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Weekend A La Carte (November 6)

May you know the Lord’s blessings as you honor and serve him this weekend.

I am wondering if I have any readers who live in Zurich or Malta. If so, would you mind getting in touch?

As Saturdays go, this is an exceptional one when it comes to Kindle deals.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Christian Case for Bitcoin and Blockchain)

Can You Hear the Congregation Singing?

“Congregational singing — which includes the one who sings like it’s an American Idol audition and the one who can’t find the right key — is the most heavenly sound you’ll hear on earth. Because of this, it’s important to find a church that has congregational singing. It ought to be a priority when looking for a church home.”

No Flock, No Shepherd

This article coincided well with my devotions yesterday (which took me to John 10): “Sheep stink and they stand really close to each other. They don’t all look the same, but they all have similar inclinations. All sheep lack an ability to lead themselves anywhere safe. That’s why they need a shepherd, so they don’t go astray and get picked off by a wolf.”

Billions of Unnoticed Gifts

“Why the extravagance? Why does God give us billions of gifts every second (even the chance to marvel at a myriad of strange insects) when most of us won’t end up seeing the majority of them? Why is God so spendthrift?”

The Value of a Secure Identity

There are some helpful reflections here on the matter of identity.

Beware of Stoical Dangers

Christians are sometimes called to “do what we have to do and get through it. However, “gritted teeth Christianity is not Christianity, for mere external obedience has never been the Christian’s obligation.”

Beauty in the Eye

“The whole discussion of beauty in art was much simpler before technology. ” That’s an interesting notion…

Flashback: How Many Children Should We Have?

The decision I make ought to be right for my family, but I have no business making a decision on behalf of someone else and then despising or condemning them.

It is the students of the Bible, and they alone, who will find it a weapon ready in hand in the day of battle.

—J.C. Ryle

  • The Pursuit of Virtue

    God’s character is the essence of virtue. The heart of virtue is to know the Lord and to become like him, as a child resembles her father. That is the goal, privilege, and destiny of the redeemed. #Sponsored

  • When God Plants an Acorn

    When God Plants an Acorn, He Means an Oak

    We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there…

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    A La Carte (April 28)

    A La Carte: Protestantism’s Catholic converts / How healthy is your pursuit of health? / God’s special calling on your life / Considering a Christian university? / Testing the teachings of Catholicism / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for April 2025

    It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 26)

    A La Carte: Every pinch of pain has purpose / China closed Christian bookstores / Watch for the thing after the thing / For everything there is a time / Showers of blessing / What Pope Francis can teach us about preaching / and more.