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A La Carte (April 29)

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I am finally on my way home from a ten-day speaking trip through the West Coast and Texas. It was a wonderful time but, as always, I will be glad to be home.

Today’s Kindle deals include some excellent picks from Crossway. If I had to pick one, I’d probably go with What’s Your Worldview? by James Anderson.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Book Unlike Any Other)

The Absence of Opposition

This article challenges the notion that we should allow ourselves to be guided by opposition or affirmed by the lack of opposition. “Difficulty and conflict, in and of themselves, are not good indicators that our work is finished. We so easily give in to the temptation to think that if we are serving where God wants us to be, then there won’t be any opposition or difficulty. We need to be reminded that such is not necessarily the case.”

Life and Death are in the Power of the Fingers

“I am convinced that electronic communication, especially social media, makes it even harder to communicate righteously. There are several reasons this is true.” Jeff Johnson explains.

Preaching Goliath’s Sword

Kraig remembers a particularly memorable sermon. “It was entertaining, gripping, mesmerizing, and attention grabbing. He had lots of conjecture, guesswork, and speculation. Those last three words, while accurate to this sermon, are not the marks of biblical preaching.”

This Piece of Land

Brianna Lambert: “We all crouch down at every starting line, clueless as to what lies ahead. The unknowns start with our first cry and extend to every beginning to come: The turn of the tassel, a job acceptance, the walk down the aisle, two pink lines, or an empty home. What will come of our own piece of land called life? Like Abraham, we hold only a promise.”

Foolosophy

“Here’s the thing: atheism is more than a denial of God with our words. It can also be a denial of God with our lives – with our thoughts, deeds, and words. Atheism can also be a denial of God with what we do and what we leave undone. Each time we sin, we actually deny God and his claims over our lives – effectively denying his existence. All of us still have the remnants of the old nature, and we have to admit that those remnants stink with the rot of atheism.”

Sin Wants Us Isolated

It is so important to know and believe this about sin: that it wants us isolated.

Flashback: If the Bible Is Wrong, I’m So, So Wrong

I’ve examined the evidence and have chosen to believe it’s not wrong, but right. I’ve chosen to believe it’s good and pure and true, infallible and inerrant and sufficient.

Oh, [Christianity] is a great religion to live by, and it is a great religion to die by.

—De Witt Talmage

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  • 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…

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    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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  • 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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