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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

  • 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.