Darryl Dash's Blog, page 32

Good News, Satisfying News, and Unfinished Business (Ezra and Nehemiah)

Big Idea: God is committed to his people, and It’s satisfying when God’s people respond. But God’s people continue to fail, but hope is coming.

We’re at an inflection point today, both in our journey through the Bible and in the story of the church.

This year, we’ve been journeying through the story of the Hebrew Scriptures, and what a year it’s been.

We’ve seen a lot.

We’ve seen how this world began, and how it went wrong:

how God created of this world as good and beautifulhow we ruined the world th...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Death and Dying: A Catechism for Christians

With the advent of MAID or euthanasia becoming legal in Canada, Christians need to re-examine how they think about death and dying. To that end, we hope that this catechism will help you and your church more clearly understand what the Bible says about death and dying—especially as the eligibility criteria for MAID continues to expand.

Man Shall Not Live by Online Bread Alone

We must never think an online worship ser...

The Best Part About Speaking at Dozens of Churches

In 2012, I began the process of starting a new church in Toronto. In the early years, I spoke almost every weekend at churches to raise financial and prayer support. It paid off: many churches and individuals supported us. Later on, years later, I met people who told me, “I pray for you and your church every day.”

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of returning to those churches and giving them updates.

To my surprise, I began speaking at churches for another reason. Liberty Grace Church started m...

How to Live in Exile (Daniel)

Big Idea: To live well in exile, draw a line, hold a big picture of God, and believe that history is headed somewhere.

There’s a thing in sports called the home field advantage.

You know what it’s like to attend a game at home. At the Rogers Centre, most of the crowd is wearing Jays gear. At the start of the game, they announce the visiting team like they’re reading the phone directory. When they announce the Jays, it’s like they’re announcing an all-star rock band.

The audience is very clearly on ...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Is Pastoral Work Uniquely Difficult?

No, yes, and it’s complicated.

5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America

Here are five misconceptions about dechurching that church leaders need to hear.

5 Ways the Digital Age Is Transforming the Way You Think

The question is not whether we will be shaped by the Web; the question is, How is the Web shaping us, and how do we respond?

What Your Church Needs This September

If you’re like me – tempted by the fast, famous, and ...

The Point of Thinking About Eschatology

There was a time when people cared — really cared — about eschatology. They held conferences. They formed denominations. They created study Bibles. Thinking about eschatology — the doctrine of what happens in the end times — was a big deal.

No more. I hardly hear anyone talk about end times anymore. In some ways, that’s good. Sometimes we were a little too ready to fight over eschatology before. In other ways, it’s sad. I wonder if we really care as much as we should.

I’m struck by what Paul wrote...

When God Will Live Among Us (Ezekiel 43:1-12)

Big Idea: God will restore the world, and the center of this new creation will be God living with us, and this should change how we live.

When you write a book that tells a story, there’s a formula you’re supposed to follow.

First, you set the scene. You introduce the characters and the setting in a way that you begin to care about the characters.

Then you introduce the conflict. No great story can exist without some form of conflict. You need the characters to get into some kind of trouble. For a ...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

The Invention That Changed Everything

If I were to ask you to name the most important invention of the last thousand years, what would come to mind?

Number Your Days: Or Why Books Remind me of Death

Books speak before I even crack the cover, saying something like, “You’re running out of time, choose wisely.”

When You Don’t Want to Read Your Bible

If we limit our engagement to a “quiet time” format, we not only fall into false guilt and discouragement but also mi...

What I’ve Learned in the First Ten Years of a Church

Almost ten years ago, we held our first service as a new church. God willing, our anniversary service will take place on September 24, my last day as pastor of that church.

Over the years, we’ve seen God move. I have so many stories of his faithfulness and provision this past decade. We still continue to see God move. That’s one of the things that makes it hard to move.

Here are five things I’d do differently, and five things I’d do again.

Five Things I’d Do DifferentlyAssemble a stronger launch te...

Our Greatest Hope (Ezekiel 11:17-20)

Big Idea: Our problem is severe. The solution is that we need a new heart from God.

Sometimes the worst parts of life are very closely tied to the best parts.

Today I want to do something simple: I want to look at one of the worst moments in the entire Bible with one of the best promises in the whole Bible. The two belong together. The two give us a really good window into the Christian faith.

So let’s look at one of the worst moments, and then let’s look at one of the greatest promises.

One of the ...