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Sunday A La Carte (June 3)

It is a beautiful Saturday evening here in Livingstone, Zambia, as I prepare this collection of articles for Sunday morning. I have enjoyed Zambia tremendously and have been blessed to see the country and meet its people. I am about to head to church, then south to South Africa for a couple of days before beginning my journey home. Then another leg of this EPIC journey will be done.

Once again, I collected a lot of great links this week so thought I’d share the overflow on Sunday. Here goes!

This weekend only you can get a free e-book copy of David Mathis’s excellent Habits of Grace.

The Persistent and Pervasive Problem of Pseudo-Pique

You may not know the term, but you definitely know the reality it describes. “Pseudo means having the appearance of while not actually having, and pique means to affect with sharp irritation and resentment. The pseudo-pique is the sharing of ‘news’ that provokes the sham appearance of irritation or outrage. Rather than accurately expressing our actual emotion or level of concern, we act as if we care more about an even than we do (or even should).”

Why Won’t God Answer My Prayer?

I think it’s good from time to time to consider why God may not answer prayers. “So why do we so often see prayers go unanswered? Can we do anything about it? These promises about prayer are given to us in abundance, so what keeps us from seeing them fulfilled? Let me quickly offer 6 possibilities.”

Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Creation.com has an interesting profile of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, a name you probably don’t know, but perhaps should.

Small Church Pastors: A Tribute To The Forgotten Heroes

“Where did we get the idea that small churches are small because there’s something wrong with them and/or their pastors?” That’s a good question…

Christian Repentance in a Callout Culture

“Our culture is increasingly a shame culture. ‘Callout’ refers to the common practice of using one’s social media account to name and shame, often with the intended goal of inspiring those who follow your posts to likewise pile-on the other party. As many are discovering, these kinds of shaming campaigns can have real power, especially if the offending party is supported by a corporate brand which fears the effect of such negative publicity.”

How to Sharpen Your Concentration for Bible Reading

These are useful tips for making sure you are making the most of your Bible reading.


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    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: 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.

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    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,…