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A La Carte (January 8)

friday

Good morning. The God of peace be with you all today.

Here’s your occasional reminder that at SquareQuotes.church you’ll find a huge collection of the daily quote graphics I share each day. You can download them, print them, share them, and so on.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of volumes in the John Stott Bible Study series.

A Call for Content Creators to Cultivate Discernment

I hope content creators will heed this call to cultivate true discernment. “Beautiful language, by itself, does not encompass all that it means to write well as a Christian. Christian writers must labor not only to write what is true but also to write in a manner that adorns the truth.”

When Things Look Bleak…

Nick Batzig: “Like many other Christians, I am deeply concerned about the direction in which our country has been moving and the speed at which it continues to move. The murder of the unborn, the celebration of every form of sexual immorality, the increase in public acts of violence, perpetual discrimination, sex trafficking, and a rise in religious intolerance certainly top the list of moral evils over which we should grieve.”

Church Planting in Forgotten Urban Neighborhoods

Gospel-centered church planting has been flourishing for decades—except among the urban poor. New England Urban (NEU) Church Planting aims to bridge that gap and equip church planters to build gospel-rich churches among New England’s poorest urban neighborhoods. Learn more and register for our upcoming online conference: Urban Hope: How Gospel Churches Bring Hope to Forgotten Neighborhoods. Febuary 5-6, 2021. Use the code CHALLIES for a 20% discount. (Sponsored Link)

Closer to Islam than to Liberal Christianity

Even here in Canada I’ve had experiences like this one: “We stood there awkwardly as the laughter died away. I looked at Henry and at my new Egyptian friend, realizing in that moment that we had more in common with one another than we did with all these chuckling church-goers. In fact, we lived in a different world. As a believer, I had more in common with my Muslim friends like this Egyptian than I did with many of my own countrymen who claimed to be Christians. What a strange and tragic thing.”

Isn’t It Cruel to Force a Woman to Keep a Child She Can’t Afford to Raise, or to Give up a Baby for Adoption?

Randy Alcorn answers a common charge made against those who are pro-life.

Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

David Steele’s review of this new (and really problematic) book is an opportunity to teach and celebrate lots of precious truths.

Why Did God Harden Pharaoh’s Heart? A Case for Divine Ultimacy

If you’re interested in a longer read, perhaps consider this article from Phil Gons.

Flashback: Head Knowledge = Good. Heart Knowledge = Good.

Christianity is and must be a faith that involves the mind just as it is and must be a faith that involves the heart. The problem comes when there is a radical disconnect between the two.

What God takes from me is less than I owe him, and what he leaves me is more than I deserve.

—William Gurnall

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    A La Carte: Very cool birds / The way to combat anxiety / Do not hinder yourself / The sacred mundane / Thriving in women’s ministry leadership / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (February 17)

    A La Carte: Wisdom for online dating / Anything can be an idol / The great danger / Unconfessed sin / Sins we love to ignore / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Quality Time

    Quality Time

    People of all faiths pray. Some pray to gods, some to ancestors, some to nature, and some to the universe, but all speak out words, all utter desires, all hope to be heard. But Christians pray differently and Christians pray confidently, for we pray to a Father. We alone “have received the Spirit of adoption…

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    Weekend A La Carte (February 15)

    A La Carte: Resisting temptation / Strange familiarity / The reluctant polemicist / A new Getty hymn / The power of one bitter thought / Better than a holy year / and more.

  • The Art of Disagreeing

    Keep Calm and Stay Friends

    It is hard to disagree with someone you love. It is harder still to disagree well—to retain genuine respect and true friendship despite differing opinions or convictions. And, as we all know by experience, there is just so much to disagree about.