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Weekend A La Carte (January 28)

Today’s Kindle deals include several solid picks. You’ll want to give them a look, I think.

On Board with Waterboarding?

Richard Phillips: “Most alarming to me has been the support of waterboarding and other forms of torture among evangelical Christians. To my surprise and indignation, instead of applying the obvious implications of the Sixth Commandment, Christian leaders have lined up in support of waterboarding.”

Caught in a Dragnet

Mandy Belz reports on the precarious situation for Christians in Turkey.

The Gimli Glider

I’ve always loved the story of the Gimli Glider (though I’m glad I wasn’t aboard). Note that there’s one swear word worked into the story.

Justification by Attendance

This is bang-on: “As kids, I bet most of us reading this post probably hated math—all the subtracting, borrowing, and dividing. These are all words that make pastors nervous. No wonder teachers called them ‘problems.’ But as we aged and began ministry, something miraculous happened and we suddenly fell in love with numbers.”

Churches on Super Bowl Sunday

A surprising number of churches are going to modify their day somehow to adjust for Super Bowl Sunday.

This Day in 1499. 518 years ago today Katherine von Bora, a German nun who married Martin Luther, was born. She was 26 and Luther 41 the day they were married. *

Marital Love Must Be Superlative

Here is wisdom on marriage from the Puritans.

Can Loved Ones in Heaven Look Down on Me?

John Piper answers this one.

Flashback: How To Offend a Room Full of Calvinists

It’s not actually all that hard…

Study the Gospels with Eyes on the Gospel

I’m grateful to The Gospel Project for sponsoring the blog this week.

I grant you that true repentance is never too late, but I warn you at the same time, late repentance is seldom true.

—J.C. Ryle

  • Authority

    How Men Can Use Their Authority Well

    There are few topics that have proven trickier to navigate than the topic of authority. We know we need authority to function as families, churches, and nations, yet there is something deep within our sinful humanity that causes us to rebel against it wherever it exists. We both want it and despise it. 

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    A La Carte (May 22)

    The ancient world had no word for child abuse / What I wish I had learned in theological college / Pray to the Lord of the harvest / What God is healing while not healing my health problems / Are you willing to show up? / Artificial preaching / Sales and deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 21)

    One step becomes a three-day walk / Tolkien, foolishness, and the ordinary means of grace / The staggering beauty and burden of church life / Denominational health / Three truths to combat your news anxiety / Don’t do the Devil’s work for him / and more.

  • The Most Neglected Element of Worship

    The Most Neglected Element of Worship

    There are some elements of public worship that receive a great deal of attention. These elements are taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be. In most churches, this includes the music, of course, and often the preaching. Why do these receive so much attention?

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    The pastor who refuses to back down / The missionary with Ebola / Why we don’t trust pastors / Rushing our quiet times / The other side of seminary / The remedy, the problem, and the church / Why we need to interpret the Bible / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 19)

    The wrong lessons from the latest scandal / The blessing of being forgotten / If your chatbot offers prayer / Have tongues ceased? / Consider the small town / Thinking Christianly about complex topics / Book releases / and more.