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Weekend A La Carte (August 24)

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My thanks goes to Zondervan for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about a new book titled What It Means To Be Protestant. Sponsors play a crucial role in keeping this site going and I’m thankful for each and every one of them.

Today’s Kindle deals include a nicely varied selection. Be scroll down to yesterday’s deals to take a look at Rob Ventura’s Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans which is a really good deal at that pricing.

Sanctification Explained Simply

I found Bryan Schneider’s explanation of sanctification very helpful. I suspect you will also. “There is a danger in sanctification—a false pride that can creep in. The old enemies of legalism and self-reliance can make the cross fade into a distant memory. This often happens when people see sanctification as a stairway upwards. They imagine that they were saved at a certain point, and as they climb the stairs of holiness, they become increasingly aware of their progress.”

What Is a Hyper-Cessationist?

My understanding of cessationism might vary a little from Ryan Denton’s, but even with that being so, I share many of his concerns about what he calls “hyper-cessationism.” “For some time now, I have been deeply troubled by some of the assumptions that the term ‘cessationist’ now seems to carry. Cessationism has morphed into something dark and suffocating. It has become a thick, wet blanket used to smother anything that smacks of the supernatural.”

When Life Feels Crushing

Sarah Walton: “Some seasons are like that. They aren’t just overwhelming. They aren’t just hard. They aren’t just exhausting. They’re paralyzing, and from a humanity standpoint – they feel unbearable.”

“OK, Boomer”

Brad Littlejohn considers how the younger generation may fail to respect the older generation (and in a way that may be different from the past). While he writes primarily about the political context, the same can be true within the church.

Spurgeon’s Five Marks of a Healthy Church

J. Drew Tillman tells how Spurgeon defined a healthy church. There’s lots we can all learn from him!

Being, Rather Than Doing, Daily Devotionals

People who struggle with consistency in personal devotions may find some help in this article from TGC Australia. “Yes, we should set time aside to do daily devotions. But let’s not forget that Christian living is more than that. It is continuous devotion, where devotion is an attitude, rather than a task. It is more accurate to say we are ‘being’, rather than ‘doing’, devotion.”

Flashback: In the Beginning There Were No Canyons

…the brightest of the blooms grow only in the places that have been prepared by the heavy hand of the Master.

Walk humbly—you have far more to be humble about than you realize.


—D.A. Carson

  • CFL

    Christ for a Cruel World

    This sponsored post is provided by Caring for Life—a ministry that takes the Gospel to those who live on the margins of society and who struggle to cope in a cruel and unloving world. They seek to rescue damaged and vulnerable men and women, many who have been homeless or suffered abuse. They seek to…

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    A La Carte (April 15)

    A La Carte: The rotten fruit of Obergefell / The church and the embryo / African Christian authors and publications / Redeeming the time / When a good thing turns deadly / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Men in the Image of Women and Women in the Image of Men

    Men in the Image of Women and Women in the Image of Men

    God made men and God made women. God made men distinct from women and women distinct from men. God made men and women equal in worth and value while also making them distinct in some purpose and function. It’s all obvious stuff, this—obvious matters of differences between the sexes.

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    A La Carte (April 14)

    A La Carte: The healing of that old ache / Grounds for everyday smiles / A “quiet revival” in the UK / When Scripture gets stale / Praying when it feels like God isn’t listening / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A Less Busy Heart

    In the midst of our busy lives, we can sometimes wonder whether we really have the time to pray. Won’t prayer hinder our productivity? Won’t prayer keep us from getting done all the things we need to do?

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 12)

    A La Carte: Designer babies / The dragon and the rooster / Leper Christianity / Theologians against nature / Faithful and small / The missing heart of AI sermons / Douglas Groothuis books / and more.