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Weekend A La Carte (June 5)

I’d like to express my gratitude to Radius for sponsoring the blog a number of times so they could let you know about their great upcoming (live and in-person! or live-stream if you prefer) conference featuring John Piper, Mark Dever, and my good friend Harshit Singh, among others.

May God bless and keep you as you serve him and worship him in the weekend ahead.

Today’s Kindle deals include some Saturday classics and whatever else I can track down in the morning.

(Yesterday on the blog: Marvin Olasky’s Lament for a Father)

Little Screens and Corporate Worship

H.B. Charles Jr: “The apps on our devices make life so much easier. But they make worship more difficult. Cells and tablets distract you from the truth, fellowship, and service that should characterize corporate worship.”

A New Paradigm For Pastors

Here’s one for pastors to ponder. “Pastor, if you aren’t seeking to build your closest friendships within your church, you cannot expect to lead a church filled with strong relationships. You can expect to lead a church that looks like you.”

When Repetition is a Good Thing

I quite agree that we can sometimes be just a little unfair when it comes to the value of repetition. “I don’t know about you, but I have a hard head. And on top of that, sometimes I need to read or listen to something more than once for my thick skull to cooperate. Whether there are too many distractions or my mind is elsewhere, the repetition helps me. And I think it helps others, too.”

Pastor, Be One In A Thousand

Here’s another for the pastors, and perhaps especially those in an African context. “It is not enough to possess a leadership position. We ought to embody the kind of leaders that God desires: ‘faithful, reliable, caring shepherds.’ I pray that God would raise up these sorts of leaders in the African Church. I pray that you will be this ‘one in a thousand’ pastor in your context.”

A Day in the Life of a Flavour Inventor

Somehow in all this talk of flavors I see the handiwork of a God who loves variety and who loves us to experience pleasures.

The Redefinition of the Family

Al Mohler explains how the growing normalization of polygamy and polyamory threatens to totally redefine “family.”

Flashback: The Bible’s Three Big Lessons on Debt

Debt is not always wrong, but in most cases it is inadvisable. It is the better part of wisdom to avoid debt whenever possible, to enter it with only the utmost caution, and to discharge it at the earliest opportunity.

Do you wish to grow in grace and be a devoted Christian? Be very sure, if you wish it, you could not have a more important question than this—Do you pray? I ask whether you pray, because neglect of prayer is one great cause of backsliding.

—J.C. Ryle

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    A La Carte: The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Mental illness / Why didn’t Christ come sooner? / When it’s okay to die / Spiritual formation / and more.

  • Unlock Your Ministry Potential with Microcredentials

    Are you looking for accessible faith-based resources that can help you serve your church community with confidence? Check out Redeemer University’s online church leadership microcredentials—available anytime, anywhere. #Sponsored

  • Discernment

    What Does a Discerning Person Do?

    Some Christians seem to be specially gifted when it comes to spiritual discernment. Others take a special interest in discernment and expend the hard effort of growing in the discipline of it. But they may sometimes wonder: What should I do with this discernment?

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    A La Carte (May 19)

    A La Carte: Dangers of theological controversy / No confidence? No problem! / The goodness of gardening friends / Jeff the low stakes prophet / Hurting people / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Prayer

    The Reward They Longed for They Received

    Jesus, who knew what was in the heart of men, warned of the hypocrisy of those whose prayer life is only ever public. “When you pray,” he said, “you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen…

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    Weekend A La Carte (May 17)

    A La Carte: Generalizations are not stereotypes / Hospitality and reaching the dechurched / Essential lessons for pastors / The rise of Islam and the resilience of the church / Gossip and godly church / Fear takes you where grace has not yet gone / and more.