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Weekend A La Carte (November 5)

Weekend A La Carte

Today’s Kindle deals include: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, Double Play by Ben Zobrist, The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible by Bruce Metzger, and The Creation Answer Book by Hank Hanegraaf.

Do You Pray Enough?

This is so important: “Guilt is a terrible motivator for any behavior, except repentance. We cannot sustain ongoing spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, from a sense of guilt. That’s not what guilt is designed to achieve, and it’s why feeling bad over not praying enough will never turn us into men and women who ‘pray without ceasing.’”

What Parents Fear

Here’s an interesting one from the UK: “Almost a quarter of religious parents are not passing on their faith to their children for fear they will be alienated at school, a survey has revealed.”

What Jesus Didn’t Say

This is good: “In that moment, Jesus defied all expectations. No doubt his fans expected a great sermon from this now-famous hometown boy-turned-rabbi. His detractors hoped for a flop, and those who knew him well readied themselves to pat him on the head afterwards with cloying words…”

5 Key Apologetics Questions

Amy Hall lays out five questions young people most need to think through and solidify in their own minds before they go out into the world.

The Productive Benefits of Journaling

The Todoist blog has some good thoughts on the benefits of journaling.

This Day in 1858. 158 years ago today the Patons landed on Vanuatu. Having been warned of cannibals, John reponded, “If I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether my body is eaten by cannibals or by worms.” *

5 Damning Inconsistencies In Transgender Dogma

Glenn T. Stanton: “Gender theory is pure ideology. It is not based in any science or logical objectivity. Its proponents literally make it up as they go along, based solely on the way they wish nature were.”

Freedom From the Tyranny of Hyperspirituality

Yes. Too many people are utterly bogged down by the tyranny of hyperspirituality.

Long Before Twitter, Martin Luther Was a Media Pioneer

This is an interesting one from the New York Times.

Flashback: Smilingly Leading You to Hell

Christians can be nice, but so too can unbelievers. The Holy Spirit may help us be nice, but niceness is not necessarily proof that we are living in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Some of the most evil people are also the nicest people.

Martin Luther: All for the Gospel

I’m thankful to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week with “Martin Luther: All for the Gospel.”

God made us to sleep so that every day he can remind us that he manages things just fine without us.

—Kevin DeYoung

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    New and Notable Christian Books for November 2025

    Though the year is coming to its end, it’s not over yet! That means publishers still have some books to release—books we would not wish to overlook before 2025 gives way to 2026. Here are some of the ones I consider especially noteworthy. In each case, I’ve included the editorial description to give you a…

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    A La Carte (November 26)

    A La Carte: The other side of human rights / Biblical literacy / A ramp out of the worry rut / The depressed Christian / Quick no, slow yes / Do you see eternity? / and more.

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    Would you Consider Supporting My Work?

    I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for well over 22 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through…

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    A La Carte (November 25)

    A La Carte: Are you still gospel-centered? / Christian liberty / Triumph in trouble / Being faithful in little things / How we choose songs / I’m not sabbatarian / and more.

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    The Danger of Defensive Sanctification

    There is a certain kind of sober-mindedness that seems to come over Christians as they age. It can flow from many sources, I’m sure, but I think it often arises from a kind of fear—a fear that they may not finish their race without some kind of a major stumble. After living the Christian life…

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    A La Carte (November 24)

    A La Carte: A wonderful short film / Science confirms a literal, historical Adam and Eve / Go low, aim high / Stop brainstorming / Structured and spontaneous prayers / Kindle deals / and more.