Darryl Dash's Blog, page 79
May 4, 2019
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Be Remembered: My Grandpa, the Bridge Builder
A few hours ago, my grandfather, Dr. Warren Wiersbe, breathed his last breath in his earthly body and took his first breath in glory.
I don’t think we can really argue against the claim that we are praying less. So what should we do?
Four Creative Ways to be Generous
Perhaps, like me, you wonder if it’s possible to be generous when finances are tight.
Looking...
April 30, 2019
The Long Haul
In 1991, at the age of 24, I became pastor of a small church in southwest Toronto. I thought I had arrived. I threw myself into the work with everything I had — everything meaning energy more than wisdom.
After seven years I’d had enough. I loved the people, but I wondered if I should move on to another ministry venture. Perhaps my gifts would be better used in a larger context, I thought.
I wish I had read Francis Schaeffer back then. “We should consciously take the lowest place unless the L...
April 27, 2019
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Pastoring the One When You’d Rather Pastor the Ninety-Nine
One-on-one pastoral care is every pastor’s inefficient imperative.
Simple Suggestions for a Successful Church Business Meeting
While business meetings can be a great cause for anxiety, they need not be. Here are some ideas for avoiding acrimonious business meetings in a local church.
Why I Changed My Mind About Fundraising for Our Church Plant
I no longer view this part of ministry as a distract...
April 23, 2019
The Reformed Pastor
The Reformed Pastor is not really the name of this book by Richard Baxter. The original name was a little longer: Gildas Salvianus: “The Reformed Pastor, showing the nature of the Pastoral work; especially in Private Instruction and Catechizing; with an open CONFESSION of our too open SINS: Prepared for a Day of Humiliation kept at Worcester, December 4, 1655, by the Ministers of that County, who subscribed the Agreement for Catechizing and Personal Instruction at their entrance upon that wor...
April 20, 2019
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
The Devil Didn’t Think He Won on Good Friday (Sorry, Preachers)
It’s that time of year when you hear preachers say, “The Devil thought he won on Friday, but he didn’t know about Sunday!”
It preaches well. But I don’t think it’s true.
It’s Time To Break Free From the Algorithm-Driven Life
It’s time to escape from the algorithm, at least in those areas that matter most to the good life and the Christian faith.
The Brave New World of Bible Reading
As Bible...
April 16, 2019
The One-Straw Revolution
Masanobu Fukuoka was a Japanese farmer and author of The One-Straw Revolution. As a young man he studied agriculture and worked as an inspector studying diseases and pests on imported plants. He was amazed at the “world of nature as revealed through the eyepiece of a microscope.”
[image error]Fukuoka is famous for his approach to farming. He saw nature as ideally arranged and abundant. When we try to improve on nature, we inevitably introduce adverse side effects. Then we take additional action to counte...
April 13, 2019
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
How the Lord’s Supper Reminds Me of the Lord’s Grip
Singing, praying, standing to read Scripture, observing the Lord’s Supper, listening to sermons, giving tithes and offerings, are all ordinary acts of worship. These acts, however, don’t just train our hearts to hold on when doubt, disease, and discouragement move in; they hold us when our grip begins to fail.
How the Church Can Help with Mental Illness
Churches can help in many ways. A few of the simp...
April 9, 2019
Serving People in a Mass Market World
When I ordered books in December, I received an email from the author (slightly edited):
hi darryl!
i just wanted to say thank you for ordering all the books a few week ago!! i’m honored! and i hope they’re of help!
congrats to you on all the good work you’re doing for the world!
if there’s anything i can do for you from out in ann arbor, by all means let know!
take good care
I didn’t respond. I figured the email was automated. I couldn’t imagine that the author, who’s busy running a community of...
April 6, 2019
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
As life progresses, I more and more find the Lord’s Day not just as the starting point of a new week, but the centre point of my existence. I cannot, will not, could not make it through life without it.
The Strategic Friendship of Financial Supporters
Many of the amazing moments in church history were made possible by generous friends behind the scenes.
5 Mistakes to Avoid in Ministering to the Sexually Abused
inistering to men an...
April 2, 2019
Three Challenges in Apologetics
When I started as a church planter in a secular city, I thought I’d face a sophisticated set of questions about Christianity. I was surprised to discover that many people don’t have questions about Christianity: that would assume that they’ve thought about Christianity. I had my arguments lined up, and discovered that I was trying to answer questions that most weren’t asking.
I also discovered that many people believe in the supernatural. I’ve encountered some atheists, but not many. Generall...
