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A La Carte (November 22)

Today’s Kindle deals include books by John MacArthur and John Piper as well as quite a few others. You may also want to browse the large selection of general market books in the Black Friday sale.

Kindle devices are significantly discounted this week as part of Amazon’s Black Friday sale.

Checking the Fact Checkers

You might be interested in reading or listening to this piece from Dr. Mohler who talks about fake news and the destabilization of the media.

The Word of the Year

This year’s Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2016 is one we have begun to hear a lot: post-truth. You can read about it and the other finalists at Oxford’s site.

Glennon Doyle Melton’s Gospel of Self-Fulfillment

“From the public announcements both of her divorce and her new dating relationship, she wants us to understand this: The greatest gift any of us gives to the world is our true self. Let’s not look to anyone else for permission or feel any obligation for explanation. Humans flourish as they obey their desires.”

Pastors, Keep Your Door Open

This is absolutely true: “When we outsource our women’s events to national conferences or local gatherings led by piped in speakers, we should not be surprised when women find their gurus among internet sensations and New York Times bestsellers, or, consequently, when they find their theology informed more by those leaders than they find it in one sermon once a week—especially if they’re a young mom who ends up missing most of the sermon because of young children.”

People with Down Syndrome Answer Uncomfortable Questions

People have lots of questions about Down Syndrome, so The Canadian Down Syndrome Society searched the most asked questions online and launched a new campaign to answer them. They simply asked people with Down Syndrome to provide answers. Brilliant!

Calvinism Is Not Hyper-Calvinism

Josh helpfully lays out the difference between two very different things.

This Day in 1963. 53 years ago today British scholar and famed author of ‘Mere Christianity,’ C.S. Lewis, died. His death was overshadowed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy which took place on the same day.

Our Political Divisions Provide an Opportunity for the Church

“Since its founding, the church has brought together people from various backgrounds and political persuasions, including Simon the zealot and Matthew the tax collector—two of Jesus’ disciples.”

167 Theremin Nesting Dolls

One reason I love to read Atlas Obscura is because of the bizarre things they dig up. Like this touring ensemble from Japan that plays the theremin, but first puts it inside a Russian nesting doll. You just have to see/hear it.

A Case for Christian Magnanimity

Yes, please. We could use some of this. What is magnanimity? Merriam-Webster defines it as “loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity.”

Flashback: 700 Billion Minutes

This article goes back a few years, but the point still stands: What are we doing in all that time we give to Facebook?

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The only thing that the church can provide to the world that is truly unique is the gospel.

—Michael Horton

  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

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    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…