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A La Carte (June 12)

monday

Good morning from Brazil where I am beginning to make my homeward journey after a successful week recording another episode of Worship Round the World.

Today’s Kindle deals include some high-quality devotional resources.

(Yesterday on the blog: Restful Blissful Ignorance)

Christianity Challenges the (Stoic) Spirit

I’m glad to see this examination of the growing popularity of stoicism. “Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Cameron Hanes, David Goggins, Jocko Willink. What unites them? They’re gurus of a new self-help philosophy and lifestyle: grind yourself to the bone to achieve greatness.”

Scooby Doo, Oxfam and The Sexular Age

Stephen McAlpline: “Let’s call this The Scooby Doo moment. You know the show that started in the 70s? Crazy kids in a van called The Mystery Machine, with a dog called Scooby Doo (Arf-Arf!)? Always turning up at haunted houses or the like, exposing the evil criminals hiding behind scary ghoul masks, or dressed up as werewolves. I’m sure those kids were all on Scooby snacks.”

The Making Of Andy Stanley: Pastors Son, Turned Renegade Preacher (Video)

Honest Youth Pastor has put together a helpful video on Andy Stanley.

Are Things Getting Worse?

It’s easy to believe that the world is getting worse and worse. But is it really?

Nine Ways I’ve Seen Mark Dever Disciple Men and Raise Up Leaders

“What does Mark Dever do to disciple men and raise up pastors in the context of the local church? Here are nine points that Mark has publicly shared are his practices, with some of my own reflections as someone who has benefitted Mark’s discipling and observed its effects on others.”

Death is not fun

Mark Loughridge says “we often make jokes when we are nervous or don’t know how to react to something serious. We’ve probably all done that. That’s what this is. Our society has lost the ability to be serious about serious things. We have elevated the trivial and trivialised the serious.”

Flashback: On Helping Your Wife Become Like Christ by Identifying Her Every Fault

“At their most unimaginative moments, husbands try to help spouses be like Christ’s perfected bride by identifying their wives’ faults with clinical precision.” But there is a better way.

When a sin is pardoned, it is gone—it is gone out of the books, it is gone out of the memory, it is gone out of existence.

—De Witt Talmage

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