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A La Carte (February 5)

tuesday

There are three solid picks in today’s Kindle deals.

(Yesterday on the blog: On Living in a Post-Christian Context)

The Christian Life Is More Like a Bus Ride Than a Motorcycle Ride

“Hey pastor, here’s some language I use to help my people understand how the gospel relates to our life together as a single congregation with a single gathering (no multiple services or sites).” You’ll find this helpful, I think.

My Father Died Last Week

Bill Mounce reflects on life and death and legacies. “Despite the human desire for self-aggrandizement in death, everyone is six feet under. They’re all dead. And they will stand equally before an impartial judge who will determine their eternal destiny. He is not impressed with what impresses people. Neither should we.”

5 Lessons Jordan Peterson Has Taught the Church

I think this one is very much worth reading, perhaps especially for church leaders. “Is Peterson getting something right that the Church has been getting wrong? It’s easy to run down a list of things Jordan Peterson could learn from the Church. But could the Church learn something from Jordan Peterson?”

The Life and Death of John Chau, The Man Who Tried to Convert His Killers

The Guardian has a fairly long account of the life and death of John Allen Chau. “When Chau’s death became international news, many Christians were keen to disavow his actions; Chau’s father believes the American missionary community is culpable in his son’s death. John was an ‘innocent child’, his father told me, who died from an “extreme” vision of Christianity taken to its logical conclusion.”

Democrats Overplay Their Hand on Abortion

“Democratic leaders are overplaying their hand and exposing the harsh reality of their platform. Their promotion of abortion rights after viability doesn’t line up with widely accepted medical evidence or public opinion.” I think Christians should be praying especially fervently at this time that perhaps this can prove a key moment in the battle against abortion.

The Heroes of the Thai Cave Rescue

This one is long and has a few swear words in the narrative. It’s plenty interesting, though. “They know that the impossible might remain impossible today. They only think it is better to try. They can’t wait any longer. The rain is coming. The children are tiring. The world is watching. They may have no chance against impossible odds, but if they do, it is here. If they blink, it’s gone.”

Approaching the Final Exam of Motherhood

“I desperately want to ace motherhood. I often tell younger moms, “God is sovereign over your mistakes,” but I’m not sure I believe my own words. I’m eager to prove myself worthy to the Lord and others by my efforts, and I want to be the mom who nails every assignment.”

Flashback: The Hidden Beauty of a Bad Sermon

A man can read a hundred books on preaching and watch a thousand sermons on YouTube, but the only way he will really learn to preach is to preach.

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.

—Oswald Chambers

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    A La Carte (February 25)

    A La Carte: John Piper on AI sermons / David and Jonathan / You are a burden / Don’t preach a commentary / Why I complain / many Kindle deals / and more.

  • Are you a Hedgehog or a Rhino?

    The truth is that we all have some work to do. Healthy disagreement will draw all of us beyond our natural strengths. It will require stretching into new (often uncomfortable) territory.

  • Only Ever Better

    Only Ever Better

    I’m sure you’ve had the same kind of experience I’ve had—the experience of bumping into someone you haven’t seen for many years. Maybe it is at a conference, maybe at a wedding, or maybe through pure serendipity. Yet now you’re face to face and you realize that even while you’re enjoying a conversation with that…

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    A La Carte (February 24)

    A La Carte: The wounds of fatherhood / No need to fear, ever / How we treat the human body / Therapy culture / The challenge of masculinity / Kindle deals / and more.

  • With Our Eyes on God

    With Our Eyes on God

    Life inevitably faces us with grievous trials and terrible troubles. None of us remains unscathed and undamaged as we make our way through this fallen world. When trials come, they can loom up so large before us that they become the only thing we can see. And even if we find the strength to cry…

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    Weekend A La Carte (February 22)

    A La Carte: The ‘ordo amoris’ and immigration policy / Sin casts a long shadow / But For the Cross of Christ (a new song) / Don’t wait to be thankful / Prayers for scrupulosity / and more.