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A La Carte (October 11)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Today’s Kindle deals include Vance Christie’s hefty new biography of David Livingstone—one of the best biographies I’ve read in a while. It’s discounted by something like 90%. You’ll find some other excellent books as well.

Also, if you’re not in the habit of checking in over the weekend, you may want to know that on Sunday there’s going to be a big one-day Kindle sale with lots of great deals. So check here or at my X account (@challiesdeals) to see what it’s all about.

Saul Had an Extraordinary, Supernatural Conversion—and So Did You

Nancy Guthrie: “Isn’t it interesting how God saves people? And whom God saves? And how he changes them? It’s often the people we least expect and in a way we would never expect. Some people hear the gospel and immediately take hold of it, while others spend a lot of time considering the claims of Christ and gradually come to faith. Some people have a profoundly emotional experience, while others feel very little. Some experience immediate deliverance from sinful impulses and patterns, while others spend a lifetime seeking to put certain sins to death. But there is one thing that is always the same…”

Does Free Will Exist?

Does free will exist? To answer the question we first need to define the term. John Piper does both here.

End-of-Life Music & Songs Worth Singing

Stephen looks at a roundup of the songs people find most helpful when it comes to end-of-life care. The song you would choose says a lot about you!

Schizophrenia: What’s New?

I found this article at Biblical Counseling Coalition very interesting. Charles Hodges tells some of what researchers have learned about schizophrenia over the past few years and interprets it through a Christian lens.

Be Radical: Don’t Let Politics Hijack the Pulpit

Bryan Schneider offers a radical idea: don’t let politics hijack the pulpit as election season comes toward its conclusion.

Why Was the Reformation Necessary?

Robert Godfrey explains why the Reformation was necessary. “The church is always in need of reform. Even in the New Testament, we see Jesus rebuking Peter, and we see Paul correcting the Corinthians. Since Christians are always sinners, the church will always need reform. The question for us, however, is when does the need become an absolute necessity?”

Flashback: Longing for What’s Second Best

By faith we believe we will see that when our will and his were in contradiction, we were actually longing for what was merely second best.

As long as you hold onto the idea that you can produce a life that will win the favor of God, you won’t see why you need Jesus.

—Jerry Bridges

  • Why I Believe in Church Membership

    Why I Believe in Church Membership

    I believe in church membership. I believe in membership as a practical matter that allows a church to function well. But even more so, I believe in membership as a biblical matter that allows a church to faithfully follow the Scriptures. I suppose we ought to define our term. While acknowledging that membership can vary…

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    A La Carte (November 25)

    A La Carte: Confessionalism or fundamentalism? / Sexual ethics and the doctrine of God / Does James contradict Paul? / Ways to be kind to someone you disagree with / The increasing value of Christian testimonies / So many Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pastoral Prayer

    A Pastoral Prayer

    Our Father in heaven, we love you. We have freely proclaimed that here this morning. Yet we also acknowledge that we only love you because you first loved us. On our own, there was nothing in us that was inclined toward you. Our hearts were all turned inward toward ourselves—our own honor, our own glory,…

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    Weekend A La Carte (November 23)

    A La Carte: Gifting is not godliness / The post-Christian morality of “Wicked” / Adult children and their parents / Wanting what I already have / Ashamed of the gospel / The book and Kindle deals continue.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)

    This week the giveaway is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. Will technology change what it means to be human? You don’t have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wonder where we’re headed. Even now, technological innovations and machine learning have a daily impact on our lives,…

  • Other side of the Wall

    On the Other Side of the Wall

    A story is told of a convalescent woman and the lovely vine that grew in her yard. Confined to her property during her long recovery from an accident, she turned her attention to the little plot of ground behind her home. She planted the vine on a cool spring morning, dreaming of the day when,…