Good morning from South Korea. In just a few moments I’ll be heading eastbound and back to my home. If all goes well, I’ll be there by bedtime.

Today’s Kindle deals include some good picks from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: Should We Exercise “Pronoun Hospitality?”)
Why’d The Pigs Have to Die?
Yeah, that’s a good question: why did all those pigs have to die?
No One Who Abides In Him Keeps On Sinning
Justin addresses a sobering passage. “John is not condemning the one who is seeking to overcome sin, but the one who habitually gives into sin without repenting. John purposefully describes here the one who is (or is not) continually sinning (as is evident from the ‘linear present’, or continuing action, of the verbs in the original language).”
“A Distant Shore”
You may enjoy this new poem titled “A Distant Shore.”
Criticism Can Be a Blessing
Though criticism usually doesn’t seem so at the beginning, it can often prove a blessing in the long run. Barbara tells how that is true.
Warring with All of Creation
“I have been in a cosmic battle with principalities and squirrels. I’m not kidding—it has begun to feel like creation has a vendetta against me. It’s an ongoing conspiracy.”
Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?
It is perhaps one of the most contentious of all Christian beliefs (and always has been): that God cares who we sleeps with. This article from TGC Africa explains why God cares so much.
Flashback: Foster Your Friendships
Friendship is a great gift of God. Spiritual friendship, friendship shared in Christ, is an even greater gift. Spiritual friendship with other godly men is one of life’s greatest privileges and highest joys.

If a man could see sin as it is, he would no more embrace it than he would embrace a leper. —De Witt Talmage

Please bear with me as I try a bit of a different format for today’s A La Carte. Let me know if you prefer (or don’t prefer) it.

First up, there are some new Kindle deals for those who collect them—some newer books and some older ones.
Then, here’s today’s prayer from F.B. Meyer’s hard-to-find collection My Daily Prayer, which I thought you might enjoy:
“Most gracious God, I thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, pure as dew, cleansing as fire, tender and refreshing as the breath of spring. O blessed Trinity, ever engaged in giving Your choice things to us, Your unworthy children, accept my gratitude for which I have no words.”
Yesterday on the blog I wrote about Health, Wealth, and the (Real) Gospel.
If You Read Just One
Trevin Wax considers some recent articles about modern notions of sex and sexuality and sees them as proof that mere ‘Consent’ Isn’t Enough for a Sexual Ethic. That’s not to say that these authors are ready to entertain the Christian sexual ethic, but that “these are baby steps, important ones, that indicate a sense of angst and anxiety underneath the commonsense cultural ethos surrounding sex.”
Other Good Reading
We have probably all attempted to convince someone that the Bible is inspired. Greg Koukl says that, when we do so , we ought to let God do the heavy lifting. “I came to believe the Bible was God’s Word the same way the Thessalonians did, the same way you probably did: They encountered the truth firsthand and were moved by it. Without really being able to explain why, they knew they were hearing the words of God and not just the words of a man named Paul.”
Al Gooderham wants us to know our place—the particular place God has called us to minister his gospel. “One of the dangers for us as churches, pastor and people is that we assume our place is a generic place. That it’s the same as the places and people elsewhere or that we see via our media consumption be it social media or binge watching our favourite series.” This can have the consequence that “we end up preaching a generic gospel via generic sermons and meeting generic needs for a generic area and a generic people and guess what we get a generic response.”
Christians often grapple with the nature and extent of God’s sovereignty. Derek Thomas has an excellent article on the subject. “God is sovereign in creation, providence, redemption, and judgment. That is a central assertion of Christian belief and especially in Reformed theology. God is King and Lord of all. To put this another way: nothing happens without God’s willing it to happen, willing it to happen before it happens, and willing it to happen in the way that it happens.”
Do true Christians still have evil desires? And if so, how is that consistent with what Scripture says about putting to death evil deeds and desires? John Piper answers some good questions in the latest Ask Pastor John.
Last but not least, Ligonier Ministries recently hosted their National Conference on the topic of Upholding Christian Ethics and has now shared video of all the plenary sessions, Q&A sessions, and seminars.

Flashback (an article from the archives): What the Lord’s Day Is. “As I stood to worship on Sunday, I found myself considering just some of what the Lord’s Day is…”

And, last but not least, today’s SquareQuote:

We mistakenly look for tokens of God’s love in happiness. We should instead look for them in His faithful and persistent work to conform us to Christ. —Jerry Bridges

The Lord be with you and bless you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good picks.
In Defense of the Gender Binary
“The plausibility structure of the gender binary is losing its grip on contemporary consciousness. And, it’s not just in contemporary culture writ large, but we are seeing and experiencing shifts in the Church.”
A Time to Hustle & A Time to Stroll
“Maybe it was the pandemic slow down, or just people getting fed up with it, but the last couple of years have seen a backlash against what has been termed ‘hustle culture.’”
Get the Best Deal on Al Mohler’s Grace & Truth Study Bible
Follow the link or use Promo Code 10CHALLIES and take an additional $10 off any print edition on Amazon. That $10 on top of Amazon’s already-discounted price. Under the guidance of general editor Dr. Albert Mohler, the NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible paints a stunning canvas of the goodness of God’s redemptive plan revealed in the gospel of Jesus. (Sponsored Link)
Zombie Sins
Chris Thomas: “Here’s what I am learning. Paul asks me to slay sin, a theme that John Owen would later riff off as he famously quipped, ‘Be killing sin or sin will be killing you,’ and I thought I was. But I was wrong. Burying sin is not the same as killing it.”
Spiritual Resilience
“Your life’s adversities serve a purpose. We may want our spiritual life to be as leisurely as a man lying on a couch, watching TV while eating comfort food, but a body that does too much of that will rot and never win the race. Do not run from every difficulty that comes your way today. Trust in Jesus, move forward, and see what God can do.”
Quick Guide to Christian Denominations
Trevin Wax has put together a not-so-quick guide to Christian denominations.
Worthy of Worship
Nick Batzig has a good one here. “To whom do we owe all of our admiration, affection, and allegiance? Who is worthy of our worship? The answer is straightforward. God, and God alone, is worthy of our worship. But, what about God incarnate, Jesus Christ? Can we worship the Man, Christ Jesus?”
Flashback: Shades of Love
I have been thinking about all the different kinds of love I have been able to experience, I have been considering how each one is unique, and I have been pondering how together these loves point me to one that must envelop and transcend them all.

The goal of missions isn’t quick gains but lasting results. —Elliot Clark