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A La Carte (July 30)

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Grace and peace to you today, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Unifying Power of Singing

I appreciate Andrew Wilson’s thoughts on the unifying power of singing–something we experience each Sunday!

Doxology

“We are warned about mountain top experiences, and the dangers they present. And I get it. In this life, we must eventually descend the mountain. We are also admonished to enjoy the journey. See the beauty. Squeeze the goodness out of life.”

We Remember Needed Words At The Right Time

Sylvia Schroeder: “God says exactly as much as we need through His Word. He brings it to our minds at the right time, and through it demonstrates His heart of love and compassion.”

Aiming Inside

This author reflects on studying James with students. “The thing that struck me as odd was that consistently when applying James’ wisdom to their lives, they aimed outside rather than inside. These are instructions given to the church, but their applications were always outside the church: how they could care for the poor in society, or love their friends, or tame their tongues on social media.”

Providing for the Household

Drew DiNardo’s article from the current issue of Tabletalk discusses the fact that the heads of Christian households must provide materially and not just spiritually. “Paul unequivocally states that not providing for the material needs of your family, if you are physically able, is tantamount to denying the faith and living like a pagan. This is a scathing indictment.”

Let the Guilty Lament

Ryan reminds us that it is not just the grieving who can and should lament, but also the guilty.

Looking for Your Role in God’s Kingdom? Start Here

Here’s a very simple guide to finding your role in God’s kingdom.

Flashback: 10 Issues To Work Through Before You Get Married

While courtship and engagement is, of course, the time to plan a wedding, it is also the time to plan a marriage. Here, drawn from the work of Jim Newheiser, is a list of issues to work through before you get married.

When we seek to abbreviate God-ordained waiting, we lose an opportunity to learn that he is the source of contentment.

—Glenna Marshall

  • Educated, Free, Wealthy, and Privileged

    We are an educated people with high standards of literacy. We are a free people who enjoy religious liberty. We are a wealthy people with unlimited access to a nearly infinite quantity of Bibles. We are a privileged people who may not realize how blessed we are.

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    Weekend A La Carte (November 2)

    A La Carte: Coldplay’s prayer in Melbourne / Zombies, Heath Lambert, and gatekeeping biblical counseling / Keep the Feast (a new song) / Stop playing the numbers game / Squandering security / and more.

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    Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Yesterday was Reformation Day, when many Protestants celebrate the sixteenth-century recovery of the biblical gospel. It was while Martin Luther was studying the book of Romans that he rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So, today…

  • Daily Liturgy Devotional

    Why Not Use a Daily Liturgy for Your Devotions?

    Trends come and go. Certain habits or interests rise for a time, wane, then rise again, often at unexpected moments. One of the recent trends I have found particularly surprising and also particularly interesting is the rise (or re-rise, if you prefer) of liturgy. This may be liturgy within formal worship services of the local…

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    A La Carte (November 1)

    A La Carte: When a Berkeley feminist had three sons / The tragedy of IVF / What if I don’t feel forgiven? / Piper on how not to respond to suffering / What sola scriptura protects us against / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    As October draws to its close, I wanted to ensure you know about at least some of the most notable books it brought our way. I did not see quite the quantity of new books I have seen in some previous months, but there were still some special ones. For each, I’ve provided the publisher’s…