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A La Carte (7/1)

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Church: Love It, Don’t Leave It
Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck are guest voices in the Washington Post, talking about the church. “Here’s what Bono, Oprah, and the guru speakers on PBS won’t tell you: Jesus believed in organized religion and he founded an institution. Of course, Jesus had no patience for religious hacks and self-righteous wannabes, but he was still Jewish. And as Jew, he read the Holy Book, worshiped in the synagogue, and kept Torah. He did not start a movement of latte-drinking disciples who excelled in spiritual conversations. He founded the church (Matt. 16:18) and commissioned the apostles to proclaim the good news that Israel’s Messiah had come and the sins of the world could be forgiven through his death on the cross (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:14-36).”


Free Christian Audio
This month’s free download from Christian Audio is Francis Chan’s Crazy Love, a book that is well worth reading and/or listening to.


My Canada Includes Canada
An opinion column from the Ottawa Citizen that may interest my fellow Canucks. “I will not, and vow I will never, call it “Canada Day” without inverted commas. It would not matter to me if every other living Canadian called it that without further thought. It continues to be Dominion Day, in my view: the patriotic anniversary of my own country. God Himself cannot rewrite history; I recognize no Act of Parliament that attempts to do so.”


The Worst First Page Ever
This may well be the worst opening page of a novel in all of human history. I think we can blame self-publishing for this monstrosity!


Death by Show Business
Jim Spiegel: “The death of Michael Jackson last week is in some ways a distinctively American tragedy. While there is nothing new under the sun about the soul-crushing effects of fame and fortune, the dynamics involved in the demise of the greatest pop icon of his generation are eerily familiar.”


Top Commentaries
Keith Mathison has completed his look at the top five commentaries on every book of the Bible. You can see a series roundup here.


  • Disrupted Journey

    Disrupted Journey

    I am convinced it is appropriate to acknowledge those who bear with chronic pain and illness and that it is especially fitting to give special honor to do those who do so with a deep sense of submission to God’s mysterious purposes in their suffering. But if that’s true, I believe it is also appropriate…

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    A La Carte (March 7)

    A La Carte: Anora and Andrew Tate / The other side of the pew / The myth of the easy answer / Are Christians happier? / Shared meals / Gentle and holy / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 6)

    A La Carte: Mystic at heart / The complexities of Bible translation / Pastors are not political pundits / The workism trap / Virtues gone mad / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • My Son Would Be 25 Years Old Today

    Nick Would Be 25 Years Old Today

    I don’t why we place more emphasis on some birthdays than others. Why is 16 more significant than 17? Why are multiples of 5 more significant than multiples of 4 or 6? I don’t who decides these things or on what basis, but I suppose 25 is significant because it marks a quarter of a…

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    A La Carte (March 5)

    A La Carte: When U.S.-Canadian tensions run high / Before you cut off your parents / Christian Nationalism / Praying for an unmet desire / Preaching from brokenness / Recruiting and caring for volunteers / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 4)

    A La Carte: A case study of tribalism / Women pastors / Daughter or daughter-in-law / Life and death / John Piper on being God’s enemy / For God and country / and more.