Explore A La Carte

A Stupid Promise To God – Have you ever made an unwise or flat-out stupid promise to God? Have you later worried about the consequence of breaking it? Brad Hambrick has some counsel for you. Advice To Young Pastors – Earlier this year The Gospel Coalition ran a series offering advice to young pastors. Nate…

The Invisible Sin of Gluttony – “Gluttony is not that peckish sensation of wanting seconds when you haven’t had enough food to satisfy your hunger; it’s the sin of unrestrained overconsumption. Gluttony is thus the kissing cousin of drunkenness.” (This headline from yesterday seems relevant.) Would You Pay a Bribe? – I have spoken to…

Real Conversations with Dad – I completely identify with this: The majority of parenting is done in those sweet, mundane, meaningful little moments. Pit Stops – You might find this dead boring, but I found it strangely fascinating. It is a series of pit stops from different kinds of car race. Cigars, The Christian, and…

Tullian Tchividjian Resigns – Here is very sad news from Florida: “Popular pastor and author Tullian Tchividjian has resigned as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church,” citing “ongoing marital issues” and “an inappropriate relationship.” How Pixar Enchants Us – “Arguably no film studio in the world expends so much energy actively trying to fail.…

Kim Ransleben writes about When the Wages of Sin Is a Grandbaby. “Her weeping came ahead of her presence, causing my heart to pound. As a mom of three, it wasn’t the first time a crying child had entered our bedroom hours after we thought they’d gone to sleep…” This is the first I have…

I’m Grateful That Lady Forced a Bible on Me – This is an enjoyable little anecdote. 12 Questions for a Six-Month Spiritual Checkup – There are some really good questions there. Do the Next Thing – Here’s a sweet tribute to Elisabeth Elliot. “I got my best Bible teaching in those days from radio preaching…

Our Culture of Reading – If you are a reader you will enjoy Matthew Lee Anderson’s thoughts on our culture of reading and the end of dialogue. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Friendship – This is an interesting one from USA Today: “We tend to take friendship for granted, to make it secondary to other…

4 Ways to Reach a Child’s Heart – “Not just any fatherly involvement can reach the hearts of our children.” Rick Phillips describes the kind that can. Children of the Moon – This is fascinating: “Albinos make up between 5 and 10 percent of the roughly 80,000 indigenous Gunas who live on the mainland of…

Elizabeth Elliot – One of the most influential Christian women of the 20th century, Elisabeth Elliot, has died. (You may also enjoy John Piper’s reflections.) The Most Reviled Communication Experience Ever – That’s the thing about email: “We’ve let it seep into every nook and cranny of our lives, and we resent its presence. But…

Don’t Return To Your Vomit – It is such a vivid and disgusting metaphor, but one worth considering. If My Mom Were Me, I Wouldn’t Exist – “My mother absolutely did not want a child yet, did not want a life-sentence of possibly having to raise a handicapped child, did not want to see her…

Here is an account of Another Ordinary Pastor. And isn’t this exactly the kind of man a pastor should aspire to be? The second-to-last paragraph is beautiful. It’s true: Calvinism Is Not New to Baptists. In fact, Calvinists once dominated Baptist church life in America. Christlike versus Like Christ is an important distinction. “Preach so…

The Child Preachers of Brazil – The New York Times has a long article on Brazil’s child preachers: “The youngest evangelists in the country’s Pentecostal churches try to balance the demands of their youth with those of their faith.” The Secret Key – You’ve heard it all before: “Typically, as the story goes, the author/preacher…

The Oldest Trick in the Books – Here is one for the baseball fans. Saint Samson – David takes a look at Samson and tries to rehabilitate his reputation a little bit. Remarkable for Being Unremarkable – This is a good reminder: “Nobody ever reports on the pastors who labor in obscurity, quietly fulfilling their…

A Day Late, A Dollar Short – Carl Trueman comments on Tony Campolo as he becomes the latest Christian leader to declare for gay marriage. (Al Mohler comments as well.) The Fallen of World War II – This video brilliantly displays the scope of the devastation of World War II. Augustine and Miracle Reports in…

God Wrote a Book – I think you’ll enjoy this new video from John Piper. How Do I Make Christ Appealing? – “We aim to make Christ more appealing to the one who seems to that he is not very appealing. This usually means giving Jesus something of an extreme-makeover so that the eligible unbeliever…

The Faith of the Wright Brothers – David McCullough’s excellent new biography of the Wright brothers left open the matter of their faith. David Roach investigates the historical record. Marks of Orthodoxy? – “The words ‘orthodox’ and ‘orthodoxy’ are grown-up words. … Sometimes they are wrongly used to set apart those who are orthodox in…

Tim Keller has written a long article that reviews a couple of the most prominent books insisting the Bible allows for same-sex relationships and marriage. Jared Wilson says it well: “One of the most valuable sentences in a pastor’s arsenal is ‘I don’t know’.” And there’s no point pretending otherwise. Every few weeks someone has…

Good morning from the West Coast. I am out here in beautiful Vancouver B.C. (with Aileen!) for the Men for God Conference, and am looking forward to meeting new friends and speaking to them about our great God. But first, let’s get to today’s A La Carte. Bruce or Caitlyn? – Denny Burk is attempting…

The Duggars and the Evil Outside – Trevin Wax has some important things to say about the recent situation with Josh Duggar. Men for God – Tomorrow and Saturday I’ll be joining Conrad Mbewe and Doug Nichols at the Men for God conference in Vancouver. I’d love to see you there! Are Muslim Terrorists Truly…