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A La Carte (August 8)

There are some noteworthy Kindle deals today. They include NIV Application Commentary on each of the gospels; The Spirit of Revival by R.C. Sproul; God’s Grand Design by Sean Michael Lucas; Heaven on Earth by Stephen Nichols; A God Entranced Vision of All Things by John Piper; The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink * and a few others. Get them here.

Should Christians Save for Retirement?

Randy Alcorn asks some good questions: “Is this reasonable planning, exercising foresight as Proverbs commends? Or is it an alternative to trusting God, a backup in case God doesn’t come through? How is maintaining a generous retirement plan fundamentally different from the rich fool storing up for his later years to live out his life in comfort and security?”

Emotions Are a Language

Writing specifically for counselors, Ed Welch says to “Think of emotions as a language. They say something—something very important—and part of our job is to figure out what they are saying.”

John Piper’s Prayer

“Last Sunday morning, at around 11:30, an entire family entered heaven together. Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their small children were driving from Minneapolis to Colorado for final preparations as missionaries to Japan. … Tragically, the entire family died at the scene, including Jamison and Kathryne, both 29, and their three young children, 3-year-old Ezra, 23-month-old Violet, and 2-month-old Calvin. … John Piper was asked to deliver the pastoral prayer. Here’s what he said.”

Pedophilia as a Sexual Orientation

Denny Burk writes about a new book that seems to be part of a new movement to normalize pedophilia. It does this by considering it a sexual orientation.

Are We Reaching the End of World Records?

This question is asked around the time of every…single…Olympics. And somehow records continue to fall.

Throwing Sheep Into a Pit

Yes! An Egyptian visitor was expressing something like this to me at church yesterday: “We don’t rest to maximize our productivity later. We rest to remember that our worth does not hinge on our productivity.”

The Bible Is Not Boring

Ryan Higginbottom: “If God’s word seems boring, there’s either a problem with the reading or the reader.”

Flashback: The Book Glutton

Here is some counsel I offered on libraries, book collections, and book gluttons.

Smith

If God gave you the whole world, but did not give Himself, that would not be enough. He is more than all the world to His people.

—Colin Smith

  • Good News Rock Bottom

    Good News at Rock Bottom

    Life most certainly brings its challenges. Some of these are just little ruts along the way, some are deep and dark valleys, and some are lower still—the kind of rock bottom experiences that are so dreadful we wonder if we will be able to endure them with our faith intact.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (April 11)

    A La Carte: John Piper & Kevin DeYoung on baptism / The legacy of TEDS / The DIY spirituality of Rainn Wilson and Rhett & Link / The enormous significance of small tasks / Hello, I want your life / Meryl Streep and Aslan / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    A Batch of New Books for Kids (and Teens)

    Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (April 10)

    A La Carte: God’s wisdom in waiting / Biblical counseling isn’t therapy / “The Sin of Empathy” / The dirtiest one another / Long prayers in worship / What I can control / and more.

  • House of David

    Can Christians Watch “House of David?”

    I did not intend to watch House of David, but when a few people told me they were enjoying it and asked what I thought, I decided to give it a go. But before I discuss House of David, I want to talk about The Chosen.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 9)

    A La Carte: Prove me, try me, test me / Trump’s tariffs / It only gets better / Praise and criticism in worship / The third heaven / The spiritual problem of being overinformed / Kindle and book deals.