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A La Carte (November 3)

friday

We are still in Unalaska. Yesterday’s flight was canceled due to volcanic ash in the air along the route. That’s a first for me!

If you have the free ONE Audiobooks app, you’ll be able to listen to Stephen McAlpine’s excellent Being the Bad Guys this month (for free).

Meanwhile Westminster Books has the new Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament on sale this week. Do you need it? Probably not. Will it look amazing on your bookshelf? Definitely. (Also take a look at their Reformation Day sale.)

The Future of Manufactured Children

Carl Trueman considers the concerning future of manufactured children. “Krisiloff and his team are working on producing human embryos from genetic material that is not connected in origin to an egg or a sperm. Indeed, the article begins with a quotation from a Japanese biologist, Katsuhiko Hayashi, who believes that it will be possible to make human eggs from skin cells within a decade.”

Beginning to think about Generative AI

While Trueman is thinking about reproductive technology, T.M. Suffield is thinking about artificial intelligence. “As I write, Christianity Today have just published an article extolling the use of ChatGPT for Pastors in their preparation for preaching and Bible studies. It has gone viral for all of the wrong reasons.”

Book Offer: What Is Reformed Theology?

Many people today say theology doesn’t matter. But theology is the knowledge of God, and nothing could be more important in life. That’s why R.C. Sproul founded Ligonier Ministries: to make theology accessible for everyone. If you’ve never contacted Ligonier before, they’d love for you to request a free paperback copy of What Is Reformed Theology? by Dr. Sproul. (Sponsored Link)

Is My Dad One of the Characters Mentioned in Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”?

Shane Rosenthal goes in search of an answer to an unusual question.

Leadership in the Church: Managers, Midian, and Moses

Joe Holland: “For better or worse (probably worse), we do live in a managerial culture. This has a hammer-and-nail effect on pastoral leadership: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you’re expected to be a manager, everything looks like…”

Total consistency is impossible – Jesus says so!

“I am quite big on consistency. I like to believe that I think both logically and consistently (no doubt other opinions on how I think are available). Consistency really does matter to me and I find it hard to settle when there are nagging points of inconsistency in my frame of understanding.” Yet what if total consistency isn’t possible?

Can We Limit God By Our Free Will?

Can we limit God by our free will? Many people say we can…

Flashback: Do You Have the Faith to be Faithful?

Fill yourself with the Word. Be a man or woman of the Word. Devote yourself to Scripture. As you do this, your faith will grow, and as your faith grows, so too will your faithfulness.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

—A.W. Tozer

  • Dr Google

    Doctor Google, Influencer Moms, and the Local Church

    A family member was recently paying a visit to a doctor who provided his diagnosis of the condition and suggested a course of treatment. My family member listened patiently but then said, “I was wondering if we could actually try another treatment instead.” The doctor playfully rolled his eyes and said, “I see you’ve been…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 11)

    A La Carte: Why am I so spiritually dry? / Holy imposter syndrome / When those we respect disappoint us / Through many tribulations / Answering a question that hasn’t been asked / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Intact

    Intact and Unmoved

    Corrie ten Boom knew what it was to suffer deprivation, to have to do without so many of life’s luxuries and even its necessities. Arrested and sent to a concentration camp for her role in sheltering Jews from the Nazis, she spent almost a year in confinement and suffered the loss of her father and…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (November 9)

    A La Carte: Waiting on God / Approach, My Soul / Chronic illness / A comforting verse for not so great preachers / Love the church like Jesus / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (P&R Publishing)

    This week the blog and giveaway have been sponsored by P&R Publishing. Calvin, Spurgeon, and Luther appear alongside Wordsworth, Twain, and Emerson in a vibrant celebration of God’s creation. Ryken joins great works of poetry, hymnody, prose, and art with accessible literary analysis. “John Calvin referred to nature as the theater of God’s glory. Dr.…

  • Prepare for Christmas

    Now’s the Time to Prepare to Prepare for Christmas

    It’s probably a bit too early to begin preparing for Christmas. But it’s not too early to begin preparing to prepare for Christmas. For example, if you want to use a guide or devotional in the lead-up to December 25, this is the time to start looking into your options and buying the one you…