Daniel Darling's Blog, page 43

The Way Home: Episode 75 featuring Ryan Reeves

Is America a Christian nation? Ryan Reeves, assistant professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell answers that question on today’s podcast. Ryan also serves as Dean of the Jacksonville campus. Ryan is an adjunct professor for Reformed Theological Seminary and teaches during the summer at Campus Crusade for Christ. He has a Ph.D. from Cambridge University and two masters from Reformed Theological Seminary. Ryan has a terrific blog on historical theology and church history at The Gospel Coalition. He joins me to talk church history, religious liberty, and if he has the deepest voice in the PCA.

Show Notes

Twitter: @ryanmreeves
Website: blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/ryanreeves
YouTube

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

Some Father’s Day Articles

This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day. Here are some of my reflections on fatherhood from past years:

What Dad Taught Me: 5 Invaluable Principles I Use Every Day:

Dad was a blue-collar guy, a licensed plumber, who has always been known for the quality of his work. It wasn’t the specific job he did but the way Dad carried himself that taught me the most about life, about manhood, and about living out the gospel. These five lessons are ones I’ve adopted as I seek to honor the Lord with my life.

It’s Never Too Late To Become a Great Dad – Interview with Jim Daly

The president of Focus on the Family talks about his own tumultuous childhood and makes the case that men can become good fathers in their own generation, despite their upbringing.

Ten Things Nobody Tells You About Becoming a Dad

This is my most popular blog post, written a few years ago. All ten things hold up pretty well, I think.

5 Things Every Daughter Needs to Hear From Her Dad

I’m a father of four beautiful children, three of whom are girls. My oldest daughter is eleven years old. I love having daughters. There is something about having a daughter that softens a man, adds a certain tenderness to his soul. In that spirit, I’d like to share five things every daughter needs to hear from her father:

5 Things Every Son Needs to Hear From His Dad

Just as there is something wonderful about being the father of daughters, there is something wonderful about being the father of a son. In my house, Daniel Jr (4) and I are outmatched four-to-one by girls, so we sort of stick together to make sure everything is not painted pink, some football gets watched on a regular basis, and that we watch as many superhero movies as Barbie movies. Seriously, though, fathering your sons is a serious job, men. And so in that spirit, I’d like to offer five things every son needs to hear from his father:

photo credit: Sudanshu Goyal

The Way Home: Episode 74 featuring Mark Tooley

What should evangelicals make of the changes in the United Methodist denomination? Today on The Way Home podcast I’m joined by my good friend Mark Tooley. Mark is the president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, as well as the editor of the IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, Providence. In addition to being a frequent commentator on radio and television, he writes articles for major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, and The New York Post. As a former staffer for the CIA, Mark is a leading expert on foreign policy as well. He has published three books, his latest being The Peace That Almost Was: The Forgotten Story of the 1861 Washington Peace Conference and the Final Attempt to Avert the Civil War[image error]. A committed United Methodist, Mark is a strong advocate for life and marriage, and is passionate about reaching the public square with the Gospel. Today we’re going to talk about foreign policy, Methodism, as well as his latest book.

Show Notes

Twitter: @markdtooley
Website: providencemag.com and theird.org
Book: The Peace That Almost Was [image error]

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

The Way Home: Episode 73 featuring Andrew Walker and Devin Maddox

How can pastors equip their people to engage cultural issues? Andrew Walker and Devin Maddox join me to discuss this topic and a new resource from ERLC and Lifeway: The Gospel for Life Book Series.

Andrew Walker is the director of public policy studies at ERLC, the editor of Canon and Culture, and the editor, with Russell Moore, of the new Gospel for Life series. Devin Maddox is a publisher for B&H Books.

Show Notes

Twitter: @andrewtwalk and @devinmaddox
Website: andrewtwalker.com and canonandculture.com
Book:  The Gospel & Religious Liberty ;  The Gospel & Same-Sex Marriage ;  The Gospel & Racial Reconciliation

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

The Way Home: Episode 72 featuring Jared C. Wilson

How does the uniqueness of Christianity make it compelling? Jared Wilson joins me to answer this question. Jared is a prolific author, a pastor, and the director of content strategy for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jared and I discuss writing, ministry, and evangelical witness in the 21st century.

Show Notes

Twitter: @jaredcwilson
Website: jaredcwilson.com
Book: Unparalleled: How Christianity’s Uniqueness Makes It Compelling

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

Passing the Faith Along

Here is a post I wrote for Green Hill Church on parenting as discipleship. A few tips for passing the faith along:

Remember we do this in community. We don’t parent in isolation, we parent in community with the body of Christ in our local church. The church is there to equip, strengthen, and resource parents. And parents should learn, grow, confess, repent, and laugh together as they raise their children to love Jesus.
Rely on the Spirit of God. This job of parenting is bigger than we can handle. This is why we need Holy Spirit power and wisdom. Doing it alone will lead us to burn out or give up on the enterprise all together.
Resources are our friends. There are many, incredible resources out there that make this job of passing the faith along that much easier. In a follow up blog post, I will highlight a few that have been enormously helpful to our family.
Rigidity is our enemy. One family’s version of family worship may look different than the next family. What is important is not how you teach your kids, but that you teach them. Some families do this in a more formal way. Others are more spontaneous.
Rejoice in the privilege of teaching our children. The story we are telling our kids, this beautiful story of the gospel, is the best news in the world. So passing this to our kids is a joy and a privilege.

You can read the whole thing here:

photo credit: Danielle MacInnes

 

Shaping a Whole Life, Pro Life Ethic

Earlier this year I had the chance to host a panel at the Evangelicals for Life Conference in Washington, D.C hosted by ERLC and Focus on the Family. My guests were Trillia Newbell, Ron Sider, Karen Swallow Prior, Emily Colsen, and John Stonestreet.

20 Things I’ve Learned in the 20 Years Since Graduation

In June of 1996, I walked down the aisle, with thirteen others, at Quentin Road Christian School in Lake Zurich, Illinois and received my high school diploma. I distinctly remember the mixture of anticipation and hope I felt that day.

Twenty years later, I look back with amazement. First, it’s hard to believe it has been twenty years. I don’t feel that old. Second, I’m stunned by the grace of God displayed in knitting the strands of my life together. Third, there are so many things I’ve learned in twenty years that I wish I could tell 18-year-old me. Here are 20 things I’ve learned since that day, in no particular order:

School is just the beginning of learning. Much of what we learn in elementary, middle and high-school is quickly forgotten (until we need it again to help our kids with their homework!). Of course, the basics of math, reading, science and history are vital, but what’s even more important is learning to learn. School sets the trajectory for the rest of our lives. Wise people realize that, upon graduation, their education has just begun. They read, study, and grow, pursuing knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 4:7).
We make choices, but God directs our steps. I remember hearing teachers, coaches and parents telling me that the choices I make in my teens and twenties would set the course of my life. They were so right, in ways I haven’t even begun to see until now. But even more important than making good choices is the willingness to depend upon the Lord to direct our steps. Our choices are mere tools in the hand of a guiding, teaching, directing Father. We are not, nor will we ever be, self-made men. Ultimately, God uses flawed people who often make poor choices to build his church.
Life is made up of seasons. When you walk down the aisle, and are handed that diploma, you may think you must chart your entire future. Planning is good stewardship, but hold your plans loosely. God will guide you into different seasons of life. I’ve already had a season as an editor, a season as a pastor, and am now in a season as an executive who writes and preaches. There are seasons yet ahead.
A life of influence is mostly built in the daily disciplines of ordinary days, not in transcendent moments of glory. Yes, you will have moments and memories: that one camp meeting where you gave your life in service to Christ, the talk with a mentor that shaped your future, the movie or book or song that stirred your heart. But mostly, your life is built on the steady, patient, obscure business of doing excellent work that nobody sees. Commit to this kind of life.
Work is necessary, but also a joy. There is something satisfactory about working for a long time in the area of your giftedness, not simply to make money but because of the joy that the work itself brings. Ambition is good, but ordering your life simply to get to the next rung on the ladder can be wearisome. It’s better to find deep joy in the work we do now. Work is not a means to an end. Work is a good gift from a wonderful God.
Gratitude opens doors. Entitlement shuts them. If you live as though the world owes you everything, you will quickly be disappointed. But if you live as if your opportunities are gifts, you will always be surprised. One of my first jobs after high-school graduation was at Ace Hardware. I was fresh off of being the “big man on campus” in our tiny, obscure Christian school. I had even won student leadership awards! But my boss at the hardware store didn’t care about that. His only concern was that I get to work on time, that I stop making keys that didn’t work, and that I stacked the piles of fertilizer in the correct manner on the pallet. This experience was good for me.
Talent is helpful, but hard work and character are vital. I learned this playing basketball. Talent is important, hard work will get you farther, but character matters most. I’ve seen plenty of people with great talent flame out because their lack of character caught up with them. I’ve seen folks with marginal talent go far because they had integrity and were willing to work hard despite the fact that they may lack in other areas. I’ve learned and am learning the importance of cultivating the inner habits of the heart.
Relationships are God’s tool for sanctification. God’s desire is for Christ to shape us more into His image, and human relationships are one of his main methods of doing so. Yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit, your spouse, your children, and your coworkers will change you in ways you cannot imagine. They will expose your deepest sin patterns and force you to your knees in repentance and grace. Don’t resist this challenge. Embrace it. I have learned much from my roles as a husband, father, pastor and boss.
Who you marry matters. If God calls you to marriage, whom you choose as your mate is the most important decision you face. You will make a solemn commitment before God and others to live with and care for this person for the rest of your lives. So marry well. I married extremely well. I can’t, nor do I want to, imagine my life without Angela. We marry, not merely for pleasure or companionship, though those are good fruits of marriage, but as an opportunity to show the world a glimpse of Christ’s great love for his church.
Adversity can be your greatest ally. Nobody desires hardship, opposition and pain. Nobody asks God to rain down trouble. But trouble comes, and it comes for all of us. And if you believe in a sovereign God who loves enough to prune and sift and filter, you will slowly, over time and through much reflection, begin to see your trials as God’s handiwork of blessing. A few years ago I was betrayed and hurt in a deep and difficult way by people I loved. I would not want to live through those years again. This season caused great anguish of soul, but I can testify to experiencing God’s refining grace.
Bitterness will poison, forgiveness will free. Perhaps the most important trait for a leader to cultivate is the ability to forgive. And you can only do this if you know the One who has forgiven you of much greater sins than have been committed against you. Bitterness only ever hurts the one who is bitter. Don’t nurture your grudges and let forgiveness form a crust around your soul. Let forgiveness free you to love and serve and lead well.
Discipline is a gift. A few years ago my wife and I were counseling a young women who made a statement that has haunted me since. She said, “I wish someone, somewhere had given me some rules to live by.” At that moment I was filled with gratitude for parents willing to teach and enforce right from wrong. They weren’t perfect, as no parents are, but what they gave me, by being parents instead of mere friends, was a gift that has shaped my own adulthood. I still need Jesus, but my parents’ discipline saved me from a life of bad choices and even worse consequences. If you have parents who loved you enough to provide meaningful structure and rules, you possess a rare gift.
The gospel is the best news in the world. I know this is a cliché, but I feel this more strongly now than ever before. The Christian story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation stands alone in answering the deep problems of the world, in fixing my own inner corruption, and in providing a future in Jesus’ cosmic renewal. In my darkest moments, when my heart is overcome with fear and uncertainty, I’m comforted, not by political movements or powerful leaders, but by the simple phrase I learned in church: “Jesus saves.”
If you want to change the world, do it by loving the church. You will undoubtedly have many opportunities to use your gifts and talents to affect social change in big and small ways. God has put you here, on this earth, with your unique mix of gifts, talents, and opportunities to give yourself in service to others. But while your mission will likely be more than what you do on Sundays, it will never be less. The church is where God is most active in the world today. The most important gathering this week will not happen in a town hall, a stadium, or the White House, but in congregations big and small, around the world, where God’s people are proclaiming the reign of another King and another kingdom. If you love Jesus, you will love the church He loves. The older I get, the more I realize my deep need for the church.
The hymns I learned in my youth have stuck with me. From the time I could read, I was learning and singing, three times a week, the hymns of Luther, Crosby, Watts, and Wesley. I didn’t know what the words meant in those early years, but they were catechizing my soul for future life. Today, in moments of despair, joy, doubt, and uncertainty, the rich hymns of the faith are a reminder of the fresh theological truth, even though I learned it long ago. When we sign hymns, we are not simply providing “filler” for the rest of the service. We are declaring the reign of Christ to the world. We are teaching ourselves doctrine. And we are embedding, in the heart, powerful, sustaining truths.
I never “get over” my need for grace. I used to think the gospel was something I did when I was four years old. But the older I get, the more I realize how desperate I am for Jesus and how little I can do without him. I recognize that the gospel is not just for sinners “out there”, but also for this sinner, right here.
Asking questions and spending time with smart people is wise. Someone once said that if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. This is so true. I’ve learned much simply by asking questions, reading, and realizing how little it is that I actually know. My father once said, “you never stop learning,” and he was right. I’ve learned the most from people who were a) much older than me b) different than me c) were willing to challenge my thinking.
Old paths are good paths. Along the way, you will be tempted to embrace fashionable new doctrines and fresh theologies bent to the times. But it is the “faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)” that will be your surest guide. Beware of novel new interpretations of Scripture untested by church history. Truth and orthodoxy endure, because Christ endures. He is building his church, not on the slippery whims of modern thought, but on the sure foundation of his revealed Word.
Community matters. We were not made to live alone, but in community. We worship, not in isolation, but with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have found strength in deep friendships, intense conversations, and joyful community. But it’s up to you to cultivate that community with intentionality and the willingness to both forgive and be forgiven.
Both impulsiveness and passivity kill. I’ve learned to take a lot of time when making a major decision, to get advice from a diverse group of wise people, thinking about all the major ramifications. But once I’ve counseled, prayed, and researched, it’s important to actually make decisions. Rash decisions have always hurt me, but so has “paralysis by analysis.” Endless navel-gazing is as damaging as intemperately quick decisions. Avoiding both has served me well.

photo credit: Shilad Sen

The Way Home: Episode 71 featuring Daniel Patterson

What does productivity have to do with the gospel? This is the question I pose to my friend and colleague Daniel Patterson. Daniel is the chief of staff at ERLC and an expert at productivity and leadership. He also has a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Daniel and I discuss his role as chief of staff, getting things done, and why we are both longsuffering Cubs fans.

Show Notes

Twitter: @dlpatterson
Resource: Is scheduling a spiritual discipline?

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

Friday Flashback: My Prayer Before the Illinois State House

Three years ago, I was graciously invited to deliver the opening prayer before the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield, IL. This was my prayer:

Prayer of Convocation

Illinois General Assembly

Monday, May 20th, 2013

2:00 PM

 Dear Heavenly Father. We offer our humble gratitude for the gift of freedom as Americans, forged over 200 years of messy democracy and protected by the blood of our fighting men and women. Let us be ever mindful of the many peoples around the world who are not as free, as prosperous, as blessed as we are.

 We are grateful to live in the beautiful and diverse state of Illinois. For the leaders who have risen from this hallowed chamber. For the movements birthed here on our rich soil.

We ask humbly for your blessing on our great land. We offer prayer for the leaders today who serve you, here, in this town. As you have commanded us, we pray for them. For their families while they are away. For their safety while they serve here. For their integrity and wisdom in shaping the laws that will shape our future.

We are thankful for each representative who has stepped out of his ordinary life to serve in leadership here. They have spent countless hours campaigning and now serving. They have given up precious time and resources. They have sacrificed their privacy, putting their lives and their families’ lives on public display. Care for each representative, each senator, each staffer and all of the family members in a special way.

I pray that your Spirit visits this place in a powerful way. I pray these men and women find the fortitude to lead well. Give each leader rest, refreshment, and a clear mind. We ask you to move our leaders to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before their God.

Help each lawmaker to consider your command to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, mindful of the dignity and worth of each human life, created in the image of God. Help them not to forget the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized, and the unborn. Help them create laws that support the institutions that make our communities flourish, that encourage and sustain healthy families, that give hope to those struggling to find their way.

We ask your forgiveness for yielding, too often, to the temptation to forget you in our national and political life. For the times we reject your gracious providence. For confusing courage with incivility. For confusing liberty with license. For substituting our own agendas for yours. For putting our own interests above those we serve. For the tendency to abdicate our responsibility to deal with the tough problems.

Lord, we ask for your grace this day as these men and women endeavor to govern the people of this great state. May they realize that their power is limited, granted to them by your gracious decree. Help them wield this power with caution and humility.

We long for the city to come whose builder and maker is God. We’re thankful for the gift of your Son, who has offered entrance into his kingdom by his sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection.

Grant each of these legislators fresh grace today.

In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.

Photo credit: David Wilson