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Weekend A La Carte (July 4)

I wish all of my American friends (and family) a joyful and celebratory Independence Day today.

Today’s Kindle deals include the usual Saturday classics with a few newer titles as well.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Mid-Year Bible-Reading Checkup (Don’t Give Up!))

Proud to Be an American?

Bruce Ashford: “As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it is a good time to reflect on the proper perspective a Christian should have on his or her nation. In particular, now is the perfect time to reflect on the proper perspective an American Christian should have on the United States of America.”

Cheap Knockoffs

Here’s Janie Cheaney on non-Christian perspectives seeping into the church: “God does not bodily descend into the world without changing it forever. Those who fear our culture is returning to paganism are wrong: Our culture is developing an uneasy mix of pagan worldview saturated with perversions of Christian teaching.”

Five Lessons I Learned From a COVID-19 Spike at Our Church

I think we’d all do well to read this one and learn from this church’s experience with an outbreak. “I’m convinced that one of the reasons the virus hasn’t spread faster and farther is that we have been following procedures designed to isolate sick people and keep everyone else socially distanced. At the same time, we had gotten comfortable, and on a few occasions we were a little lax in those policies. We can trace almost all of the infections back to one of those times.”

The Fear of the Lord … For Today?

“The basic idea is that the Lord is with us and he is also over us. He is the great and Holy God and is to be feared. This is a good fear because whatever we fear controls us. When we fear the Lord, we are controlled by him and his words. In short, we do what he says.” Ed Welch is just the person we should want to read on this subject.

What Is Self-Discipline?

Steve Lawson writes about self-discipline: “Growth in personal holiness is largely determined by our progress in self-discipline. Without this foundational discipline, there can be no advancement in grace. Before other disciplines can be administered, whether in the home, business, or church, there first must be self-discipline.”

Pray for the Church

I expect you’ll benefit from reading (and/or praying) this prayer for the church.

The Circle Game

I’m not sure he needed to use a bad word in this article, but anyway, Alan Jacobs aptly describes the awful and annoying circle of social media.

Flashback: 5 Cautions for Your Spiritual Disciplines

Don’t read the Bible so you can Instagram your devotions or humblebrag about it on Twitter. Examine your heart to ensure you are using the spiritual disciplines for the noblest of purposes, which is to know and honor God.

Every believer is called to be one of God’s bellhops, always ready to pick up someone else’s baggage.

—Philip Ryken

  • 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.…

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    A La Carte (October 30)

    A La Carte: Not the Halloween you remember / How God used the loss of a loved one to save another / Infertility and longing / Daylight saving and spiritual disciplines / Belong and believe? / and more.

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    A La Carte (October 29)

    A La Carte: When King Charles came to church / Curiositas and the David Platt documentary / Teasing out idolatry in narcissism / Loving people through slow change / Can God forgive without punishment? / and more.

  • Disappointment

    The Practice of Accepting Disappointment

    One of the most important habits you can develop is the habit of accepting that life is full of disappointments. One of the best ways to grow in contentment is to accept the inevitability of discontentment. One of the ways you can be most joyful in life is to be realistic about life, to know…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 28)

    A La Carte: How to steward money in marriage / Regrets in parenting / The temptation of temptation / Our common purpose / How much should Christians tithe? / Huge Kindle sale / and more.

  • Prayer for a Son

    A Father’s Prayer for His Son

    Every father knows the importance of praying for his children. Yet every father also knows that at times it can be difficult to know what to pray. I recently found a sweet prayer in an old book and thought I would share it with you, dad, so you can pray it for your son. Take…