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A La Carte (February 13)

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May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: Who’s Afraid of the Teenage Years?)

Why Pastors Should Get a Family Wage

I have been intrigued by Rhys Laverty’s writing on providing a pastor a “family wage.” I continue to think through whether or not I agree with him (and perhaps especially so in a location as expensive as Toronto). But am glad to have the opportunity to ponder it.

Is Satan Bound? Or Is He the Ruler of This World? (Video)

Is Satan bound or is Satan the ruler of this world? It’s a great question and Derek Thomas, W. Robert Godfrey, and Sinclair Ferguson all answer in slightly different ways in this video from Ligonier.

A Match (Un)Made in Heaven

“I think about heaven a lot. When I’m sad because I’m watching a loved one’s body break down, or because human impact on the environment brings destruction and death, I look to what I know about heaven. In heaven, we will be given new bodies and will inhabit a new earth. One thing will not be made new? Our marriages. The cliché is, ‘it’s a match made in heaven.’ However, in reality, every match made on earth will be unmade in heaven.”

She Will Be Saved Through Childbearing

There are few passages more difficult than “she will be saved through childbearing.” Mitch Chase takes it on here and offers a good interpretation. “Peter once wrote that there are ‘some things’ in Paul’s letters “that are hard to understand” (2 Pet. 3:16), and 1 Timothy 2:15 would surely be among ‘some things.’ Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 2:15 comprise one of the most difficult verses in the whole New Testament.” Indeed.

Christians Are Not Ready for the Age of “Adult AI”

Samuel James explains why many common arguments against using pornography may not help much as the industry inevitably migrates to the heavy use of AI. (I still think those arguments are good and important, but he’s right that they will need to change alongside the technology.)

Gratitude

“Expressing gratitude is a joy-producing practice. As Christians, we can start by acknowledging that everything we have and are, from each breath we take to our salvation in Christ and every blessing in between, big or small, are gifts from our gracious heavenly Father (Ephesians 1:3). Then, we can be intentional about recognizing the good gifts others give us, both the material and relational, tangible and intangible.”

Flashback: Why Modern Dating Is So Difficult

Paul Grimmond…lays out seven features of our modern Western context that impact dating in profound ways.

I flee for shelter to the blood of Jesus. I will live to Him; I will die to Him. I take heaven and earth to witness that all I am and all I have are His.

—Ebenezer Erskine

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    A La Carte (December 11)

    A La Carte: Best Christian music of 2024 / Top theology stories of 2024 / The woke left and right show no mercy / The seven “P”s of prayer / Wrap up some stuff this Christmas / and more.

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    A La Carte (December 10)

    A La Carte: Take heed lest you fall into an affair / Empty ritual is the enemy / Will I suffer my singleness forever? / Come all the not so faithful / The art of getting out of the way / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Missions on Point

    This week the blog is sponsored by Propempo International which invites you to explore a revolutionary take on missions on today! What would happen if the local church took its rightful role in global missions? Providing a refreshing look on missions, “Missions on Point,” written by experienced church planter and missionary David Meade, proposes this simple…

  • Songs in the Night

    Those Who Sing Songs in the Night

    Imagine that you are sitting in a prison cell. This is not some posh or even stark 21st-century prison cell, but a primitive Roman one. Your back is pressed against cold stones. Your stomach is aching with hunger. Your nose is assaulted by terrible smells. Your heart is filled with despair. You know your death…

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    A La Carte (December 9)

    A La Carte: Tortured, imperfect, and held by Jesus / Let the feminist mock / What is the wrath of God? / As long as there is time / Every believer’s call to meaningful ministry / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A Common Contradiction Between Belief and Practice

    A Common Contradiction Between Belief and Practice

    Many Christians experience a contradiction between what we believe to be true about the Bible and our actual practice of reading the Bible. Often our theology is superior to our habits. We profess that the Bible is infallible, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient, but we then neglect it in our daily lives. We agree with David…