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Weekend A La Carte (7/27)

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The Modern Surveillance State – This is a fascinating article in which the author says today’s surveillance state should not be compared to Orwell’s Big Brother but to Tolkien’s Eye of Sauron. He shows how Tolkien unwittingly captured some of the problems and paranoia of a government that tries to watch everyone and everything.

Pastors and Evangelism – Steve Lawson: “In his final letter, Paul charges Timothy, his son in the faith, to ‘do the work of an evangelist’ (2 Tim. 4:5) … With Apostolic authority, this imperative command comes with binding force. All pastors must do the work of an evangelist. They must earnestly proclaim the gospel message, urging people to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. So, where should this pastoral evangelism begin?”

Wedding Planning Lies – Here is a series of lies women may believe when they are planning a wedding.

The Wedding Vows – Steve McCoy has some poignant reflections at his twentieth anniversary. “I could talk about how much joy I still have when I see her or hear her voice. But we’ve both come to realize that after 10 years those things were easy to say, but after 20 there’s a whole lot of other things in our lives that won’t allow me to write something trite because 20 years of marriage isn’t easy. It’s been very hard.”

Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick – If you are a writer, or want to be, you’ll benefit from reading this interview with Nathaniel Philbrick. It’s full of interesting anecdotes about his life and tips about how he writes and how he writes so well.

Our heavenly Father never takes anything from his children unless he means to give them something better.

—George Muller

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    A La Carte (April 22)

    Aspire to be lay elders / A mundane life is a courageous life / Aim high, repent often / The problem with deaconism / What are you angry about today? / An original poem / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (April 21)

    The cage stage in the digital age / When did Christian music all become worship music? / Why AI worship feels empty / Grace through discipline / The messy, glorious church / Trivia / and more.

  • Church Camera

    Preaching for the Viral Video

    Is it possible to preach faithfully to a congregation while also preaching for the viral clip? This article explores the incompatibility of social-media-first preaching with genuine pastoral ministry.

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    A La Carte (April 20)

    Fatherhood and Rubik’s Cube / I never felt like reading the Bible / Disobeying authorities / The case against social media / Don’t get singled out / GIRLS® / Getting rid of YouTube shorts.