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A La Carte (September 16)

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It has been a blessing to hear from people who have begun using the prayers in Pilgrim Prayers and are telling me, “Now I get it!” If you have benefited from the book, would you consider dropping a quick star-rating or review at Amazon?

Today’s Kindle deals include Al Mohler’s excellent The Gathering Storm, Vaneetha Risner’s Walking Through Fire, several books by John MacArthur, and much more.

Why Christians Won’t Stop Singing

“Christians can’t seem to stop singing: in catacombs, in cathedrals, everywhere throughout church history. In Saudi Arabia, the underground churches soundproof the walls and windows, sometimes with mattresses, so they can lift their voices in praise without detection. As Jesus said of the rejoicing multitudes, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out’ (Luke 19:40).”

Exercising an Idle Mind

Kelly Needham: “Idleness is being busy at the wrong things. I see in myself the need to flee not just from idle hands but also an idle mind. As is true of many women, unless I’m sleeping, my mind is quite active. And if I do not give my mind a steady intake of good fuel to burn, I will often be burning whatever fuel I can find. The result? Lots of thoughts about aimless things.”

How to Set Your Hope Fully on the Grace

Cara writes about those times when you need to fight—to fight with a very particular type of weapon.

The Scars of Hope

“The Japanese art of kintsugi beholds an object’s brokenness as beauty instead of flaws that must be hidden. Skilled artisans mend broken pottery using melted gold or silver. They gently press each piece together, then seal them with a lacquer until the precious liquid hardens in the cracks. The result is a beautiful design on a previously common vessel.” What a great analogy for Christians.

What was David’s Sin in Ordering a Census?

Kenneth has an interesting look at David’s sin in ordering a census—one of the stranger episodes in the Old Testament.

Is This Actually Accomplishing Anything?

“When it comes to evangelism, outreach and mission I think there is a really important question that we often fail to meaningfully ask: is this actually accomplishing anything? More specifically, can we realistically expect this to accomplish anything? I can already hear the howls and responses coming.”

Flashback: What Not To Say at the Beginning of a Worship Service

Why is it that pastors and worship leaders are so prone to blurt out trite phrases like these as they open their services? I’d like to offer a few suggestions.

We need fewer aspiring conference speakers and more faithful pastors committed to their local churches.

—Jason Helopoulos

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

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    The Future of New Calvinism

    I was intrigued by Aaron Renn’s recent article The Maturation of New Calvinism. His thesis is that “New Calvinism has shifted from an ‘All-Star team’ model designed to exert influence over the broader evangelical world to a post-superstar model that primarily serves its own community. This represents the maturity of the movement, perhaps putting it…

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    The Unique Christian Contribution to Politics

    The relationship of the Christian to the political process is one of those issues that arises time and again and cycle after cycle. It is one of those issues that often generates more heat than light and that brings about more division than unity. Yet I would like to think we can agree that there…