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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

  • Finn

    I’m a Grandfather!

    Yesterday Abby and Nathan welcomed their first child into the world: Finnegan Safir Nicholas Elfarrah. Because they live just minutes away, Aileen and I were able to be there shortly after his birth to rejoice with them and to meet our first grandchild. We are thrilled beyond measure. And he is cute beyond belief. They…

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    A La Carte (November 20)

    A La Carte: Pray till you pray / Do children need to consent to puberty? / Pleading for Sodom / A thought experiment / 10 mistakes when reading the Bible / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (November 19)

    A La Carte: Good night, my son / The longing for justice following sexual assault / Daughter of encouragement / Mistakes I made as a theological student / The dangers of disordered love / Kindle deals / and more.

  • What Grieves the Heart of God

    What Grieves the Heart of God?

    What pleases God? What delights his heart? And what displeases God? What grieves his heart? If asked, I think most of us would assume that if we ever grieve the heart of God it will be through denying the gospel or committing a grave moral scandal. Or if we do so as a local church,…

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    A La Carte (November 18)

    A La Carte: When God does not need our service / How to forgive and move on / A devotional for depression / Can a speeding ticket change your heart? / Is it I, Lord? / Kindle deals / and more.