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A La Carte (March 7)

thursday

Today’s Kindle deals includes a must-read classic as well as some newer works.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Book that Has Most Influenced My Writing)

Dr. Sproul and Dr MacArthur’s Friendship (Video)

You’ll enjoy this video (as introduced by Chris Larson): “The friendship between John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul was a blessing to the church. Earlier this afternoon we shared with the #ShepCon2019 attendees this brief video of some memorable exchanges between the two of them. We thank God for the faithfulness of His shepherds, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).”

White Saviours Don’t Harness The Wind

Here’s a dispatch from Africa. “I’m not saying that we shouldn’t provide help where it is needed in Africa, far from it. However, our help and support should not imply that Africans are completely without agency in their own situation. Oh, and we shouldn’t go around picking up random kids for photo-opportunities. So what has this got to do with Christian mission? Everything…”

How One Word Changed the Meaning of a (Really) Beautiful Song

Eleazar Maduka writes about how one word totally changes (or wrecks) a song. “Words mean a lot. They are more than just another medium of self-expression. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Your words are often indicators of what you have stored up in your heart. What you believe. What you want. What you fear. What you love. Words make up songs, thereby making the act of singing more than just a means of relaxation. You sing what you believe. You sing your heart.”

Distrust of the World Should be a Mark of Christianity

“American Christians are practically experts at burying their heads in the sand, choosing to allow their children to consume things that are vaguely bothersome, but if it’s made for kids, then how bad can it really be? Parents make decisions without stopping to consider who is producing the content that their children are being exposed to. They choose not to dwell on the fact that a biblical worldview is repugnant to most who create programming and gaming for children, and they blindly trust that what some vague strangers have cooked up for their children is wholesome, edifying, and maybe more truthfully, distracting and entertaining.”

Amazon is About to Take More of Your Money, and You Won’t Even Notice

Remember the Dash Button? “Amazon isn’t saying much about why it’s canceling the buttons, but their failure may reveal something key about Amazon’s future strategy. Even though the value proposition they offered to users was ease, Dash buttons still added too much friction to the purchasing process. And the future of Amazon is about selling things without the customer having to log on and buy them.”

Why I Don’t See Tithing as the Pinnacle of Christian Virtue

Randy Alcorn: “Sadly, there are some Christians who see tithing as the pinnacle of stewardship, instead of the starting place. Hearing some people talk, you’d think it was this extraordinary act of sacrifice and devotion that only great saints would actually give 10 percent.”

How Women and Men Spend a Day

This is a fantastic visualization of how men and women spend their days. “Using the past couple of years of data from the American Time Use Survey, I simulated a working day for men and women to see how schedules differ. Below shows the results. Each dot represents a person, where cyan represents women and orange represents men.”

Flashback: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parent

A child who does not respect the authority of his parents will never respect the authority of his Creator. If we fail to discipline our children to obey us, we fail to discipline them to submit to God.

Lord, the task is impossible for me but not for Thee. Lead the way and I will follow.

—Mary Slessor

  • Sermon Introduction

    Three Levels of Sermon Introduction

    Though every sermon necessarily needs a beginning, it does not necessarily need a formal introduction. Though it has to begin somewhere, there is no rule that it must begin with some kind of story or illustration. A preacher can jump straight into his text if he so desires. Some do.

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    A La Carte (April 4)

    A LA Carte: Causes of division in the church / Union with Christians / The 1%-er rhetoric / Pray or sleep? / Distinguishing shame from guilt / Many more Kindle deals / and so on.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 3)

    A La Carte: Never too late to learn how to pray / Walking with those who weep / Rethinking the role of pastor’s wife / What does the Bible mean when it teaches wives to submit? / Does God want some to go to hell? / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Most Pleasant Show on Television

    The Most Pleasant Show on Television

    I rarely review, recommend, or even mention movies and television programs. I rarely do so because I am aware that tastes vary and so too do family rules and personal consciences. Not only that, but I am not very adept at understanding the themes or messages in visual media and wouldn’t wish to inadvertently lead…

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    A La Carte (April 2)

    A La Carte: Our dance with distinction / You are not your theology / The challenges of motherhood / God hates sin / Random thoughts on preaching / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 1)

    A La Carte: John Piper evaluates Jordon Peterson / Church coffee / Disciplines to help your marriage / “Love is Blind” / A knife at her throat / So many Kindle deals / and more.