Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (July 20)

thursday

Good morning from somewhere far out over the Pacific as I make my way from Canada to Australia to press on with my Worship Round the World journey. (We continue to fundraise for this project—give here if interested.)

There are several new Kindle deals you may wish to consider today.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Selection of New Songs for Christians)

Penal Substitution Evidences the Godness of God

This is quite a long article that shows how one pastor is attempting to overthrow penal substitutionary atonement. It also shows why that doctrine is made clear in Scripture, present throughout church history, and essential to the gospel.

A good movie gets smeared

It would be a good use of one of your free articles at World Magazine to read Bethel McGrew’s take on the smearing of Sound of Freedom.

“We Need to Tame Our Fingers”—Tim Challies

“In this excellent little book, Jeff Johnson teaches us how to master modern-day challenges through words of ancient wisdom. He dives into the Proverbs to teach us that the great challenge of our day is not first one of technology but one of character. He shows that if we are to serve God’s purpose through all these amazing new apps and devices, we will need to carefully and prayerfully tame our fingers.”—Tim Challies (Sponsored Link)

What Does It Mean That All of Creation Groans?

“Amid the shouting and rejoicing of the heavens and the earth, you can hear another sound. Creation groans. Why does it groan? How does it? And when, if ever, will creation’s groaning end?”

Ten Reasons the Old Testament Matters for Christians

Does the Old Testament really matter for Christians? This article explains why it does.

Help for Family Devotions

Are you thinking about beginning family devotions? Or perhaps trying to get back into the habit? This one by Growing Fathers may be helpful.

What Can the Metropolitan Tabernacle Teach Us About Women’s Ministry?

“You have likely heard of the ‘Prince of Preachers,’ Charles Spurgeon. He ministered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London during the second half of the nineteenth century. It’s less likely that you’ve heard of Lavinia Bartlett. She was a longstanding member and women’s ministry leader at the Tabernacle.”

Flashback: Seven Steps To a Good Breakup

Not every couple who begins dating ends up getting married. Neither should they. In fact, for a dating relationship to be healthy, there must be a way out. As Sam Andreades says, “If you are not able to end a dating relationship, you should never start one.”

Within the community of the family of God, we should not only seek to hold up the arms of others in their suffering; we should also be transparent about our weaknesses and let them hold our arms up for us.

—Glenna Marshall

  • New-and-Notable January

    New and Notable Christian Books for January 2026

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of books in January and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 29)

    A La Carte: Church buildings / Resist assisted suicide / Beauty will win / Finish strong / Glorifying ourselves / Jen Wilkin and the great omission / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Amplify Not a Fool by Responding to His Folly 

    Amplify Not a Fool by Responding to His Folly 

    Where you think your wisdom may make the fool better, it’s more likely that his folly will make you worse. You are more likely to stoop to his level than he is to rise to yours. Ironically, fools can be clever at times and wise men naive, for the fool has an intuitive understanding of…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 28)

    A La Carte: Reaching lost young men / The painful parts of prayer / The fall of our enemies / Doom-scrolling Mozart / A great small group leader / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 27)

    A La Carte: Praying with faith / Can unbelievers perform good deeds? / Sabbath rest / Is sex dangerous? / Clear teaching and preaching / The manosphere / Kindle deals / and more.

  • No Cotton Candy Fairy Tale

    If you’ve read or listened to the news lately, you’ve probably heard much about the persecution of Christians across the world. Dozens and hundreds and thousands suffer and sacrifice for the sake of their faith every day. But a fair number of these sufferers weren’t born into Bible-believing households and families. What are their stories?…