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A La Carte (June 30)

wednesday

Good morning. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

I just received copies of Kathleen Neilson’s new four-book series and am immediately a fan. They are on sale this week at Westminster Books.

A Brief History of How Friendships Like Yours Can Change the World

“Every Christian wants to make a difference. But few of us know how to turn that desire into action. We look around at all the needs and opportunities, and we think to ourselves, ‘So … what do I already have that can make actually a difference?’ There are countless ways to answer that question. But here’s one easy answer that’s usually overlooked: ‘Your friends!’ Let me explain.”

Why Does God Sometimes Not Answer Prayer?

Benjamin George writes that “many Christians today in India think of prayer as a type of magic, and that they have a ‘blank cheque’ with respect to prayer.” What’s true in India is true elsewhere! This article means to correct that misunderstanding.

IS YOUR WEBSITE SENDING THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO PEOPLE WHO VISIT?

Your website is most often the first impression people have of your church, ministry, or business. What are people seeing when they visit yours? Mere Agency knows how to build sites that make the right impression. They’ve done it for hundreds of organizations of all shapes and sizes and can do it for you. (Sponsored Link)

What is Mount Zion?

“Mount Zion is likely a term that you have heard before or read in Scripture, but may not have given much thought to what or where it is.” Lucas Hagen provides a small primer about a key biblical location.

Getting Beyond “Do You Believe in Jesus?”

“If you truly care about his or her soul, you will get beyond ‘do you believe in Jesus?’. It’s not enough to ask someone if they believe in Jesus. Sadly, a lot of the time even if they answer yes, they are still a hell-bound soul. Obviously, we can’t know people’s hearts, but we know what they say, and simply saying ‘I believe in Jesus’ is not enough.”

The Death of a Spouse

Edward Ruiz writes movingly about the death of a spouse. “I wanted to write a piece because I think it’s time to begin sharing this journey. Though I want to write about the death of a spouse as I continue to grieve, I know others reading this will or are facing their own grief, so I am writing as a way to preach the gospel to myself (and to others).”

The Underappreciated Blessing of Duty

I appreciated this article on the underappreciated blessing of duty. I’ve said it before: It’s a word I think we would do well to recover as Christians! “You and I live in a world that elevates personal desire above everything. And it is exhausting. The wisdom of the age says being true to yourself and following your dreams brings freedom. But how often the opposite is true!”

Flashback: A Soul Physician

When I see someone believing what is wrong or living in a way that dishonors God, I need to resist the temptation to offer the quick fix and instead to talk, to pray, to observe, and to trace that sin to its root.

Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” How many blackberries do you need to find on a bush before you know it’s a blackberry bush? It’s not a hundred.

—Colin Smith

  • Who Am I?

    It is not simply that we as a culture have lost our knowledge of God, but that in so doing we have also lost sight of ourselves. “Who am I?” is the question of the age.

  • Church cemetery

    If I Could Change Anything about the Modern Church

    I have often been asked what I consider the greatest weakness of today’s church or what I would change about today’s church if I could. Such questions make for good discussion at a conference Q&A session but they are also pretty much impossible to answer in a compelling way. It’s not like any of us…

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    A La Carte (January 27)

    A La Carte: To men delaying marriage / A mother unknown / Steve Lawson update / Three essential values for effective teamwork / God is good even when he doesn’t do what we want / Kindle deals.

  • Closet

    How To Learn To Pray

    Christians are well-resourced with tremendous books that teach the theology and the practice of prayer. Many churches and ministries offer powerful classes that teach why we must pray and how we must pray. We are truly blessed.

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    Weekend A La Carte (January 25)

    A La Carte: The digital allure of being attended to / He Is Making All Things Right (a new song) / To the parents of the wild ones / Five things you can control / Parenting and pornography / and more.