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A La Carte (April 28)

wednesday

Grace and peace to you today.

If you’re interested in a journaling Bible, then you should check out this week’s sale at Westminster Books.

Today’s Kindle deals include the popular Risen Motherhood.

Out of My Hands and Into His

This is a poignant reflection from Madelyn Canada. “I miss him. I kept thinking time would erase the dull ache in my heart, but it hasn’t. I don’t think love for someone is something we can ever fully eradicate. Once it has begun, it will always be. Whether it manifests itself in butterflies and laughter, or aches and bittersweet longing. Being a nanny and a teacher has made that much clear.”

Aren’t All Religions Basically The Same? (Video)

Dr. James Anderson takes on a common question in this video from RTS.

Why Pre-Field Missionary Training Is Vital For Reaching Unreached People Groups

Why are the last remaining 3,100 or so unreached people groups the last ones? It isn’t random and there are very clear reasons why. How come the missionary attrition numbers from the West are so high? This short article by Radius International speaks to those key issues. (Sponsored Link)

Pastor, Your Body Keeps the Score

Jared Wilson: “Every day it seems I read about or even hear from pastors who are struggling with anxiety, depression, or other severe effects of hard ministries. The burnout rate for ministers is too high, and things have only gotten worse over the last year and a half.”

How To Criticize the Church

Anne Kennedy provides a crucial distinction between two different ways of criticizing the church.

The Mystery of Joy

“I held a grieving friend in my arms this week, absorbed the weight of her story and, together under a cold rain, we prayed for joy. Not the surface kind of happiness that comes from relief of weighty circumstances, but the kind of joy that anchors a soul to what is true even in the throes of sorrow.”

What Would Make You Walk Away?

Paul Levy shares a pastoral letter in which he answers the question of what it would take for him to walk away from the faith.

Flashback: Netflix’s Biggest Competition

By releasing entire seasons at once rather than at the traditional rate of an episode per week, they are helping us form habits of binging, of reducing sleep to gain entertainment. They are, by Hastings’ own admission, training us to be addicted to what they provide.

When we realize that God is the perfection of all that we long for or desire, that he is the summation of everything beautiful or desirable, then we realize that the greatest joy of the life to come will be that we “shall see his face.”

—Wayne Grudem

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    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Pope Francis / Yes, Jesus was crucified with nails / The mystery of “the call” / Just a little bit / The last of the four / John outran Peter / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Will You Be a Pillar?

    How do we lead in a culture shaped by performance, individualism, and platform? Platforms to Pillars by cultural commentator Mark Sayers offers a biblical alternative to the platform mentality that dominates our society. Drawing from the ancient world, Sayers challenges Christians to become pillars—people who provide strength and support for others, who live with character…

  • The Tallest Trees

    The Winds Blow Hardest Against the Tallest Trees

    Through the weekend had many questions about Christian leaders who fall. And I expressed that just as the winds blow hardest against the tallest trees, so temptations may press hardest against the leaders who rise the highest. Just as floods press against shallow roots, so seductive desires rise up against those whose fall would bring…

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    A La Carte (April 21)

    A La Carte: Toxic servant leadership / Taking our stress to the Lord / The problem with habits / Is it wrong for Christians to choose cremation? / Why does your church meet in a house? / Big book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Expectations

    Why We Ask So Little of God

    Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are content with little. Though the Bible calls us to pray and though it promises that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” we can still have very modest expectations of what God will accomplish through…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 19)

    A La Carte: Why man needs God / Why nails matter / Kids’ picture books / MLK’s famous letter changed a DC church / How to mentor / A tearless eternity / and more.