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A La Carte (September 29)

I’ve returned safely from Switzerland, having combed its museums and cathedrals looking for objects related to church history. And I found some incredible ones! But I will have more to say on that soon. For now, here are some articles to read:

Matt Chandler’s Village Church Ends Multisite Era

I find this very encouraging: “The Village Church, the multisite Texas megachurch led by Matt Chandler, will transition from several campuses across the Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex to individual autonomous churches within the next five years, leaving behind a multisite model for a deeper commitment to local ministry and church planting.”

One Man’s Dream Destroyed Millions

As you’d expect, many people have written about the death of Hugh Hefner. Desiring God covered it well, as did Joe Carter and Russell Moore

This Sporting Life

Carl Trueman: “Amid the hoo-hah surrounding the clash between Donald Trump and the NFL, perhaps the most important question does not concern the righteousness of the two sides’ positions. Rather, it concerns why any of us should allot special importance to the political views of a group of men whose sole claim to fame is the ability to play a schoolyard game with exceptional competence.”

Make Church Announcements Great Again

Tim Scheiderer looks at three ways churches do announcements poorly. “The problem with these delivery styles is that the stated motivations don’t match the glory and weight of what the congregation is being asked to participate in. The magnificent blessing of the event or service opportunity is masked by the mediocre delivery system. Churches shouldn’t take an event intended to display the truth of God and serve it on a platter of mediocrity.” He offers a better way.

When Transgender Children Are Harmed by the People Who Intended to Help Them

I fear we will begin to hear more and more stories like this one. “Here’s a heartbreaking story out of Australia about a boy and his mother who circumvented the law (with the ‘help’ of doctors) in order to start his transitioning process at age 12. He has since decided he wants to be a boy after all, but now he has to have surgery to reverse results of the hormone treatments.”

A New Kind of Youth Ministry

I’m not sure where this series is going to go, but it gets off to a fascinating start with its history of youth ministry.

A Truck Full of Nails

This is kind of a funny story: “A truck driving through Metairie dumped thousands of nails all over Interstate 10, as though seeking vengeance against cars.”

Flashback: All Those Things I Will Leave Undone

Life is a vapor, too short, too fleeting. But I believe this: I may not have time to do everything I would like to do, but I have all the time I need for those things that God expects me to do.

The fondness we have for self furnishes another long rank of prejudices.

—Isaac Watts

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This weeks Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of their best-selling Good Book Guides that are designed to guide your head and your heart through God’s word. Each Good Book Guide includes a concise leader’s guide in the back.  The Bundle includes: Giveaway Rules: You…

  • A Light on the Hill

    A Light on the Hill

    In early 2020, CHBC, along with almost every other church in the world, was forced to contend with the opening days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time Caleb Morell was working as Pastor Mark Dever’s personal assistant. Dever tasked him with finding out how the church had responded to the Spanish flu epidemic a…

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  • Airliner

    They Won’t Because They Can’t

    If you’ve flown recently, you have probably made the same observation I have: No one pays attention to the pre-flight safety videos. There may be the occasional uptick in interest after a well-publicized crash or near-disaster, but soon old habits return—people stuff their AirPods into their ears and stare at their phones rather than watch…

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