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A La Carte (September 2)

friday

Here’s some news: Westminster Books has received their shipment of Seasons of Sorrow and has decided to ship it right away. So if you ordered from them, the book should be on its way. They have also made it their deal of the week so it’s a good time to order.

One Audiobooks has a free copy of Anne of Green Gables if you’d like it. (It’s still and always one of my favorite novels.)

Today’s Kindle deals include Dane Ortlund’s Deeper among others.

The “Good, Better, and Best” of Worship

“Throughout church history, there has been a tendency for serious, theologically-minded believers (and we should all want to be serious, theologically-minded believers) to fall into the trap of being overly critical of the way in which other believers approach the adiaphora circumstances of worship.” This is most certainly true.

For this Purpose I Raised You Up

“When we read God’s statement in scripture where he says, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up,’ commonplace religion has conditioned us always to expect the reason to be something positive for the person addressed.” But in what context does God use those words?

Money’s Not the Problem

“He sat in front of me, bitter and discouraged. His view of his life was that he had been dealt a bad hand. He hated the comfortable lifestyle of so many people around him, and he had long since given up any practical belief in the goodness of God. He had started out our time together by saying this: ‘I’m here to get your advice because my wife told me to get help or she would leave, but I don’t want you to talk to me about God.’”

Panic

There’s lots to think about in this article from Jake Meador as he considers Rod Dreher’s argument that it’s time for a moral panic.

If we don’t understand how people actually live, our solutions won’t really appeal

I suppose that’s common sense. But I think it’s still good to consider.

After Church Discipline: Comfort After Removing a Loved One from Membership

“With a heavy heart, I walked into the church building knowing what was about to take place. As a church, we were gathering together to exercise the final step of church discipline: removal from membership. When the call to vote came, I cast my head down and raised my hand to vote for removal.”

Flashback: The First Two Minutes Matter Most

Here’s the challenge: Determine right now that when the service ends, you will do your utmost to give the first two minutes to someone you don’t know or to someone you don’t know well…It’s the first two minutes that matter most.

If you show me a person whose life is governed by the Word of God, I will show you a person whose life is governed by the Spirit of God.

—H.B. Charles Jr.

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    Intact and Unmoved

    Corrie ten Boom knew what it was to suffer deprivation, to have to do without so many of life’s luxuries and even its necessities. Arrested and sent to a concentration camp for her role in sheltering Jews from the Nazis, she spent almost a year in confinement and suffered the loss of her father and…

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    This week the blog and giveaway have been sponsored by P&R Publishing. Calvin, Spurgeon, and Luther appear alongside Wordsworth, Twain, and Emerson in a vibrant celebration of God’s creation. Ryken joins great works of poetry, hymnody, prose, and art with accessible literary analysis. “John Calvin referred to nature as the theater of God’s glory. Dr.…

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    It’s probably a bit too early to begin preparing for Christmas. But it’s not too early to begin preparing to prepare for Christmas. For example, if you want to use a guide or devotional in the lead-up to December 25, this is the time to start looking into your options and buying the one you…

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    A La Carte: Where abortion policies stand now / Misconceptions about sports betting / You shall surely die / Does evolution care about you? / Ministering to orphans in Africa / Book and Kindle deals / and more.