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A La Carte (September 18)

A La Carte Collection cover image

The Solar System

This took a lot of effort and ingenuity: “On a dry lakebed in Nevada, a group of friends build the first scale model of the solar system with complete planetary orbits: a true illustration of our place in the universe.”

The Desire to Be Desired

This is good stuff from Ed Welch. “At the heart of the romance novel is the thrill of being desired—irresistibly, intoxicatingly desired. And since that genre is the most frequently visited Internet category among women, there is a lot of ‘desiring to be desired’ out there. A lot. Since men’s idolatries get most of the attention, this is a short meditation aimed at bringing fairness to this imbalance.”

The Rise of Victimhood Culture

I appreciated this article’s description of the culture of victimhood we see around us today. “A recent scholarly paper on ‘microaggressions’ uses them to chart the ascendance of a new moral code in American life.”

The Most Misread Poem in America

This is an entertaining interpretation of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” and an explanation as to why most people get it wrong.

This Day in 1905. Scottish clergyman and novelist, George MacDonald, who would influence many through his writings, including C.S. Lewis, dies in England. *

Is Baptism Required for Church Membership?

Whether or not you agree with the major premise of this article about baptism and church membership, I think you’ll benefit from reading it. (For what it’s worth, I need to think more about it, but am generally inclined to agree with most of what he says.)

Ambition and a Future Target

I have been thinking about ambition a lot, and appreciate what Dave Harvey calls for here. “God wants to rescue ambition. But not to build future monuments to our own glory. I’m talking about an instinct that looks for new ways to glorify God through our dreams.”

Smith

I didn’t invite Jesus into my heart; he gave me a new heart.

—Scotty Smith

  • thurs 3

    A La Carte (October 15)

    The mom God isn’t calling you to be / Facing dementia, and never cast out / Parents, meet your gospel tutor / Can you sin against a chatbot? / Our membership vows and our future / Not all Christian websites are good for your health / Kindle deals

  • A La Carte (October 14)

    Are we raising Pharisees? / In Canada, new push for euthanasia for people with dementia / Follow the parenting formula / He’s worthy of your all / Why do we get so excited about celebrity conversions? / Public executions, public criminal trials, and the formation of souls / The best possible outcome / Mark Carney’s…

  • tues 3

    A La Carte (October 13)

    Will my prayers undo God’s good plans for me? / When your feelings fail you / Prediction markets: gambling by another name / Calibrate your conscience / When God shows up and you miss him / Scrolling through life / Kindle deals / New books

  • Reflecting the Son – Love God with All Your Mind

    What does it mean to love God with all of our minds? Jesus not only talked the greatest commandment, he walked it better than anyone. How, then, did the greatest keeper of history’s greatest commandment love God with his mind?

  • Alice Cooper

    Is Alice Cooper a Christian?

    Alice Cooper’s new memoir Devil on My Shoulder talks openly about God. But is Alice Cooper a Christian? Here are some thoughts after reading his story.