Darryl Dash's Blog, page 51
May 3, 2022
Older Saints Wanted
I’d heard him preach and teach before. He’s written books, and his sermons are all over YouTube. He’s not a household name, but he has influence. God has used him.
But the best thing about him isn’t his work. It’s who he is, or rather, who God has made him to be.
Jared Wilson talks about meeting somebody like the man I’m describing, a veteran who seems to keep getting better. “It became very clear that Ray actually knows Jesus. Like, he actually hangs out with him.”
When someone like th...
April 30, 2022
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
In Praise of the Boring, Uncool Church
Maybe a Christianity that doesn’t appeal to my consumer preferences and take its cues from Twitter is exactly the sort of faith I need.
In 45 years of ordained ministry, I’ve never walked with as many weary leaders. So, what do you do when darkness begins to hide the lovely face, voice, and hand of Jesus?
Pastor, You’ll Burnout If Your Idea Of Hard Work Is Worldly
Burning out b...
April 26, 2022
The Life We’re Looking For
Something’s wrong.
We’re powerful. We’re technologically advanced. By most standards, we’re rich. We can get almost anything we want delivered to our door in hours.
And yet loneliness is rampant. The happiness we were promised seems elusive, always out of grasp, perhaps even farther away than before.
The problem, according to Andy Crouch in his new book The Life We’re Looking For, is that the promises of the modern technological world are built on “a false understanding of what huma...
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.
