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A La Carte (10/20)

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I’m doing a one-day trip to Grand Rapids on Friday in order to spend some time with the good people at Zondervan. Since I’ll be Grand Rapids through the evening, I figured I’d drop in at the Young & Reformed conference where Kevin DeYoung and Mike Wittmer will be speaking. Is anyone else planning on being there?

Receiving the Baton – Bob Kauflin has penned a really good article for Tabletalk. He sees that he is running the final laps of his race here on earth and this has made him start thinking about passing the baton. He writes, “Last year I gave a message on transferring ministry responsibility to the next generation. In my preparation, I came across some principles for passing the baton in a relay race that are surprisingly relevant for young leaders.”

Getting Songs to Band Members – Speaking of Bob, he’s also answering a question at his blog, and an important one since so many people skirt the law in this area. He’s simply telling how a worship leader can share new songs with his band members in a way that is fully legal.

Sexual Detox: A Review – Here is a kind review of my book Sexual Detox. He concludes “I commend Sexual Detox to you and the Christian men in your life. Add it to your arsenal in your fight against the power of porn.”

The Darkest Experience – Randy Alcorn tells about the most difficult experience of his life. “I would have to say that the most difficult experience I’ve ever had came out of the time in 1989 and 1990 when I was involved in civil disobedience at abortion clinics. I was arrested seven times at nine different prolife interventions—we called them rescues—intervening for unborn children. They were peaceful and non-violent, and we were not raising our voices or yelling at women, and certainly not using inappropriate language.”

Will Physical Books Be Gone in 5 Years? – That’s a question CNN asks. I think it’s near-impossible that they’ll be gone in 5 years, but it may well be that by then the pendulum has swung in favor of the e-book and the dominance of print will be coming to an end.

1 Timothy 6:4 and Blogging – Dane Ortlund has a really good post here looking at blogging and craving controversy. “At the end of a long day one guy looks at porn, another blasts away the emergents or traditionalists or Arminians or Calvinists or cultural transformationists or two-kingdom people or multi-site advocates or single-service advocates or gospel tweeters or gospel tweet avoiders or presuppositionalists or evidentialists or charismatics or cessationists or 24-hour day creationists or framework folks or ESV-ers or NIV-ers… . Is not the dynamic of the heart, at root, the same?”

10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me – Brady Boyd offers a few lessons he’s learned through ministry.

The Known Universe – This is a great video (despite a bit of big bang kind of talk) that gives a glimpse of what we know about the universe. The heavens truly do declare the glory of God. And if they don’t do that, then they have no real purpose, do they?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6

Let me always remember that it is not the amount of religious knowledge which I have, but the amount which I use, that determines my religious position and character.

—Alexander Maclaren

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    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Pope Francis / Yes, Jesus was crucified with nails / The mystery of “the call” / Just a little bit / The last of the four / John outran Peter / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Will You Be a Pillar?

    How do we lead in a culture shaped by performance, individualism, and platform? Platforms to Pillars by cultural commentator Mark Sayers offers a biblical alternative to the platform mentality that dominates our society. Drawing from the ancient world, Sayers challenges Christians to become pillars—people who provide strength and support for others, who live with character…

  • The Tallest Trees

    The Winds Blow Hardest Against the Tallest Trees

    Through the weekend had many questions about Christian leaders who fall. And I expressed that just as the winds blow hardest against the tallest trees, so temptations may press hardest against the leaders who rise the highest. Just as floods press against shallow roots, so seductive desires rise up against those whose fall would bring…

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    A La Carte (April 21)

    A La Carte: Toxic servant leadership / Taking our stress to the Lord / The problem with habits / Is it wrong for Christians to choose cremation? / Why does your church meet in a house? / Big book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Expectations

    Why We Ask So Little of God

    Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are content with little. Though the Bible calls us to pray and though it promises that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” we can still have very modest expectations of what God will accomplish through…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 19)

    A La Carte: Why man needs God / Why nails matter / Kids’ picture books / MLK’s famous letter changed a DC church / How to mentor / A tearless eternity / and more.