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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 12)

    The grief ambush / Forgotten, and that’s good / The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Welcome back, church planting / Weakness is not the enemy / Bad reasons to read the Bible / Bible and book sales.

  • Three Marks of a Good Christian Book

    Three Marks of a Good Christian Book

    Not every book marketed as ‘Christian’ is worth your time. Here are three marks—truth, love, and beauty—that can help you discern which Christian books are truly worth reading.

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    A La Carte (March 11)

    The last Reformed blogger / The forgotten spiritual discipline / Hollywood ruined dating for men / Just one childhood / A guide to modern Roman Catholic missions / Not that neighbor / Savings and deals.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 10)

    We are all Dwight Schrute now / Reminders for Christian parents / Happy wife, happy life? / A good tired / Getting organized for the glory of God / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Practice True Wisdom

    Designed as five-week studies for personal use or group study, books in the Rooted in Wisdom series help women to understand and navigate common experiences and stages of life.