Darryl Dash's Blog, page 3

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Take It on the Chin

If you’re a pastor and find yourself under the fire of criticism, then you’re in good company.

A Brief Theology of Preaching

The primary task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God.

Have We Sold Church Short on Deacons?

The Bible is clear that work of deacons is vital to the health and smooth-running of the church, but in recent years there has been such a focus on developing word ministry in the churc...

Resist the Machine

In his book How to Stay Smart in a Smart World, Gerd Gigerenzer poses a scenario.

Imagine a digital assistant who does everything better than you. Whatever you say, it knows better. Whatever you decide, it will correct. When you come up with a plan for next year, it will have a superior one.

At some point, he says, you will probably cede control of your life to this digital assistant. You will let it manage your finances, write your messages, and even order products you didn’t know you needed. You...

Unity Applied (Colossians 3:1-17)

Big Idea: Act out who you are in Christ by resisting division and living in unity.

Here’s the tension we face in church.

On one hand, we have been called to something amazing. Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop write:

Of all the ways that the gospel changes this world, the community of the local church is the most obviously supernatural. Its witness even goes beyond this world. “The rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” sit up and take notice, says Paul (Ephesians 3:9–10).

They define local church...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

The Problem Isn't Hell - It's Our Understanding of Justice

The seriousness of sin - and thus the punishment due to sin - is not measured merely by the sin itself but by the value and the worth of the one sinned against.

Always Together: A Lesson From the Early Church

The early Christians sought one another out all week, not just on Sundays.

How to Pray When You Exercise

Whatever body God has given you with its strengths and weaknesses is an occasion to thank him...

Cultivating Gratitude

I live in an amazing condo. I married a girl I love. I spend my days doing work that’s meaningful to me. My fridge is full of food. And I still find myself grumbling some days. 

On one hand, I understand why. Life is hard, and all of us struggle. Even the good things can’t fully satisfy our souls. Ecclesiastes teaches us to enjoy life without expecting that the blessings of life will ever be enough. Only God can ultimately satisfy us. 

But why is it so hard to cultivate a grateful mindset? And wha...

Work Hard at Unity (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Big Idea: Work hard at maintaining the unity that God has given us by cultivating the right attitudes.

One of the challenging things about the Bible is that it doesn’t just command us to act a certain way toward each other; it commands us to feel a certain way toward each other.

Take a look around. We’re a bunch of very different people. We have different personalities, different quirks, and different beliefs on all kinds of matters. It would be very easy for us to split apart over any number of t...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Letter to a Brother Stuck in Pornography

The gospel exists to defeat sin!

A Guide to Meaningful Worship

I got nothing from Sunday. Nothing from Sunday school, nothing from morning worship, and nothing still from evening worship.

Preachers: Here’s a One-Hour Change That Will Improve Your Sermons (And Lower Your Stress)

But if you make the time and do the digging, you will give yourself and your people a precious gift.

3 Preaching Rules

You should preach the gospel ...

Hard Times Are Fruitful Times

I've given my testimony a few times. By testimony, I don't mean the safe, short version of how God has been at work in my life. I mean a detailed accounting of all of my life, including the parts that have been hardest. Every time I give this more detailed testimony, I'm humbled by the different seasons of suffering that I've been through.

I don't think I'm alone. I think if all of us gave the full account of our lives, it would include many seasons of suffering.

And yet, here's what I observe as ...

Everyday Faithfulness (Colossians 4:2–6)

Big Idea: We have a responsibility to pray persistently, live wisely, and speak graciously so that our lives and words reflect Christ, and others come to experience his transforming grace.

We’re in this small series on what it means to be the church. Specifically, we’re looking at some of the commitments we’ve made in our covenant. And there's a lot there.

At first glance, you may think that becoming a Christian is a private matter. You may think that it’s primarily about making a commitment to Go...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Physical Bibles Are Homemade Apple Pie

Enjoy your personal Bible each Sunday just as you enjoy homemade apple pie.

Letter to a Brother Stuck in Pornography

The gospel exists to defeat sin!

You Want to Be a Pastor? Letter to Aspiring Men

Pastoral ministry is a dangerous calling.

Preachers, Perfect Your Voice

We are bound to use every possible means to perfect the voice by which we are to tell forth the glorious gospel of the blessed God.

Don’t Lose Sight of a Liturg...