Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (August 27)

thursday

This is my final day of quarantine! After two weeks isolating in the US followed by two isolating in Canada, I’m very nearly free…

There are a few new Kindle deals to consider and they include a book by MacArthur as well as the ESV Prayer Bible which I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen on sale before.

(Yesterday on the blog: How Everything Became About Race, Gender, and Identity)

COVID And Culture Shock Feel The Same To Your Brain

I found this rather interesting—a comparison between culture shock and entering into a pandemic world. “As we have both watched and experienced the events of 2020, something has seemed oddly familiar. Every part of life seems to have changed, nearly overnight. Stores are different. Work is different. Interactions with friends and with strangers – it’s all different. Yet in a way this scene seems to be a re-run. Because, in a way, it is. This scene is familiar because it mirrors culture shock.”

Courage Takes More Than a Keyboard

“Everyone knows by now that our social-media projections are not true to life. But there’s a particular danger for those Christians who are more interested in curating ideas than images. It’s never been easier to ‘defend the truth’ in a vapid, performative way, like the Pharisees who made life and devotion hard on the people without even lifting a finger to help (Matthew 23:4)…”

The End of Sex Scenes

I’m skeptical but hopeful that the combination of MeToo and COVID will mark the decline of movie sex scenes.

Once More on Faith and Fecundity

Kevin DeYoung recently got in hot water for suggesting Christians fight the culture war by having more children. In this article he follows up by clarifying what was unclear and doubling down on the main point.

How COVID-19 Broke the Airline Pricing Model (Video)

This is an interesting look at how COVID-19 disrupted and broke the airline pricing model.

Longing For Home

“We all want a safe, comforting place to call home. A place where we can curl up in a comfy chair with worn arms and a cozy blanket. A place where we can have messy hair and makeup-less faces without feeling self-conscious. A place where people who we love and who love us in return are eagerly awaiting us. A place where we can cry and our tears won’t make others feel awkward. A place where the people know our sins and love us still but strive to guide us toward holiness.”

Discourse with Enemies

Lee Gatiss reflects on Jesus’s gentleness and humility before others and says, “In our own polemics and public engagement, we would do well to meditate more on this aspect of the Lord’s example, not to mention His intense prayerfulness.”

Flashback: Love Is a Risky Business

God’s knowledge of us is unlimited by the past, present, and future. He already knows our deepest, darkest secrets, and he loves us still.

God hath long contended with a stubborn world, and thrown down many a blessing upon them; and when all his other gifts could not prevail, He at last made a gift of Himself.

—Henry Scougal

  • A Less Busy Heart

    In the midst of our busy lives, we can sometimes wonder whether we really have the time to pray. Won’t prayer hinder our productivity? Won’t prayer keep us from getting done all the things we need to do?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (April 12)

    A La Carte: Designer babies / The dragon and the rooster / Leper Christianity / Theologians against nature / Faithful and small / The missing heart of AI sermons / Douglas Groothuis books / and more.

  • Good News Rock Bottom

    Good News at Rock Bottom

    Life most certainly brings its challenges. Some of these are just little ruts along the way, some are deep and dark valleys, and some are lower still—the kind of rock bottom experiences that are so dreadful we wonder if we will be able to endure them with our faith intact.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (April 11)

    A La Carte: John Piper & Kevin DeYoung on baptism / The legacy of TEDS / The DIY spirituality of Rainn Wilson and Rhett & Link / The enormous significance of small tasks / Hello, I want your life / Meryl Streep and Aslan / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    A Batch of New Books for Kids (and Teens)

    Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…