May the Lord bless you as you worship him this weekend and as you remember the miraculous birth of our Savior. (Yesterday on the blog: My Favorite New Songs of 2022) The Thrilling Reversal of Christmas Jim McCarthy explains that “thrilling reversal is what Christmas is all about. God insists on showcasing his power through weakness and his wisdom through foolishness so that we would stop and stare, wonder and worship.” Analysing everything to death and sucking the joy out of life Stephen Kneale may exaggerate a little bit here, but he’s worth hearing. “Christians are pretty expert at sucking the joy out of everything. You name it, we can find problems with it. Even if we can’t nail a specific issue to make you feel guilty for enjoying something, you can bet we’ll insist on a full introspective analysis of motives before you can even consider enjoying the thing.” William Borden’s Boyhood of Material Privilege and Spiritual Development “William Borden (1887-1913) is unknown to most Christians today. But his untimely death at age twenty-five, before he could reach the mission field to which he had been preparing to go for eight years, was mourned by believers in several parts of the world when it occurred. In his short lifetime he blessed many by his inspiring, consecrated service of the Lord Jesus and did much to help advance Christ’s Kingdom work at home and abroad.” Vance Christie reflects on his early days. Episode 51: Should a Pastor Observe the Billy Graham Rule? (Video) I find … Continue reading Weekend A La Carte (December 24)