Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (October 23)

monday

Good morning from Oakville. After a very enjoyable weekend in Louisville (spent mostly with Third Avenue Baptist Church) I’m glad, as always, to be back home.

Kindle book collectors will want to take a look at today’s roundup.

(Yesterday on the blog: Worship Round the World: Pressing On and Nearing the End)

The Question Your Kids Shouldn’t Be Asking

I agree with Melissa: This is a question your kids shouldn’t be asking.

The Origins of Deaconesses in the Presbyterian Church of Victoria

“We can learn from our brothers and sisters—their reading and applying of Scripture, and the roles and systems they built to facilitate ministry. Today, as local churches and denominations think about deploying men and women for ministry, there are patterns we can appeal to, some of which, for various reasons, dropped out of popular consciousness and church practice over the last century.”

Stream the Luther Documentary for Free

In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Little did he know how God would use him to ignite a movement that would change the world. Witness the spark that set the Reformation ablaze by watching Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. This documentary is freely available on Ligonier Ministries’ YouTube channel. You can also download the accompanying study guide for free. (Sponsored Link)

How Did Jesus’s Stories Get Passed On?

So how did Jesus’s stories get passed on, anyway?

Doug Wilson and Postmillennial Theonomy

I don’t often link to X (Twitter) but found this explanation of Doug Wilson’s eschatology especially helpful. “Postmillennial theonomists read the Great Commission differently. When it says, ‘Make disciples of all nations,’ they don’t read that to mean, ‘Make disciples out of the nations.’ For them, it’s literally, ‘Christ said to make Christian nations.’”

The Resilient Leader

“Although an important virtue of a leader, resilience is a characteristic every disciple of Christ is called to cultivate.” This article explains the importance of that virtue.

He Alone Does Great Wonders

“The authors of Scripture are unanimously in awe of the God about whom they are writing.” They most certainly were. And we ought to be as well.

Flashback: Young Christian: Give the Lord a Lot to Work With

Those easy and attractive things that are fun, that demand no effort, that keep you squarely in your comfort zone, and that trigger all the brain’s pleasure centers—these can keep you from doing what ultimately counts for so much more.

Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelms us.

—Jerry Bridges

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (December 19)

    A La Carte: The astronaut who left NASA to support healthy churches / The cradle that rocked the world / Are Catholics Christian? / Why we need beautiful churches / On stumbling / and more.

  • 2025

    12 Fresh Ways to Read Your Bible in 2025

    A new year offers a new opportunity—an opportunity to rethink and refresh the way you read your Bible. While some have found a pattern or habit they love and will never deviate from, others like to look for new ways to read, digest, and apply the Word. For those who may be interested in trying…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (December 18)

    A La Carte: Grief and gratitude at Christmas / Navigating unwanted singleness / What the demons sang / Teach your teen about Christian freedom / Common interests / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (December 17)

    A La Carte: The Virgin Mary and modern therapeutic culture / Relational heresy and doctrinal heresy / The darkness does not win / How does God deliver from pain by pain? / Christmas with your adult children / and more.

  • Do you know who God says you are?

    Identity matters for at least two key reasons. First, understanding our identity—our true God-given identity—is vital to understand why we exist and what we’re to do in life, as it is likewise essential for framing a fitting perspective of others.

  • A Collection of Random Thoughts on Christian Living

    A Collection of Random Thoughts on Christian Living

    Not every thought makes a good article and sometimes an entire article can be distilled down to a single thought. For those reasons, I like to occasionally create what I have created here–a roundup of brief, random thoughts about Christian living. Some of these are original and some are drawn from articles I’ve written in…