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Weekend A La Carte (March 18)

weekend

My thanks goes to The Good Book Company for sponsoring the blog this week. I am so grateful for each and every one of the sponsors who help keep this site going.

Logos has a sale on my recommended bundle of commentaries. Also, be sure to keep voting in March Matchups.

Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection of titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: Now What?)

How the Side B Project Failed

Bethel McGrew writes about the Side B project. “The speed of this decline naturally prompts a question: Was there ever anything to salvage? In its current incarnation, are we witnessing a radical moral turn? Or are we witnessing the inevitable end of an inherently flawed project?”

Lessons in Waiting for Water

“It stands to reason that we who live with the comforts of a first-world society should be the spiritual giants of our time. Think of all of the ways God has blessed us with safety and freedom and opportunity. Imagine how much of our lives could be spent falling on our knees in gratefulness, devouring the Word with expectation for what He will do next. Consider how much time we have to study, to worship, to pray, to reflect on the goodness of God when we don’t have to struggle to survive.” But…

The Story Isn’t Finished

Sarah writes very openly here. “Most of my fifteen years of motherhood have been spent sitting outside or inside my precious child’s room, trying to protect him by keeping him (and I) safe as his illness turned him into someone he couldn’t control. Fifteen years of traumatic memories and experiences I must carry mostly alone due to its nature.”

What does it mean to rejoice always, even with all the evil in the world?

Sinclair Ferguson: “To rejoice always doesn’t mean that we rejoice in the evil. It doesn’t mean that we like suffering, although we rejoice even in suffering. The basic explanation is that we rejoice in all circumstances because we have a reason to rejoice—and that reason is our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Fears and Hopes We Sing in Lullabies

Nadya Williams writes about lullabies from her childhood. “So goes one of the melancholy lullabies I remember from my Russian childhood, and which I have been singing to my own children over the years out of habit, out of love, and out of the sense that at the end of the day, as they fall asleep, songs in a language they do not know still somehow speak more powerfully than spoken words in a language familiar to them.”

Love Letters of Scripture

This article considers the evident love in Scripture”s letters. “I want to have that kind of joy in my life. I want to rejoice in all that the Lord has given me with a humble spirit and a grateful heart. Paul’s letters are loving reminders of the gift of our salvation through belief in Jesus Christ.”

Flashback: It Takes a Church To Raise Your Child

The proverb demands more than allowing others to troubleshoot my children’s poor behaviour. It invites others to provide input into the development of their character.

Humility is the only soil in which true unity can grow. Only when Christ is more precious to us than our own reputations will we give up our petty rivalries and personal agendas. Only when his glory eclipses all else will we live for his cause and no other.

—Michael Reeves

  • To Fail in Our Commitment

    Nowhere does the Bible command a daily “quiet time.” Yet often does the Bible commend an earnest commitment to reading the Bible, meditating upon it, and diligently applying its truths. Often does it commend those who lived according to it.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (August 24)

    A La Carte: Sanctification explained simply / What is a hyper-cessationist? / When life feels crushing / “OK, Boomer” / Being rather than doing daily devotionals / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)

    This weeks Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. They are giving away book bundles to three winners. Each winner will receive: One (1) hardcover copy of Pilgrim Prayers by Tim Challies. Estimated retail value $26.99. One (1) hardcover copy of Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies. Estimated retail value $26.99. One (1) hardcover…

  • How Jesus Really Feels About You

    How Jesus Really Feels About You

    I am often surprised and dismayed when I hear Christians speak about the way God feels about them. So many believers live with the conviction that God is generally displeased with them, that he regards them with a sense of disappointment. They may even believe he has a sense of regret that he reached out…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 23)

    A La Carte: The exultant nature of today’s abortion advocacy / The God of small things / Six words of advice for seminarians / A parent’s guide to talking with kids about technology / The Olympic opening ceremony / and more.

  • Pilgrim Prayers

    Have You Ever Tried Praying Poetically?

    There are many ways to pray. There are many ways to pray that are good, appropriate, helpful, and honoring to God. Christians have often found it a blessing to pray words that others have written. Perhaps you have prayed the words of The Book of Common Prayer or The Valley of Vision. But I ask,…