Darryl Dash's Blog, page 9
February 9, 2025
Judgment! (Revelation 8:1-9:21)
Big Idea: If you don’t know Christ, repent because judgment is coming. If you do know Christ, rejoice because judgment is coming.
What is the hardest part of Revelation?
You would think that the hardest part of Revelation is understanding it. There are so many things that are hard to understand and interpret in Revelation. You have different interpretative grids:
Preterists, who interpret Revelation in relation to first-century eventsHistoricists, who see Revelation as a chronological description o...
February 8, 2025
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
No, I Don’t Want AI to Write for Me
Technology can help us become better writers. But we shouldn’t be leaning on it for the heavy lifting.
The Church’s Opportunity When ‘Gentle Parenting’ Crashes
The church will have a major opportunity in the years ahead, as young people come of age having been raised under the philosophy of gentle parenting.
Gen Z, Fight ‘Brain Rot’ by Reading Books
Readers are those who can turn the page of history.
February 4, 2025
Preserving Wonder
I see the same problem throughout my life.
It happened in my marriage. When I got married 34 years ago, I couldn't believe how blessed I was. I watched my bride walk down the aisle and thought I'd pulled off the greatest heist. A few years later, I still loved her but often focused on her shortcomings. It took me a while to realize that I needed to work at preserving my wonder that God had blessed me with such a great wife. God called me not to be her critic but to love her as Christ loved the ch...
February 2, 2025
Who Can Stand? (Revelation 7:1-8:5)
Big Idea: God will preserve his own people, and they will enjoy his protection and presence forever.
Canadian preacher Darrell Johnson calls this chapter the most comforting of all the visions contained in the Bible. But you have to understand what he means when he says “comforting.”
I am using the phrase, “most comforting,” both in the modern sense of the word, “creating a state of well-being,” and in the original sense of the word, “fortifying for courageous action.” The English word comfort com...
February 1, 2025
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
Weary Pastor, Look to the Shepherd
Even shepherds are like sheep and need the Shepherd’s care.
My Framework vs. Single Bible Text
When it is my entire framework versus a single text of Scripture, the text must always win.
Cremation, as far as this writer is concerned, is no sin. It is rather a risk, not for the person who has died, but for the rest of us.
Your Phone Habits Aren’t Just About You
You’re not an island. Your phone habits are never ju...
January 28, 2025
The Best Parts of Being a Pastor
I think I know the worst parts of being a pastor. One of them is the hurt that’s involved. Every pastor I know, at some point, experienced the relational pain that Paul describes in 2 Timothy. The other worst part is the sense of one’s own unworthiness. Godly pastors know how far they have to go in their own sanctification, and have a deep awareness of their need for grace and strength to carry out the tasks of ministry.
I know the worst parts, but the best parts are too many to mention.
It could ...
January 26, 2025
What to Expect (Revelation 6)
Big Idea: Expect to suffer in this world, and put your hope in Jesus.
When we had our children, one of the most helpful books we bought was called What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Yes, they had this book even back then. It was such a helpful book to understand what was happening at every stage of the pregnancy.
This passage could be titled “What to Expect as a Christian.” This chapter helps us understand what life in this world will be like. This chapter will help us have accurate expectation...
January 25, 2025
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
In the pursuit of meaningful service for Christ, oftentimes the little things are the big things.
The Greatest Beauty I’ve Ever Seen
Truly, I have seen wonders more beautiful than tongue or scribe could ever tell. And yet none of this represents the greatest beauty I have ever seen. There is something more wonderful, still, something that delights my eyes and thrills my heart.
A Prayer Meeting Like That Does Not Scare The Devil
So of...
January 21, 2025
Intellectual Depth Matters in Ministry
I still laugh when I think about an exchange I had with a border guard. “Why are you entering the United States?” he asked. I told him I was attending a study group to learn more about the Bible. He then asked how long I'd been a pastor. When I said over 30 years, he replied, “What could you possibly have to learn about the Bible?”
Knowing Scripture involves lots of study. It includes learning hermeneutics, languages, textual criticism, biblical theology, knowledge of the Ancient Near East, syste...
January 18, 2025
Saturday Links
Curated links for your weekend reading:
What Are Your Plans For This Year?
I have no plans.
And yet God…
When we encounter sanctity, we’re drawn not to the saint but to the Savior.
iPhones, Idolatry, and Evil Spirits
If Satan wanted to invent a way to steal our attention, render our awareness of God obsolete, and control the message we live by, could he do any better than the intensely addictive iPhone and the algorithms that control what we encounter?
