Posts by Daniel Darling
Killing the Jerk Gene in Leadership
In a defense of polarizing NBA superstar, Lebron James, sportswriter, Rick Reilly wrote this: You think of the great athletes of our generation — Jordan, Woods, Lance Armstrong. They all had a bit of the jerk gene in them. James is missing it. He is loved by his teammates, not feared. So sue. I’m not…
Read MoreFriday Five: Darryl Dash
I’m privileged to chat today with my good friend, Darryl Dash. I first met Darryl after finding his excellent blog. Then we had some email correspondence. Finally, we had the chance to meet face to face when I visited Toronto for a media appearance last year. As a young pastor, I was grateful to learn…
Read More5 Reasons Why Pastors Should Apologize
For some reason, the hardest two words for a leader to say are often, “I’m sorry.” This is especially difficult for young leaders. Especially young pastors. But here’s the thing, an apology may be your best leadership tool. This I know, because as a young, green, inexperienced pastor, I’ve had to do my share of…
Read MorePreaching is Not Mere Communication
As a preacher I am solicited, more often than not, for services that will help me preach better. As a young, green pastor I’m grateful for many of these ministries. I increasingly want to be sharpened in my ability to deliver God’s Word to God’s people. However, there are some that seem, perhaps unintentionally, to…
Read MoreFriday Five: Andrea Palpant Dilley
Andrea Palpant Dilley grew up in Kenya as the daughter of Quaker missionaries and spent the rest of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. She studied English literature and writing at Whitworth University. Her work as a writer has appeared in Rock and Sling, Geez, and Utne Reader, as well as the anthology Jesus Girls: True Tales of Growing Up…
Read MoreThe Wash Cycle of Forgiveness
On Sunday I began a new four-part series on forgiveness at Gages Lake. I typically preach in an expository manner–take a section of the Bible and preach it through. However, there are times when I just feel the need to hone in on a specific subject. So I took four texts on forgiveness and I…
Read More10 Things for Christians To Consider This Election Season
So now the primaries are officially over and we have a contest between President Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for the Presidency of the United States. Inevitably, American Christians will fall on one side or the other in what will likely be a long, divisive, tough campaign to the end. So, how should…
Read MoreParents and Facebook
I recently posted a guest-blog for Covenant Eyes on the role of parents in establishing Facebook parameters for their kids: According to a recent survey, 75% of teens have a Facebook profile, 54% check their status once a day, and 65% of them access Facebook through their mobile devices. Teens are living, increasingly, in a…
Read MoreFriday Five: Andrew Wheeler
Today I’m delighted to talk about prayer with my good friend, Andrew R. Wheeler. Andrew organizes the prayer ministry of the elders and Sunday service teams for Willow Creek Community Church–McHenry County. A member of the Church Prayer Leaders Network, he maintains the website Together in Prayer as a resource for churches growing in prayer…
Read MoreDrew Dyck on Real
I was honored to receive this endorsement of REAL by Drew Dyck, editor of Leadership Journal: “Second generation faith can be a little like next day pizza—cold, stale, and tough to swallow. Darling’s book is for those weary of subsisting on spiritual leftovers. He understands the sometimes stultifying effect of the evangelical subculture on spirituality…
Read MoreReal Book Trailer
Here is the book trailer for my new book, REAL, Owning Your Christian Faith. Many thanks to my brother, Tim Darling, who worked long and hard on this:
Read More10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Dad
Before I became a dad, I thought I would be a pretty good dad. After all I grew up in a nice, Christian home, I read parenting books, and heard quite a few conference messages and radio programs on biblical parenting. I was set. The kids I would raise would be fortunate to have me…
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