A La Carte (December 26)
I trust you enjoyed—as we did—a restful, worshipful, enjoyable Christmas Day. Because this is the week when few people visit blogs, I’ll be posting only A La Carte between now and Saturday. A more normal schedule will resume on January 2.
Today’s Kindle deals include a nice little selection of books from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: Today of All Days, Be of Good Cheer)
Persecution and Kingdom Expansion
We know that persecution tends to go along with kingdom expansion, but this article wants us to consider that “perhaps we miss just how inevitable persecution is in missionary contexts.”
Link by Link, Yard by Yard
Samuel James: “We humans in the modern West are micro-beings living in a macro-society. Every square inch of our news and political culture, our entertainment, and even religion is preoccupied with “big” problems that allegedly demand even bigger solutions. Nothing is more common than to hear people talk about the real issue facing the whole nation, or the problem with the church or Christianity at large. We increasingly attribute our daily angst to systemic troubles and our ordinary frustrations to major dysfunctions with our lives. This is why there is a seeming willingness among many to blow up their lives regularly…”
When Praying Hurts: How to Go to God in Suffering
Vaneetha Rendall Risner: “My desire to pray when I’m suffering can swing wildly in a single day — and sometimes within the hour. Through the severe trials in my life — losing a child, having a debilitating disease, losing my marriage — prayer has been both arduous and exhilarating. Exhausting work and energizing delight.”
God’s Purpose Isn’t Ruined by Unbelief: Don’t Be Discouraged
“The evangelism/missions cause can never be thwarted by the unbelief of the masses who will ‘keep on hearing but will not understand,’ any more than Jesus’ own earthly evangelism was hindered by it. It has always been part of the plan that people will not understand. If a missionary hacks his way through jungle and finds no reception in some villages, it isn’t defeat.”
Does it mean I am not saved yet if I continuously doubt whether I am saved? (Video)
Derek Thomas and Burk Parsons consider questions of doubt, repentance, and assurance.
Remember
Glenna Marshall remembers some difficult times, then says “I don’t want to forget the ways He carried me. Remembering tightens my grip on trust. He’ll carry me through the next season of suffering.”
Flashback: When I Get to the End of the Way
Some of my favorite poems are those that pick up on one particularly important line and then repeat it throughout, thus consistently building upon a theme. This is the case with an old poem titled “When I Get to the End of the Way.”
We should count ourselves happy the day we discover a new fault in our life or character—not happy because the fault is there, but because we have discovered it that we may rid ourselves of it. —J.R. Miller
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A La Carte (April 18)
The Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.
I added a couple of noteworthy Kindle deals just a little bit late yesterday. And I’ll be on the hunt for more today.
(Yesterday on the blog: It’s Okay To Be a Two-Talent Christian)Ed Welch explains why it’s so important for parents to avoid playing good cop, bad cop roles with their children. “The good cop, bad cop approach may work well when eliciting criminal confessions, but it was never intended for the home.”
I love this little anecdote from the life of Brother Andrew. And it makes me wonder how many of us know our Bibles well enough to be capable of doing something similar today.
We have all wondered what Paul was referring to with his “thorn in the flesh.” But more important than knowing exactly what it was is to consider what it represented.
Is it possible that there’s a part of the New Testament that predates the New Testament? This article (probably rightly) contends that there is.
“Though virtual reality is sufficient for some things, it is terrible for others. At best, it is a stopgap when the alternative is impossible; at worst, it severs the connection to the situation’s significance.” I very much agree. The question we need to ask is whether our churches are fostering virtual participation by constantly streaming our services.
This article, which is meant primarily for fathers, outlines a neglected discipleship tool we should all be making use of.
If you can honestly admit that you are drafting, putting in little effort of your own because of the greater effort of the one you follow, today is the day to confess that sin of complacency before God, to ask him to grant you godly fervor, and to pursue the means he offers to ignite such zeal.
We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.
—John Stott -
Weekend A La Carte (November 27)
May you know and experience the Lord’s blessings this weekend.
(Yesterday on the blog: Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021 Deal for Christians)
Today’s Kindle deals include some classics for now and perhaps some others in the morning.
What Keeps Couples Apart?
Stephen Witmer: “Despite the beauty and blessedness of true intimacy, I’ve encountered numerous obstacles to it — both in my own marriage, and in years of counseling married couples. One of the most common is busyness.”
The fundamental mark of the Christian
“Are there any qualities or characteristics that are true of Christians only and make them to be different from the rest of mankind? Or are we just like the rest, each embracing their respective club of belonging. I think there is a distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian.”
Worth It
This sweet little video from ADF carries an important message.
Living By the Book
H.B. Charles calls us to live by the book.
Arise, My love, My Beautiful One, and Come Away
Peter Krol: “I am very grateful to the Lord for the rich diversity of literature contained within the Bible. Not only do we have the narratives of Israel’s history and Jesus’ ministry, or the discourses of the law and letters, but we also have the wildly foreign yet lovely verse of the prophets and poets. Let me pull back the curtain for you on my own process for Bible study.”
Exhaustion with Division and Discourse in Today’s Evangelicalism
“In this video, we asked Jonathan Leeman what advice he would give to Christians who feel exhausted by the division and discourse in today’s Evangelicalism.”
Flashback: But Others Have It Worse
Our God is not some distant ruler exercising indifferent authority over the universe but a present helper in our times of trouble — our every time of trouble.What God commissions, he sees through to the end. He will not forsake us in the work he has given us. —Gloria Furman
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Free Stuff Fridays (Baker Books)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Baker Books . They are giving away three sets of Jamie Rasmussen’s books How Joyful People Think and When God Feels Far Away.
How Joyful People Think by Jamie Rasmussen (book cover is attached and can be linked here: How Joyful People Think – Baker Book House)
In this insightful unpacking of Philippians 4:8, pastor Jamie Rasmussen shows readers how to focus their thoughts and attention on the things in life that God has declared will make a meaningful impact on both a person’s outlook and experience. It’s the kind of thinking that has the power to change us, pointing us away from self-pity, anger, and resentment and toward contentment and personal peace, which helps us get the most out of life.
When God Feels Far Away by Jamie Rasmussen (the book cover is attached and can be linked here: When God Feels Far Away – Baker Book House)
With transparency and a pastoral heart, Jamie Rasmussen reveals eight ways to navigate divine distance and experience the nearness of God again. After unpacking why God sometimes feels so far away, he mines the riches of the book of Esther for principles that are available to us today. The result is an intimate and practical guide to navigating seasons of divine distance so we can once again feel closer to God.
Enter Here
Again, there are three packages to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon. If you are viewing this through email, click to visit my site and enter there.
