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Weekend A La Carte (November 5)

My gratitude goes to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. They’ve got a free book on Luther, a Reformed theology bundle, and R.C. Sproul’s commentary on Galatians they’d like to tell you about.

Today’s Kindle deals include some newer and older titles.

Why Study Church History?

“If church history does not get your blood pumping, you had better check your spiritual pulse.” That’s how Jon Payne begins his article about why you should study church history.

A Grandmother’s Heart for Her Loved Ones

Patsy Kuipers explains how she influences her children and grandchildren.

The Tyranny of Sin

“Seldom do we think about sin with as much seriousness as we should, but its destruction is all around us. Its effects devastate both those we love and those we consider enemies. Quite often, we play with sin as if it were a favored pet that could never turn on us, but in reality, the only reason we think little of it is because it has already sunk its teeth into us and has us under its sway.”

God’s Work and Our Work, Hand in Hand

Ryan uses the illustration of a child learning to walk to explain a spiritual reality.

Six Reasons to Persevere through Pain As We Groan for Glory

“As I was thinking about life and counseling recently, I thought to myself, ‘It’s just not pretty, is it?’ So much sin within and pain without. So many ways to feel lost, stuck, and discouraged. I thought about my own sins and failures, my limitations and clumsiness as a counselor, health issues as I get older, and my struggle to love people well. And since I am privileged as a counselor to share in the struggles of many others, my own list is multiplied exponentially.”

God’s Ministry to the Disappointing

“I loathe disappointment. I really don’t like being disappointed, but I’m a thousand times more averse to causing disappointment in others. The worst is when it hits me by surprise. When this happens, my inner world can come to a halt, and I can easily become fixated on it, analyzing what happened and how to address it.”

Flashback: Solemnity and Celebration, Exclusivity and Inclusivity

With the warning for some to stay beyond the fence is the invitation for others to enjoy the rewards of abiding within it.

God has written a heavenly, perfect story for us that will start the moment our story in this world ends. It’s a story that will never end, and it will be so good we’ll never want it to end.

—David Murray

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 14)

    A La Carte: The West’s strange genius / Healing the way women hurt each other / AI skeptics / The world after reading / What about the children? / What caregivers should know about dementia / and much more.

  • Sex and Self-Forgetfulness

    Sex, Self-Forgetfulness, and the Joy of Serving Your Spouse

    I often think there is a kind of paradoxical quality to sex within marriage. It’s paradoxical in that few things have greater ability to bring blessing (through its right use) or to bring cursing (through its misuse). Not only that, but few things bring greater joy to a marriage, and also, in so many cases,…

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    A La Carte (March 13)

    What happened to our pastor? / Youth ministry needs seasoned saints / God’s sovereignty when things don’t go as planned / Preach sermons that algorithms don’t reward / A pastor remains in Beirut / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 12)

    The grief ambush / Forgotten, and that’s good / The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Welcome back, church planting / Weakness is not the enemy / Bad reasons to read the Bible / Bible and book sales.

  • Three Marks of a Good Christian Book

    Three Marks of a Good Christian Book

    Not every book marketed as ‘Christian’ is worth your time. Here are three marks—truth, love, and beauty—that can help you discern which Christian books are truly worth reading.