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A La Carte (October 28)

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Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include a huge Reformation Day event from Zondervan. You will probably want to consider some of their systematic theologies (e.g., Horton, Grudem, Reymond) and some of their church history material (e.g., Church History in Plain Language, which is widely regarded as the best single-volume church history). You’ll also find my own Seasons of Sorrow at the lowest price I’ve seen it; the same is true of Pilgrim Prayers, though the discount isn’t quite as steep because it’s so new.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Father’s Prayer for His Son)

For Richer, for Poorer: How to Steward Money in Marriage

Randy Alcorn offers lots for married couples to think about together as they consider how to steward their money. “Were you to survey married couples about their money-management goals, most answers would focus on some form of financial success. Most people strive to accumulate better houses, nicer cars, more toys, and bigger retirement accounts. But when it comes to the dream of financial prosperity and security, we should ask, ‘Whose dream is it?’”

Regrets in Parenting and Bothering Jesus

Lauren Whitman writes about regrets in parenting and our fear of bothering Jesus.

Renewing Your Mind: Now on YouTube

Thirty years ago, R.C. Sproul began Renewing Your Mind, a daily teaching broadcast to help Christians grow in their knowledge of God’s Word. Now, the podcast is available on YouTube, featuring daily teaching from Dr. Sproul and other theologians. As we approach the anniversary of the Reformation this week, subscribe to the Renewing Your Mind YouTube channel and hear Dr. Sproul teach from the book of Romans. (Sponsored)

Lost

“I think we see this in our culture consistently.  In so many ways, our world thinks that it knows better than previous generations. It clearly displays what CS Lewis called ‘chronological snobbery’.  However, there is rarely any awareness of lostness. There is little recognition in our culture of where we have come from, where we are, or where we are going.  There is a refusal to admit that we might be lost.  There are millions of people in our city blind to their lostness.”

The Temptation of Temptation

John Beeson: “I think some of us similarly treat sin as we treat violence [in movies]. We are drawn to the dopamine hit of getting near sin, but not (hopefully) entering in. We want to test ourselves and prove our mettle, and so we intentionally step into temptation’s path. We want the rush of escape. Temptation is tempting.”

Our Common Purpose

Cheryl considers the way she thinks about her singleness. “I’m afraid I’ve talked about my singleness as something I’m trying to survive way too often. Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, the Bible is clear that singleness is a gift from the Lord as it allows for more time to focus on the Lord.”

How Much Should Christians Tithe?

Earlier I linked to Randy Alcorn’s article for married couples. This one from Wayne Grudem applies to married and non-married people alike. He looks at the biblical concept of the tithe and then offers lots of common sense tips and pointers for today.

Flashback: What’s The Point Of Family Devotions?

The main purpose in our family has been simple: to gather the family together with God. 

The gospel frees me to be honest about the ways I fall short instead of being crushed by them, because it reminds me that Jesus was crushed for me.

—Adam Ramsey

  • Men in the Image of Women and Women in the Image of Men

    Men in the Image of Women and Women in the Image of Men

    God made men and God made women. God made men distinct from women and women distinct from men. God made men and women equal in worth and value while also making them distinct in some purpose and function. It’s all obvious stuff, this—obvious matters of differences between the sexes.

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    A La Carte (April 14)

    A La Carte: The healing of that old ache / Grounds for everyday smiles / A “quiet revival” in the UK / When Scripture gets stale / Praying when it feels like God isn’t listening / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A Less Busy Heart

    In the midst of our busy lives, we can sometimes wonder whether we really have the time to pray. Won’t prayer hinder our productivity? Won’t prayer keep us from getting done all the things we need to do?

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 12)

    A La Carte: Designer babies / The dragon and the rooster / Leper Christianity / Theologians against nature / Faithful and small / The missing heart of AI sermons / Douglas Groothuis books / and more.

  • Good News Rock Bottom

    Good News at Rock Bottom

    Life most certainly brings its challenges. Some of these are just little ruts along the way, some are deep and dark valleys, and some are lower still—the kind of rock bottom experiences that are so dreadful we wonder if we will be able to endure them with our faith intact.