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A La Carte (7/19)

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Thursday July 19, 2007

Books: The NY Times has an early review of the new Harry Potter. “With each installment, the Potter series has grown increasingly dark, and this volume … is no exception.” “Ms. Rowling has fitted together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of this long undertaking with Dickensian ingenuity and ardor.”

Politics: Obama says “sex education for kindergarteners, as long as it is ‘age-appropriate,’ is ‘the right thing to do.’”

Humor: Pecadillo shares a strange story and shows that he shares my dislike for cats, evil creatures that they are.

Du Jour: Timmy Brister writes about being “a Misfit in a World of Impermanence.” Well worth the read, this one.


  • Pronouns

    Should We Capitalize Divine Pronouns?

    There are certain emails I receive on a routine basis and an especially common one relates to pronouns. Thankfully it’s not asking me to define my own pronouns as is all the rage today, but rather asking me whether Christians ought to capitalize God’s pronouns. By way of explanation, when some Christians use a pronoun…

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    A La Carte (April 7)

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  • 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.