Darryl Dash's Blog, page 65
August 22, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
The Difference Between Tolkien and Lewis
The time and the trouble, is the whole point of the story. What is the point of narrating a great quest, if you skip over the journey itself and only talk about the end?
Five Ways Churches Will Have Changed One Year From Now
Because we hear from so many church leaders and church members, allow me to venture where local churches will be in one year.
Are Churches Losing the Battle to Form Christians?
...
August 18, 2020
A Way With Words
I’ve wanted to quit social media lately. Open up Facebook or Twitter and you’ll mind all manner of opinions on any issue you can imagine. I haven’t quit yet, but I’ve made good use of the unfollow and mute features.
The worst part is what happens to my heart. I want to join the fray. I want to share my perceptions of what’s right and wrong. I am part of the problem.
I can’t think of a more timely book in times like these than Daniel Darling’s A Way With Words: Using Our Online Conversa...
August 15, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Overcoming Disagreement For God’s Glory
Christ is glorified when we value him, his cause, and his people more than we value our own plans.
I can think of at least five ways in which criticism is a blessing.
The Blessing of Plural Eldership
Here are a number of reasons a good eldership is a blessing.
But I’ve Never Been Discipled!
Whether or not you’ve experienced an ideal mentoring relationship, ask yoursel...
August 11, 2020
The False Gospel of Visionary Success
“The whole problem is that churches don’t operate like businesses,” the businessman explained. “If they did, we’d all be a lot better off.”
I can’t remember what prompted this discussion, but I heard it a few times from this man and others. Pastors should look to business leaders for inspiration. Churches should adopt business practices. Churches should also teach their people how to do this so that they know how to really live well in this world.
It’s widespread. It’s the false gospel...
August 8, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory
There is nothing in the world like biblical justice!
How to More Wisely Consume News
Christians need more discretion than ever before in our “knowledge diets.”
4 Types of Leaders and Leadership that Thinks Big and Acts Small
May we act small and think big at the same time.
Should Churches in California Defy Government Restrictions? A Response to John MacArthur
Christians can...
August 4, 2020
The Cookbook That Made Me Worship
Interested in cooking lamb for eight persons four times? The Supper of the Lamb will teach you how. It will do more than that: it will teach you how to make different kinds of broth, bread, pastries, and more.
But you’ll get more than that by reading this book. You’ll learn how to keep company with an onion for an hour, if you choose. Even better, you’ll probably end up worshiping God.
A Culinary Reflection
The Supper of the Lamb is a culinary reflection more than anything else....
August 1, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
What Has COVI D -19 Revealed About the North American Church?
How will people look back on this period of church history where 1 in 3 Christians choose not to make time to listen to an online worship service from the comfort of their own sofa?
Covid, Christians, & the Civil Magistrate
Two questions that I’ve seen more than once in recent weeks concern face masks and congregational singing. Should I obey or disobey if the local or state government...
July 28, 2020
The Worst Sunday, The Best Sunday
Almost everything that could have gone wrong went wrong last Sunday.
The Worst Sunday
We hadn’t met in person in 133 days. It was our first Sunday back in person, with most of our people joining us over Zoom. We faced three complications. First: we were meeting in a new location. Second: for the first time in four years, we had to pull up in a vehicle and set up all of our gear. Third, and most significantly, we were doing a hybrid service — not a completely in-person service, not an o...
July 11, 2020
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
5 Reasons to Pray Your Church Would Grow Slowly
As you think about your ministry, I’d encourage you to pray for slow growth.
Your Seat in Church Is a Seat in Heaven
If you belong to Christ, your seat in church is not just a seat in church. It’s a seat in heaven.
Pray to See the Church as God Does
Though unafraid to exhort and even rebuke fellow Christians, the apostles labored to see (and to help us see) the church as she is in God’s sigh...
July 7, 2020
Pray for Church Plants
I’ve written about how I worry for pastors during this COVID-19 crisis. The truth is that I’m also worried about a particular kind of pastor: church planters. And I’m concerned for their new churches.
Church planting is a fragile thing. You move in to an area as a missionary and try to evangelize a church into existence. It’s hard and risky. Not everyone survives at the best of times. I’ve heard Ed Stetzer say that a third of churches thrive; a third survive; a third fail.
But we’re no...
