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Weekend A La Carte (November 4)

I am down South near Atlanta finishing up a marriage retreat. Lord willing I’ll be back home this evening. If you’re in the international terminal at ATL this afternoon, let me know and we’ll grab a coffee.

There are just a few Kindle deals today but they are on good books that rarely go on sale.

The Universe Should Not Exist

“Christian Smorra, a researcher at CERN, said, ‘All of our observations find a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the universe should not actually exist.’” That blows my mind but is still plenty interesting.

Communism’s Bloody Century

This is a long but important and worthwhile read. “A century ago this week, communism took over the Russian empire, the world’s largest state at the time. Leftist movements of various sorts had been common in European politics long before the revolution of Oct. 25, 1917 (which became Nov. 7 in the reformed Russian calendar), but Vladimir Lenin and his Bolsheviks were different. They were not merely fanatical in their convictions but flexible in their tactics—and fortunate in their opponents.”

What It’s Like to Learn You’re Going to Die

This is from a non-Christian perspective. “Nessa Coyle calls it ‘the existential slap’—that moment when a dying person first comprehends, on a gut level, that death is close. For many, the realization comes suddenly: ‘The usual habit of allowing thoughts of death to remain in the background is now impossible,’ Coyle, a nurse and palliative-care pioneer, has written. ‘Death can no longer be denied.’”

The Relationship Between Sin and Work

“The first chapters of Genesis are important to Christians for many reasons. Genesis 1-2 tells us what God originally intended for us as His creatures. Genesis 3 is vital in telling us what went wrong in the world. In short, the world has been cursed by the fall of Adam into sin. Interestingly, Adam’s sin involved a failure in his work. Called to exercise dominion over the other creatures, he instead permitted himself and Eve to be ruled by the crafty serpent.”

What Does it Mean to Be Missional? (Video)

Dr. Elias Medeiros talks about what it means to be missional.

Ask Ligonier

Here is an incredible new resource. “Maybe you’re teaching a lesson tomorrow. Maybe you just need a place to start. It’s good to know that you can always ask Ligonier. For over 40 years, Christians have been looking to R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries for clear and helpful answers to theological questions. Now you can ask those questions as they arise, confident that our team will quickly provide a clear and concise answer. When you have a question, just ask Ligonier.”

We Don’t Need the iPhone X

It has been interesting to chart people’s growing frustration with the current state of mobile technology. (There may be a bad word or two in this one.)

Flashback: A Quiz on the Doctrine of Scripture

How well do you know the doctrine of the Scripture? How well do you know what the Bible tells us about the Bible? This short thirty-three question quiz is designed to help you find out.

95 eBooks Sale

My thanks goes to Zondervan for sponsoring the blog this week.

Addiction to social media will make you aware of everything and wise about nothing.

—Matt Smethurst

  • Six Counsels for a Sending Church

    Sacrificial obedience to the One who sends is what it will take to reach every language. Join us October 14 to 16 in Dallas–Fort Worth for The Lord Who Sends as we reflect on God’s word and the lives of missionaries who followed the Great Commission.

  • The Two Kinds of Content You Consume

    The Two Kinds of Content You Consume

    At some point we all began to refer to articles and video as content. And today we are drowning in it! Here is a simple filter for telling content created to serve you apart from content created to serve its maker.

  • A La Carte (June 8)

    The humbling I needed / There must be blood / How to read the Bible when your heart feels cold / The delightful duty of married sex / Are we forgiven for the sins we can’t remember? / All things without complaining or arguing

  • Works & Wonders June 7

    This week’s Works & Wonders offers: The wonder and the beauty, older and rarer, His Love, Ferrari Luce, The Covenanter Story, and cheese curds.

  • Weekend A La Carte (June 6)

    There’s a playbook for college, there should be one for marriage / Ben Sasse is teaching us how to die—and live—well / The biggest tell that something was written by AI / Why China got rich and India didn’t / AI slop is coming for your playlists / The blood cancer that became solvable /…

  • Davy and Natalie Lloyd

    Strong to the End

    You have probably heard of Davy and Natalie Lloyd, even if the names aren’t immediately familiar. In May 2024, you most likely heard the news about two young American missionaries to Haiti who, along with one of their Haitian colleagues, were brutally murdered by one of the many gangs that dominate the country.