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A La Carte (July 17)

A La Carte Collection cover image

The ESV Expository Commentary is an excellent reader-friendly series and this week Westminster Books has it heavily discounted as either individual volumes or the entire series.

Today’s Kindle deals include a long list of Christian and general market deals. There are tons of great picks today.

I also noticed that a lot of board games are on sale at Amazon in case that’s of interest.

Every Place Is a Place to Talk About Jehovah

“At the end of the day, every Christian who finds evangelism difficult and challenging asks these questions to themselves – Why don’t I just support the evangelistic efforts of those who are clearly more gifted at reaching out to unbelievers than me? Can I not just live a normal and peaceful Christian life, caring for and fellowshipping with those who are already in my church? Must I evangelize unbelievers around me?”

A Precious Mystery

Reflecting on the death of a church member, Melissa writes, “God’s ways are so mysterious. He gives and He takes away. He brings us joy and grief in the same moment. He teaches us peace and patience during the most harrowing experiences of our lives. He prepares a place for us when we don’t deserve it. He gives us opportunities to give and receive love, to experience true beauty, to find the value in great sorrow. He comforts us. And He teaches us how to love each other well.”

Interpreting the Bible Through the Lens of History

God has revealed Himself as Creator and Redeemer in the historical events of Scripture. Join Todd Chipman for free to study biblical interpretation through the lens of history with For The Church Institute at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College. (Sponsored)

Stop Calling the Church a ‘Family’

That might be slightly overstating the matter, but I think he raises some valid points. “I can find no real Biblical warrant for insisting on the use of the term family at all. If anything, it’s confusing and creates the wrong idea. Can we use it as an analogy? Of course, but we need to break down the natural confusion when we do by our words and our actions.”

How to Care for a Big Church

Pastors and elders will find some helpful ideas here for caring for the members of their churches.

How Marriage Shows the Beauty and Poetry of the Gospel

Darryl Dash: “God created gender. He created man and woman, and he instituted marriage. All of this was a gift meant for his glory and for our joy. But things went horribly wrong in the garden. Yes, they sinned, but part of that sin was the breakdown in how marriage is supposed to function.”

What Should We Learn From the Immensity of the Heavens?

“What other living being has searched the night sky and then pondered his own significance? What other creature has been awed and inspired by the beauty and majesty of the heavens or been curious to explore the far stretches of the universe?” That being the case, what should we learn from the sheer immensity of the heavens?

Flashback: If Satan Took Up Marriage Counseling

If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want struggles or issues a couple encounters to be left festering and unresolved. “It’s fine and good to let the sun set on your anger.”

A half-truth masquerading as a whole truth becomes a complete untruth.

—J.I. Packer

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for August 2024

    We live at a great time to be readers! Christian publishers labor diligently to provide us with good books on every conceivable topic. Once a month I like to sort through all the new releases and put together a list of some of the new and notables. Here are my picks for August, 2024.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 27)

    A La Carte: Keith Green, Bill Hybels, steeples, and bells / Did negligence kill my baby? / Rethinking nostalgic postpartum advice / Yes, all things / We can’t be friends / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Nothing Can Separate Us from God

    This week the blog is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. This excerpt from The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible: One-Volume Edition explains the original meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 8:31-39 and shows how his message can apply to our lives today. We begin with words from the Apostle Paul: 31 What, then, shall we…

  • I Used To Dream Big Dreams

    I Used To Dream Big Dreams

    I used to be a dreamer. I used to lie awake at night thinking of the great man I might be, the great awards I might win, the great deeds I might accomplish for the Lord. I would eventually drift to sleep convinced of my own potential and glimpsing visions of my own grandeur. As…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (August 26)

    A La Carte: Don’t wait until you feel like it / Faithful presence after the Evangelical fracturing / 7 things that make the gospel of John unique / Pastor, your ministry is a noble ask / The case for and against door-to-door evangelism / Lots of great Kindle deals / and more.

  • To Fail in Our Commitment

    Nowhere does the Bible command a daily “quiet time.” Yet often does the Bible commend an earnest commitment to reading the Bible, meditating upon it, and diligently applying its truths. Often does it commend those who lived according to it.