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A La Carte (January 20)

wednesday

Good morning. As you begin the day, you may do well to briefly consider this truth: “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”

Today doesn’t have the greatest selection of Kindle deals we’ve ever seen, but there are still some good picks there.

Keep Moving Forward

This is a simple reminder, but an important one.

Ready to Party

“I’ve watched friends hold onto life with a white-knuckled grip, desperate for healing to come here on earth, grasping for a few more years before death arrives (and death always arrives, no matter our attempts to deny it). Ben, however, is ready to go.”

AGTV: Unlimited Access to Premier Videos

AGTV exists to guard and proclaim the biblical gospel of Christ crucified, and to provide Christians and their local churches with resources to refute the errors of the “American Gospel.” At AGTV you have unlimited access to films and documentaries like American Gospel, Luther, Calvinist, Christianity Explored, and Epic. (Sponsored)

Are You Living as a Citizen of Heaven?

Today is a good day to consider the matter of citizenship, since today “the world will watch as we inaugurate a new President who will face a set of challenges unlike anything since Reconstruction. In the past two weeks my heart has cried out for America with the simple cry, ‘Lord, have mercy.’ However, while my heart breaks for my country, it also aches for its true home. My passport may have been issued by the United States, but I’m still a resident alien. And I need to live like one.”

The Patriotic Idolatry

“Patriotolatry is dangerous because it flies under the radar for so many American Christians. After all, it can feel dangerously like faithfulness. But when the church begins to wed itself to one particular nation-state, then it begins to prioritize and emphasize its nationality or patriotism as greater than God’s holiness and his global plan for the spread of the gospel.”

The Law of Date Night

I’m not the world’s biggest advocate of date nights, but still enjoyed Anne Kennedy’s take on them. “I have been meaning to blog about this for ages, and so today is the day, even though it doesn’t feel pertinent, mid-week, especially a stressful one, when probably nobody is particularly worried about it. On the other hand, this may be just the thing. Here I will set forth the Law of Date Night for those to whom I kept promising that I would.”

Who Decides How Long A Second Is? (Video)

That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? This video from TED-Ed answers it.

Flashback: Reading Out of Love for Others

…even though reading is a solitary pursuit, it is not necessarily a selfish one. Reading can actually be an important way to love others. Here are five ways to love others in your reading.

The restless, high-pressure hurry in which men live endangers the very foundations of personal religion.

—J.C. Ryle

  • Quiet Time

    The Quiet Time Kickstart

    We are all people of habits. To some degree, we are always battling to establish good habits while battling to supplant bad ones. This is true of us in many different areas of life and most certainly true in our spiritual lives. In fact, some have argued that when we describe the way we relate…

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    A La Carte: Why don’t we read the Bible more? / Did David rape Bathsheba? / To (almost) die is gain / Learn to pray the Bible / When you’re close to burnout / Called to freedom / and more.

  • How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    I think we can sometimes fool ourselves into believing that the Reformation caused the Roman Catholic Church to abandon some, most, or all of the doctrine that was so concerning to the Reformers. We can sometimes believe that the Catholicism of today is materially different from that of the 16th century or that it has…

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    A La Carte (January 15)

    A La Carte: iPhones, idolatry, and evil spirits / At my mother’s deathbed / Nothing to do but pray / Bible study tips for beginners / Jesus did condemn homosexuality / Please don’t sing “Imagine” at funerals / Kindle and book deals.

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    A La Carte (January 14)

    A La Carte: Narcissus in public / A famous poet, KFC, and peace with my past / Does empowerment come from boudoir photoshoots? / Surrendering them to God / Sermon prep / Your plans for this year / and more.

  • 10 Reasons to Teach the Bible’s Big Truths to Children

    📖 Why teach children the big truths of the Bible? Moses commanded Israel to gather everyone—men, women, and little ones—to hear God’s law. Why? So they could “hear and learn to fear the Lord.” (Deut. 31:12-13) Children need the deep, rich truths of Scripture to know God, embrace the Gospel, and build a faith that…