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A La Carte (July 4)

A La Carte Thursday 1

Happy Fourth of July to my American friends and family! 🇺🇸

Today’s Kindle deals include Glen Scrivener’s excellent The Air We Breathe. There are many other options as well.

Beginning today, 10ofThose is hosting a 4th of July sale. They’ve got lots of great books discounted from a variety of publishers.

(Yesterday on the blog: Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life)

Leaning in to Difference: Zoomers and the Future of the Church

“There’s an interesting phenomenon underway among a younger cohort of Christians in the West today. And it’s this: Faced with a plethora of challenges; a growing secularism, a hardening against the gospel, a rejection of a biblical understanding of humanity and sexuality, Zoomers are leaning in.  They’re steeling themselves and saying ‘Okay, if I’m going to believe this thing, then I’m going to go all in.’”

Good Sex Starts With the Heart

Scott Mehl: “One way to summarize God’s design for sex is to say that He created sex to be God-centered and other-focused. Ultimately, God created sex to teach us about Himself. In that way, sex is God-centered. But in order to learn and experience what God intends to reveal through sex, our engagement in it must not be self-focused but other-focused—that is, focused on the pleasure, joy, and fulfillment of our spouse.” (For more on this, read Mehl’s excellent book Redeeming Sex in Marriage.)

Political Ideology vs. Science

Keith Mathison writes about political ideology versus science. “At its root, the main problem with the ideologues is that they won’t accept the fact that reality is what it is regardless of what you or I think. The ideologues assert that each of us can effectively create our own reality regardless of what reality actually is. Each of us can be a god.”

Thou Shalt Not Catastrophize

Glenna Marshall confesses that she is prone to fret and catastrophize. However, she also explains how God has helped her grow in her faith. “While the Bible doesn’t say ‘Thou Shalt Not Catastrophize,’ it does tell us repeatedly not to be afraid. Fear batters our trust in God. Fear is the wave that tosses us around with instability. Fear is the desire to manipulate the future with annotated research and pantry stockpiles.”

The Sacrifices of a Wife

Jacob celebrates his wife and praises her for the sacrifices she has been willing to make. “The world would have her believe that these sacrifices are oppressive. That these sacrifices somehow make her ‘less than’. That following her dreams is the purpose of her existence and any obstacle that gets in the way of that should be removed. Absolute garbage.”

What Happens When We Trust God for the Next Step

Lois makes good use of the naval term “sailing under sealed orders.” “Sailing under sealed orders is no longer military theory to me; it’s become real life. And what I’m learning, as I go from one set of coordinates to another, is that God is faithful.”

Flashback: 5 Ways To Minister To Other Christians This Sunday

In every part of the life we share together as a church, we have the ability to minister the truth of God’s Word to others. Who in your church needs you to minister the word to them this Sunday?

A man can’t be always defending the truth; there must be a time to feed on it.

—C.S. Lewis

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (July 4)

    A La Carte: Zoomers and the future of the church / Good sex starts with the heart / Political ideology vs. science / The sacrifices of a wife / Thou shalt not catastrophize / What happens when we trust God for the next step? / and more.

  • Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life

    Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life

    There are some things I’m good at. Whether by nature, nurture, or hard practice, I have accumulated some skills and been given some talents. But I’m not good at everything of course. Not nearly. One thing I’m very poor at is …

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 3)

    A La Carte: Jesus Calling and the PCA / Why do we believe so many lies about heaven? / Kevin DeYoung’s theological explainer / Ancestor worship in the church / Dear little one / Thoughts on being a Christian writer / Kindle device and book deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 2)

    A La Carte: Growing older with wisdom, not bitterness / The bestselling reference Bible / Two new songs / The calling of motherhood for the worrisome mother / Beware the emotional prosperity gospel / Doomed to final frustration / Logos and Kindle sales / and more.

  • Software for Church Leadership

    This week the blog is sponsored by Church Social and is written by Jonathan Reinink. I am currently serving as an elder in my church. In my church, elders and deacons serve three-year terms. Between meetings, pastoral visits, and being in tune with what’s happening both locally and in our denomination, there’s lots of work to do.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 1)

    A La Carte: One of the best ways we can love our loved ones / Poetry as a means of grace / The cleansing breeze / The redeeming, soul-depression of Jesus / Taking a hard look / Beauty is found in the most unexpected places / Kindle deals / and more.