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Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

A La Carte Collection cover image

My thanks goes to Church Social for sponsoring the blog this week. Church Social keeps churches connected by giving congregations a safe place to communicate, share information, and manage membership online. It is software I can gladly recommend since we use it at my church.

Logos users, March Matchups has come down to its penultimate round, so remember to vote once again.

Today’s Kindle deals include a few more interesting books.

(Yesterday on the blog: Ask Pastor John)

I Believe in the Death of Julius Caesar and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Ides of March provides an opportunity to consider the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Three Reasons Students and Pastors Shouldn’t Use ChatGPT

“Technology is no mere neutral tool. Indeed, nothing is simply neutral. Every form of technology has latent danger, some much greater than others. And tools like ChatGPT, while they do have a specific role and shouldn’t be universally avoided, they should be very carefully employed for their specific end, if at all.”

The Detail in This New 1.3-Gigapixel Photo of a Supernova Is Incredible

Of course technology also allows us to do and see some wonderful things.

New One

I enjoyed this little biographical sketch by Christina Stanton. “At age 14, One Mokgatle lost his father—the rock of his family—to heart failure. Young One wasn’t a Christian, and his father’s death drew him even further away from any desire to explore Christianity or any faith system. ‘I couldn’t understand why God would allow this to happen,’ One recalls. But through God’s saving grace, One would soon begin a journey that would lead to pastoring a church plant, and then ultimately leading the Acts 29 movement all over Africa.”

What Two Raw Vegans Taught Me About Sharing Jesus

Abigail tells what she learned from a couple of raw vegans.

If We Realize We’re Undeserving, Suddenly the World Comes Alive

Indeed, it does, as Randy Alcorn explains here.

Flashback: Children Who Bloom in an Instant

Parents do well to be patient with their children, and not to be overly concerned with those who seem to be blooming slowly.

True joy is only attained when our hearts beat with God’s desires, when we love His will more than our own, and when His desires fuel our desires.

—Kimberly Wagner

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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,…