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A La Carte (October 28)

A La Carte Collection cover image

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

  • Disappointment

    The Practice of Accepting Disappointment

    One of the most important habits you can develop is the habit of accepting that life is full of disappointments. One of the best ways to grow in contentment is to accept the inevitability of discontentment. One of the ways you can be most joyful in life is to be realistic about life, to know…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 28)

    A La Carte: How to steward money in marriage / Regrets in parenting / The temptation of temptation / Our common purpose / How much should Christians tithe? / Huge Kindle sale / and more.

  • Prayer for a Son

    A Father’s Prayer for His Son

    Every father knows the importance of praying for his children. Yet every father also knows that at times it can be difficult to know what to pray. I recently found a sweet prayer in an old book and thought I would share it with you, dad, so you can pray it for your son. Take…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (October 26)

    A La Carte: Who are “the least of these?” / Where is Jordan Peterson on his spiritual journey? / A new Getty song / Christianity is not colonial / Reexamining sacramental life for Baptists / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier Ministries)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Are you saved? This is the ultimate question, but it won’t make much sense unless we’ve also asked ourselves what we need to be saved from. In a word, the answer is God. Ligonier Ministries is offering the ebook…

  • Bad Guys

    Could I Be One of the Bad Guys?

    Here is something I have been considering over the past few days: Every one of us acknowledges there is a lamentable lack of unity among Christians today. Yet none of us seems to consider that we ourselves may be the cause of that disunity, or at least contribute to it. In our minds, it is…