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A La Carte (April 23)

thursday

Today’s Kindle deals include a collection of 9 books by Wiersbe that, as a bundle, are selling for just a few dollars.

Westminster Books has a special on a book that deals with how to pray during a global crisis. As for my fellow Canadians, remember that Reformed Book Services has 20% off on all their stock.

(Yesterday on the blog: It’s Not Often in Life You Get a Do-Over (So Take the Do-Over!))

The Reason Zoom Calls Drain Your Energy

I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds Zoom calls especially draining. This could be a reason why: “When you’re on a video conference, you know everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure and feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is nerve-wracking and more stressful.”

Are We Living In Reality?

“In all these shifting emotions, we need to constantly pray that God would graciously pull us up from the muck of our own perceived reality and into the beauty of the actual reality that we live in. My perceived reality says I am stuck at home. My actual reality says I have been given more time to engage with the people in my life that I have been called to love the most: my family (Titus 2:4)…” (See also: The Extraordinary New Ordinary and A Plea To Parents And Coaches: Slow Down.)

10 Ministry Idols Being Exposed by COVID-19

“The pandemic is forcing churches to do ministry differently and find new ways to reach people. But it’s also teaching us about ourselves and exposing weaknesses in our ministries. We asked several church leaders, ‘What are some ministry idols you see being exposed by COVID-19?’ Here’s what they said…” (See also: Did Some of Us Miss the Sign? and Free Resource for COVID-19 Pastoral Calls.)

The Right Way to Play Monopoly (Video)

I quite enjoyed this video on the right way to play Monopoly. (Note: one bad word.)

An Open Letter to Those Who Divide over Doctrine

“No matter how serious your differences may be with a brother or sister in Christ, if Jesus has set his love on them, we cannot emotionally stiff-arm them. This does not mean we should ignore our disagreements, and in some circumstances there is appropriate space for accountability and confrontation. But even our disagreements and confrontations must be handled with love.”

An Ordinary Sunday?

Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown, CT continues to meet on Sundays and is carefully abiding by the state’s guidelines. Pastor Rob Morris describes what Sunday looks like.

Why We Don’t Evangelize

Pastor Chopo Mwanza offers some thoughts on why we often fail to evangelize.

Flashback: The Next Frontier in Pornography

Today, most people associate VR with gaming, but that is likely to change in the near future. Those who are working on the next generation of VR have far greater ambitions than providing mere entertainment.

The Lord is our portion, and this is incomparably more than if we had heaven and earth.

—David Clarkson

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    A La Carte (January 7)

    A La Carte: Why pray for protection when suffering keeps coming? / Is the sea of faith coming back in? / How the gospel is transforming a prison / Why preaching requires a human touch / Errors to avoid / Kindle and audiobook deals / and more.

  • Your Breath Stinks

    Your Breath Stinks

    Have you ever had one of those experiences when you’re speaking to somebody and begin to notice that their breath is bad? And not just bad, but really bad—so awful that you find yourself discreetly trying to step back to get out of the line of fire. Even as you do your best to remain…

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    A La Carte (January 6)

    A La Carte: How I am getting my mind back this year / Be the kind of person the world needs / Never too busy to pray / A deeper faith / Preparing for the storm / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Zealous but Misguided

    In his letter to the church at Rome, the apostle Paul expresses his sorrow about some people who were zealously religious yet tragically misguided. “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God,” he says, “but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2).

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    Weekend A La Carte (January 4)

    A La Carte: What does the Bible say about remarriage? / Are you your spouse’s biggest cheerleader? / What is a man and what is a woman? / For the most part, we need to stop the claims of government overreach / Find purpose in mundane work / and more.

  • To Be a Woman

    To Be a Woman

    I sometimes wonder what future generations will make of the modern West here in the early decades of the 21st century. I sometimes wonder what they will think of us when they discover that one of the defining questions of our age is also one of the most straightforward: What is a woman? Yet an…