Darryl Dash's Blog, page 8

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

When God Seems Hidden

A sense of hiddenness is appropriate to God's nature. As Gregory of Nyssa says, "For how shall he be found whom none of the things we know declares—not look, nor color, nor outline, nor size, nor location, nor shape, nor conjecture, nor likelihood, nor analogy?"

Enduring unto Glory: How the Beatific Vision Serves Weary Pastors

Scripture routinely links suffering to the hope of glory. The promise of the beatific vision in glory doesn’t mea...

Beth Anne’s Bible

I remember the first time I saw Beth Anne's Bible. I didn't expect it to encourage and challenge me the way it did.

Beth Anne is a member of our church. She's quiet, unassuming, and godly. She always has a smile and encourages people just by her presence. She's lived a life of godly faithfulness, and her example means a lot to our church.

One day, I saw Beth Anne as I was getting ready for our worship service. She was holding her Bible in her hand. The binding was broken, and the pages looked worn...

All Things New (Revelation 21:1-8)

Big Idea: God will make everything new, live with his people on earth, and give eternal joy to those who conquer by his grace.

I had a problem, and it was a big one. Heaven seemed boring to me.

I love this world. I love my life. I have a great family and friends. I enjoy great food. I get to go on vacation sometimes and see amazing things around the world. I love life so much that it's sometimes hard to imagine how heaven could be better. It sounds sacrilegious to say it, but it's true.

Add to that...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Scroll Less, Stroll More: A Summer Challenge to Leave Your Phone at Home

For your spiritual, relational, physical, and mental health, get off your phone and go for a walk. Give your fidgety fingers a break and let your feet get some movement in. Give your overstimulated mind a chance to make sense of things. Get far enough from your phone that you can pray, praise, and ponder.

Four Good Questions To Ask Your Tech

Here are four questions I propose we ask of any...

Build On-ramps, but Help People Learn to Drive on the Highway Too

We have an on-ramp to a major highway near my house. It used to be awful. It was short, and you had to immediately merge into speeding traffic. It's since been improved. You no longer have to merge; you're just fed onto the highway in your own lane. It makes it so much easier for drivers to get up to speed safely and easily.

But it's not foolproof. Sometimes I see drivers merge slowly or enter the on-ramp slowly, and then continue on the highway slowly. This creates a hazard for them and unsafe c...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

Why I Don’t Read Through the Bible Every Year

A reading plan, even one that doesn’t take you through the whole Bible in 12 months, isn’t less than. It’s a good way to keep you listening for God’s voice as you read his inspired Word.

Not Every Sermon Is a Challenge

Unless your church is uniquely bad at everything all the time, there must be some room for some encouragement somewhere.

7 Secular Sermons You Might Have Heard This Week

A pastor may speak for an hour ...

Advice for New and Stuck Christians

If you are a new Christian or a stuck Christian trying to get back on track, I have some advice for you.

My advice doesn't come from being an expert. I'm a fellow struggler myself, and I’ve had to learn these lessons the hard way. I've guided new believers and those who feel stuck, and I've found two pieces of advice particularly helpful. They're simple, and I hope they won't be too overwhelming for you.

Get in the Bible

First, and most importantly, get in the Bible. I can't emphasize this enough. ...

The End of Satan, Sin, and Death (Revelation 20)

Big Idea: God will ultimately defeat Satan, restore his people, and destroy evil and death.

When I went to seminary, I studied under a brilliant professor who originally lived in Indiana. As I got to know him, I found out the story of how he ended up teaching in Canada. He was part of a denomination that held a particular view of the chapter we just read. To pastor in that denomination, you had to agree with their view. The professor accepted a ministry assignment in Toronto, which let him adopt ...

Saturday Links

Curated links for your weekend reading:

The Destructive Power of Porn (and How to Break Free)

If you’re struggling with pornography, here’s the good news. Jesus came to forgive you and set you free. Here’s where to begin.

People Expect It to Be Churchy

It seems the churches that are attracting people at the moment are the, well, fairly churchy ones.

Could Scrolling Become the New Smoking?

We’re humans, not robots—no matter how impressive artificial intelligence becomes. We possess agency. We can cours...

Essential Lessons for Young (and Old) Pastors

I'm used to reading blog posts with titles like “What They Didn't Teach Me in Seminary.” Usually, the goal is to create buzz or sell a course or book. I don't want to add to that noise, but I'm going to write about a few things they didn't teach me in seminary that I think are important for a young pastor to know.

First, aim to be boring.

I don't mean your preaching should be boring, but your ministry should largely be pretty ordinary. Ministry involves doing a few things well over a long period o...