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A La Carte (November 4)

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Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include, among others, a book by John Piper and Jonathan Gibson’s much-loved Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship. You’ll find lots of interesting general market deals as well.

(Yesterday on the blog: Educated, Free, Wealthy, and Privileged)

A Reassured Heart

Patsy says “sometimes, I need to preach truth to myself. This is one of those times. I don’t know about you, but despite my best efforts not to get mired down in the election bruhaha, a sense of dread has seeped into my psyche as the day draws near. … Thus, multiple times a day, I reground myself with what I know to be true.”

Alistair Begg with Biblical Wisdom for Voting

And on that theme, here is Alistair Begg with biblical wisdom for those who are voting in the days ahead.

Unveiling the True Nature of Grumbling

Paul Levy says “I’ve recently tried to reflect on why I’m so prone to grumbling.” Later he writes, “I so easily forget who God is, what He has done, and how He has provided for me in Jesus. Recognizing that our grumbling is sinful, taking it to God, confessing it, and acknowledging that we need the help and strength of the Holy Spirit to deal with it is how we can free ourselves from the death spiral of grumbling and discontentment.”

Is Double Predestination Fair?

Kevin DeYoung: “The opposite of election is reprobation, sometimes called double predestination. This is the belief that God not only predetermines those who will be saved but also predetermines those who will not be saved. Admittedly, this is a hard doctrine. Even Calvin called it a dreadful decree. But reprobation is more than a logical corollary to election.”

Simpering Onto the Sexular Carpet with the Archbishop of Canterbury

“Justin Welby’s statement last week that those who who hold to a traditional (or shall we say biblical and orthodox) view of marriage have ‘a full and undoubted place in the Church of England‘ should be cold comfort for those who have watched recent church history among revisionist denominations.” What a strange time when these statements are made toward those who hold to the traditional (aka biblical) view!

Flashback: Why It Matters that We Call the Final Book of the Bible Revelation, not Revelations

We can’t just pluralize the book of Genesis and make it “Genesises” if we want to capture the fact that it describes the beginning rather than beginnings. 

The kingdom of heaven is breaking into this world through God’s people. If you are already a citizen by the grace of God, live like it! Don’t settle for the kingdom of self.

—Jonathan Dodson

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    A Sudden Stopping of the Breath

    I recently encountered a poem I enjoyed and wanted to share with you. LeRoy Tate Newland was an American pastor, a missionary to Korea, and a poet. Among his poems is this brief reflection on the death of a Christian (which, appropriately, is titled “A Christian’s Death”). I hope you enjoy it as much as…

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