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Weekend A La Carte (November 25)

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My gratitude goes to BJU for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their upcoming CoRE Conference which will appeal especially to those involved in counseling.

Yesterday I shared a long list of Black Friday deals. I updated the list a number of times throughout the day and most of the deals remain active through the weekend.

Find Your Fathers in Christ: Advice for Younger Men

“Over the last twenty years, I’ve had several great fathers in the faith. These men of God reached down to invest in me, and were far enough ahead of me that they could guide, challenge, and spur me on.” Marshall tells what he learned from them and encourages young men to find similar mentors.

How to Prevent a Spiritually Dry December

Ryan Higginbottom: “While there’s nothing wrong with any of these seasonal extras, here’s the truth I tend to miss. My experience of Christmas will be far deeper and more joyful if I’m connecting my activities to the Biblical truths of Christmas.”

Do You Know What Your Child Is Being Taught about Sex?

Jonathan Noyes says that “many public schools have settled for teaching your students what to think, not how to think. In the process, the pursuit of truth is abandoned for an ideology, and any speech against that ideology is stifled.” This being the case, it’s especially important for parents to be aware and be involved.

Bible people don’t want to say more or less than the Bible does

Stephen Kneale, who recently explained why he doesn’t believe the Bible mandates physical discipline (but rather permits it) goes on to describe a broader principle. “I think many of us are very quick to baptise and sanctify our applications, assuming the form of what we do is necessarily what scripture prescribes, when the most we can really say is this is alegitimate, permissible application rather than the specific requirement on all believers.”

Saved to Do Good and Love Others: Why I Do Homeless Ministry

“I didn’t get to share the gospel even once. I didn’t get to tell people that God loved them. That Jesus died for them. Friendly conversations would more often than not become one-sided where I couldn’t get a word in.” Despite this, Adam explains why ministry is valuable, even when it doesn’t lead to direct opportunities to share the gospel.

Biblical Manhood Versus Traditional African Manhood

“In the African traditional culture, there are a lot of things that define manhood.” This article at TGC Africa explains biblical manhood over against traditional African notions of it.

Flashback: How To Get Things Done: Deal With Interruptions

Dealing with interruptions requires an awareness that God is sovereign and you are not. When you trust a sovereign God you know that no interruption has caught God by surprise. This frees you from outbursts of anger or depths of despair.

We’re not adrift in chaos. We’re held in the everlasting arms. And this makes a difference. We can be at peace and we can accept.

—Elisabeth Elliot

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books for ministry leaders.  The Bundle includes: As you look at all things through the lens of the gospel, you’ll increasingly become the fully-formed follower of Jesus and servant of his church that you have been…

  • Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State

    These are strange days in Canada. The incoming President of the United States has suddenly promised to slap a 25% tariff on cross-border trade—a tariff that has the potential to devastate the Canadian economy. Some suggest it could cost Canada a 3% hit to its economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

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    A La Carte: Discipleship in the Reformed world / Why Christians need to watch out for Jordan Peterson / The forbidden woman and the path to death / I’m no gambler / a firm foundation in an uncertain world / and more.

  • Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Do I have a library made up of thousands of books or do I have a library made up of a couple dozen? I suppose it depends on what you count as a book. It has been many years—at least 15, I think—since I decided to go all-in with ebooks, a decision I have stuck…

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    A La Carte (January 8)

    A La Carte: American religions / Is Eastern Orthodoxy the next big thing? / The danger of Driscoll in me / Identifying our parenting idols / True strength starts with weakness / and more.