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    A La Carte (11/5)

    A question I receive a lot is this one: do you prefer the Kindle or the iPad for electronic reading. That’s a tough question because I flip back and forth. In general, though, I find that I prefer the Kindle. I think it’s because the Kindle’s e-ink technology represents a kind of halfway point between…

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    A La Carte (11/4)

    Yesterday at around noon Mark Driscoll used Twitter to link to one of my book reviews. A whole lot of his 80,000 Twitter followers immediately clicked the link, quickly brlnging my site to a grinding halt. Here’s what the load looked like: It was somewhere near the top of that spike that my web host…

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    A La Carte (11/3)

    Thanks to all of those who sent emails or Facebook reminders to me, telling me that I had to get out and vote yesterday. I chose not to do so since, being Canadian, I don’t think my efforts in that regard would have been appreciated. Long Story Short – I’m hearing good things about Long…

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    A La Carte (11/2)

    I’ve crossed from Canada into the United States a couple of times in the past three weeks. And I tell you, it’s getting tougher and tougher to get across. Last time I got the intense search–full-body pat-down, suitcases searched, bags sniffed for explosives. The funny thing was, this all happened in the Toronto airport but…

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    A La Carte (11/1)

    I mentioned something like this a few days ago, but let me say again: it’s really remarkable to me how Halloween has gone from the realm of the amateur to the realm of the professional and from the realm of the child to the realm of the adult. As I took my kids around the…

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    A La Carte (10/29)

    I have nothing (absolutely nothing!) to say today. So let’s get straight to the links. Underrepresented at Capetown – I missed this article when it was posted last week. Andy Crouch reports on the conspicuous absence of megachurch pastors at the Lausanne Congress. “For megapastors, platform time is the price of participation. Entrepreneurial pastors live…

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    A La Carte (10/28)

    That was rather an unexpected start to the World Series, wasn’t it? When Cliff Lee faces Tim Lincecum you’re hardly expecting a slugfest. And yet that’s exactly what it turned into. I don’t much care who wins this series, but I’m hoping it can at least remain close enough to be interesting. Is Music Warping…

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    A La Carte (10/27)

    Yesterday the meteorologists around these parts were talking about a “weather bomb.” In the end we didn’t see anything even close to resembling such a phenomenon. I wouldn’t say we’re disappointed, but, well, maybe we are just a little bit. It sounded exciting. A Detox Review – Here’s a very encouraging review of Sexual Detox.…

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    A La Carte (10/26)

    Rarely do I see a clearer manifestation of the pathetic nature of our culture than at Halloween. I’m all for having the kids dress up to go and collect candy. But yesterday I stepped into a store and noticed that the section for adult costumes was bigger than the section for kid’s costumes. Two words:…

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    A La Carte (10/25)

    I was sitting in Grand Rapids airport on Saturday morning, about to catch a flight to Cleveland (and from Cleveland I’d catch a second flight to Toronto). It struck me as a little bit cruel that at the time there were two flights leaving from my gate–one going to Cleveland (for which I had a…

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    Free Stuff Fridays

    Every week I rack my brain trying to come up with an original introduction to these Free Stuff Fridays posts. Maybe I just need to give up and embrace the formula. I guess the problem is that I’m usually genuinely excited about the stuff I get to give out here so I don’t want it…

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    A La Carte (10/22)

    As you read this, I’m on my way to Grand Rapids. These short trips can be tough ones. Because I want to be gone for only the day, I need an early flight–7 AM. That means I need to be at the airport at 5 AM (which you’d understand if you’ve ever flown out of…

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    A La Carte (10/21)

    As we began our evening service last Sunday, we asked the congregation this question and just had them call out answers: “What is something you read about God this week that encouraged or strengthened you?” So how about you? What have you read about God this week that has encouraged or strengthened you? Heart-Stirring Words…

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    A La Carte (10/20)

    I’m doing a one-day trip to Grand Rapids on Friday in order to spend some time with the good people at Zondervan. Since I’ll be Grand Rapids through the evening, I figured I’d drop in at the Young & Reformed conference where Kevin DeYoung and Mike Wittmer will be speaking. Is anyone else planning on…

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    A La Carte (10/19)

    Is anyone else watching playoff baseball using the MLB iPad app? I have to say, it’s pretty disappointing. Boasting that you can choose your camera angle is great, but not when you realize that the camera angles are pretty rough and will never show replays. Boasting that you can watch multiple camera angles at once…

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    A La Carte (10/18)

    It is always good to be away at a conference. But, of course, it’s always just a little bit better to be home. And I’m home again now and for the next few weeks (except for a brief day-long trip to Grand Rapids this weekend). Getty Blog – I’m not sure how I missed that…

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    A La Carte (10/15)

    Yesterday was the closest I’ve come to not being allowed into the US of A. The trouble I have is that the rules keep changing, and when I attempt to find out what the new rules are, I am regarded with suspicion as if I’m trying to game the system. So I try to come…

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    A La Carte (10/14)

    I’m on my way to Fort Worth for the True Woman conference (I know, I know; it’s a conference for women…). Stay tuned over the next couple of days as I try to find some interesting stories to tell from my time there. Camera Reunions – Here’s a great idea–a web site that tries to…

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    A La Carte (10/13)

    Just one day before Aileen and I head to Fort Worth for the True Woman conference. We’re looking forward to getting away. I suppose I shouldn’t tell anyone down there that I was cheering for the Tampa Bay Rays. Not that it really matters at this point. Now I’ll be cheering for the Rangers over…

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    A La Carte (10/12)

    Thanksgiving is past, which means that the next big date on Canada’s national calendar (apart from Halloween, which for some people is a ridiculously important occasion) is Christmas. And December 25 seems like it’s a long, long way off. Time With God – The Good Book Company is having a 48-hour sale on Time With…