A La Carte (October 6)
May the Lord bless and keep you today.
Carry a Candle
“Our very finite and fragile ability to love individuals around us is a gift. And it is also a candle. A profound flicker of light in this hard place. I understood that I needed to shelter it.” This writer reflects on her inability to bear all the sorrow of this world.
Love Like My Mom
This is such a sweet reflection on a brother’s grief and a mother’s love.
Censorship Isn’t Christians’ Biggest Social Media Problem
This article is really important. “A lot of Christians are concerned about social media censorship. Too few are concerned about social media discipleship. This isn’t surprising. We are more interested in the ways we can form the world than we are with the ways the world is forming us. This isn’t to say social media/internet censorship isn’t a problem. It certainly is. But I worry we as Christians are more interested in protecting our expression than we are our hearts.”
4 Reasons Pastors Should Consider Quitting Social Media
And in a somewhat similar vein: “Pastors should be especially aware of how the digital age is changing our parishioners and ourselves. There are benefits to having at our fingertips encyclopedic information, news updates, and virtual access to others. There are dangers, too. I believe the downsides of social media and overabundant digital information outweigh the benefits.”
Biology’s Divorce from Teleology
“The medical community has historically presupposed all human organs were designed to perform a function. The study of design is called teleology. The heart is designed to pump blood, the eye is made to see, and muscles are meant to move joints. Every part of the body is intended to do something in particular.” I, for one, am skeptical that biology can long survive the separation from teleology.
Ocean Depth Comparison (Video)
Videos like this help me better appreciate the wonders of God’s creation.
Handling Disagreement
I don’t know where this little series is going to go, but I expect it will be interesting. “What does a Dutch Prime Minister born nearly two centuries ago have to say about contemporary debates over the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines? As it turns out, quite a bit.”
Flashback: 6 Reasons For You To Consider Writing
You can use your words to influence others toward godliness, whether that is the people in your home, the people in your church, or people around the world.
When things are going well with us we may content ourselves with talking about the Lord; but when the sky darkens we hasten to deal with Him and talk to Him directly. —F.B. Meyer
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A La Carte (January 16)
https://www.challies.com/a-la-carte/a-la-carte-january-16-6-2023/
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A La Carte (December 29)
Just a reminder that this week I am featuring A La Carte only. The usual slate of original articles will return next week as the holiday season wraps up.
There are some new Kindle deals today for the avid collectors.
(Yesterday on the blog: How I’ll Be Reading the Bible in 2024)This is quite a long article about new year’s resolutions and other kinds of resolutions. “As Christians, such a miserable ratio of success to failure should cause us to examine the whole concept of the new year’s resolution from a biblical perspective.”
Jacob thinks back to his growth as a Christian and concludes, “I’ve learned that if I don’t plan to grow, I’ll be less like Jesus than I could be.”
When discussing the specifics of church missions programs, it is critical to begin by understanding the motivation behind missions. Properly understanding “God’s Mission” will result in a more deeply rooted mission program and, ultimately, a more effective gospel witness. So, today, The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) is offering How to Build an Effective Missions Program as a free ebook. Download your copy today at tmai.org/challies to develop a strategy for an effective missions program in your church. (Sponsored Link)
Rob Golding explains why Protestants can struggle to understand how the Pope can bless same-sex marriages while also standing “firm” on the traditional doctrine of marriage.
“If we are honest with ourselves, many of the things that happened in the past year we didn’t plan or expect. We probably were unwell at some stage. We might have lost a job or had an unexpected job offer. Any number of things might have happened that we could never have known in advance.”
Mitch offers a short explanation of what Mary and Joseph did after Jesus was born.
This is a helpful little summary of the four gospels—what makes them similar and what makes them distinct. “One story told from four viewpoints into four first century situations they might be, but we wouldn’t be without any one of the four twenty centuries later.”
As I’ve considered the year that is almost upon us, I have been helped by this prayer from John MacArthur’s At the Throne of Grace. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
To desire revival…and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.
—A.W. Tozer -
A La Carte (October 10)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you on this fine day.
Amazon has fabricated yet another couple of Prime Days. My main interest in it is Kindle deals, but unfortunately I couldn’t find too many. You can, however, find Kindle devices discounted today, along with board games, AirPods Pro, and lots of other stuff.
(Yesterday on the blog: Add a Little Extra Beauty)
5 Myths about Gender Identity
This article addresses 5 modern-day myths about gender identity.
Are Sinners Worthless?
“He respectfully asked how I could say that humans are worthwhile if the Bible tells us we’re worthless. I was thrown off guard, because I could see how I appeared to be directly contradicting Scripture.” After all, the Bible seems to say that human beings are both exceedingly valuable and exceedingly depraved.
Extraordinary Engineers (Video)
The John 10:10 Project has released another great little video, this one celebrating the humble bee.
On Leviticus and Living for God through Christ
“Leviticus is perhaps the most underrated book of the Bible. Despite its importance, it is often considered difficult to read and even more difficult to derive any benefit. I hope to contribute to changing that perspective.” Good idea!
He Leads Me Beside Still Waters
“Sometimes … I can only view God’s sovereignty through the lens of suffering. When things are hard or there is some trial in my life, I (rightly) turn to God and confess that He is right in how He orders His universe. He is not simply aware of the trial, but He is over it too. Where I struggle to apply the truth of God’s total sovereignty is in His goodness.”
The Pastoral Training of a Growing Up in a Christian Home
I appreciate this celebration of growing up in a Christian home. “What I realize now is that the Lord had begun depositing ministry insights into my soul years before through the lives of my parents. Both of my parents are committed followers of Jesus and faithful servants in his Church, who, in both the deeply spiritual moments of conversation about God’s Word and in the relatively mundane moments, were sowing seeds of pastoral development.”Flashback: What I Love To Ponder at 10:01 AM on Sunday Morning
For one day—one day out of the week—the whole earth will have joined to give God the honor due his name.Our high and privileged calling is to do the will of God in the power of God for the glory of God. —J.I Packer
