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A La Carte (June 25)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Westminster Books is having a big sale on summertime new releases. There’s a whole list of great books to choose from—something for everyone, I’m sure!

There are, as usual, some Kindle deals to be had today.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Most Dangerous Thing a Christian Can Do)

Principles for Leading an Effective Meeting

If it falls to you to lead meetings, you’ll benefit from Dan Doriani’s tips.

Longing for Home with C.S. Lewis and Tyler Childers

“We live in a discontented, rootless age. Rarely do we experience the loyalty that arises from a sense that we rightly belong somewhere. Rarely do we pass on the opportunity for economic advancement because we feel duty-bound to these people in this place. As a pastor, I notice a continual drive to climb higher. When the bigger church with the bigger salary comes calling, it’s rarely a difficult decision for many.”

A Prayer from the Cave (Psalm 34) 

What do you think of when you imagine a cave? Darkness? The sound of water dripping from the ceiling? Mysterious animals scurrying about the cave floor? If you were alone inside a cave, would you be afraid? David was in a cave. And afraid. Yes, the warrior king, the man after God’s own heart, the giant slayer, the master of weapons. That David. (Sponsored)

The Uncategorizable Suffering

Lara d’Entremont: “As I grieved our losses and trials, I, like Elisabeth Elliot, realized not all suffering falls into neat and tidy boxes. We can’t simply assess our pain and drop it into the right category and then deduce what results should follow.”

How (and How Not) to Wait

Mark Vroegop explains how (and how not) to wait. “Do you know anyone who likes to wait? I don’t. If you were to take a quick survey, there’d be a strong consensus that waiting is difficult, annoying, or downright bad. Waiting should be avoided and not affirmed, right? Everyone knows that!”

Things Too Marvelous

“Oh, how I would like to be able to say that I do not occupy myself with things too marvelous for me! How about you?” Yes, me too!

Eat This, Not That

“There are instructions in Leviticus and Deuteronomy about certain foods the Israelites were to eat and certain foods they were to avoid. The main places in the Torah addressing Israel’s dietary laws are Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. The instructions pertain to food from the land, from the sea, and from the sky.” Mitch makes some interesting observations about them.

Flashback: The Duty of Reflection

In troubled times we shall find ourselves starving if we do not taste of what God has done.

The nearer men are to being sinless, the less they talk about it.

—D.L. Moody

  • Pastoral Prayer

    The Pastoral Prayer: Examples and Inspirations

    Of all the elements that once made up traditional Protestant worship, there is probably none that has fallen on harder times than prayer. It is not unusual to visit a church today and find that prayer is perfunctory, rare, or absent altogether. If that is true of prayer in general, it is particularly true of…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (September 11)

    A La Carte: Pro-natalism / Why a good God commanded the destruction of the Canaanites / An encouragement to husbands / Pastoring, productivity, and priorities / I had a horrific childhood / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (September 10)

    A La Carte: Why we worry when choosing a Bible translation / Why Christian parents should resist school-issued devices / Take your worst to the table / The quickest to anger and the slowest to forgive / A big batch of Kindle deals / and more.

  • What Is God’s Calling For Me?

    This week the blog is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association. Today’s post is written by William Boekestein, author of the  new book, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling. William is a pastor and husband. He and his wife have four children: a college student, two high schoolers, and a…

  • Past Through Over Around

    Past Them, Through Them, Over Them, Around Them

    It is inevitable that we face times of difficulty and impossible that we escape them altogether. To be born is to suffer and to live is to endure all manner of trouble and trial. Just as none of us escapes death, none of us escapes all hardships. And when we face such hardships, we invariably…