Darryl Dash's Blog, page 83

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Church

I forget where I read it, but I’ve found it to be true: pastors tend to be either too busy or too lazy. That’s why I pay attention to pastors who work hard, but then know how to take time off. I haven’t found too many of them.

I had coffee with a pastor last year. I showed up late, having crammed my schedule too full with meetings. He waited patiently. “I don’t work too hard,” he said. He spoke of sloth or acedia, one of the seven deadly sins, not just as laziness but as an inclination to get...

Saturday Links

Links for your weekend reading:

Where to Find Hope and Help amid the Sexual Revolution

I want to suggest at least four changes that account for how our culture has come to this moment, and then propose seven ways in which we can respond.

Preaching a Church Toward Mission

The motivation of grace better triggers a church’s impulse for gospel mission.

Why You Should Consider Reading the Bible Chronologically

One increasingly popular approach is chronological. This plan takes you through the Bibl...

A Letter From a Friendly Skeptic

This isn’t the kind of thing that I usually post. It may or may not be a real letter. Regardless, I think it makes a few good points.

Here it is without any further comment.

A church is in the news because of a church discipline case. They have the audacity to insist that their members hold to the beliefs and practices that the church — not only this one but the universal Church — has always held.

But that’s not all. I did some digging on their website, and discovered that this church discip...

Out of Step

I spent the weekend thinking about two men whose lives and ministries stayed out of step with our times.

Fred Rogers Fred Rogers

I finally got around to watching Won’t You Be My Neighbor? It’s a documentary about Fred Rogers, the quirky children’s television star who created and starred in Mister Roger’s Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001. Behind his quirkiness, Fred Rogers held to fierce theological convictions: the importance of love, the dignity of every human being, and the value of children....

Saturday Links

Links for your weekend reading:

The Ebb and Flow of Christian Happiness

God has designed, for now, that our joy not always be great.

How to Leave a Church

Because it is Christ’s blood-bought bride, leaving a church should not be a casual decision. Our loving Lord deserves that we treat his church with care and reverence.

Pastors Should Like People (Not Just Love Them)

Pastors, we must be intentional to keep kindling affection (for instance, yearning, desire, dearness) in our ministry relation...

Pastoral Covetousness

There’s something in us that discounts our current circumstances: our lives, our location, our role, our lives. We look at others and want more. It’s sin, of course, a direct violation of the tenth word:

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. (Exodus 20:17)

I’m always struck by how comprehensive this command is. It goes into detail, because...

Plant in Hard Places

The advice is good, as far as it goes. “Your ability to plant a church successfully is dependent upon your community’s spiritual fertility,” writes Ben Arment. Five plus years into planting, I couldn’t agree more. If you plant in a fertile area, your church will grow faster. You will reach critical mass quicker. You will see more reward for your labor.

And yet we still need to plant churches in hard places.

Growth will be slower. The headaches will be greater. And yet we still need planters w...

Saturday Links

Links for your weekend reading:

Tired Mom of Littles: The Church Needs You

Moms, this isn’t an article to kick you when you’re down and tell you to get your act together. It’s a comforting reminder that you are part of something much bigger than your current circumstances. You’re not alone. You are part of a body, a temple, a family. You need the church and the church needs you.

Why the Church Doesn’t Need Any More Coffee Bars

Remember that you are not just trying to attract the hip and the c...

Top Quotes and Takeaways from Integrative Preaching

As part of A Year of Books on Preaching, I’m posting a review a month of a preaching book, and then a list of quotes and takeaways.

I posted a review of Integrative Preaching earlier this week. Here are some of the top quotes and takeaways from his book.

Top Ten Quotes

Nobody ought to come to hear me preach. We ought to come to hear the voice of God. (Location 117)

Preaching is leading in listening—listening to the voice of God and helping others do the same. (Location 144)

Preaching ought n...

Integrative Preaching

[image error]I’ve read all kinds of preaching books, but I’ve never read a book like Integrative Preaching: A Comprehensive Model for Transformational Proclamation by Kent Anderson.

It’s hard to say something new about preaching, but I think this book does say something new. It presents a model for preaching that calls the preacher to integrate head and heart, as well as the heavenly and human. It invites the preacher to engage with stories, instruct with themes, convict with gospel, and inspire with mis...