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A La Carte (5/9)

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Her Primary Ministry – I’ve been enjoying Gloria Furman’s series on the pastor’s wife. Looking to the New Testament she asks, “But where is the list of qualifications to be an elder’s wife? Scripture-based ecclesiology offers no explicit job description for the office of pastor’s wife, because there is no such office.” Her answer is very helpful.

The Quotable Elizabeth – While we’re on that topic, I really enjoyed this interview with Elizabeth Bass, a pastor’s wife. In this interview, and in part one, she is refreshingly honest about what she does, what she doesn’t do, where she is prone to sin, and so on.

The North Carolina Vote – Ryan T. Anderson writes about the way the vote in North Carolina is being framed. “How we talk about an issue affects how we think about it… . Today’s vote in North Carolina is not about banning anything. Nothing will be made illegal as a result.” (HT)

A Disturbing Trend in Publishing – This is, indeed, a disturbing trend. Unfortunately I’m not sure that it’s likely to end with anything less than the disappearance of the hardcover book.

What Sermon Prep Looks Like – I can identify with some of this, though I typically work extra hard to make sure that my sermon’s done by Friday afternoon. I guess that doesn’t keep me from tinkering with it on Saturday night and Sunday morning…

Heavenly Mindedness – Randy Alcorn writes about the value of being heavenly minded. “If you lack a passion for heaven, I can almost guarantee it’s because you have a deficient and distorted theology of heaven (or you’re making choices that conflict with heaven’s agenda). An accurate and biblically energized view of heaven will bring a new spiritual passion to your life.”

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl – N.D. Wilson’s DVD Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, which makes rather a good graduation gift, has seen a price drop at Amazon. It’s worth checking out.

You can have a head full of Scripture and a heart full of sin.

—Vance Havner

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    Weekend A La Carte (February 1)

    A La Carte: The rise of the right-wing exvangelical / A tested faith / Are we alone in the universe? / No one’s born to preach / Associate pastor, it’s good to be second / Why Christians care about submission and authority / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Boyce College/D3)

    Pastors and Parents are always on the lookout for good discipleship resources for teens. You just might be the person who wins these items for free through the D3/Boyce College Giveaway.

  • Mothering Against Futility

    The Futility of Motherhood

    Life is made up of so much that gives the appearance of being futile. There are so many tasks and responsibilities that we intellectually know to be important but emotionally feel to be fruitless. And if everyone struggles with this to varying degrees, I have it on good authority that mothers are prone to struggle…

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    A La Carte (January 31)

    A La Carte: Dune and female moral authority / Three lies that separate spouses / Sin makes you stupid / Can a fallen pastor be restored? / Evaluating Trump’s first week of executive actions / A future for the family / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for January 2025

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of books in January and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have…

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    A La Carte (January 30)

    A La Carte: Small injustices / Is it necessary to be a church member? / How to make friends at college / My letter about a transgender teacher / Prayerless theologians / Deepening fellowship / Kindle deals / and more.