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A La Carte (9/13)

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My children are going to French Immersion school, which means that they spend half a day learning in English and half a day learning in French. Generally we are really glad to have them learning a second language. Where I don’t like it so much is where they are now starting to realize that the French folk songs I sing them don’t actually make any sense. They are unmasking my ignorance (and, already, their accents are way better than mine ever was).

Five Tips for Raising Godly Children – “Many folks who have read J.C. Ryle over the years have thoroughly enjoyed his writings, especially his well known works like Holiness, Knots Untied and his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels commentary set. However, many folks may forget that John Charles Ryle was not only a prolific writer and vigorous preacher in England during the 1800′s, he was also a parent…to five children. [and widowed three times!]”

At the Bottom of Everything – Another good blog entry from 6YearMed (who must be getting near to the end of her 6 years). “Sometimes we rock babies to sleep. Sometimes we rock to quiet them. And sometimes we rock a baby to soothe ourselves.”

My Mom’s on Facebook? – Here’s the infographic du jour, this one showing how Facebook’s demographic is changing. One thing that surprised me: The average Facebook user is 38 years old and 61% of Facebook users are 35 or older.

The Social News Room – Another tech article, this one showing how the news has changed in a world of social media.

Lady Gaga and the Death of Sex – There are a couple of not-so-nice pictures in this article, so click the link with that warning in mind. This author shows how Lady Gaga, the ridiculously popular pop singer, seems to herald the death of the sexual revolution. “Furthermore, despite showing acres of pallid flesh in the fetish-bondage garb of urban prostitution, Gaga isn’t sexy at all – she’s like a gangly marionette or plasticised android. How could a figure so calculated and artificial, so clinical and strangely antiseptic, so stripped of genuine eroticism have become the icon of her generation? Can it be that Gaga represents the exhausted end of the sexual revolution? In Gaga’s manic miming of persona after persona, over-conceptualised and claustrophobic, we may have reached the limit of an era…”

A Campaign Speech – This is just too, too, I don’t even know what. It’s the latest and greatest viral video and is something you just need to experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMgyi57s-A4?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of the noonday sun, when a fish is happy on dry land then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven.

—J.C. Ryle

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    Weekend A La Carte (December 28)

    A La Carte: The little child who brings a rod / How Christian men act like men / When the growing is slow / Creativity in devotional time with God / What happens when we share the gospel? / and more.

  • The Collected Best Christian Books of 2024

    The Collected Best Christian Books of 2024

    I probably don’t need to tell you how much I love books in general, and Christian books in particular. One of my favorite times to be a reader is in mid-December when people begin to share their picks for the top books of the year. I usually collect a good number of these lists and…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (December 27)

    A La Carte: Bespoke spirituality / Top 10 YouTubes of 2024 / John Piper on using and overusing commentaries / 12 practical ways to evangelize / You’ll never really settle in / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (December 26)

    A La Carte: The thief’s good works / It’s a wonderful strife / The forgotten qualification / How to spend your time during the final days of the year / A new poem / Lessons for church planters/ and more.

  • Merry Christmas

    Merry Christmas, My Friends

    Merry Christmas, my friends. I trust you are enjoying this day, whether with friends or family or in solitude. As for us, we are having a quiet morning with just the three of us. Abby, Nate, and Finn will come by later in the day as will Aileen’s parents so we can celebrate and enjoy…

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    A La Carte (December 24)

    A La Carte: Holiday blues / Biblical justice requires strong rules of evidence / Christmas used to be perfect (then I grew up) / Praise God for boring days / What did Mary know? / In awe of the aged / and more.