Skip to content ↓

Weekend A La Carte (February 15)

A La Carte Collection cover image

I’m grateful to B&H for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their new Church History Handbook. It’s a beautiful and informative book so be sure to give it a look!

Today’s Kindle deals include a few commentaries and other good books.

(Yesterday on the blog: Keep Calm and Stay Friends)

The Power of One Bitter Thought

Even one bitter thought can have great power. “A weed starts off very small, just like any other plant. It may seem harmless in the beginning but if a weed is never properly dealt with, it has potential to destroy a whole garden. A bitter thought starts the same.”

Here Is Love, Vast as the Ocean (Everlasting Praise)

The Gettys and Sandra McCracken have just released a rewritten and lengthened adaptation of “Here Is Love, Vast as the Ocean.” I think you’ll enjoy it!

The Reluctant Polemicist

I really appreciate what Kyle Borg says here about polemics. “One of the most embarrassing moments of my life happened when I was a new seminary student. I had scheduled lunch with one of my professors, excited to talk theology and ask about preaching. As I got into his car and was buckling up, he said in his strong Scottish accent, ‘Kyle, I’ve seen how you interact on social media. If there were a degree for being argumentative, you’d be at the top of the class.’ I wanted to run, but the car was already moving, and I was stuck.”

Strange Familiarity

“Suffering disrupts the normal. We feel disruption even in the small things like taking care of your children becoming taking care of their gravesite. The route toward their grave replaces the once familiar route to their school or sports field. Seeing their friends and the ones they are close to swaps with passing by the names of the other headstones that are now the ones close to your kiddo.”

Jubilee: Much More and Much Better Than a Holy Year

Leonardo De Chirico has written an e-book on the Roman Catholic year of Jubilee. It is available as a free download from Gospel-Centered Discipleship. I was glad to write a brief foreword for it.

Advice on Resisting Temptation

Casey shares “two insights that have helped me immensely in my own battle with temptation.” They are helpful insights.

Flashback: Procrastination Is a Failure to Love

…on those hard days when I face a list of many tasks, or on those days when I know I have to accomplish my least-favorite tasks, I challenge myself to simply love. To do is to love, to procrastinate is to fail to love.

The gospel is not wishful thinking. It’s not just optimistic or sentimental uplift. It’s the announcement of a fact.

—Michael Horton

  • Planted in the Word

    Planted in the Word

    There are a lot of Bible study guides out there. However, the need is not nearly saturated because there are also a lot of Bible readers, many of whom study the Word carefully and repeatedly throughout their Christian lives. For that reason, we cannot have too many guides to assist in reading, understanding, and applying…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (May 16)

    A La Carte: The role of dance in Christian worship / A community for broken homes / Our reason for missionary risk / The longings of the human heart / I’m not a handyman / Affluence, regret, identity crises / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (May 15)

    A La Carte: The clever move of Leo XIV / People expect church to be churchy / Don’t let TikTok disciple your kids / Playing God with children / Overcoming barriers to hospitality / Real men sing / and more.

  • Is This Really a Good Idea

    Is This Really a Good Idea?

    Would it be okay if we engage our imaginations a little bit today? Though it’s not the standard fare of this site, how about we try it and see how it goes?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (May 14)

    A La Carte: Could scrolling become the new smoking? / Are children a blessing? / Expository preaching: The new golden calf / A tale of two prayers / How moms can care for women experiencing infertility / Book sale / and more.