Explore A La Carte

The Ology The Ology is a neat new resource for kids from Marty Machowski. It is on sale this week at Westminster Books. It is also available at Amazon. Single You Will Be the Married You “Joining a gym won’t instantly transform your physique. Starting a blog won’t immediately make you a good writer. Purchasing…

Sexual Orientation Doesn’t Mean Anything “Laws backed by substantial fines and penalties, not to mention the potential for publicly shaming violators, require some form of objective clarity.” But there is no clarity as to what sexual orientation actually means. 6 Marks of Healthy Sexuality This is a really good article from Gary Thomas. He asks,…

The Lonely Death of George Bell This sad article from the New York Times looks at what happens when an unknown and forgotten person passes away. Are There Degrees of Sin? R.C. Sproul: “Many Evangelical Protestants have rejected the idea of degrees of sin because they know that the Protestant Reformation rejected the Roman Catholic…

For the second day in a row, I was unable to dig up any noteworthy Kindle deals. I am sure there will be some new ones to share early next week. Until then, enjoy some other reading (or browse the A La Carte archives to see what you missed earlier in the week): International Space…

I would appreciate prayer as I head overseas on Saturday. I will be spending next week in Germany, preaching at a church on Sunday, and then speaking every day at a pastors’ conference. I have been praying specifically that I would be able to sleep on the way over (it’s an overnight flight) and that…

Nobody Cares How Hard You Work Ouch! “We chronically confuse the feeling of effort with the reality of results—and for anyone working in a creative field, that means the constant risk of frittering time and energy on busywork, instead of the work that counts.” The 9Marks Mailbag I really enjoy the 9Marks mailbag feature. The…

Patrol Your Borders Erik Raymond discusses an important principle of time management: patroling your borders. Parenting Persons, Not Projects This is good: “I want to be the best mother I can be, but perhaps the most efficient way to go about this is to remove my child from the center of my universe. Perhaps then…

Five Strategies for Daily Bible Reading It always surprises me that something so simple can be so difficult. Yet, in my experience, it really is. Here are some strategies to help with your daily Bible reading. Accessing Maturity Collin Marshall explains an important link: the link between spiritual maturity and spiritual discernment. Idolatry: A Fatal…

More than the Five Points David Murray provides a couple of interesting facts about Calvinism, including this: “The five points of Calvinism did not originate with John Calvin, and do not provide a comprehensive summarize of his teaching.” The Inner Workings of Becoming One Flesh Melissa has a gift for describing the Christian life as…

Thanks to all who read and replied to yesterday’s article The Major Life Decision That Put My Theology to the Test. The response was very encouraging and, in its own way, very confirming. Thank you. Can the Devil Read My Mind? R.C. Sproul answers this question. Lean In To Boredom “Boredom is not tragic. Properly…

Andrew Peterson’s Newest Album Is Now Available You can now purchase Andrew Peterson’s latest album, The Burning Edge of Dawn. Everlasting Way And while we’re on the subject of music, a reader pointed me to this EP by Dan opdeVeigh. You can listen to it for free on Bandcamp. My only complaint is that there…

Yesterday’s test on the Trinity was surprisingly popular, with 21,000 people completing it by the end of the day! I can’t see individual results but I can see trends. I may write an article or two to address the most common mistakes (which may also have just been badly worded questions). In the meantime, enjoy…

How Do I Know That God Loves Me? “How do we know God loves us, and what does His love look like? How we answer these questions, and we all hold answers to those questions whether we are aware of them or not, is what determines our view of God and the health of our…

Ten Commandments for Pastors Joel Beeke has ten wise and helpful commandments for pastors. The Vine Journal I’m excited about this! GoThereFor, a ministry connected to Matthias Media, has announced The Vine Journal, a new journal they will be publishing 3 times a year. The first issue is free to download. (You can read the…

Transgender Confusion and Transformational Christianity This year’s ACBC conference gets underway today and you can stream all of the plenary sessions. The theme of the event is Transgender Confusion and Transformational Christianity. Lenny’s Garage I always enjoy seeing interesting people in action. Like Lenny. “Lenny Shiller is a lifelong Brooklyn resident and classic car collector.…

What “Orwellian” Means Most people use the word wrong. This is a great little video that describes what it really means (and why we want to use it rightly). A Quick And Easy Guide To The Planned Parenthood Videos Mollie Hemingway provides a quick and easy guide to the 10 videos that have been released…

Scandals, Sandals & Biblical Epics This article provides a brief biography of filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille who led a fascinatingly contradictory life. The Prosperity Gospel Has Gone Viral “Regrettably, the prosperity gospel has gone viral. Being more nuanced and subtle than you may think, it is very active in the church. Like a computer virus…

Sooner Count the Stars Today marks the release of Sooner Count the Stars, a new album from Sovereign Grace Music. I’ve listened to most of it and have really enjoyed it. James Is, You Know, in the Bible Rick Phillips says it well: “I can think of few messages more urgently needed by our worldly…

What Pastors Wish Their Worship Leaders Knew Bob Kauflin offers quite a good list of things pastors wish their worship leaders knew. Advice for a Young Man Dating a Young Woman I think this is a tremendously helpful collection of wisdom for the young man pursuing the young lady. My favorite line: “Whether she’s your…