Darryl Dash's Blog, page 31
July 18, 2023
Understanding and Trusting Our Great God
Sometimes a short question can lead to a profoundly life-changing answer.
Take the question, “What is God?” I can’t think of a more important question to ask.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives a succinct but rich answer: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” It’s one of those answers that almost anyone can understand, but we’ll spend eternity learning the truths contained in this short, simple sentence.
In ...
July 16, 2023
One Person Can Make a Difference
Big Idea: One person can make a difference by leading others to worship, trusting God in times of trouble, and repenting quickly when they sin.
Are you ready for some good news? It’s summer. I’m ready for some good news.
When things are bad, we have even more potential to do good. When things are bad, one person has the potential to bring change. One person can change the spiritual temperature of things. One person can make a difference.
As we work through the Bible this year, we’re in one of the l...
July 15, 2023
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
If we left the results to God, we would find that evangelism itself is simple.
How We May Have “The Apologist’s Creed” Wrong
Our resilience in the face of trials becomes the most powerful opportunity for outreach we have.
Hospitality Is an Everyday Endeavor
What if all of our interactions with people left them with a better sense of who Jesus really is?
When You Don’t Like Your Wife, Love Your Wife
Whether you feel loved or unloved, whet...
July 13, 2023
A Thought, a Quote, and a Resource
I love Threads, the new social media platform by Meta. I love it for two reasons. One: some cool people are on there that aren’t on Twitter. Two: I’ve stopped trying to keep up.
For a while, I created a list within Twitter and read pretty much every tweet in that list. No more. Threads has pushed me over the edge. I’m no longer trying to keep up, and it’s freeing.
Daniel Vassallo argues that we should use social media as serendipity machines. I’m starting to do that, and I like it better ...
July 11, 2023
Servants
Who are we? Servants: servants of God, and servants of others. It’s important that we remember that, because we easily forget.
We’re Servants of GodJesus told us a story that helps us understand our positions (Luke 17:7-10). We owe God everything. He owes us nothing. We’re his servants. Even when we give him everything, we only give him his due.
One of the keys to the Christian life is remembering who God is and who we are. We’re not peers. We don’t have an equal relationship. We don’t have the ri...
July 9, 2023
Injustice and Hope (Micah)
Big Idea: God cares about issues of injustice. God judges those responsible. But God will pardon those who turn to him.
How would you like to be called a minor player?
Minor sounds so dismissive, like you’re unimportant. Athletes get sent down to the minors. Actors get minor parts in a show. We refer to underage people as minors, meaning that you don’t have all the same rights as an older person. We would all probably feel upset if someone called us a minor player on the team at work.
So it’s easy ...
July 8, 2023
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Why a Post-Christian World Needs Pastor-Theologians
Christ uses pastor-theologians both to interpret the world and to transform it.
Both strong and gentle, David knows when to wield his strength and when to walk in gentleness.
Why Do Good Reformed People Suddenly Become Arminian When It Comes to Financial Support?
Help faithful ministry, assess ministry success by faithfulness, and stop encouraging and applying a numbers-mentality.
July 4, 2023
Where Pastors Find Their Worth
A few years ago I heard a sermon by my friend Scott Thomas. Thomas once led a large church planting organization, and he’s pastored large churches. Scott began his sermon by saying, “I experienced a great deal of success throughout my ministry—but it wasn’t worth it!” That got my attention.
Thomas continued:
I learned to work hard from both of my parents. God ordained mankind to work. It is God’s plan, and it is good. But I worked hard to prove my worth. Growing up, I do not remember ever receivin...
July 2, 2023
When God's People Are the Problem (Amos)
Big Idea: God’s people can be the problem just as much as the world, and Jesus is our only hope.
I have a direct question for you: who do you blame for what’s wrong with the world? If you could snap your fingers, and a certain group of people disappeared from the world, and it would be a massive improvement, which group of people would you choose?
That’s a hard question to answer, so I’ll go first. I have a book on my book list called A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over ...
July 1, 2023
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
When Do You Shake the Dust Off Your Feet?
How do we know if the place we are in now has reached a pearls before swine, dust-off-your-feet scenario?
How Christians Can Respond to Gender Dysphoria
We are Christ’s ambassadors, messengers entrusted with good news for those with gender dysphoria.
Is There a Danger of Worshipping the Bible Instead of God?
Seen properly, the Bible is not a competitor with God; on the contrary, it is our God-given means of knowing Him t...
