A La Carte (February 8)
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary (and also Grace Community Church). It was good to be in CA but it’s also good to be back home!
Westminster Books has a nice little collection of deals for you.
(Yesterday on the blog: He Was a Kind Man)
Randy Alcorn wants to make sure you don’t miss one of the neat stories at the Super Bowl.
Jonathan recently went to hear Jordan Peterson speak and came away with some interesting reflections.
Perhaps the most popular feature of Church Social, an online software platform for churches, is our messaging tool, which makes it possible for members to send the entire church community an email in just a few seconds. You can even send messages to specific groups, such as Bible studies, committees, and teams. (Sponsored Link)
Can gospel tracts still be helpful today? “Gospel tracts have a bad reputation, from the notorious Chick tracts to fake one-hundred-dollar bill tracts that surprise greedy souls with a five-step gospel presentation on the back. In fact, I assume most pastors of healthy churches avoid gospel tracts either because they don’t want to be associated with gimmicky evangelistic tactics or because they don’t think they’re helpful. So such tracts have no place in their bookstores or on their resource tables.”
“Just because we are free to do something in the Christian life does not mean we should. There are limits to Christian freedom.” Doug considers some of those limits.
“Hustle culture surrounds us. Every day, the world encourages women to turn our hobbies and creative endeavors into financial gain. Some may deem us untalented or believe we are wasting our skills if we don’t. But a woman who bakes is still a baker even if she never sells a single cookie. Someone who writes poetry is still a poet, even if she never publishes a poem. What makes us creative is not the world’s opinion of our art but the truth that we are all created beings.”
Don’t ever lose the wonder of this: You have peace with God.
The past couple of decades have seen an unprecedented rise in the use of pornography and an associated decline in the social stigma that accompanies it. Pornography has been downgraded from scandalous to humorous, from aberrant to mundane.
Suffering is common for all. However, persecution (which is a form of suffering) can be avoided. All you have to do is compromise.
—Voddie Baucham
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A La Carte (March 31)
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today, my friends.
Today’s the last day for Logos users to save on March Matchups. There are some great deals to be had!
As for Kindle deals, volume one of my favorite church history series is marked way down.
In Your Wake
This one hits hard: “One of my husband’s earliest memories is the day you left your family. Left them to poverty and shame, to insecurity and a weight of bitterness while you transferred the care due them to a new family. You fed your sin silently. Secretly. It crept around the edges of your life, gradually stealing more and more ground from under your second family until you left them too. Left them to despair and struggle while you fed your pleasures.”
The Unexpected Beauty of Babel
What a fascinating article! “It seems as if, as he so often does, God has chosen to bring beauty through judgment, a greater grace and glory than would have existed had the judgment never taken place. After all, this is the logic of the cross and salvation history. Yes, judgment falls. Yet amazingly God’s grace shines even brighter for it. Should we be surprised that God delights to also do this with the arc of language history?”
The Kingdom of God Bible Storybook” Now Available from Lithos Kids
A faithful retelling of the story of God’s kingdom from Genesis to Revelation. Fully illustrated Old and New Testament volumes for ages 2 to 11. (Sponsored Link)
Chinese Christians Adapt Under New Restrictions
“Earlier this month, news broke about a Chinese government requirement that people in the Henan province register before attending worship services. They’re supposed to use a ‘Smart Religion’ app, which records each person’s name, address, date of birth, occupation, and government ID number. The app is the latest in an increasing pile of Chinese restrictions on believers.”
The Basics — God’s Providence
Kim Riddlebarger continues his series on basic Christian doctrine with this look at God’s Providence.
How were people saved in the Old Testament? (Video)
Dr. Bob Cara of RTS answers a common question.
Should Missionaries Join a Local Church?
Yes! They most definitely should whenever possible.
Flashback: 7 Things a Good Dad Says
I have found myself thinking back to the many models of fatherhood I have seen and admired through the years. What made these fathers admirable? What set them apart? What was it that they said to their children?See everything you do, in all areas of your life, as means of serving God and others. —Matt Perman
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A La Carte (February 17)
Grace and peace to you on this fine day.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Message for Young Women)
Faith Like A Beach House
You may identify with this. “I had foolishly thought that time would be the vehicle of sanctification, that being an older Christian would automatically make me a more Christ-like Christian. But it hasn’t.”
The Only Topic More Controversial Than Religion or Politics
“We are all dependent on parenting to wean us off of immature thinking. The world we are looking at right now, however, is in large degree a reflection of a major shift in parenting.” Interesting…
Does God love me just the way I am?
Ligon Duncan provides a really good answer to this question.
Discipled by Everyone and No One
“Round the turn of the century, some 20 years ago, well-informed citizens might claim 20 sources of news. They’d watch a national and local TV news program, pick up a newspaper delivery or two each morning, wait each week or month on a few magazine subscriptions, forward some emails with bizarre threats, and tune in during morning and evening commutes to a talk radio station or two.” How different it is today!
God Makes Himself Known as Trinity
This is a good little reminder of the fact that God makes himself known as Trinity, and why this matters so much.
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp’s Example of Boldly Acknowledging Christ
“His team, the Los Angeles Rams, ended up winning the Super Bowl, and Kupp was named Most Valuable Player. But regardless of that, even if they’d lost and Kupp had not played well, everything he says would still be true.” Randy Alcorn has assembled some resources about Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp who is very outspoken about his Christian faith.
Flashback: Thy Word Is Not a MagLite
He was never without guidance, never without help, because he was never without the Word.Life is not measured by the number of its years but by what one puts into the years. —J.R. Miller
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A La Carte (September 6)
Because it’s Labor Day, I’ll be posting only A La Carte today, and an article tomorrow.
Today’s Kindle deals include some good resources from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: I’m Not All That Awesome)
Five Things to Say to Help a Depressed Christian
I don’t usually go for “five things” articles on serious topics, but in this case found these five things quite helpful. “Depression is suffering. It is deep pain that somebody lives with day-to-day. And sometimes, it’s even debilitating. It is complex and doesn’t go away overnight, and some people will live with it their entire life.”
Is Faith a Work?
“The Bible teaches we’re justified by faith alone and not by our works. But since this faith is ours, doesn’t that mean faith is a work?” Stephen Nichols answers.
Is Covid 19 Evolving? (Video)
I really enjoy Dr. Robert Carter’s videos at Biblical Genetics. In this new one he addresses whether or not COVID-19 is evolving.
I Despised Her to My Shame
“As we reflect on what is happening in Afghanistan right now, let us not only remember those precious few who already believe on Christ now facing violent persecution. Let us remember that Gospel seed has been spread there. Let us remember that many of God’s people worldwide have prayed for Afghanistan’s people. We must remember those that earnestly prayed and spoke while they could. May we pray for the many refugees who have fled, that they would readily seek and find Christ where they settle.”
Welcome to McChurch
“The days of being buried in the church where you were baptized and married are long gone for most. Ours is the age of the McChurch.” John Beeson explains.
God’s Great Gospel Question
“A lot of Christians think that Genesis 3:15 is the first foreshadowing of the gospel. I don’t think that’s quite right. Silence is judgment; speech is grace. The fact that God opened his holy mouth after creatures had rebelled against him is the first glimmer of gospel hope. That’s why it makes so much sense for the consummation of the gospel, Jesus Christ, to be referred to as ‘the Word.’ It’s speech that saves.”
Flashback: Parent Love and Grandparent Love
Let me offer two ways I believe grandparents can take on a role of spiritual influence in the lives of their grandchildren.The true goal of life is not to be great, or to do great things, but to be just what God meant us to be. —J.R. Miller
