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A La Carte (September 30)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include several good books by and/or for women. There are titles there by Melissa Kruger, Rosaria Butterfield, and others.

How to Lose Your Leaders

“If your leaders leave, what are you left with? Followers. And the growth of your organisation will quickly hit a ceiling. Being left with followers is fine if you are satisfied with substandard sycophants, or a revolving door of new leaders recruited, used and burned out. But if you want a team with initiative, wise long term decisions, and a healthy ministry culture, you need teams of genuine leaders.”

What if He’s Faithful?

This one hits close to home. “It only takes a few experiences of loss or long-deferred hopes to become a person bent on protecting yourself from future sorrows. You begin to view every potential good thing in life as the harbinger of your next greatest loss. Rather than bringing your desires and concerns to the Lord with hope that He will intervene or work things together for good, you worry at the Lord, certain everything will soon fall apart.”

Three Pounds of Wonder (Video)

The John 10:10 has a new video, this one about the marvelous human brain.

Dear Pastor, Sermon Prep Is Worth the Effort

Here’s an article/letter for pastors to ponder. “Plenty of people to set your agenda, innumerable demands pastorally, increasing amounts of administration, personal family concerns—they all have the potential to send stress levels rocketing. But perhaps the greatest danger is their ability to divert us from our main priority, memorably encapsulated in Paul’s parting charge to Timothy.”

The Good Life

Ruth writes about the good life.

Breaking the Anger Chain

Darryl explains how he once struggled with anger and how he learned to identify and break the “anger chain.”

Flashback: When Jesus Says “Stay”

Instead of telling him “come,” Jesus told him “stay.” He told him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” This man was to have a ministry, after all, but it was a ministry at home, not a ministry away. 

I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are very wise and very beautiful; but I never read in either of them: “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.”

—Augustine

  • 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…

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    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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    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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