Darryl Dash's Blog, page 45
July 31, 2022
Daily Bread (Matthew 6:11)
Big Idea: God cares for your needs, and wants you to learn to trust him one day at a time.
Planting a church has had its highs and lows.
One of the lows was the time, early on, when I didn’t have much money in my bank account. In fact, our account was overdrawn. I wrote a check for my offerings to our new church plant, but I couldn’t give it to the church because I didn’t have money in my account.
The reason I was overdrawn is that the church didn’t have enough money to pay me. I had a cheque made ...
July 30, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Why John Stott Lived with Less
Here are three truths I’ve learned about simplicity from studying Stott’s life and writings.
Be efficient when it’s time to get the job done. Just don’t be efficient all the time.
Why You Should Choose Clarity Over Cleverness
If you have to choose between clarity and cleverness, choose clarity every time.
Trembling Before God on Sunday
Why do Christians tremble?
July 26, 2022
Counting Down
It’s my 55th birthday today.
All the rumors are true: time speeds up. I still feel like I used to feel thirty years ago. I don’t know where the time went. I hang around people a generation below me and I think I’m the same age as them, although they never make the same mistake with me.
I remember when time stretched ahead of me endlessly. Of course, that feeling was an illusion. Nobody knows how much time they have left. But it felt like I was on the first course of a meal at an all-you-ca...
July 24, 2022
The Bigger Story (Matthew 6:9-10)
Big Idea: Pray as part of a bigger story.
Char and I were hiking the other week and my phone died. We were trying to find our way back to the car, so we were relieved to find a sign with a trail map. The only problem is that it didn’t show where we were trying to go, and it didn’t have that all-important marker on the map: “You are here.”
So let me take a moment and tell you where you are.
You are, right now, in Liberty Village in Toronto. But beyond that, you are in Canada, which is on earth, whic...
July 23, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Random Thoughts on 18 Months of a Church Plant
My main takeaway from this whole thing has been that small and poor doesn’t need to be a barrier to planting.
Being Domineering as a Pastor Doesn’t Require Skill
Being domineering is lazy. Indeed, it’s indicative of an unskilled pastor.
Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust?
...You can see why we must widen the battlefront in order to cure souls.
July 19, 2022
Opportunity Leadership
It all comes down to the difference between a powerboat and a sailboat.
Powerboats take you where you want to travel. They’re predictable. Gas and go. You don’t have to pay much attention to the wind or the direction of the currents.
Sailboats are different. Sailboats go where the wind blows. You can’t override wind conditions and currents; instead, you must remain sensitive to them. A powerboat may look exciting and give you a sense of control, but a sailboat will take you farther than a ...
July 16, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Leaders must serve the church, not glorify themselves.
The Senior Minister/Pastor Role in a Disciple-Making Church
The role of the Senior Minister/Pastor is the most significant role of all in creating a disciple making church.
More Than Eggheads in Ivory Towers: Three Reasons Why I Study Theology
“Why would you study theology? The disciples didn’t have a theology degree, did they? What’s the point?”
July 12, 2022
You Too?
I had lunch with a friend last week who’d been a church planter too. He’s now in a very different ministry context, but he’s experienced what it’s like to plant a church, although in a different cultural context.
At one point he asked, “Do you ever feel like…?” He then began to describe my exact experience. I looked him and said, “Yes! Every day.”
The conversation progressed from there. The entire conversation was encouraging, but part of what made it so encouraging is the sense of being s...
July 9, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
How to Avoid Teaching an Unchristian Message From the Bible
Let me offer four questions to ask any time you prepare a talk whether it’s for a youth group, a Sunday School class, or even your own kids.
Help! I’ve Been Asked to Deliver the Announcements
What makes for good announcements? In four words, they should be specific, worshipful, credible, and brief.
If You Find Listening to Sermons Boring, Try This
How do we stop sermons from bein...
July 5, 2022
A Nobody in One Country, Famous in the Next
Sixto Rodriguez was a nobody.
He’d tried to establish a career as a musician, but it went nowhere. He showed lots of promise and had sold a handful of records, but his record label dropped him and then closed. He was working on a third album at the time, but it was never released.
Rodriguez quit his music career in 1976, bought a derelict Detroit house from the government for $50, and got a job in demolition. He never made much money. He ran for public office a couple of times but lost.
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