Darryl Dash's Blog, page 21

On Making Friends Before You Need Them

I had a meeting yesterday. We had no agenda other than friendship. We have lots of reasons to meet. Our ministries are connected, but that’s not why we met. The primary reason we met is because he’s a friend.

We made the appointment a while ago and then it got moved. As often happens, the timing couldn’t have been better. I needed a friend today. He listened and encouraged me. He gave me needed perspective. He’s going to pray for me. It was time well spent.

Laura Vanderkam is right: people are a g...

Dignity and Differences (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)

Big Idea: Hold on to dignity, but don’t lose the differences between men and women.

There are passages that you love to preach. And then there are passages that are easy to preach. If you didn’t guess already, this is a passage that is difficult to preach. It’s written to a different culture at a very different time, and it’s difficult for us to read. There are so many exegetical issues to untangle. And yet I believe it has an important message for us today.

The Situation

Here’s the problem that th...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

The Power and Danger of Habit

Make human nature work for you, but be on guard, because it always wants to stab you in the back.

The Uselessness of Prayer

Prayer is useless, gloriously so, because prayer cannot be useful. Prayer is not an instrument, but an end.

What You Read Builds Who You Are

Sit at the feet of the wise, not fools.

Seven Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Beauty

Here are seven reasons why beauty matters.

My Body Is Not My Own

Oh, the paradox of this huma...

Impossible, Hard, and Easy

The Christian life and ministry have something in common. Both are impossible, hard, and easy at the same time.

The Christian life is impossible. Nobody can bring about the kind of transformation needed. No amount of self-effort will bring about the kind of change that a dead heart needs to come alive, or that a young life takes to mature. We rely on God’s help, or it will never happen.

It’s not just impossible, but it’s hard. Growing in our faith requires discipline and effort. That’s why the Chr...

Where Things Went Wrong (Genesis 3)

Big Idea: Sin, not God’s original design, has damaged the relationship between the sexes.

Last summer, we were camping about half an hour east of North Bay when our car broke down. It really broke down. It was almost un-drivable.

We faced three issues:

First, the immediate issue: how to get the vehicle home.Second, diagnosing the problem, because you have to know what you are trying to fix.Third, actually getting it fixed.

We solved the first issue. It involved God answering prayer and some question...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

The Pursuit of (Which) Happiness?

Before you search for happiness — let alone codify the quest for it as an inalienable right — it’s a good idea to work out what kind of happiness is worth pursuing.

Enjoying the Many Flavors of the Word of God

The truth is that I’m a bit cautious about favoring one text over another since God intends them all to be treasured for the sacred and eternal value they all possess. The most obscure text of Scripture, rightly understo...

Ordinary and Extravagant Blessings

Last Friday, I picked up our rental car. I got upgraded to a Mercedes-Benz, a car I’ll never be able to afford to buy.

We traveled to Cambridge, an hour west of Toronto, to one of our favorite coffee shops. Once a week, Char and I try to find a coffee shop we enjoy and indulge ourselves with a good Americano and a treat. Because we were traveling, we added a lunch to our weekly date.

Then we stopped at my mother’s, just an hour farther. She had offered to take us out for Indian food. We live in To...

When Life Falls Apart (Lamentations 3:20-21)

Big Idea: Expect that your life may fall apart. Express the pain to God. But then count on his character and his promises that will not change even when you can’t see it.

What do you do when your life falls apart?

I used to think, if you are a follower of Jesus, that your life would never fall apart. I guess I believed in a subtle version of the prosperity gospel. I knew we’d still experience problems: our cars would break down, we’d get stuck in traffic jams, that kind of thing. But I didn’t real...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

3 Waves That Have Shaped Evangelical Churches (and a 4th on the Way)

I want to describe these three waves and then point to the possibility of a fourth that’s picking up speed today.

Can We Forgive When the Offender Doesn’t Repent?

Some theologians argue it’s wrong to forgive an impenitent offender, while others say it’s wrong not to. Let’s review the arguments for both options and see if we can find a solution.

7 Powerful Lessons Paul Teaches the Church About ...

To Love a Place

Stuart McLean was a Canadian radio broadcaster best known for his show The Vinyl Cafe. His show featured stories about Dave, as lovable but hapless owner of a second-hand record store, along and his family. The show ran on the radio for years, and McLean also published books based on the stories. You can still listen to many of the stories, and hear the background between them, in a podcast called Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe.

McLean didn’t just record the show in a studio. He took his show on the...