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A La Carte (October 21)

weekend

My thanks goes to the Missionary Conference for sponsoring the blog this week. They did so to tell you about the upcoming conference (which is taking place next year) and the accompanying documentary film. It will be quite an event! Be sure to give it a look.

A couple of days ago I mentioned the new ESV Chronological Bible. A reader notified me it’s discounted almost 40% at Christianbook.com. You’ll also find the ESV Scripture Journal NT set marked down 84%, the leather ESV Study Bible at 52% off, and so on. This is all part of their huge Bible Sale of the Season promotion. There are lots of good deals to be had.

(Yesterday on the blog: Does God Care About Gender Identity?)

Persevere in Praying for Unbelieving Loved Ones

“Many times, I’ve wanted to give up praying for unbelieving family and friends under the weight of it all. I prayed for my aunt and uncle for decades, and I have no positive evidence they ever came to believe in Jesus. I have no guarantee that my sister will repent. Praying for unbelievers isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Can Pro-Life Advocates Lie to Save Lives?

John Piper considers whether Christians can lie in order to save lives. “I think that one of the great needs of the hour is for Christians to stop compromising our biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world in the service of strategies that we think are more likely to do good because we have calculated that compromise will work.”

How to Dismantle Loaded Questions While Enjoying An Apple

Tim from Red Pen Logic looks at a recent viral video (from Canada, of all places) to explain what we can learn from it.

A Word to My Inner Perfectionist

Amy has an article that may resonate with people who struggle with perfectionism. (Much of what she has to say is related to Kelly Kapic’s excellent book You’re Only Human which was a game-changer for me.)

When You Feel Like a Failure

Meanwhile, Barbara has one for people who feel like failures. And don’t we all at some points in life?

The Last Word in the Book of Ruth

Sometimes the very ending of a story reveals the whole point of the story.

Flashback: The Earliest Prayer Ever Prayed

In the new book Fount of Heaven which shares prayers from the earliest Christians, you’ll find this sweet prayer which dates from late in the first century. Yet, like any good prayer, it could as easily be prayed by any of us today.

There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian.

—A.W. Tozer

  • 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,…

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    A La Carte (November 22)

    A La Carte: John Mark Comer / Praying imprecatory Psalms / The news media is broken / John Piper on seeing God / No good deed will remain hidden / Pre-Black Friday sales / and more.

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    A La Carte (November 21)

    A La Carte: Lessons from Trump’s and Harris’s social media campaigns / What is my spiritual gift? / The messages we receive / 10 mistakes I’ve made in preaching / Big Kindle and book sales / and more.

  • Finn

    I’m a Grandfather!

    Yesterday Abby and Nathan welcomed their first child into the world: Finnegan Safir Nicholas Elfarrah. Because they live just minutes away, Aileen and I were able to be there shortly after his birth to rejoice with them and to meet our first grandchild. We are thrilled beyond measure. And he is cute beyond belief. They…

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    A La Carte (November 20)

    A La Carte: Pray till you pray / Do children need to consent to puberty? / Pleading for Sodom / A thought experiment / 10 mistakes when reading the Bible / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (November 19)

    A La Carte: Good night, my son / The longing for justice following sexual assault / Daughter of encouragement / Mistakes I made as a theological student / The dangers of disordered love / Kindle deals / and more.