Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (September 17)

friday

Grace and peace to you today.

There are a few books discounted for Kindle today, and I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen any of these titles on sale before.

Pride (in the Name of Love)

Jared Wilson: “Jesus was perfect, and yet he did not look down on others. I am ridiculously imperfect, but I do look down on others. Jesus was perfectly holy, and yet was not arrogant. I am frustratingly unholy, but I am arrogant a lot. Like, a lot. I am not Jesus. But I do want to be like him.”

The Ends and the Means

Seth Lewis considers how small things can lead to big things. “A quiet phone call. That’s all it would take, and no one would know the difference. Except me. And my wife. And our friend. And God.”

There Is Power in Counting It All Joy

Paul Tautges: “To ‘count it all joy’ does not refer to being happy about the trial itself. Nor does it take away your permission to grieve. James is not saying, ‘No matter how painful your loss is, you need to just put on a happy face. Pretend, if you have to. Don’t let anyone see how much you hurt.’ No! True joy is not a spiritual façade.”

Trojan Horse Christians

“Satan will allow you to avoid all kinds of temptation if you continue to believe the lie that your moral life is the reason you have God’s acceptance. The enemy loves it when we build our monuments and look in amazement upon them. The problem with wooden horses is that they burn. They will not stand on the day of judgment.”

Say It, Even if It’s Been Said Before

This is true and worth considering: “The reality is, content you write today will be written again by someone tomorrow. It has probably already been written by someone before you. There is nothing new under the sun. Being faithful to God and encouraging others is more important than being on the cutting edge of a given topic.”

Why Waiting is Good News

Though we are impatient people, there is value in waiting. “Waiting reminds us that although we have agency, we are not ultimately in control. For those of us who find value in achieving, working hard, and crossing off tasks on our to-do lists, waiting can push us into a tailspin as it unhooks the lynchpin between who we are and what we do.”

Flashback: The Bit of Heaven the Heaven Tourism Books Never Touched

Heaven is the place where there is no trace of sin. In fact, the joys of heaven are dependent on sinlessness.

If we get a discouraged man to take heart again, and to set out bravely to fight his own battles and carry his own burdens we have done him a far greater kindness than if we had fought his battles and carried his burdens for him.

—J.R. Miller

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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.

  • What Grieves the Heart of God

    What Grieves the Heart of God?

    What pleases God? What delights his heart? And what displeases God? What grieves his heart? If asked, I think most of us would assume that if we ever grieve the heart of God it will be through denying the gospel or committing a grave moral scandal. Or if we do so as a local church,…