Darryl Dash's Blog, page 48
April 23, 2022
Saturday Links
Podcast: I enjoyed talking to Dr. Greg Gifford about his book Heart & Habits on the Gospel for Life podcast.
Curated links for your weekend reading:
The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 3 – The Path to Renewal
We need a revival that only God can provide, and a new movement to capture the fruit of that revival for the renewal of the American church.
Bible Reading in an Age of Double Literacy Loss
If you knew the only engagement most of your people will have with the...
April 19, 2022
The Main Reason Your Ministry Matters
I know some pastors of large churches. I know pastors of small ones. I know people who pastor healthy and unhealthy congregations, urban, suburban, and rural ones. I know people who serve in churches in the Bible Belt and others who serve where Christianity is scorned.
None of the factors makes your ministry significant.
They may make your ministry more prominent or obscure. Some are easier than others, although I suspect none of them could realistically be called easy. Each ministry will ...
April 16, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
40 Random Pieces of Advice for the Christian Life
This article contains a long list of brief, random (and unsolicited) pieces of advice for living the Christian life, most of which I’ve gleaned from others over the course of the past 45 years.
More than Doing: Categories for Applying God’s Word
Bible application is far more than doing. I have found the following categories helpful in applying God’s Word to daily life.
April 12, 2022
Don’t Lose the Plot
We don’t watch a lot of TV, but we do enjoy watching some British crime dramas like Shetland. The shows are enjoyable, with likable characters, beautiful scenery, pleasant accents, and interesting plot lines.
But I need to stop watching them late at night.
I get tired at night and I’m known to doze off. The makers of these crime shows throw so many storylines at the viewer that it’s easy to miss not only the details but the overall plot. It’s easy to lose the plot.
Just like in life. Ju...
April 9, 2022
Saturday Links
Podcast: I enjoyed talking to Jed Coppenger about his book 21 Days to Childlike Prayer on the Gospel for Life podcast.
Curated links for your weekend reading:
One of the dangers for us as churches, pastor and people is that we assume our place is a generic place.
An Open Letter to the Christian Disheartened by Ongoing Temptation
Persons who are living for the Lord represent prime targets for the evil one because they are doing damage to his dismal interests.
April 5, 2022
Struggling on Your Behalf in Prayers
It may be one of the most overlooked ministries we can perform for others: to struggle on their behalf in our prayers.
The idea comes from Paul’s description of Epaphras in Colossians 4:12-13: “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.”
Intense. Many ...
April 2, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Our Disagreements Are Different From the World’s
We disagree on entirely different terms than the world.
What Lent Teaches Me About the Vices of Time
Fasting resists our society’s expectations about efficiency and instant gratification.
I thought I would share some pet peeves of mine when it comes to preaching, because I think they are shared by others as well.
March 29, 2022
Good and Local
I just got back from Portland. I only had a short time there, but I loved finding local coffee shops, restaurants, and food trucks that served amazing food but that weren’t known outside of the immediate neighborhood. Almost every meal I had was amazing even though the people that served them would never be famous. They’re great in a particular place, and unknown everywhere else.
I avoided the chains. The closest I came to a chain was Salt & Straw, an ice cream shop with locations in three St...
March 26, 2022
Saturday Links
Podcast: I enjoyed talking to Asheritah Ciuciu about her upcoming book Prayers of REST on the Gospel for Life podcast.
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Habits as the Muscle Memory of Our Worship
Habits are the muscle memory of our worship. They are the natural reflexes that reveal the object(s) of a person’s love and devotion.
The problems we face today will probably be hard to remember in twenty years.
The Manly Virtue of Magnanimity
Bear...
March 22, 2022
An Ounce of Compassion
It happens more than you’d think. Someone goes through an unexplained trial — a sickness, a wayward child, a job loss, or some other hardship — and the response is judgment or silence.
On one level, I understand. We don’t always know how to respond to the trials of others. Sometimes, not knowing all the circumstances, we wonder if the person may have contributed to their own misfortune. We’re all wired differently, and some of us naturally show compassion, while others struggle to know how to...
