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A La Carte (March 6)

Today’s Kindle deals include several books by Geoffrey Thomas and a 90-day study in some key passages from the Bible.

(Also, just because I noticed it, the DJI Mavic Pro seems to be at its lowest price ever in case you’re in the market for a drone.)

(Yesterday on the blog: 10 Lessons on Parenting Big(ger) Kids)

The Stings of Death: An Article Not Just for Old People

“The Lord Jesus has taken away the sting of death through his resurrection. Believers know that for all who are in union with Jesus, their bodies will be united to Christ after death and they anticipate the hope of the resurrection. The sting is gone. The last enemy is defeated. Death has no victory over the believer.” That’s some pretty good news! It also offers some very practical counsel.

How Would You Counsel Someone Interested in Assisted Suicide?

“Imagine you are a pastor of a local church and a man who comes infrequently to your church has requested an emergency meeting with you. In your meeting, he tells you that his father is dying of brain cancer. It is painful for this man to see his father suffer by slowly losing control of his physical and cognitive abilities. The father wishes to die because he wishes to no longer be in pain. Because the state where your church is located just passed an assisted suicide law, this man—who you do not believe is a Christian—is asking you whether it would be appropriate for this man’s father to exercise his ‘right to die’ in accordance with the state’s new law. How would you answer him?”

Did Old Testament Law Force a Woman to Marry Her Rapist?

This is a frequent accusation about Scripture’s treatment of women, but is it really what the Bible says? This article provides a careful answer.

Five Reasons to Include Women on Your Church Staff

Michael Kruger writes, “Indeed, staffing issues for churches are complex, multi-dimensional, and vary from church to church. My only point here is that churches ought to at least have a category for hiring women on staff as finances and circumstances allow.” I quite agree! (On a related note, here’s Mez McConnell: Why My First Church Hire Was A Woman, And Yours Should Be Too.)

Was the Apostle Paul Married? Yes, He Was.

Denny Burk defends the view that the Apostle Paul must have been married at some point in life.

Do Whatever Makes You Holy

“We will only begin to make holiness a habit when we acknowledge the fact that our habits, no matter how minor they might seem, have consequences.” But for this one I basically love the headline: Instead of “do whatever makes you happy,” “do whatever makes you holy!”

Why Teenagers Are Becoming ‘Trans-curious’

“A new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics finds many more teens than previously thought say they are transgender or identify themselves using other nontraditional gender terms.” The reason is exactly what you’d expect: social contagion.

Flashback: The Training Ground of Sound Doctrine

Because Christians are not trained in sound doctrine, they wholeheartedly embrace error, often finding it more satisfying than God’s revealed truth.

Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God.

—John Wesley

  • A Less Busy Heart

    In the midst of our busy lives, we can sometimes wonder whether we really have the time to pray. Won’t prayer hinder our productivity? Won’t prayer keep us from getting done all the things we need to do?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (April 12)

    A La Carte: Designer babies / The dragon and the rooster / Leper Christianity / Theologians against nature / Faithful and small / The missing heart of AI sermons / Douglas Groothuis books / and more.

  • Good News Rock Bottom

    Good News at Rock Bottom

    Life most certainly brings its challenges. Some of these are just little ruts along the way, some are deep and dark valleys, and some are lower still—the kind of rock bottom experiences that are so dreadful we wonder if we will be able to endure them with our faith intact.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (April 11)

    A La Carte: John Piper & Kevin DeYoung on baptism / The legacy of TEDS / The DIY spirituality of Rainn Wilson and Rhett & Link / The enormous significance of small tasks / Hello, I want your life / Meryl Streep and Aslan / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    A Batch of New Books for Kids (and Teens)

    Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…