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A La Carte (July 22)

wednesday

If you are looking for something to help your Bible study, Westminster Books is offering up to 50% off the Knowing the Bible series of study guides.

There’s another handful of Kindle deals to look at today, and among them is Christopher Yuan’s excellent memoir.

Covid, Christians, & the Civil Magistrate

Keith Mathison takes a long look at the relationship between Christians and the civil magistrate when the Christians are, for example, ordered to wear masks in church or to refrain from singing.

Don’t Look For Community In The Church. Be The Community.

“Over the years I’ve seen countless examples of Christians caring for each other, putting the interests of others first, and generally sharing their lives. Cancer-plagued believers being driven to chemo treatment by brothers and sisters in Christ. Couples learning how to care for children with special needs so that tired parents can have a night out. Families opening up their homes to welcome singles on a weekly basis. Community is biblical, and it’s important. But it’s not the whole story.”

Announcing Sing! Global 2020, An Immersive Digital Conference for Pastors and Musicians

Getty Music Sing! Global 2020 is an immersive digital conference connecting leaders, families, and churches around the world to encourage and deepen worship. With a vision to help Christians around the world sing the Scriptures and to encourage them with rich teaching, imaginative artistry, and practical resources, this four-day experience (August 30-September 2) will include music led from six continents and an expanded list of over 100 top speakers and artists including John Piper, Trip Lee, David Platt, Joni Tada, Tim Challies & more with 90 days to view on-demand after the event airs. Now, everyone can experience the Sing! conference and we hope you will join us for this exciting event. (Sponsored)

Millions of Kids Won’t Be at School This Fall. Christians Can Step Up to Serve.

This is a great challenge (and opportunity) for Christians! “What might it look like for Christians and churches to practice radical hospitality this fall, serving the families who will be most affected by the closure of in-person schools?”

The Church Irreplaceable

Matt Smethurst: “We do not worship a pixelated Savior, nor did he redeem us to be a pixelated people. Technology in the life of the church is often a gift. God just never intended it to be a replacement.”

The Dog Knew Better

You’ll enjoy this quick story with a lesson drawn from it.

The State of Glory

This article reminds me that if Sinclair Ferguson writes it, I’ll benefit from reading it.

Pruning

“Covid 19 has swept through our world and our lives like a pruning knife, cutting out large portions of things we thought we couldn’t live without. Pruning doesn’t just trim away the excess and the dead; it gouges to the heart of the flourishing, a harsh process designed to bring forth future abundance. But for now, our branches are bare. We feel stripped.”

Flashback: Wanting It Enough

I want to be really godly, but not as much as I want to be kind of godly…I want to achieve the goal a little bit less than I want to put in the effort necessary to have it.

You can be courageous in admitting your sin precisely because God is richly abundant in his mercy.

—Paul David Tripp

  • 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.

  • Motives Matter

    Motives matter, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to something as very good as studying the Bible. The best motive for reading the Bible is to be transformed by it. For this to happen, we must approach our reading and studying with both confidence and humility, asking God to transform us through his Word.…

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    Weekend A La Carte (November 16)

    A La Carte: The gratitude revolution / Can a church require tithing? / Listening that hurts / Correctable mistakes when preaching and teaching / We won’t do nothing for eternity / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a copy of Alistair Begg’s new advent devotional, Let Earth Receive Her King, to prepare your heart for Christmas, along with a $200 gift card for you to purchase Christmas gifts for everyone on your list.  Here are some…

  • Inventory

    The Spiritual Gift Inventory I Believe In

    In many churches, it is standard practice to have Christians take some kind of a spiritual gift inventory. Through a series of questions that probe an individual’s interests, passions, and successes, these tests claim to help people discover the ways the Holy Spirit has gifted them to better love and serve his people.