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Sunday A La Carte (June 3)

It is a beautiful Saturday evening here in Livingstone, Zambia, as I prepare this collection of articles for Sunday morning. I have enjoyed Zambia tremendously and have been blessed to see the country and meet its people. I am about to head to church, then south to South Africa for a couple of days before beginning my journey home. Then another leg of this EPIC journey will be done.

Once again, I collected a lot of great links this week so thought I’d share the overflow on Sunday. Here goes!

This weekend only you can get a free e-book copy of David Mathis’s excellent Habits of Grace.

The Persistent and Pervasive Problem of Pseudo-Pique

You may not know the term, but you definitely know the reality it describes. “Pseudo means having the appearance of while not actually having, and pique means to affect with sharp irritation and resentment. The pseudo-pique is the sharing of ‘news’ that provokes the sham appearance of irritation or outrage. Rather than accurately expressing our actual emotion or level of concern, we act as if we care more about an even than we do (or even should).”

Why Won’t God Answer My Prayer?

I think it’s good from time to time to consider why God may not answer prayers. “So why do we so often see prayers go unanswered? Can we do anything about it? These promises about prayer are given to us in abundance, so what keeps us from seeing them fulfilled? Let me quickly offer 6 possibilities.”

Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Creation.com has an interesting profile of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, a name you probably don’t know, but perhaps should.

Small Church Pastors: A Tribute To The Forgotten Heroes

“Where did we get the idea that small churches are small because there’s something wrong with them and/or their pastors?” That’s a good question…

Christian Repentance in a Callout Culture

“Our culture is increasingly a shame culture. ‘Callout’ refers to the common practice of using one’s social media account to name and shame, often with the intended goal of inspiring those who follow your posts to likewise pile-on the other party. As many are discovering, these kinds of shaming campaigns can have real power, especially if the offending party is supported by a corporate brand which fears the effect of such negative publicity.”

How to Sharpen Your Concentration for Bible Reading

These are useful tips for making sure you are making the most of your Bible reading.


  • Science and God

    Do You Have to Choose Between Science and God?

    Whatever else young people know today, they know that science and God are opposed to one another. At least, they think they know this, because it has been taught to them in a hundred formal and informal settings, from the classroom to the television. They have been taught that they must choose between science and…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (February 13)

    A La Carte: You don’t have a LGBTQ neighbor / Satan doesn’t use rubber bullets / John Piper on criticizing God / Tales that celebrate traditional families / The little things matter / and more.

  • 12 General Market Books I Have Enjoyed Recently

    While I am committed to reading and reviewing Christian books, I also enjoy reading a steady diet of books published for the general market. I suppose my interests lean toward history, but I do read other books as well. Here are a few of the titles I’ve enjoyed over the past couple of months.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 12)

    A La Carte: When a crack becomes a chasm / That viral AI article / Artificial theologians / Christian witness in a divided world / Well our feeble frame he knows / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Performative Grief

    Performative Grief

    We all know what it is to perform grief—to ensure that others are aware of our sadness by forcing them to see our sorrow. We may do this to gain their attention or compel their sympathy. We may do this because we make grief an idol and are only validated when others feel sorry for…