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Weekend A La Carte (September 17)

I am going to be offering period reminders that, if you’ve read and appreciated Seasons of Sorrow, leaving a review (or even a simple star rating) at Amazon will take just a few seconds and be a big help.

There are a few new Kindle deals today.

(Yesterday on the blog: Turnaround)

We Are Not Disposable

This is such a good and important article from Samuel James’ Substack (which is well worth a subscription). “I’ve written before about Facebook, and how the Facebook of my freshman year of college seems almost like a dream that I had one time. The idea of a website whose only ethic was friendship and only currency was neighborliness seems too ridiculous now to say out loud. But that was really how it was back then.”

Preaching a Funeral of a Nonbeliever (Video)

Hershael York has some wise counsel on how pastors should approach preaching the funerals of nonbelievers.

Shia LaBeouf and the Church as Sales Pitch

“In preparing for the lead role in a movie about Padre Pio (an Italian Franciscan friar later canonized as a saint), the actor Shia LaBeouf, best known for Transformers, lived for a time in a monastery, submitted to several spiritual mentors, and then converted to Catholicism.” Trevin Wax considers a couple of his comments from a recent interview.

Who’s More Sinful: Men or Women?

You probably know the answer to the question: neither. But John Piper’s answer covers quite a lot of interesting territory and is worth reading.

Is the Future of Christian Music on TikTok?

Is the future of Christian music on TikTok? It’s quite possible as CT shows in this recent article.

The Deadly Disease of Pornography (Video)

YouTube’s algorithm saw fit to suggest this interview with Carl Trueman and I’m glad it did.

Flashback: The Ministry of Presence

The ministry of presence is the ministry of being there—of simply gathering with the church on Sunday. This may seem like a little thing, but it matters. It matters a lot.

The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying.

—John Flavel

  • Authority

    How Men Can Use Their Authority Well

    There are few topics that have proven trickier to navigate than the topic of authority. We know we need authority to function as families, churches, and nations, yet there is something deep within our sinful humanity that causes us to rebel against it wherever it exists. We both want it and despise it. 

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    A La Carte (May 22)

    The ancient world had no word for child abuse / What I wish I had learned in theological college / Pray to the Lord of the harvest / What God is healing while not healing my health problems / Are you willing to show up? / Artificial preaching / Sales and deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 21)

    One step becomes a three-day walk / Tolkien, foolishness, and the ordinary means of grace / The staggering beauty and burden of church life / Denominational health / Three truths to combat your news anxiety / Don’t do the Devil’s work for him / and more.

  • The Most Neglected Element of Worship

    The Most Neglected Element of Worship

    There are some elements of public worship that receive a great deal of attention. These elements are taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be. In most churches, this includes the music, of course, and often the preaching. Why do these receive so much attention?

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    The pastor who refuses to back down / The missionary with Ebola / Why we don’t trust pastors / Rushing our quiet times / The other side of seminary / The remedy, the problem, and the church / Why we need to interpret the Bible / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (May 19)

    The wrong lessons from the latest scandal / The blessing of being forgotten / If your chatbot offers prayer / Have tongues ceased? / Consider the small town / Thinking Christianly about complex topics / Book releases / and more.