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Weekend A La Carte (October 5)

A La Carte Collection cover image

I’m grateful to Burke Care for sponsoring the blog this week. Burke Care offers online counseling through their secure platform.

Today’s Kindle deals some newer books (like Alisa Childer’s Another Gospel?) along with some older ones. I’ve added a few interesting general market titles as well.

(Yesterday on the blog: Everyday Gospel)

Three Reminders for Parents of Wayward Children

I think there are a lot of parents who will find this comforting. “many parents today have been brought to grief. Some have seen children who professed faith at a young age turn away when they reach adulthood. Some have seen their children struggle with addiction, immorality, and gender confusion. Some have lost their children to premature death. And many are estranged from adult children.” (And on a similar note, consider reading Blessed Mourning for an LGBT+ Child.)

Those Who Make Them Become Like Them

Brad considers our “idols” and shows how we inevitably begin to become like them. “Have you ever stopped, in the middle of checking your notifications for the umpteenth time after some post you thought particularly witty or important, to reflect on how pathetic you must look: measuring your social significance by means of a number next to a heart icon?”

One Question I Ask Myself Everyday

Erik lets us in on one question he asks himself every day.

Suicide Pods and the Trivialization of Death

Carl Trueman: “Ours is an age where nothing is safe from inevitable trivialization. It is of no real importance whether this is the result of all things being reduced by our consumerist culture to profitable commodities or of our society’s therapeutic values reshaping everything in light of a utilitarian ethic. Death is no exception to this constant downgrade of meaning and significance. And thus our cultural officer class is invested in its transformation from something sacred to something that we conform to our own desires and convenience.”

Thoughts on Pastors and Pay

Stephen writes about pastors and their pay and offers a lot of interesting food for thought. “It can’t have escaped anybody’s notice that we’ve got fewer and fewer people going into pastoral ministry at the moment. There are lots of possible reasons, some I suspect more pressing and telling that others. But among them, a lack of reasonable remuneration.”

What Does It Mean to Preach Christ?

Here’s a relatively concise perspective on what it means to preach Christ.

Flashback: Why Domestic Abuse Is So Very Evil

There are few churches that have no members who bear painful scars related to domestic abuse…In their book When Home Hurts, Jeremy Pierre and Greg Wilson provide guidance for such times and, as they do so, explain why domestic abuse is so very evil. I, for one, found it very helpful.

Wedding vows are not a declaration of present love but a mutually binding promise of future love.

—Tim Keller

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    A La Carte (February 6)

    A La Carte: Leaving one church for another / When Hollywood tries to make Christians look stupid / Wonders of the world to come / Denying the faith / The master of the nets / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Marriage

    Lots of Single Christians but Few Weddings

    I find it one of the great mysteries of the modern church. It does not exist in every context and every congregation, but as I’ve traveled and inquired, I’ve become convinced it exists in a great many of them. Here is the mystery: A lot of churches have many single men and many single women…

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    A La Carte (February 5)

    A La Carte: The vibe shift / When gentle parenting crashes / Confessing a critical spirit / Misconceptions of maturity / Postpartum depression and anxiety / Kindle and book deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (February 4)

    A La Carte: Gay space fascism / Sin causes anxiety, too / How to fight brain rot / John Piper on good magic and edifying sorcery / Chopped onions and Jesus / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian

    You may have a burden for the lost and a desire to learn to defend your faith but can’t see yourself becoming a philosopher or scientist to do so. I have good news. You don’t have to! Ordinary Christians can become skilled and effective evangelists.

  • The Continental Divide of Doctrine

    The Continental Divide of Doctrine

    A journey into the Rocky Mountains of Western Canada brought me to Vermilion Pass, a single point that divides two national parks and two provinces. It also divides two watersheds, for it stands upon the continental divide. To one side of this spot all waters flow west and eventually find their way to the vast…