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A La Carte (October 20)

wednesday

May the Lord bless and keep you today.

Yup, there are some Kindle deals today.

A Key Sign You are Maturing as a Preacher

“Over the years, I have learned to ask students a key question that can reveal a lot about how they are developing as a preacher. ‘What did you leave out?’” This is a great question for young preachers (and, also, for older preachers).

If Decisions Never Go Against You, Is Your Eldership Truly Plural?

It’s a valid question…

The Communication Between Preacher and Congregant

“Both the speaker and listener are communicating. In one-on-one conversations, we readily admit that communication is a two-way thing, but totally ignore this fact in Christian preaching.” David Qaoud explains.

A Leaf Surrendered

“The leaves arrest us with wonder; and then they fade and tremble, uncertain, before letting go of what once was, to accept what will be. The letting go is its own beauty as they lay themselves down to shelter and sustain the seeds not yet reaching for the light.” Andrea Sanborn draws a lesson from the leaves.

7 Traits of False Teachers

“There is no such thing as a pure church this side of heaven. You will never find it. The wheat and the tares grow together.” That being the case, we always need to be on guard against false teachers.

How Satan Undoes a Mom

“We Christians are still at war. Our wartime has gone on for thousands of years and will last until Christ comes to end it. The difference is that in this war — the spiritual war — the home is located in the heat of the battle, and we mothers are in combat roles.”

The Haunting Effects of Sin

We all learn this truth eventually. “Sin has a way of robbing us of peace and joy. It can weaken, embarrass, and grieve us years after the indiscretion. As the enemies of God hear about it, they begin to rejoice, mocking the God we love because of what we have done. If you are toying with sin or considering spurning God’s loving standards to feed your flesh, you might want to think twice because what you do could linger for years to come.”

Flashback: Gospel Weariness

Gospel weariness…is a weariness that rests on the promises of the gospel, that finds its hope in the God of the gospel. It does not wallow in despair but gazes with confidence to the future.

Ordinarily, when God puts it into our hearts to desire to do good to someone, we are the messengers he would send with the blessing.

—J.R. Miller

  • Let the Lord Choose

    Let the Lord Choose

    Though we are limited beings with little knowledge, we are proud beings with little humility. When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to bring our petitions before the Lord, to bring to him all our cares, all our burdens, all our sorrows. We can and should plead our case before the Lord, for…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 29)

    A La Carte: Does God withdraw his presence? / Celebrating the Lord’s Supper / Difficult, emotionally-overwhelming seasons / Wisdom for difficult conversations / Why four gospels? / Sales and deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for March 2025

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new books in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I…

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    A La Carte (March 28)

    A La Carte: Christians and IVF / And all the people said [mumble] / How your entertainment shapes you / How to preach in 20 challenging steps / Church conflict / Kindle and Logos deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 27)

    A La Carte: When the paychecks stop / What does Jesus want me to do? / A messy house / Beast Games / The rise of Nietzschean Christianity / Stop and marvel / and more.