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Weekend A La Carte (7/27)

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The Modern Surveillance State – This is a fascinating article in which the author says today’s surveillance state should not be compared to Orwell’s Big Brother but to Tolkien’s Eye of Sauron. He shows how Tolkien unwittingly captured some of the problems and paranoia of a government that tries to watch everyone and everything.

Pastors and Evangelism – Steve Lawson: “In his final letter, Paul charges Timothy, his son in the faith, to ‘do the work of an evangelist’ (2 Tim. 4:5) … With Apostolic authority, this imperative command comes with binding force. All pastors must do the work of an evangelist. They must earnestly proclaim the gospel message, urging people to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. So, where should this pastoral evangelism begin?”

Wedding Planning Lies – Here is a series of lies women may believe when they are planning a wedding.

The Wedding Vows – Steve McCoy has some poignant reflections at his twentieth anniversary. “I could talk about how much joy I still have when I see her or hear her voice. But we’ve both come to realize that after 10 years those things were easy to say, but after 20 there’s a whole lot of other things in our lives that won’t allow me to write something trite because 20 years of marriage isn’t easy. It’s been very hard.”

Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick – If you are a writer, or want to be, you’ll benefit from reading this interview with Nathaniel Philbrick. It’s full of interesting anecdotes about his life and tips about how he writes and how he writes so well.

Our heavenly Father never takes anything from his children unless he means to give them something better.

—George Muller

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    Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Yesterday was Reformation Day, when many Protestants celebrate the sixteenth-century recovery of the biblical gospel. It was while Martin Luther was studying the book of Romans that he rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So, today…

  • Daily Liturgy Devotional

    Why Not Use a Daily Liturgy for Your Devotions?

    Trends come and go. Certain habits or interests rise for a time, wane, then rise again, often at unexpected moments. One of the recent trends I have found particularly surprising and also particularly interesting is the rise (or re-rise, if you prefer) of liturgy. This may be liturgy within formal worship services of the local…

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    A La Carte (November 1)

    A La Carte: When a Berkeley feminist had three sons / The tragedy of IVF / What if I don’t feel forgiven? / Piper on how not to respond to suffering / What sola scriptura protects us against / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    As October draws to its close, I wanted to ensure you know about at least some of the most notable books it brought our way. I did not see quite the quantity of new books I have seen in some previous months, but there were still some special ones. For each, I’ve provided the publisher’s…

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    A La Carte (October 31)

    A La Carte: What is the Reformation? / More than a list of problems / A surprising story / More than songs of praise / Do elders need to evangelize? / Preach the gospel / and more.

  • From Practice to Perfection

    From Practice to Perfection

    You should stop by someday,” he said. “The orchestra is beginning to learn a new piece. I think you would enjoy hearing them. As promised, he met me in the lobby and led me through a locked door. As we walked down a long hallway, I could begin to hear music coming from somewhere ahead.…