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Weekend A La Carte (1/8)

A La Carte Collection cover image

A La Carte has always been a Monday to Friday deal, but recently I’ve been thinking about also doing a weekend edition. I figure I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. So without any further ado, here’s the first ever Weekend A La Carte. Enjoy!

Letter from Guido – I recently came across this letter from Reformer Guido de Bres to his wife. He is about to die and writes to comfort her and to advise her on the future. It’s a beautiful, sweet, pastoral letter.

E-Book Sales – Between 3 and 5 million e-reading devices were activated in the week following Christmas. And millions of e-books were sold in the days following. It seems that we’re closer and closer to a tipping point here where e-books are going to surge past printed books.

God and the Big Bang – The Roman Catholic Church continues to give ground to evolution. “God’s mind was behind complex scientific theories such as the Big Bang, and Christians should reject the idea that the universe came into being by accident, Pope Benedict said on Thursday.”

Christian Communicator’s – Did you know that Jim Elliff’s ministry will send free books or other resources to pastors, teachers and ministry leaders? They offer some great books, so check out the offer and the conditions at the link.

The Relation of Church and Family – This article by Sam Waldron is a useful critique of some of the tenets of the Family Integrated Church movement. “In the last couple of decades a significant ecclesiastical trend has arisen out of the home-schooling movement which raises significant issues with regard to the relation of the church and the family. The movement I have in mind is associated with Vision Forum, Patriarch Magazine, and represented by the book by Eric Wallace, Uniting Church and Home, and the New Testament Restoration Foundation. The views of this movement are by no means homogeneous, but there is a sufficient commonality to ground a unified critique of their characteristic perspectives.” (Note: here’s a follow-up letter from Dr. Waldron)

Books I’ve Read – In case you’re interested, here are a few books I’ve read recently (continuing on with my love of books dealing with the Second World War): Ghost Soldiers (very interesting book, ideal for lazy Saturday afternoons), Berlin at War (quite an interesting study of Berlin and Berliners; probably a bit niche for most people), and The Third Reich at War (I didn’t get all the way through it as it becomes quite dense and repetitive; it’s largely a discussion of German atrocities).

Gospel Coalition Q&A – There’s lots of good content in this interview with D.A. Carson (if you’ve got an hour to spare on a Saturday!):

Gospel Coalition Q & A from Realityla on Vimeo.


  • Weekend A La Carte (November 7)

    The Hutterites’ guide to technology / Searching for jobs, Gen Z feels like it’s staring into ‘the void’ / The gospel according to Peter (Thiel) / Scientism and the allure of control / Can science explain sparkling rivers? / What led to Christianity Today’s crisis?

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.