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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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    A La Carte (March 11)

    A La Carte: What we gained and lost by live-streaming / The spouse of an unbeliever / To the exhausted / Draw near to God through writing / Shrinking in shame / No one seeks God / and more.

  • Using Photographs in the Church and Classroom

    The Photo Companion to the Bible illustrates every book in the New Testament through beautiful, high-quality digital photographs. Especially designed for use by Bible teachers and church leaders, this PowerPoint-based resource includes explanatory notes and is easily adaptable to your needs. Your download includes generous usage permissions that cover the home Bible study, the classroom,…

  • Trade War

    What’s a Trade War and How Did We End Up In One?

    A couple of months ago, I wrote an article titled “Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State.” It began with the words, “These are strange days in Canada.” Little did I know—though I suppose I should have predicted—that they would only get stranger.

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    A La Carte (March 10)

    A La Carte: Do your Sunday songs pass the test? / Deflating our pride / The massive “revivals” happening at universities / Parenting a special needs child / Every Christian is a counselor / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Eloquence

    Arrogance & Eloquence

    When Jesus’s disciples asked for instruction on prayer, he warned them of a common temptation—the temptation to think that prayer depends upon saying just the right words or a certain number of words. “When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,” he said, “for they think that they will be…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 8)

    A La Carte: The maturation of New Calvinism / The class divide over screen time / New from the Gettys / Getting organized for the glory of God / Keep calm and read Scripture / and more.