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Weekend A La Carte (February 10)

weekend

There is just one Kindle deals today but it’s on a book I’ve heard good things about.

(Yesterday on the blog: Three Things to Look For in the 2018 Winter Olympics)

I Am Who I Am

“I have a daughter, a seven year old beauty, who I bounce on my knee, rock back and forth and sing nursery rhymes to. She is able to do far less than we could have predicted in her diagnosis appointment, owing to many months of regression. Does her worth shift on that basis? Is she less valuable than her brother? Not one iota.”

What is the Regulative Principle of Worship? (Video)

Ligon Duncan explains it in this short video.

Moody: What Am I Supposed to Say?

Concerned about recent events at Moody, Trent Hunter puts the call out for clarity. “Moody, the next move has to be as clear as the last few months have been confusing for all of us. Moody, take this chance to not only put my reservations at ease, but to convert this confidence-crumbling moment to a confidence-doubling moment. We entrust ourselves to a God who indeed brings great wonders from great trouble. He does it in people, he does it in churches, and he has done it in institutions like Moody.”

Who Is the God of Mormonism?

“One thing you’ll discover as you’re talking with your Mormon (LDS) friends is that though we use the same terms, we often mean very different things. Mormons have different definitions of Gospel, repentance, salvation, grace, Hell, and nearly every term you’ll be using in your conversation.” The same is true of “God.”

The Incredible “Mehness” Of Social Media

“For a variety of reasons, none spiritual, I have been spending less time scrolling through social media. I didn’t have a profound epiphany that led me to throw my phone in some sort of impenetrable lock box or suddenly realize that my social media usage was hurting my family life (although that’s certainly a possibility).” Here’s a key reflection.

Face to Face with Death

This is worth thinking about: “In my fantasies, I see myself aging gracefully, sitting in my favorite chair, a source of wisdom and wit to my extended family and friends until my dying day. And then, full of years, with a sound mind and a (slightly) more frail body, I just slip away one night into Jesus’ arms. … But such a decline is not the norm. More often the decline is either sudden and violent—a stroke or a terrible fall—or agonizingly relentless: a gradual loss of hearing, sight, taste, smell, mental acuity, ability to walk, even to eat.”

Do We Have to Forgive Someone If They Don’t Repent?

Here’s a slightly different take on whether or not you need to forgive an unrepentant person.

Flashback: I Love a Church That Sings Badly

I am drawn toward a church that sings poorly and am a little suspicious of a church that sings really well. Let me explain.

The storms are guided by the hands which were nailed to the cross.

—John Newton

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    A La Carte (April 23)

    A La Carte: Climate anxiety paralyzes, gospel hope propels / Living what God has written / How should I engage my rebellious child? / Satan hates your pastor / How to navigate our spiritual highs / The art of extemporaneous preaching / and more.

  • The Path to Contentment

    The Path to Contentment

    I wonder if you have ever considered that the solution to discontentment almost always seems to be more. If I only had more money I would be content. If I only had more followers, more possessions, more beauty, then at last I would consider myself successful. If only my house was bigger, my influence wider,…

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    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Why my shepherd carries a rod / When Mandisa forgave Simon Cowell / An open mind is like an open mouth / Marriage: the half-time report / The church should mind its spiritual business / Kindle deals / and more.

  • It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    Part of the joy of reading biography is having the opportunity to learn about a person who lived before us. An exceptional biography makes us feel as if we have actually come to know its subject, so that we rejoice in that person’s triumphs, grieve over his failures, and weep at his death.

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 20)

    A La Carte: Living counterculturally during election season / Borrowing a death / The many ministries of godly women / When we lose loved ones and have regrets / Ethnicity and race and the colorblindness question / The case for children’s worship services / and more.

  • The Anxious Generation

    The Great Rewiring of Childhood

    I know I’m getting old and all that, and I’m aware this means that I’ll be tempted to look unfavorably at people who are younger than myself. I know I’ll be tempted to consider what people were like when I was young and to stand in judgment of what people are like today. Yet even…