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A La Carte (September 3)

monday

Today’s Kindle deals include all sorts of good books. You may also want to scroll down to Saturday’s list if you missed it.

(Yesterday on the blog: The First Two Minutes Matter Most)

Should We Expect Miracles Today?

I appreciated this perspective on the miracles and the miraculous gifts (from someone not at all convinced they have ceased). “It is notable that the only people who did signs were prophets, apostles and Christ himself. It is also important to note why they did these signs. Let’s just look at some of the instances of signs and their purpose in scripture.”

Russia in Color: Photos of Life Before the Revolution

What a fascinating photo essay. “More than a century ago, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky hit the road — or more accurately, the rails — to create a visual study of the Russian Empire that remains startling in its scope, depth, and sense of immediacy. A pioneering chemist and photographer who created an early method for developing pictures in color, Prokundin-Grosky got assistance from Tsar Nicholas II himself to take a groundbreaking trip across Russia from 1909 to 1915 in a railcar with a specially designed dark room. His mission was to document the far reaches of the Empire.”

The Ketterers

Denny Burk has posted three videos about the Ketterers. Watch them in order from top to bottom. You’ll enjoy them!

How ‘LOL’ Changed the Way We Talk (Video)

John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University who talks about how communication today is better in large part due to texting. I’m not sure that I totally buy it, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

That Is Not A Woman

Rod Dreher makes a really interesting point about being in journalism today. “I find it hard to encourage young people to consider professional journalism as a career. It used to be because jobs were scarce, but now, added to that, is the clear trend of having to use one’s words to lie. To flat-out lie about what is real, and to lie in a way that journalists working for Pravda and Izvestia had to do back in the day.”

Some PhD FAQs

Kevin DeYoung talks about pursuing a PhD—candidates, motives, expectations, and so on. (You might also read Pursuing Education, or Just Credentials? by Trevin Wax.)

How to Fail in Your Evangelism (Video)

“We don’t fail in our evangelism when we faithfully tell the gospel and yet the person is not converted. We fail in our evangelism when we don’t faithfully tell the gospel at all.” This is such a crucial distinction!

Flashback: Why Marriage Is Better Than Cohabitation

Though Christians continue to affirm the uniqueness, the goodness, and the necessity of marriage, our society continues to legitimize cohabitation as either a common precursor to marriage or a complete alternative.

The more Christians are caught up in enjoying the good things of this life, and the more they neglect genuine Christian fellowship and their personal relationship with Christ, the less they will long for his return.

—Wayne Grudem

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    Noteworthy New Commentaries from 2025

    There are few resources I rely on more than I rely on my commentaries. Over the years, I have developed an extensive collection and turn to them often. I try to keep tabs on new commentaries and thought I would let you know about some of the best options that were published in 2025

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    Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Minds?

    Each of us is familiar with the experience of being tempted to sin. Sometimes these temptations arise from outside of us and sometimes they arise from within. Each of our three sworn enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil—has the ability to tempt us to do what God forbids or fail to do what God…

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