Darryl Dash's Blog, page 48
June 18, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Maybe I can say something here that, by God’s grace, will strengthen a brother’s weary hands.
Productivity Without Burnout: 8 Lessons from John Gill
How does a productive pastor not burn out? I didn’t expect to find the answer from John Gill.
A benediction chiefly functions not as a prayer, but as a pronouncement of God’s minister about God’s disposition toward His people.
June 14, 2022
Letter to a Wounded Pastor
Dear wounded pastor,
You’re not alone.
I want you to consider for a moment the company you keep. It’s pretty amazing. They locked Charles Simeon out of his own church. They fired Jonathan Edwards. When you are attacked by the people you pastor, you join the ranks of countless pastors who’ve gone before you.
You face two great challenges right now.
One is how you react. When people sin against you, decide now that you won’t respond in kind. Marshall Shelley’s counsel is wise: “When at...
June 11, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Pastor, Jesus Doesn’t Care How Big Your Church Is
As you toil and trust, you can learn to cast this earthly care onto him. He can be trusted with the attendance of your church.
Why the Promise that Jesus Will Build His Church Does Not Mean He Will Necessarily Build My Church
The promise that Jesus will build his church cannot mean that every individual church will remain prosperous.
Faithfulness is not all that is requ...
June 7, 2022
Tools I Like
I don’t usually post about the tools I like on here, but I’ve accumulated a few that I’d like to share.
Some of them cost money, but others are free. I’ve found all on the list incredibly helpful.
Note ToolsMy go-to notes app is Obsidian. I’m still learning, but I wish I’d started years ago. It’s powerful, customizable, and free.
I also enjoy geeking out on the Obsidian Roundup newsletter every weekend.
If you want a good introduction into making notes and linking them together, ...
June 4, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
The Last T4G: The Unraveling and Reweaving of North American Evangelicalism
I attended the last T4G. It marked the end of an era. But something was not quite right.
How to Think Wisely About Becoming a Social Media Celebrity
For a Christian, social media branding should look different.
Why ‘Rise and Fall’ Narratives Are Surging in Popularity
What appeals to us in the “rise and fall” narratives, particularly those about entrepreneurs who b...
May 31, 2022
The Best Book on Worship You Probably Haven’t Read
Before Mike Cosper hosted The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, he was a pastor of worship at a church in Louisville and the author of the book Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel.
It’s the book on worship that I wish every pastor and worship leader could read.
Here are four important lessons from the book.
The Sunday gathering matters.We know the Sunday gathering is important, of course, but we forget. Besides, we keep hearing people argue that th...
May 28, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Navigating the (New?) Negative World
Cultural analyst Aaron Renn marks 2014 as the year when the ground shifted under our feet, and we moved from being a society with a posture largely “neutral” to “negative” toward Christianity.
The Third Way is Dead. Long Live the Third Way!
Here are four points (and an exhortation) to help us understand what the third-way is, what it isn’t, and why, despite everything, I still think it’s a healthy and biblic...
May 24, 2022
Enjoying the Church I Get to Pastor Right Now
As I write this, it’s Sunday.
My mind’s busy with our worship gathering that’s happening soon.
It’s a long weekend. How many of our people will be away?It’s rainy. Will we be able to raise the garage door to allow air circulation?A tree fell out back yesterday in the storm. How will that affect us?Just another pre-service jumble of thoughts and stresses. The same will happen during and after the service. I’ll be so focused on the gaps that I may miss the blessings God has given me to e...
May 21, 2022
Saturday Links
Podcast: I enjoyed interviewing Jonathan Dodson about his book Gospel-Centered Discipleship on the Gospel for Life podcast.
Curated links for your weekend reading:
He turns 90 this month. And this window into his thoughts over 60 years ago reveal the foundation of a life wholeheartedly committed to his Lord.
No ordinary life.
If making disciples is our task, it’s worth considering the consistent pattern of disciple making found in Scrip...
May 17, 2022
Twitter’s Tradeoff
Last week, Ray Ortlund quit Twitter. He offered three reasons:
The good that can be accomplished on Twitter can also be accomplished, far more fruitfully, in real life.He is grieved by the behavior of Christians on Twitter.Twitter consumes time, and he has no time to waste.Tim Challies commented, “Ray Ortlund’s reasons for leaving Twitter sound a lot like my own.”
I saw a few responses that look something like this:
I’m sad about Ray Ortlund getting off Twitter (I completely respec...
