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Weekend A La Carte (1/8)

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A La Carte has always been a Monday to Friday deal, but recently I’ve been thinking about also doing a weekend edition. I figure I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. So without any further ado, here’s the first ever Weekend A La Carte. Enjoy!

Letter from Guido – I recently came across this letter from Reformer Guido de Bres to his wife. He is about to die and writes to comfort her and to advise her on the future. It’s a beautiful, sweet, pastoral letter.

E-Book Sales – Between 3 and 5 million e-reading devices were activated in the week following Christmas. And millions of e-books were sold in the days following. It seems that we’re closer and closer to a tipping point here where e-books are going to surge past printed books.

God and the Big Bang – The Roman Catholic Church continues to give ground to evolution. “God’s mind was behind complex scientific theories such as the Big Bang, and Christians should reject the idea that the universe came into being by accident, Pope Benedict said on Thursday.”

Christian Communicator’s – Did you know that Jim Elliff’s ministry will send free books or other resources to pastors, teachers and ministry leaders? They offer some great books, so check out the offer and the conditions at the link.

The Relation of Church and Family – This article by Sam Waldron is a useful critique of some of the tenets of the Family Integrated Church movement. “In the last couple of decades a significant ecclesiastical trend has arisen out of the home-schooling movement which raises significant issues with regard to the relation of the church and the family. The movement I have in mind is associated with Vision Forum, Patriarch Magazine, and represented by the book by Eric Wallace, Uniting Church and Home, and the New Testament Restoration Foundation. The views of this movement are by no means homogeneous, but there is a sufficient commonality to ground a unified critique of their characteristic perspectives.” (Note: here’s a follow-up letter from Dr. Waldron)

Books I’ve Read – In case you’re interested, here are a few books I’ve read recently (continuing on with my love of books dealing with the Second World War): Ghost Soldiers (very interesting book, ideal for lazy Saturday afternoons), Berlin at War (quite an interesting study of Berlin and Berliners; probably a bit niche for most people), and The Third Reich at War (I didn’t get all the way through it as it becomes quite dense and repetitive; it’s largely a discussion of German atrocities).

Gospel Coalition Q&A – There’s lots of good content in this interview with D.A. Carson (if you’ve got an hour to spare on a Saturday!):

Gospel Coalition Q & A from Realityla on Vimeo.


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    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…

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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,…