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A La Carte (9/6)

A La Carte Collection cover image

I Don’t Remember Chemistry – I appreciate Stephen Altrogge’s thoughts here. “Is it possible we’re setting the bar too high for ourselves and our children? That maybe we’re getting a little carried away? And that maybe, just maybe, we’re going beyond what God requires of us as parents?”

New Look at the Prince of Preachers – I am enjoying Tom Nettles’ new biography of Charles Spurgeon. The Gospel Coalition recently interviewed him about Spurgeon and about the book.

The Ache of Mortality – “In the sweet seasons, the ache is bittersweet; time is moving along, and we’ll never return to the goodness that is right now. In the dark or painful seasons, the seasons of waiting, the awareness that life is quickly passing is all the more acute because lingering within is that question: When, Lord? How long, Lord?”

All His Breakers and His Waves – Jared Wilson: “Our little church is feeling a little beat up right now. What is God doing? … But I feel (fear?) that God is seasoning us. I mean, I know he is. I know what suffering is for. I’ve had my own. God crushing me was honestly the best thing he ever did for me. But I feel protective right now. And overwhelmed. The caregivers in our community — which is most of our community — are running on fumes. We feel unprepared, incapable, dumb.”

How to Criticize a Preacher – We all want to criticize a preacher sooner or later. David Murray offers some tips on doing it well.

It is almost as presumptuous to think you can do nothing as to think you can do everything.

—Phillips Brooks

  • New and Notable February

    New and Notable Christian Books for February 2025

    February is typically a solid month for book releases, and this February was no exception. As the month drew to its close, I sorted through the many (many!) books that came my way this month and arrived at this list of new and notables. In each case, I’ve provided the editorial description to give you…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (February 28)

    A La Carte: Rhett & Link and cherry-picking Jesus / lost pieces of a good romance / New from CityAlight / Tim Keller was the king of endnotes / Lead a church without losing your soul / Do we ever stop grieving? / Book sale / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 27)

    A La Carte: Different than I expected / The indispensable inefficiency of prayer / Dumb church / Pleading the blood / Love songs and Christian marriage / Acts of God / and more.

  • The Quest for More

    The Quest for More

    Somewhere deep inside, each one of us longs for more. We want more money, more authority, more followers, more of whatever it is that we find especially desirable or especially validating. “Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,” says the Sage, “and never satisfied are the eyes of man” (Proverbs 27:20). We live within a vicious…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (February 26)

    A La Carte: IVF is not pro-family / You’re not a machine / We need you to write / A shard, a sharpener, and sin / Wandering / Defining “nation” / Journaling Bibles / and more.