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Weekend A La Carte (February 22)

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I’m grateful to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. They want you to know that a 40th anniversary edition of The Holiness of God is available when you provide a donation of any amount. Many would echo me when I say it’s one of the best and most formative books I’ve ever read.

Today’s Kindle deals include a selection of newer books and classics.

(Yesterday on the blog: Either/Or or Both/And?)

Augustine’s ‘Ordo Amoris’ and Immigration Policy

J.V. Fesko considers the “ordo amoris” and draws out an interesting point of encouragement. “For the last several decades, politics has become a battle of sound bites; more recently, our nation has undone 400 years of literacy by plying cultural memes as an engine of political and cultural warfare. In an otherwise bleak landscape, Vance’s invocation of Augustine’s order of love means that, whether right or wrong, he has appealed to a substantive idea rather than a sound bite or meme.”

The Unspoken Tongue

Joshua reflects on the silence of death. “Muffled tears and soft words broke the moment now and again, like small pebbles tossed onto the calm, unbroken surface of a lake. However, all these noises seemed swallowed up within the silence itself – the silence was roaring. One would expect the normal reaction to death and loss to be tears and grief; but when you come face to face with the beast itself, silence often feels most natural.”

Sin Casts a Long Shadow

Paul Levy reminds us that sin casts a long shadow.

But for the Cross of Christ (Video)

You may enjoy this new song from Bryan Fowler. “What is the truth / That ever anchors me / Amidst the waves of all my guilt / That Christ has shed / His blood and pardoned me / At the cross, at the cross.”

Prayers for Scrupulosity

Aubrynn shares some prayers she prays as she faces scrupulosity. They will be helpful, though, even for those who do not.

Don’t Wait to Be Thankful

Erin writes transparently about an especially difficult time in her life and faith. “I’m done waiting to be thankful. Today I give God praise that the dark thoughts have been absent. Even if they return tomorrow, that doesn’t erase the fact that I’ve had three days without them, and it doesn’t erase the fact that God heard my prayers and the prayers of those who love me. Tomorrow’s troubles don’t negate today’s blessings, and nothing can take away God’s goodness.”

Flashback: When We Go Unnourished

…if you, my friend, fail to nourish your soul, you have no cause to be surprised when your soul feels dry, when your faith feels parched, when you seem only to whither and fade.

The Jesus admired by liberals and skeptics would never have been convicted of blasphemy and crucified.

—Michael Horton

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    Weekend A La Carte (May 10)

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  • Proud of Her

    Proud of Her on Mother’s Day

    I can’t even tell you how brave she has been, how resilient, and how determined. The Lord alone knows all the ways she has had to exercise her faith and submit her will to his. But she has. She has, and it has been a blessing and an honor to behold. We come again to…

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    A La Carte (May 9)

    A La Carte: The one life dream that makes a girl blush / Will I be single forever? / Should I go to seminary? / The clearest indication of our evil’s depth / Treasures in heaven / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 8)

    A La Carte: She forgot our names / “Gender-affirming care” for children / The woman who saved her church / The Trojan horse of a bad dictionary / Piper’s myths about eternal rewards / Tell your kids stories / and more.

  • Test Everything

    Christian, Do You Test Everything?

    A little while ago, the Bank of Canada became concerned about the amount of counterfeit currency circulating within the country. They began to educate the population with a short and simple mantra: “Touch, tilt, look at, look through.” These are four simple tests that can quickly show a bill to be genuine or counterfeit.