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A La Carte (September 18)

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May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

If you’re looking for something good and relatively brief to read, Westminster Books has Dane Ortlund’s The Heart of Jesus discounted in single copies or cases.

Today is a huge day for Kindle deals, and that’s because Zondervan Academic is having a massive one-day sale with tons of their books discounted. There are also a few excellent options from New Growth Press and B&H (which I have put at the very top of the list).

What if No One Prayed for You?

I have often wondered the same question Melissa asks here: what if no one prayed for you? “As a kid who was raised by Christian parents, I have enjoyed the comfort of knowing that people were praying for me my entire life–not just my godly parents, but others in our church. … There’s something so sweet about knowing someone’s storming heaven on my behalf. It’s humbling and brings peace, especially when I’m struggling.”

How to Pray When You Feel Like You Can’t

Also on the subject of prayer, here’s some guidance on praying even when you feel like you can’t.

Is That Person Male or Female?

Alan Shlemon: “Is there a scientific and effective way to discern whether someone is male or female? The answer is yes. There have been established methods for a long time. It’s only with the recent rise of transgender ideology that there has been any substantial pushback to these methods. Here are three ways to determine whether someone is male or female.”

“If One Member Suffers…”

Brad tells how the body of Christ can bear one another’s burdens in a technological age.

10 Ideas for Better Conversations

Ed Welch offers some ideas for better conversations. “The problem is that if asked, most of us would have no plan for how to improve our conversation skills. We have goals for our weight and physical exercise but not for what occupies more time than anything else in our day. If you don’t have ideas on how you can improve your conversation skills, you won’t.”

God Is Good to Forbid Sin

He is, indeed.

Flashback: Not a Matter of Pitch or Tone

Those who struggle to sing may be self-conscious, tempted to stay quiet or to do no more than mumble along. Should they? Not at all, for singing is a matter of the heart before it is a matter of pitch or tone.

Me-ology is the junk food diet we’ve been serving up in our spiritual lives. The healthy alternative we need to immediately start ingesting is theology.

—Jen Oshman

  • 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.

  • 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,…

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    A La Carte (November 18)

    A La Carte: When God does not need our service / How to forgive and move on / A devotional for depression / Can a speeding ticket change your heart? / Is it I, Lord? / Kindle deals / and more.