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Weekend A La Carte (October 28)

Weekend A La Carte

Good morning from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I’m grateful to be here and looking forward to worshipping with the believers here this weekend.

I’m thankful to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to watch (or re-watch) the Luther documentary which is available for free.

Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection of titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for October 2023)

The Half-Baked Sermon: Missing Ingredients in Much Preaching

“To say that some sermons reach the pulpit half-baked would be unfair to bread. Some sermons are barely dough; some little more than a collection of dry ingredients. The sermon, as a sermon, is barely begun, largely unappetizing, not particularly nourishing, lacking the enticing taste and texture of a fresh-baked loaf.” Ouch!

Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme and Shall Be Until I Die

Tim Shorey: “I did go to church yesterday. Funny thing: I’m sure that to anyone who doesn’t know me, my cameo appearance made me look like a bored-out-of-my-mind unsaved husband whose wife nagged him into being there. I didn’t sing. I didn’t stand. I didn’t clap my hands or shout Amen. I didn’t hang around afterward.”

The Definitive Guide to Christian Denominations

Steven Wedgeworth has a definitive guide to Christian denominations.

Where Do We Plant?

How might a church decide where to plant? This article offers guidance.

Powerfully Meek Leaders

Davy Ellison says, “I am amazed by the number of pastors who self-identify as introverts. To some degree this makes sense, because pastors must be comfortable spending long periods of time in their study preparing to preach. But I also wonder whether such a self-designation offers some cover for passivity. Introversion becomes an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations and ducking unpopular decisions. We need bolder pastors—powerfully meek leaders.”

How to Interpret the Bible: The COMA Bible Study Method

Here’s a brief overview of an effective way to study the Bible.

Flashback: 18 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Wife

It is a strange and ugly reality that the person I love most is the person I sin against most often. I have never-ending opportunities to ask her forgiveness. While it requires choking down my pride, I know I will never regret asking her to forgive me when I have sinned against her.

The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the out working of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholds me.”

—A.W. Tozer

  • What Does Trouble Do

    What Does Trouble Do?

    To live is to experience trouble. There is no path through this life that does not lead through at least some kind of difficulty, sorrow, or trial—and often through a cornucopia of them. This being the case, we rightly wonder: What does trouble do? Though we may not see an answer in the immediate circumstances…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (May 12)

    A La Carte: When prayer starts with panic / Tell the truth about children / When Christ is en vogue, Christians beware / Keeping learning after college / A word on diligence / Kindle deals / and more.

  • God overrules

    God Must Sometimes Overrule Us

    When we pray to God and bring our petitions before him, and then say in earnest “thy will be done,” how should we expect God to respond? Is asking God to overrule our will with his own admitting that he may actually bring us harm?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (May 10)

    A La Carte: Pope Le XIV / A gift continually unfolding / Hopefully broken / This Mother’s Day / Support the caregivers in your church / One of the hardest things you’ll ever do / and more.

  • Proud of Her

    Proud of Her on Mother’s Day

    I can’t even tell you how brave she has been, how resilient, and how determined. The Lord alone knows all the ways she has had to exercise her faith and submit her will to his. But she has. She has, and it has been a blessing and an honor to behold. We come again to…