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A La Carte (March 8)

A La Carte Collection cover image

I apologize to the email subscribers who did not receive yesterday’s A La Carte. The fault was mine!

Westminster Books has a special deal on a new book for pastors. Several other titles for pastors are similarly discounted.

(Yesterday on the blog: God’s Grace for Every Family)

5 Qualities We Should Look for in Our Political Leaders

Kevin DeYoung outlines some qualities we should look for (and hope for and wish for) in our political leaders.

Nihilism—in Nazi Germany and Today

Carl Trueman: “We have witnessed amazing technological advances since the 1940s. The transformation of humanity from a given, limited, teleological essence to a potency whose limits and ends are merely technical problems to be overcome is now complete (at least in the cultural imagination). Ironically, human technical brilliance has served to make human beings into nothing of any great significance. We are the only creatures on the planet who are intelligent and intentional enough to have abolished ourselves.”

CityAlight – Jerusalem (Live)

CityAlight is celebrating 10 years since their first single by releasing a previously-unreleased video of what I still think is one of their best songs.

Is My Child Transgender Because of Me?

“One of the great anxieties that parents face is the fear of what our own sins could do to corrupt our kids. It can be a paralyzing anxiety, one that has come up on the podcast in many different forms.” John Piper addresses such a distressed parent in this Ask Pastor John.

Are Leaders Necessarily Readers?

You’ve heard it before, I’m sure: leaders are readers. But is that necessarily the case? Stephen takes a slightly contrarian position here.

Good People Get Good Things

Most people and most religions operate (whether subtly or explicitly) in such a way that good people get good things and bad people get bad things. Sometimes even Christians.

Flashback: Most To Jesus I Surrender (or Maybe Just Some)

Do we really fully surrender to him those things that we love most, or do we effectively bring him what is lame and spotted, what is of little consequence and low on our list of priorities?

We may meet death in confidence and victory only if our hopes are firmly and entirely grounded in His merits on our behalf.

—Guy Prentiss Waters

  • Quiet Time

    The Quiet Time Kickstart

    We are all people of habits. To some degree, we are always battling to establish good habits while battling to supplant bad ones. This is true of us in many different areas of life and most certainly true in our spiritual lives. In fact, some have argued that when we describe the way we relate…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 16)

    A La Carte: Why don’t we read the Bible more? / Did David rape Bathsheba? / To (almost) die is gain / Learn to pray the Bible / When you’re close to burnout / Called to freedom / and more.

  • How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    I think we can sometimes fool ourselves into believing that the Reformation caused the Roman Catholic Church to abandon some, most, or all of the doctrine that was so concerning to the Reformers. We can sometimes believe that the Catholicism of today is materially different from that of the 16th century or that it has…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 15)

    A La Carte: iPhones, idolatry, and evil spirits / At my mother’s deathbed / Nothing to do but pray / Bible study tips for beginners / Jesus did condemn homosexuality / Please don’t sing “Imagine” at funerals / Kindle and book deals.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 14)

    A La Carte: Narcissus in public / A famous poet, KFC, and peace with my past / Does empowerment come from boudoir photoshoots? / Surrendering them to God / Sermon prep / Your plans for this year / and more.

  • 10 Reasons to Teach the Bible’s Big Truths to Children

    📖 Why teach children the big truths of the Bible? Moses commanded Israel to gather everyone—men, women, and little ones—to hear God’s law. Why? So they could “hear and learn to fear the Lord.” (Deut. 31:12-13) Children need the deep, rich truths of Scripture to know God, embrace the Gospel, and build a faith that…