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Weekend A La Carte (10/20)

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I Want to Die in the Trenches – “The local church is the front line of ministry. In the battle against the spiritual forces of evil, the church is the trench. Christ’s bride is dug in, charged up, and ready to die for the freedom of souls. I relish the trench. It’s messy, at times gruesome, and the noise makes it difficult to sleep.”

How Can We Pray? – R.C. Sproul Jr., who in the past year has lost both his wife and one of his daughters, answers the question: How can we pray for you?

Don’t Hide the Word from the Little Ones – “It may long be remembered as the night Sinclair Ferguson went rogue. The date was June 28, 2009. During the congregational singing, he felt an unusually strong impression to preach something altogether different — both text and topic — from the manuscript he was holding in his hand for the exposition he had prepared on Romans 6:6–14.”

The Minister as Shepherd – Here’s a free ebook if you’re interested “In The Minister as Shepherd, Charles Edward Jefferson (1860-1937) calls pastors to view their primary role not to be as mere preachers, but more importantly, to be shepherds of the flock of God.”

National Geographic Photo Contest – Here are some amazing photos.

Sing the Roof Off! – Mark Altrogge asks what kind of a statement we make about God in the way we worship. It’s worth thinking about: “If an outsider came into your Sunday meeting and observed you worshiping, what would he conclude you think about God?”

Those McDonald’s Fries – McDonald’s is being brilliant in responding to all those rumors about their food. I enjoyed this video mostly because of the sheer awkwardness of the host. But I also love those fries.

Salvation is not verified by a past act, but by present fruitfulness.

—John MacArthur

  • When God Plants an Acorn

    When God Plants an Acorn, He Means an Oak

    We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there…

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    A La Carte (April 28)

    A La Carte: Protestantism’s Catholic converts / How healthy is your pursuit of health? / God’s special calling on your life / Considering a Christian university? / Testing the teachings of Catholicism / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for April 2025

    It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 26)

    A La Carte: Every pinch of pain has purpose / China closed Christian bookstores / Watch for the thing after the thing / For everything there is a time / Showers of blessing / What Pope Francis can teach us about preaching / and more.

  • What Makes You Beautiful

    What Makes You Beautiful

    I have often thought of a conversation that took place when my girls were little. Abby was perhaps 5 or 6 at the time and Michaela just working her way through the “terrible twos” (which for our kids always happened when they were three or four). A stranger saw me interacting with them one day…