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A La Carte (March 2)

monday

I mentioned on Saturday that a pilot friend was taking me to spend some time in his airline’s flight simulator. Suffice it to say that if you ever get on an airliner and see me in the cockpit, I’d recommend you get out while you still can.

Today’s Kindle deals include some interesting books along with a couple of commentaries by recommended authors. You may also want to check out Amazon’s general market deals of the month.

(Yesterday on the blog: Speaking with a Pastor in Italy’s Coronavirus “Hot Zone”)

Polyamory and the Overton Window

Denny Burk: “If you had asked me ten years ago whether evangelicals would ever give up ground on the issue of homosexuality, I would have said ‘no way!’” That seems very quaint now. Could polyamory be the next frontier?

Teaching Christ to Kids raised to Worship the Ancestors

There are many contexts in the world in which teaching children to follow Christ means teaching them not to worship (and/or fear) their ancestors. This article from TGC Africa explains.

The Rise Of The Drive-Thru (Video)

You may enjoy this video that explains the rise of the drive-thru. It also explains some more recent innovations and projects what is likely to change in the near future.

College Students and Church Membership

If you go away to college, should you join a church there, or should you keep your primary church connection “back home?”

Leave the Dead to Bury Their Own Dead

Peter Krol looks to the wider context of Jesus’s words to explain what it means to leave the dead to bury their own dead.

Why Study Local Church History?

I believe there’s lots of value in studying church history, but hadn’t really considered the value in studying local church history. This article explains why it can be an important pursuit.

5 Things Forgiveness Is Not

To properly forgive those who have sinned against us, it’s important to know what forgiveness is not. Brad Hambrick explains. “It can be helpful to set our mind at ease about a few things related to forgiveness. This reflection is all about, ‘We need to talk about forgiveness, but don’t worry, forgiveness doesn’t mean [blank].’ We are going to talk about five common fears associated with forgiveness that can go in that blank.”

Flashback: What Tolkien Did So Well, What We Do So Poorly

One of the great strengths of Tolkien’s work is its grounding in history. One of the great weaknesses of the contemporary church is its detachment from its own history. Few of today’s Christians have a clear sense of how the church came to be.

Reducing reliance upon the Bible or removing it from a worship service in favor of practical help or biblically inspired principles is a sure sign that you don’t know what a worship service is.

—Jared Wilson

  • Why Do I Feel Such Profound Loneliness?

    This week the blog is sponsored by Moody Publishers and is written by Steve DeWitt. The story of human loneliness has its roots in the character of God and God’s purpose in creating us.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created…

  • Stop Swiping Start Serving

    Stop Swiping, Start Serving

    I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that in the past few weeks, you have probably not gotten rip-roaring drunk nor participated in a debauched drinking party. You have probably not given yourself over to rampant sexual immorality or a life obsessed with sensuality. At least, I hope not

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    A La Carte: What media got wrong about supposed Christian self-immolation / We are walking on holy ground / “His Glory and My Good” / How pop Nietzscheanism masquerades as Christianity / Why a full calendar doesn’t necessarily produce mature church members / Thinking biblically about social justice / John Piper Kindle deals / and…

  • One Measure of Greatness

    One Measure of Greatness

    While all of us ought to see evidence of marked growth in our knowledge of God, our relationship with him, and our obedience to him, none of us ever evolves beyond our need for the ordinary means of grace. We never “level up” to such a degree that we gain access to some hidden extraordinary…

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    Weekend A La Carte (May 18)

    A La Carte: What it takes to survive ministry / The power of prayer / The dog’s game / Why do Christians do bad things? / Does it matter whether seminary education is in-person or online? / Greet one another with a … what? / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)

    This week the giveaway is sponsored by  Zondervan Reflective. When writers write, they are getting in touch with the image of God in them. This is true in some way of all artistry, but writers especially create worlds, characters, histories, and transformation–all ex nihilo (“out of nothing”). In The Storied Life, veteran author Jared C. Wilson…