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Weekend A La Carte (October 30)

May you know and acknowledge the Lord’s sweetest blessings as you serve and worship him this weekend.

My gratitude goes to my friends at Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to stream their Luther documentary while it’s free.

There’s a nice little list of Kindle deals for today.

(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books fo October 2021)

Not How We Would Have It

Nick Batzig looks back to Ecclesiastes to draw some important lessons. “Many with strong convictions look back at church history and bemoan our current state of affairs in comparison with bygone ages. However, the sad reality is that there were just as many false teachers, compromising ministers, rebellious and difficult congregants, and hateful worldly opponents then as there are today.”

What If God Doesn’t Answer?

Guy Richard addresses the age-old issue of unanswered prayer.

Memory, the Reformation, & Revival

Michael Haykin: “If it is true that knowledge of the past is vital to meaningful living in the present and the future, and I believe it is, then Evangelicals in the West face a very uncertain future for we are living in a day when knowledge of our past as Evangelical Christians is abysmally low. Who were our forebears and what did they believe? What was their experience of God and how did that shape the churches they founded, churches which we have inherited?”

Romans, the “Righteousness of God,” and the 1984 NIV

Michael Kruger writes about some of his “favorite verses in the Bible, Romans 3:21-26. Martin Luther called those verses, ‘The chief point, and the very central place of the Epistle, and of the whole Bible.’”

Ask God to Send Gospel Workers

“Have you noticed the massive staff shortage across industries during this extended season of COVID? I can’t drive a mile without seeing a ‘help wanted’ sign. I’ve waited a long time lately at restaurants for a table and then my meal. It wasn’t for a lack of tables. And it wasn’t for a lack of food. It was for a lack of workers. Workers are scarce. The same is true in the kingdom.”

Sufficient for the Day

Reagan Rose offers some helpful words on productivity. “Planning for tomorrow is important. Having lists of projects and tasks you hope to do is important. But when we spend a lot of time looking down the road we can lose focus on the bit of road that’s right in front of us. We can be tempted to become discontent or anxious.”

Flashback: The Cracks Begin at the Bottom

…disunity often begins with the membership and spreads toward the leadership rather than beginning with the leadership and spreading toward the membership. This is not always the case, of course, but often it is.

The Scriptures are the lifeline God throws us in order to ensure he and we stay connected while the rescue is in process.

—J.I. Packer

  • 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?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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.

  • Good News Rock Bottom

    Good News at Rock Bottom

    Life most certainly brings its challenges. Some of these are just little ruts along the way, some are deep and dark valleys, and some are lower still—the kind of rock bottom experiences that are so dreadful we wonder if we will be able to endure them with our faith intact.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (April 11)

    A La Carte: John Piper & Kevin DeYoung on baptism / The legacy of TEDS / The DIY spirituality of Rainn Wilson and Rhett & Link / The enormous significance of small tasks / Hello, I want your life / Meryl Streep and Aslan / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    A Batch of New Books for Kids (and Teens)

    Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…