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Weekend A La Carte (October 12)

I’ve been blessed to spend the past few days in Hawaii to speak at the Pacific Church Leadership Conference. What a joy it has been to spend time with brothers and sisters from all across the region (and with Alistair Begg who is decidedly not from the region).

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of classics and a few newer works.

(Yesterday on the blog: To the Young Man Who Has Been Asked To Preach for the First Time)

7 Reasons Tom Schreiner (Tentatively) Holds to Amillennialism

Justin Taylor tells why Tom Schreiner holds to an amillennial view of the end times, even if it is with some hesitation. “It would be hard to find a more gracious and humble commentator than Tom Schreiner. This is especially true when it comes to the controversy of what Revelation 20 teaches on the millennium.”

How Should We Describe David’s Sin With Bathsheba?

Here’s a very level-headed view on a hot topic this week: Whether David’s sin with Bathsheba amounted to rape.

Mapping America’s Fall Foliage

Here’s a great little map showing America’s fall foliage. (Being in Hawaii this week, I haven’t seen a bit of it!)

Ethiopia’s Evangelical Prime Minister Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Christianity Today reports. “Less than two years since taking office, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has helped Ethiopia achieve the kind of peace and reconciliation once deemed impossible, including resolving a border conflict with its East African neighbor Eritrea.”

A Better Tone

Joel Belz: “Not since the Civil War, some thoughtful observers are saying, has our nation been so divided. Never so polarized. Never with so many of its citizens set so bitterly against each other.” Whether that’s true or not, it’s clear that there is a lot of division at the moment.

Beto O’Rourke’s Plan to Destroy Churches

“On Thursday, during a CNN town hall devoted to LGBTQ issues, Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke was asked, ‘Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities—should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?’ ‘Yes,’ O’Rourke said without hesitation, drawing applause from the Los Angeles audience.”

Why We Need Bible-Oriented—Not Entertainment-Oriented—Preachers

“Earnestness is the demeanor that corresponds to the weight of the subject matter of preaching. The opposite of earnest is not joyful but trivial, flippant, frivolous, chipper.” John Piper explains.

Flashback: 7 Things Your Church Needs From You

Commit to get to know people not like you. There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to say that some of your best and closest relationships are with people who are very different from you.

The knowledge of God, and the remembrance of his all-seeing presence, are the most powerful means against hypocrisy.

—Richard Baxter

  • A Special Offer On Ten Great Books

    A Special Offer On Ten Great Books

    Reformation Heritage Books is offering Challies readers an exclusive 15% discount on their top ten recent releases. Use code CHALLIES at checkout. This offer is valid until January 27.

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    A La Carte (January 20)

    A La Carte: When protest enters the sanctuary / Why I ditched my scrolling habit / Take sports betting seriously / The world runs on urgency / Sanctification hacks / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Endure

    Why We Can Confidently Persevere in Prayer

    I remember the days when my children were younger and would ask me to give them something—then ask me again, and ask me again. At that age, they had no ability to gain or purchase these things for themselves, so they were entirely dependent upon their parents to grant their requests (which were usually for…

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    A La Carte (January 19)

    A La Carte: Learning to struggle / When “Stranger Things” stopped being strange / “If God Is For Us” / Reading as stewardship / A sermon you need to hear / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.

  • Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Many Christians feel they are too unholy or too sinful to participate in the Lord’s Supper. They come to the table downcast, convinced that their sin makes them unworthy. They may refuse to participate at all.

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    Weekend A La Carte (January 17)

    A La Carte: Look to and learn from older saints / Don’t overthink your problems / Rebellion / When there is no good church / Teens and popular music / Where the gospel costs everything / and more.