Darryl Dash's Blog, page 46
August 20, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
What are some ways Simeon endured these challenges — such that he not only remained in ministry, but did so for 54 years and left a legacy that still bears fruit today? And what lessons might his example have for pastors today?
Preaching Is Hard. Act Like It.
Even for the best among us, preaching is hard. Preachers get in trouble when we act like it isn’t.
When Pastors Need To Be Extra Cautious
Pastors have to be aware that their liv...
August 14, 2022
Deliver Us From Evil (Matthew 6:13)
Big Idea: Life is dangerous, so pray that God protects you from sin and keeps you close to him.
There are six petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. The one that I find the most confusing is the last one:
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
(Matthew 6:13)
We’ve been looking at the Lord’s Prayer these past few weeks. The first three petitions have to do with God: God’s honor, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. Jesus wants us to see the bigger picture: that we’re part of something much bigg...
August 13, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Think Carefully About Your Liturgy
We should all think carefully about what we do, the order in which we do it, and what we might be communicating as we do it.
My plea to pulpit committees is to pursue one man at a time.
There Is a Secular Case for Life
This is not an inherently religious argument. It is a moral argument, and moral arguments are not the exclusive prerogative of people of faith.
August 7, 2022
Forgive Us Our Debts (Matthew 6:12)
Big Idea: Deal with your guilt by asking God to forgive your debts and extending forgiveness to others too.
In Minersville, Pennsylvania a man cleared his conscience by paying a 44-year-old parking ticket. The police department received an envelope in 2018 with $5 and a note inside. The return address was “Feeling guilty, Wayward Road, Anytown, Ca.”
Police Chief Michael Combs told local news the note said, “Dear PD, I’ve been carrying this ticket around for 40 plus years. Always intending to pay. ...
August 6, 2022
Saturday Links
I’m on a short vacation. I have a sermon coming tomorrow, but then I’ll be taking a little break.
Curated links for your weekend reading:
We usually fight on two fronts at once – not just conflict with others but also conflict with ourselves. We need God’s help to be especially aware of all that endangers us within.
Our families and churches need leaders who have learned to keep their heads when others are losing theirs.
August 2, 2022
Book Birthday Giveaway
Today is the one-year birthday of my book 8 Habits for Growth. It’s also the four-year birthday of How to Grow. So it’s time for a giveaway.
Writing a book is a funny thing. You think about it, start to write it, gauge whether a publisher might be interested, and then complete the first draft. Then you submit it, forget about it, get the edits back, and repeat. Then the book disappears for another few months. By the time the book comes out, it almost seems like a distant memory, but that’s wh...
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...
