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A La Carte (December 26)

A La Carte Thursday 1

I trust you enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did. The Lord is good to give us days to rest and simply enjoy his gifts.

It is a bit of a slow stretch for Kindle deals, but be sure to check in after 6:30 AM and I’ll see what I can find.

The Thief’s Good Works

Jackson Gravitt provides a couple of perspectives on the thief’s good works.

It’s a Wonderful Strife

“Shaping rock, shaping students; I’d be hard-pressed to say which is more difficult. Rock is less resistant to change and fights back far less often, but again, it’s just rock in the end. Students, while tough as granite at times, are well worth the effort – well worth the strife.” Josh reflect on this “wonderful strife.”

Hospitality: The Forgotten Qualification

“When considering the qualifications for elders, ‘able to teach’ is often recognized as the one qualification uniquely required for the office. Certainly, the unique role of elders centers on ‘the ministry of the word.’ But another qualification is often missed or underdeveloped, which is vitally supplemental to the teaching ministry.”

How Should I Spend My Time During the Final Days of the Year?

There’s an important challenge here. “Christians love to debate the final days on Earth, but few Christians discuss the final days of the year. Effective time stewardship is crucial during the last days of December because the way you spend this time will influence how you begin the new year. If done well, you’ll start 2025 with a burst of energy and enthusiasm. But if done poorly, you may start the new year feeling sluggish.”

Give Me Faith

Here’s a new poem that has a good message.

5 Lessons for New Church Planters

Church planters will benefit from these lessons.

Flashback: When I Get to the End of the Way

“By and by I shall see him and praise him, in the city of unending day, and the toils of the road will seem nothing, when I get to the end of the way.”

Legalistic remorse says, “I broke God’s rules,” while real repentance says, “I broke God’s heart.”

—Tim Keller

  • Beauty

    The Greatest Beauty I’ve Ever Seen

    One of the great privileges of my life has been the opportunity to travel far and wide. While most of my travel has been related to either speaking at conferences or filming documentaries, my hosts have often invited me to deviate from the straightest course to explore and take in the area’s natural beauty. It’s…

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  • Spurgeon

    Must You Read at Least One Spurgeon Biography?

    I am not aware of a verse in the Bible that says every Christian must read at least one biography of Charles Spurgeon. Or every Calvinist, at least. But I also wouldn’t be completely shocked if it’s there somewhere and I’ve just missed it. And that’s because his life and ministry were powerfully unique in…

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    A La Carte (January 21)

    A La Carte: What “love your enemies” does not mean / John Piper on reading providence / Talking to your Roman Catholic friends / What happens at prayer meeting? / Against executive pastors / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Christian Standard Commentary: A Modern Commentary Steeped in Ancient Tradition

    The Christian Standard Commentary will encourage and equip God’s people to understand the text and live according to Scripture for Christ’s glory. The unique ancient-modern approach to the biblical text found in the CSC is a valuable resource for building up Christ’s church while encouraging God’s people to fulfill the Great Commission. As a commentary…

  • Finnegan

    Why I Haven’t Written A Whole Lot about My Grandson

    It has been two months since little Finnegan was born—two months since I became a grandfather for the first time. It only just occurred to me that I have said very little about this new reality, this new stage of life, this new member of our family.