Darryl Dash's Blog, page 38

Who Builds Whose House? (2 Samuel 7)

Big Idea: God takes the initiative in providing what we need. We simply respond.

It’s amazing how much of the Bible comes in the form of a story.

I used to think that these stories were pretty inefficient. God could have saved us a lot of trouble by giving us the main points that he wanted us to know.

But that was before I realized the genius of God’s plan. We don’t need bullet points. We need stories. In fact, literary scholars and neuroscientists are discovering the impact that stories have on th...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

4 Benefits of Developing Position Papers in a Ministry Context and 2 Inabilities of Position Papers in a Ministry Context

Going through the process of developing position papers increased our clarity, confidence, compassion, and consistency.

Pornography Poisons Everything

Pornography, especially in the digital age, is an unmitigated disaster for every level of society.

Truthful Witness and the Transgender Debate

How can we expect the next generation to be biblic...

Four Kinds of Books I Love

There are so many books out there. We’ll never have time to read even the great books. We’ve got to prioritize.

Here are four kinds of books I love.

Deep Books

The first kind of books I love to read are the deep ones. These are the ones that are work to read: joyful work but work nonetheless. These books are best read slowly, with a pencil, and with lots of time. Some are the kinds of books that should also be re-read.

In his excellent book The Art of Pastoring, David Hansen writes:

I stopped reading...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

3 Stages of a Pastor’s Life

Finishing well means finishing with the fewest regrets.

Guidance for a Middle-Aged Pastor

A pastor I know recently prayed to the Lord for guidance. He was eager to be useful, he was aware that time was short, and his desire was to be faithful and fruitful in the King’s service.

How to Build a Theological Library on a Budget

Here are some tips for building a library when you lack both cash and shelf space.

Anatomy of an Online Storm

Over...

Uncle John

Everyone needs a model in ministry. One of mine is my mother’s younger brother Uncle John.

John Crocker served as a pastor for over 40 years. He first served as senior pastor of three churches in Indiana, California, and Illinois for 33 years. He then became the interim senior pastor of six churches in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska for 7 years. He’s also written a very helpful book on the Lord’s Prayer. He’s now retired.

I’ve been watching him for a long time, and his example ...

Hope When We Face the Worst (Psalm 27)

Big Idea: Desperate is normal. We can turn to God in our desperation, and we can find hope — resurrection hope — even as we face the worst.

In 2010, for one of the first times in my life, I felt anxiety. I felt afraid. I don’t remember feeling that way before, and I don’t think I’ve felt that way very often since, but I felt it then, and it bothered me. I knew I needed to take some corrective action.

And I did. I began to regularly visit with a counselor and spiritual director. I took three months...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

State of the Bible 2023

American Bible Society is in its thirteenth year of conducting State of the Bible, asking American people their opinions and practices relating to the Bible.

The Importance of Porches

Like the early church and the church throughout the non-western world, congregations in the West must learn to create their own porches or forecourts where people can enter a relational process and be prepared to hear and understand and perhaps embrace the...

Jesus’ Purpose and Our Response (Mark 14-15)

Big Idea: Jesus purposely went to the cross, and we must respond.

So much can happen in a short time. It only takes a very short time for everything to change, for our worlds to be turned completely upside-down.

In Mark 14 and 15, we have what’s called the Passion Narrative of Jesus Christ. They record the events that took place the night before and the day of Jesus’ death.

This is the climax of Mark’s gospel. Mark moves at a brisk pace as he records his account of Jesus’ life, but it’s as if he sl...

Lessons From a Bookseller

One of the habits I try to practice is reading for pleasure at the end of the day. In bed, before I go to sleep, I pick up books that I enjoy reading whether or not they serve any utilitarian purpose.

One of the books I’ve enjoyed recently is Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, although it’s got me reading some of his other books as well. Most of his books follow a similar format: daily diary entries that describe the ordinary days of his life. Written with wry humor, I’ve not only enjo...

The Leader We Need (1 Samuel 1-24)

Big Idea: We need godly leaders, especially One who will rescue us from our enemies.

We do it a lot. The United States is doing it right now as they prepare for 2024. The City of Toronto is doing it as we look for a new mayor. We do it in government, in business, in not-for-profits, and pretty much in any human organization.

We’re on the lookout for a leader. We want, we need someone to lead us. We know the difference that a good leader makes. If you’ve ever experienced great leadership, you know ...