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A La Carte (June 11)

friday

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

Just a reminder that over at my site SquareQuotes you can find a huge collection of the quote graphics I share every day.

Today’s Kindle deals include just a couple of titles.

What the Plummeting Fertility Rate Means for Churches

The current trajectories when it comes to fertility rates will inevitably bring some large changes to churches in the future. Philip Jenkins explains. “That change has epochal implications for all the world faiths, and especially for Christianity. The change foreshadows a precipitous decline in organized and institutional religion of all kinds, since fertility rates correlate so closely with religious practice and affiliation. It also decides where the largest Christian populations will be found in future decades (mainly in high-fertility, high-faith Africa).”

Platforms, Polemics, and Pastoral Ministry

Nick Batzig: “When ministers of the gospel concern themselves more with platforming agendas than pastoring the local congregation, things begin to go off-kilter. When ministers spend inordinate amounts of time placarding their opinions on podcasts, social media, and others platforms, they get drawn away from the flock and enamored with controversy.”

Savor Each Sunday Service

Yes, do savor each Sunday service, knowing that each one is unique. “Every time your local Church gathers, it is an unrepeatable, unique day God sovereignly ordained for the praise of His glory and for your good.”

The Lord of the Rings Expert Answers More Tolkien Questions From Twitter (Video)

I really enjoyed this video (as I did the original).

What’s New about the New Commandment?

What was new about the new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples? “Why did he call it a new commandment? As Jews they were familiar with the command recorded in Leviticus 19:18 – ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.’ So what was new about Jesus’ commandment?”

Do Not Delay

This is a reminder that delayed obedience is actually disobedience.

One of the Earliest (and Clearest) Summaries of Early Christian Beliefs

It is both neat and encouraging to see how the earliest Christians shared the beliefs of we who came much later.

Flashback: When My Fashion Accessory Told Me To Take a Hike

Some of these photos weren’t for you or for them—they were for me. My kids were accessories to me, a way of making me look good in your eyes or making me feel good about myself.

There is no work which God has made—the sun, moon, stars and all the world—in which so much of the glory of God appears as in a man who lives quietly in the midst of adversity.

—Jeremiah Burroughs

  • Not a Complimentary Gospel

    It Is Not a Complimentary Gospel

    I think we have all felt the temptation to modify the gospel, to preach a gospel that is inaccurate or incomplete. I think we have all felt the desire to avoid the reproach that may come upon us when we preach the whole gospel and true gospel—the gospel that is so very bad before it…

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    A La Carte (November 6)

    A La Carte: A warning about having children / Leave church a little tired / Making virtues out of what isn’t virtuous / Is Exodus a myth? / A theology of leisure / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 5)

    A La Carte: Why women use pornography / I want God’s wrath on my enemy / Looking at photos with my mum / 10 things you should know about your conscience / I love being a pastor / and more.

  • A Beautiful 40-day Illustrated Devotional of Classic Literature

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing. In the newest release by Leland Ryken, A Treasury of Nature, he joins great works of poetry, hymnody, prose, and art with accessible literary analysis. As Ryken says in the Introduction to his book: “The overall goal of this anthology is to enable nature to be…

  • Four Years After Our Hardest Day

    Four Years After Our Hardest Day

    Yesterday marked four years since Nick went to heaven. I find myself calling him “Nicky” more often now—a name I hadn’t used for him since he was a child. I wonder if it reflects that in some ways he is becoming dearer to my heart and younger to my mind. After all, I keep aging…

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    A La Carte (November 4)

    A La Carte: A reassured heart / Alistair Begg with biblical wisdom for voting / Unveiling the true nature of grumbling / Kevin DeYoung on double predestination / Kindle deals / and more.