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Weekend A La Carte (9/14)

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Prideful Comparison – “That means the life that you have is a sacred calling. By the grace of God, you are what you are. It also means that the lives others have are sacred callings by the grace of God. And some of those saints have received sacred callings resulting in greater levels of gifting and prominence than yours. And this means that you and I frequently must battle against comparing ourselves with others.”

The Fare Up There – Having done two trans-Atlantic flights in the past week or so, airline food has been on my mind (and, unfortunately, in my stomach). This article explains why it is so difficult to make a meal that is actually worth eating.

What I Wish I’d Known – “Yancey Arrington shares how he learned to stop reading the Bible like Aesop’s Fables, plus what he wishes he had known about God’s sovereignty, discipleship, theology, and preaching.”

Don’t Knock Beauty – I agree with Julian: We can so emphasize inward character qualities that we somehow lessen the importance of beauty. He suggests we work toward a better balance. “If we lose our desire for beauty, it will only serve to diminish our desire for our beautiful God. The balance, I suppose, is learning to long for the beauty that matches his character and reflects his beauty. And then, once we find it, we give praise to the one who gives beauty to all that is beautiful.”

Machines Imitate Life – “A set of mechanical gears that work just like those seen in moving instruments and engines has been discovered in a small garden insect which uses them to kick its hind legs at exactly the same time.” The article hands it all to evolution, of course, so be sure to see God’s hand in it.

Use the Bible to Prove the Bible – “I have heard this many times. It can come from Christians or non-Christians, but it is mainly on the lips of unbelievers. The idea that the Bible itself is inadmissible as a testimony to itself. If I were trying to use the Bible to prove the validity of the Bible, from the perspective of many outsiders, this is circular reasoning. However, this statement is not only wrong, but completely misunderstands its own argument and, ironically, makes the very circular reasoning assumptions that it accuses believers of.”

The best way to do ourselves good is to be doing good to others; the best way to gather is to scatter.

—Thomas Brooks

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: Carl Trueman on James Talarico / In honor of John M. Perkins / The Chosen / Sincerity, sarcasm, and the memeification of life / The bad news we still need / Venting vs complaining / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pleasure Obligation

    A Pleasure More Than An Obligation

    Christians are often portrayed as downcast and dour, as people who are trapped in a system of beliefs that robs them of joy and life. And with a bit of honest self-examination, we can probably think of times when we have fit the cliché.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 14)

    A La Carte: The West’s strange genius / Healing the way women hurt each other / AI skeptics / The world after reading / What about the children? / What caregivers should know about dementia / and much more.

  • Sex and Self-Forgetfulness

    Sex, Self-Forgetfulness, and the Joy of Serving Your Spouse

    I often think there is a kind of paradoxical quality to sex within marriage. It’s paradoxical in that few things have greater ability to bring blessing (through its right use) or to bring cursing (through its misuse). Not only that, but few things bring greater joy to a marriage, and also, in so many cases,…