Darryl Dash's Blog, page 62
January 30, 2021
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Though he walks in the background of the Proverbs 31 poem, he still teaches lessons in the art of husbandry.
Prayer is a great gift. Don’t over-formalize it.
Why Corporate Worship Should Include Corporate Confession
Here are five reasons you should include a time of confession in your prayers as a church on Sundays.
I’m not writing about conservatism because I think t...
January 26, 2021
The Privilege of Pastoring
I pastor a small, relatively new church. We don’t own a building. The church feels fragile, although I suppose every church does. Although we’re small, we have our share of challenges and problems.
And yet I can’t believe I have the privilege of pastoring this church.
I feel this way lately every time I open Zoom and see the faces of our people. We can’t even meet in person right now.
Pastoring a congregation — even a small one that can’t meet in person — is a privilege greater than...
January 23, 2021
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Reevaluating Your Church’s Values
While we’ve been emphasizing initial decisions, numeric growth, and “worship experiences,” we’ve likely been missing out on communicating what God ultimately values — which isn’t success so much as faithfulness.
How Would Paul Use a Church Directory? He’d Look for Grace on Every Page.
Let me offer another outlet for your creative insights about the church. Pull out your church directory and notice God’s grace i...
January 19, 2021
God Heard. God Remembered. God Saw. God Knew.
Some passages grab me every time. Exodus 2:24-25 is one of them: “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel — and God knew.” (Exodus 2:24-25)
There’s enough here to sustain someone for years.
God HeardExodus 2:23 says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.” They were burdened beyond what they could han...
January 16, 2021
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
In each set of issues, you can see why the stakes are so high and why the emotions run even higher. So what are Christians to do?
Whataboutism Is a Mark of Foolishness
As the world grows in foolishness, believers in Jesus need to be intentional about cultivating healthier, slower, more balanced (and largely offline) habits of knowledge formation.
Something Profound in Our Generation
Every hybrid form of “Chris...
January 12, 2021
Known for Being Reasonable
Sometimes verses scream at you. Philippians 4:5 is one of them.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.”
Reasonableness: the idea that we’re gentle, kind, courteous, and tolerant to everyone, not just those with whom we agree, but those with whom we disagree. It’s “a balanced, intelligent, decent outlook” (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology). Not just to believers, but to unbelievers too.
It follows the command to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). That mea...
January 9, 2021
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
“Live Not By Lies” – Whether Right or Left
We will not win the battle against the left’s lies by believing and coddling liars on the right.
Does Hebrews 10:24-25 Command the Whole Church to Gather on Sunday?
Does Hebrews command the church universal to meet on Sunday morning as a whole gathered body? And if it does, then would that command be at odds with submitting to governmental mandates that temporarily restrict or prevent regular Sunday mo...
January 5, 2021
The Joy of Being (Slightly) Less Productive
“From what I can see, one of the themes of your blog is productivity.”
The speaker was a friend, someone I respect. Her words surprised me. Productivity? No! I want to “help people grow in life and ministry for God’s glory, our joy, and the good of others.” At least that’s what I’d written for the purpose of this website. Productivity seemed like much too small a goal.
And yet she was right. I was, at that time, posting a lot about how to make the best use of our time. It’s a fine topi...
January 2, 2021
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Hang in There, Pastors! You Are Needed Now More Than Ever!
Your flock needs you to be faithful and hopeful. This is your opportunity to lead with courage and fulfill your assignment to exalt Jesus Christ, whatever the cost.
Finishing the year weak will not be your downfall. You may feel hopeless, helpless, or somehow left behind. But your felt weakness is the key to your leaning more fully into the God who made you and lov...
December 29, 2020
A Psalm 1 Life
One of the best goals anyone could set is to develop a Psalm 1 kind of life.
What a Psalm 1 Life Looks Like
Psalm 1 describes what this looks like:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(Psalm 1:1–2)
We reject certain things: the influence of ideas and people that lead us away from God. Instead, we build eight...
