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A La Carte (6/29)

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Contend for the Faith – This is just a short article, but it asks an important question: “are we more eager to police other Christians’ theology, quietly gleeful when we diagnose error, or are we more eager to rejoice in what we have in common with other Christians? Both are crucial. Neither is negotiable. But which is our deepest joy and instinct?”

Baptized Lions and Talking Crosses – Timothy Paul Jones looks at a couple of real-life examples of how some writings ended up excluded from the churches’ collections of authoritative books.

Trashing Icons of Innocence – “In June of 1989, rocker Don Henley struck a chord with his melancholy musical commentary ‘The End of the Innocence.’ In that song, guileless idealism runs headlong into harsh realities of adult life. Divorce. Deception. Duplicity. But Henley’s Top-10 hit didn’t chronicle the final, dying breath of sweetness and naïveté in America. Twenty-three summers later, there’s still a little left. And it’s taking a beating.”

Toward Short-Term Missions – Darren Carlson continues his look at short-term missions. “In the first article I laid out the history of short-term missions and some of the opportunities it has provided. The second article pointed to some of the problems that surround the enterprise. Now I want to offer a way forward.”

Obamacare – “The Supreme Court this morning ruled that two main provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (commonly referred to as ‘Obamacare’) were, for the most part, constitutional. How did this happen? What does it mean for our constitutional system? Here’s a few answers.”

The London Olympics – The 2012 Olympics are ramping up in England, and so are the visualizations of all the data related to the games. You can see a collection of Olympic-related infographics at the link.

This Is the Gospel Project – This is a great little look at redemptive history via classical art.

Ah! if there be degrees in glory, they will not be distributed according to our talents, but according to our faithfulness in using them.

—C.H. Spurgeon

  • Breath

    A Sudden Stopping of the Breath

    I recently encountered a poem I enjoyed and wanted to share with you. LeRoy Tate Newland was an American pastor, a missionary to Korea, and a poet. Among his poems is this brief reflection on the death of a Christian (which, appropriately, is titled “A Christian’s Death”). I hope you enjoy it as much as…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 5)

    A La Carte: The Lioness, the Witch and the Wardrobe / Are people basically good? / Who gets to define a healthy baby? / Go, gently / Films that defined Christian politics / Rethinking our mission field / and more.

  • Sermon Introduction

    Three Levels of Sermon Introduction

    Though every sermon necessarily needs a beginning, it does not necessarily need a formal introduction. Though it has to begin somewhere, there is no rule that it must begin with some kind of story or illustration. A preacher can jump straight into his text if he so desires. Some do.

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    A La Carte (April 4)

    A LA Carte: Causes of division in the church / Union with Christians / The 1%-er rhetoric / Pray or sleep? / Distinguishing shame from guilt / Many more Kindle deals / and so on.

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    A La Carte (April 3)

    A La Carte: Never too late to learn how to pray / Walking with those who weep / Rethinking the role of pastor’s wife / What does the Bible mean when it teaches wives to submit? / Does God want some to go to hell? / Kindle deals / and more.