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A La Carte (September 18)

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May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

If you’re looking for something good and relatively brief to read, Westminster Books has Dane Ortlund’s The Heart of Jesus discounted in single copies or cases.

Today is a huge day for Kindle deals, and that’s because Zondervan Academic is having a massive one-day sale with tons of their books discounted. There are also a few excellent options from New Growth Press and B&H (which I have put at the very top of the list).

What if No One Prayed for You?

I have often wondered the same question Melissa asks here: what if no one prayed for you? “As a kid who was raised by Christian parents, I have enjoyed the comfort of knowing that people were praying for me my entire life–not just my godly parents, but others in our church. … There’s something so sweet about knowing someone’s storming heaven on my behalf. It’s humbling and brings peace, especially when I’m struggling.”

How to Pray When You Feel Like You Can’t

Also on the subject of prayer, here’s some guidance on praying even when you feel like you can’t.

Is That Person Male or Female?

Alan Shlemon: “Is there a scientific and effective way to discern whether someone is male or female? The answer is yes. There have been established methods for a long time. It’s only with the recent rise of transgender ideology that there has been any substantial pushback to these methods. Here are three ways to determine whether someone is male or female.”

“If One Member Suffers…”

Brad tells how the body of Christ can bear one another’s burdens in a technological age.

10 Ideas for Better Conversations

Ed Welch offers some ideas for better conversations. “The problem is that if asked, most of us would have no plan for how to improve our conversation skills. We have goals for our weight and physical exercise but not for what occupies more time than anything else in our day. If you don’t have ideas on how you can improve your conversation skills, you won’t.”

God Is Good to Forbid Sin

He is, indeed.

Flashback: Not a Matter of Pitch or Tone

Those who struggle to sing may be self-conscious, tempted to stay quiet or to do no more than mumble along. Should they? Not at all, for singing is a matter of the heart before it is a matter of pitch or tone.

Me-ology is the junk food diet we’ve been serving up in our spiritual lives. The healthy alternative we need to immediately start ingesting is theology.

—Jen Oshman

  • Robert wolgemuth

    Robert Wolgemuth Was a Kind Man

    I don’t remember the first time I met Robert Wolgemuth, but I know it was when I was much younger and just beginning to get my bearings as a writer. At the time, I was beginning to consider whether it would be useful to retain a literary agent who would represent me to publishers. I…

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    A La Carte (January 21)

    A La Carte: The great Christian reset / Artists who refuse the hot take / A ministry of small things / The sin that so easily ensnares / The strict dietary laws / and more.

  • A Special Offer On Ten Great Books

    A Special Offer On Ten Great Books

    Reformation Heritage Books is offering Challies readers an exclusive 15% discount on their top ten recent releases. Use code CHALLIES at checkout. This offer is valid until January 27.

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    A La Carte (January 20)

    A La Carte: When protest enters the sanctuary / Why I ditched my scrolling habit / Take sports betting seriously / The world runs on urgency / Sanctification hacks / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Endure

    Why We Can Confidently Persevere in Prayer

    I remember the days when my children were younger and would ask me to give them something—then ask me again, and ask me again. At that age, they had no ability to gain or purchase these things for themselves, so they were entirely dependent upon their parents to grant their requests (which were usually for…

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    A La Carte (January 19)

    A La Carte: Learning to struggle / When “Stranger Things” stopped being strange / “If God Is For Us” / Reading as stewardship / A sermon you need to hear / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.