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Weekend A La Carte (September 19)

A La Carte Collection cover image

I haven’t been able to track down any Kindle deals that are particularly exciting or noteworthy, so I suppose I will wish you a good weekend, and get straight to some interesting links.

An Earth More Beautiful than Beautiful

Jared Wilson reflects on beauty, and beauty to come.

How to End a Conversation

Because we’ve all been there a few times. Another option is to feign death until the person awkwardly walks away.

What’s Really in the Planned Parenthood Videos?

Amy Hall on the Planned Parenthood videos: “We need to be careful about how we talk about these videos. If you give people even the smallest thing to quibble with (even if it’s not ultimately relevant), that is what they will focus on, and they’ll use it to justify dismissing everything in the videos. This is what I’m seeing happen now.”

The Communist Roots of No-Fault Divorce

“Before the marriage revolution came to America, it came to Russia. And it came as a result of another revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution.” This is a really interesting article from Joe Carter.

Cultivating the Kingdom

I was recently able to be a guest on Cultivating the Kingdom podcast with Allison Burr. You can listen in if you like.

This Day in 1853. At age 21, “James Hudson Taylor sets sail from England for China where he will found the China Inland Mission” (now known as Overseas Missionary Fellowship). *

Consumerism Keeps Us Fed and Starving

“With each visit to the United States, we can never quite predict what will stand out to us. It’s been different things over the last seven years. I remember one time when I was intrigued by the mysterious new section in all of the grocery stores: Organic. On other trips, my children have had their curiosity piqued by women bus drivers, by vending machines, by the presence of church buildings, by people walking dogs in their neighborhoods, and by the dizzying varieties of Oreos.”

The Benefits of Good Posture

This will probably make you feel bad about yourself. But if posture is really that important, it’s probably worth watching.

A Large Need for Small Congregations

Thanks to MereChurch for sponsoring the blog this week.

Guinness

Unbelief seizes truth, grasps it roughly, silences its voice and twists it away from God’s intended purpose.

—Os Guinness

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  • Finn

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    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,…