Weekend A La Carte (December 28)

I’m grateful to Into the Word for sponsoring the blog this week. “Into the Word began in 2017 with a simple mission: to help people read, love and live the whole counsel of God. Toward that end, we try to provide ‘pastor level’ guidance to our listeners, as we walk together, verse by verse and chapter by chapter through whole books of the Bible.” Be sure to give it a look!

Today’s Kindle deals include a few titles that are worth considering.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Collected Best Christian Books of 2024)

The Little Child Who Brings a Rod

Alan Noble’s reflection on “the little child who brings a rod” is well worth reading.

Holy Bravery: How Christian Men Act Like Men

This is a powerful article. “To act like a man means to be strong — not that you can bench three hundred pounds but that you do not faint in the day of adversity. The doctor calls with unexpected results; your own son turns from the Lord; your wife of decades is taken home in a moment. Walls close in. Satan tells you to curse God and die, to quit, to stay down. Instead, you roll over to your knees and cry, ‘The Lord has given and taken away — blessed be the name of the Lord‘.”

When the Growing Is Slow

“When the Christmas whirlwind finally stops, I usually find myself sitting with tired feet in the glow of a tree that is sadly empty of packages and bows. For the first time in awhile, I think about life after Christmas. There is always a day after. A new year is approaching. Resolutions come to mind, but I know from experience that most of them will be forgotten within the first few weeks of the year.”

Creativity in Devotional Time With God

Forrest McPhail expresses the importance of creativity in our devotional time with God.

Here are some encouragements for those times when you share the gospel.

Does the New Year Need a New You?

“Even as Christians, we often feel the pressure to do more and be better, recognizing we aren’t as loving, committed, or disciplined as we would like. Thankfully, God’s grace covers where we fall short, freeing us from the heavy demands of perfectionism. In light of this, how does a grace-centered perspective reshape our understanding of growth and change?”