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A La Carte (August 4)

tuesday

Here’s a single sentence from Paul Martin’s pastoral prayer that I think is worth pondering. Praying specifically for our Premier (think Governor if you’re American) he prayed, “Help us to pray for him more than we complain about him.” Ouch! Methinks many of us have some repenting and praying to do…

Today’s Kindle deals include some rare and interesting picks.

(Yesterday on the blog: Why I Need To Spend a Month in Quarantine)

You Keep Using That Word

Keith Mathison picks up on a famous line from The Princess Bride to ask Christians to be careful with the words and terms we use. Like this: “In recent months, for example, I’ve seen a number of Christians argue that someone is an advocate of ‘critical theory.’ While this may very well be true, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if the word means that they think it means.”

Brokenhearted Boldness

John Piper is concerned by some of what he sees online and lauds brokenhearted boldness. “It’s our being drawn into the callout culture, the outrage culture, the cancel culture, the coddled culture. However you name it, it is very angry. And behind the relative safety of social media, it is very bold.”

Your Last Chance to Save Big on Sing! Global, An Immersive Digital Conference

The Sing! Global 2020 conference is coming up fast and Summer registration will end at midnight on Thursday. Motivated by the urgent need to build deep believers in the 21st century, this four-day event is for pastors, church leaders or ANYONE who wants to better understand what God requires worship of us, and has been completely reimagined as an immersive digital experience. It will bring together an array of over 100 Christian leaders and artists from around the world such as John Piper, Tim Challies, Trip Lee, Alistair Begg, Joni Tada and many others to examine how Scripture transforms worship in families and churches. Register before midnight Thursday with the code CHALLIES and save an extra 20%. (Sponsored)

A Bible for the Gas Canister Man

I enjoyed this anecdote…

COVID: A Blessing in Disguise for the American Church

It is inevitable that in some ways the pandemic will prove a blessing (in disguise) for the church. Here are some of them.

What Does “World” Mean in John 3:16?

Here’s a good answer to a common question. “We might be tempted to think that there is much about the world for God to love. After all, what’s not to admire about cityscapes and farmlands, fine cuisine and backyard barbecues, classical symphonies and folk ballads, Renaissance paintings and kindergarten squiggles? The world we know is filled with texture, intrigue, opportunity, and cheer. The problem is that for all that is good and interesting and beautiful about the world, it is overrun with sinners.”

Are We Held Accountable for the Sins of Our Forefathers?

Here’s another question that has been asked a lot, especially lately. Looking to biblical example, Kyle Dillon says “we can say that individual judgment and generational judgment are fully compatible with each other when understood in their proper context.”

Are You Exploiting Your Church?

This is a heavy comparison—comparing certain pastors to strip mines! “Strip mining is a controversial practice that literally removes mountains so natural resources can be exploited. Strip miners only care about what they can take from the earth, not how they can help it grow and flourish. There’s a real temptation for pastors to treat their churches the way a strip miner treats mountains.”

Flashback: The Lingering Stench of Sin

The problem with sin is that it is too dreadful, too ugly, too pernicious to allow solutions that are perfectly clean and neat. Instead, a stink lingers in the aftermath of any great sin.

The church already has a Savior. What she needs now is the Savior’s servant, someone to do his bidding and bring his gifts.

—Harold Senkbeil

  • 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…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This weeks Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of their best-selling Good Book Guides that are designed to guide your head and your heart through God’s word. Each Good Book Guide includes a concise leader’s guide in the back.  The Bundle includes: Giveaway Rules: You…

  • A Light on the Hill

    A Light on the Hill

    In early 2020, CHBC, along with almost every other church in the world, was forced to contend with the opening days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time Caleb Morell was working as Pastor Mark Dever’s personal assistant. Dever tasked him with finding out how the church had responded to the Spanish flu epidemic a…