carried his burdens for him.

—J.R. Miller

  • An Honest Man and an Open Bible

    An Honest Man and an Open Bible

    Tozer once said that “an honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly,” and Psalm 19 provides a clear example from the life of David. His closing words are a prayer for each of us…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (August 31)

    A La Carte: Serving without becoming a doormat / Honor your parents / Where are the children / Courage for a new school year / TouchScreens / Turning off the livestream / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)

    This week the blog and this giveaway have been sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible is a masterful blend of content written by today’s top academics in a way that is compelling and easy to understand for anyone–no formal training or seminary degree required. This one-volume commentary is intended both…

  • Known for Love

    Are You Known for Love?

    We live at an interesting time, a time in which so much is changing. Norms that have existed and been accepted for decades or even centuries are quickly fading and being supplanted by what is new and novel. This is especially true of those norms that were based on Scripture and its instruction on what…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (August 30)

    A La Carte: The widening of God’s mercy / The doves didn’t go anywhere / 7 tips for a new academic year / Rings of Power season 2 / Begin with the beginner / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (August 29)

    A La Carte: How to identify a false teacher / The rise of cultural Christianity / 19 Christian Para Athletes / Turn off social media until the election / Examining our assumptions about disability / Kindle deals / and more.