Skip to content ↓

Weekend A La Carte (November 14)

My gratitude goes to Rooted for sponsoring the blog this week. Sponsors (along with patrons) play a key role in keeping the site going, and I’m thankful for each one.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of books—a few classics and even a theological novel.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Cruelty of Quarantine: A Lament)

Good Fathers In Life And In Death

I find myself craving any stories about my son and for that reason was delighted to read Sam Sey’s memories of him. “I can’t remember the last time I saw him, but I know that one of the last times I saw him, as usual, I hugged him and forced a kiss on his cheek—because I knew he hated it when I did that. Which would, naturally, lead to a conversation filled with sarcastic and witty comments, mostly from Nick.”

4 Reasons for Pastors to Guard Their Hearts

Pastor, please do guard your heart! “Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but when a scandal comes out in the church, I feel it greatly. In fact, at times I have found myself not wanting to check social media, dreading to learn about the next scandal.”

Is Abuse More Prevalent In The Church Today Than In The Past?

I think many people have asked this question, or one similar to it. Stephen McAlpline makes “two observations, one around technology and one around theology.”

How McDonald’s Really Makes Money

If McDonald’s really makes its money by selling Big Macs it wouldn’t make for much of a video, would it? The secret of its financial success lies elsewhere.

How To Get the Little Man in the Radio to Go to Sleep

I enjoyed this cross-cultural article about the things we take for granted.

Our Only Hope In Life and Death

“What’s the condition of your heart today? If it’s like mine, it’s torn between wants and needs, amidst emotions entirely scattered, like the LEGO pieces across my floor.”

The Lord of the Rings Expert Answers Tolkien Questions (Video)

Tolkien fans will enjoy this one.

Flashback: Don’t Waste Your Ambition

It is good to be ambitious, but better first to be a man or woman of character.

There are two ways to live the Christian life. You can live it either for the heart of Christ or from the heart of Christ. You can live for the smile of God or from it.

—Dane Ortlund

  • Friends Astern Friends Ahead

    Friends Astern & Friends Ahead

    I’ve heard that it was an old nautical tradition that when a boat sailed across the Atlantic, the passengers would spend the first half of the voyage raising their glasses to friends astern—to the ones who had seen them off and bid them a fond farewell.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 11)

    A La Carte: The Quiet Revival caution / The secrets we keep / Compromising Evangelical elites / Pastors only work 30 minutes a week / Baptists, be proud of your tradition / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 10)

    A La Carte: Should Christians practice surrogacy? / Intentional simplicity / I feel like I’m taking crazy pills / Prayers to renew the way you work / Why I chose not to believe in Jesus / and more.

  • Nicea Conference

    One Lord. One Faith. One Gospel. In 325 A.D., pastors gathered in the city of Nicea to proclaim the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Seventeen centuries later, we’re gathering again—this time in Istanbul—to remember that moment, rejoice in our shared confession, and renew our commitment to the gospel. Join us October 22–25, 2025, in Istanbul,…

  • Sanctified or Tired

    Am I Sanctified or Am I Tired?

    How much am I actually becoming holier and how much am I just becoming wearier? How much have I really grown in sanctification and how much am I just too tired to be bothered pursuing sin?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 9)

    A La Carte: Hitler and Jesus / Why young women fear dating / The mass trauma of porn / Christian books with unintended consequences/ Pentecostal not provincial / Her name is Sarah / Kindle deals / and more.