Darryl Dash's Blog, page 64
November 21, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
I think I want to pursue more kindness in my preaching, and I think that, if you preach, you should too. Here are three reasons why.
Why Church Leaders Should Write More Handwritten Notes
Take the time to write a handwritten note. Make it a weekly habit. You might be surprised at the fruit from such a simple discipline.
The Government Says We Can’t Sing! What Should We Do? (A Forum)
I hope this forum models the kind ...
November 17, 2020
Every Moment Holy
I didn’t always see the value of written prayers until I attended an Anglican church one summer. I discovered the beauty and depth — not to mention the Scriptural content — of well-designed written prayers. That opened the door for me to discover books like The Valley of Vision and Piercing Heaven (affiliate links).
A friend one day gave me a book of written prayers called Every Moment Holy (affiliate link), “a book of liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life … These are ways of re...
November 14, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Why You’d Be Disappointed With a Visit to the Early Church
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to visit one of the earliest churches? If you stopped in on a service, I think you’d likely be disappointed. In fact, I doubt you’d ever go back.
It is a Weakness of Faith to Refuse to Mourn the Death of Loved Ones
As believers, we should not grieve like those who have no hope, but that does not mean we should not grieve at all (1 Thes. 4:13)...
November 10, 2020
The Church I Get to Enjoy
One of my pastoral heroes taught me this: celebrate the church you’re privileged to pastor. Stand up on Sunday and communicate, genuinely, that it is the privilege of your life to be their pastor. Tell them that you’ve been waiting all week, and you can’t believe that you get to be with them.
A pastor who believes this can’t help but love that congregation. That love will probably be enough to transform that church, at least a little.
It’s true, too: every pastor is privileged to be en...
November 7, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
How the Pandemic Opens Doors for Evangelism
The pandemic has revealed multiple emotional entry-points to the better story of Jesus. It’s time to leverage them.
The Hidden Discipline of John Stott
Only through labored effort did his apparently effortless clarity result.
My best memories are of simple things I didn’t think someone as important as J. I. Packer would say or do.
November 3, 2020
Nobody Like Him
“I have no one like him,” Paul writes about Timothy (Philippians 2:20). Immediately I’m curious. What set Timothy apart? Left to guess, I’d probably imagine that he was unusually gifted or had personal charisma.
But that’s not what set Timothy apart. “I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:20-21).
I dare you to dig through leadership books for this trait. You’ll find that...
October 31, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
In this post, I want to provide a few simple recommendations for those who are considering stepping away from the ministry.
Sabbath: An Enduring Principle For the Soul
The Sabbath principle is not just another rule to keep. It’s an opportunity God is providing to enjoy him more.
Four Ways to Practice Pandemic Hospitality
Here are four ways that could you practice hospitality within your circles and neighbourhood this ...
October 27, 2020
Surviving as Pastors
When pundits talk about what it will take to lead the post-COVID church, I usually hear about ministry tweaks we’ll need to make. As much as I appreciate these tweaks, I believe we need to go deeper. We’ll need pastors who have learned to maintain healthy souls in the middle of the chaos in the post-COVID church.
At the beginning of this crisis, Andy Couch and others predicted that “we are most likely facing a blizzard today, a winter for the next few months, and a little ice age for year...
October 24, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
The crisis is that our public square is manufacturing cultural resentments far more efficiently than it’s building character. What we lack in ideas we compensate for in enemies.
The online church service pales in comparison to the physical gathering on Sundays.
13 Marks of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s Preaching according to J.I. Packer
J.I. Packer listed thirteen aspects to Lloyd-Jones preaching, that ...
October 20, 2020
Rethink Your Self
Want to improve your life? The solution is simple: find yourself by looking within yourself. Follow your heart. Chase your dreams. Live your truth. You are enough. Be true to yourself.
This way of thinking dominates our culture. It’s our default way of thinking. It’s so embedded within us that we can’t even imagine an alternative. It’s in Disney movies, self-help books, and schools. It’s even in the church. We can use spirituality as part of our quest to look within ourselves.
But evid...
