A La Carte: Links on Election Prayer, Looksmaxxing, John Newton, and Elisabeth Elliot

A La Carte is a link roundup from Tim Challies, and this edition points readers to several articles, along with some book recommendations. The post opens with a suggestion to consider Kindle deals, including Concise Reformed Dogmatics, and a devotional by Nancy Guthrie to help parents pray for their children. It also highlights Dissecting the Heart, which the author describes as bringing some of David Powlison’s insights to a generation working through its relationship with secular psychology and spiritual formation.

The most prominent feature is a piece called “May God Be Gracious to Us: A Prayer Before Election Day.” Pointing to John Witherspoon’s 1776 day of fasting at Princeton, the article encourages Christian voters to remember God’s sovereign providence and to pray as they head to the polls. The post also recommends a short piece on looksmaxxing by Jacob Crouch, who argues that Christians reject that pursuit because their worth is fixed in Christ, their beauty is temporary, and all beauty is meant for God’s glory. Another article reflects on John Newton’s description of himself as a wretch, looking at how “Amazing Grace” is a confession of his past and a testimony to his transformation.

Other links include a missions writer’s reflection on cultural confusion and the hope that God interrupts it, an essay by Andrew Roycroft on how our culture handles death and the value of authentic memorial, and a reader response from Nick on the Christianity Today article about Elisabeth Elliot, which calls for care in separating established facts from conjecture. The post closes with a note on new Christian book releases and a list of other recommended reading.

Source: Read the original report