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Weekend A La Carte (January 25)

Today’s Kindle deals include some classics and not some-yet-classics. And don’t forget about the great commentary sale from yesterday!

(Yesterday on the blog: I Still Do)

Some Men Just Like the Fight

Jared Wilson: “Fighting is sometimes necessary. Liking to fight is not. In fact, it is forbidden. Consider whether you are in fact with every caustic tweet chipping away at your qualification for ministry. It is not manly to get up every morning thinking of the brethren as your enemies, not even the ones you disagree with on important matters.”

The Medications that Change Who We Are

This probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. “We’re all familiar with the mind-bending properties of psychedelic drugs – but it turns out ordinary medications can be just as potent. From paracetamol (known as acetaminophen in the US) to antihistamines, statins, asthma medications and antidepressants, there’s emerging evidence that they can make us impulsive, angry, or restless, diminish our empathy for strangers, and even manipulate fundamental aspects of our personalities, such as how neurotic we are.”

Can We Trust the ‘Colonialist Bible’?

This article was written in the context of South Africa, but resonates beyond. “This sentiment is popular in South Africa, which of course gained independence significantly later than most other African countries. On the university campus where I serve with The Bible Talks we regularly meet skeptics who ask, either in their hearts or aloud, ‘Why should I trust a colonialist Bible?’”

Why Poland’s Geography is the Worst (video)

There are few nations who are in a worse geographic location than Poland.

John Walton reimagines Adam and Eve

John Walton has become a prominent Old Testament scholar and in his newest book he continues to undermine the creation account. CMI has a helpful review.

The Last Days of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu

Here’s a little bit of history that tells how the awful reign of Romania’s Nicolae Ceausescu came to a sudden, bloody end.

Why Procrastination Is about Managing Emotions, not Time

This is an interesting way to think about procrastination, and I’ll be interested to see how it develops in the future. Essentially, it posits that we procrastinate less because we fail to manage our time and more because we fail to manage our emotions.

Flashback: Do Children Have a Financial Obligation Toward Their Parents?

There are financial obligations that extend from parents to children and, later, from children to parents. And, like all obligations, this one is made joyful, not burdensome, by the gospel.

The truth is that fear cannot coexist peacefully alongside faith, hope or love. There is a constant battle between them until one or other takes control.

—Jonathan Stephen

  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…