Posts by Daniel Darling
Flattery Can Kill – The Gospel Coalition Blog
The Gospel Coalition website posted my article entitled, “Flattery Can Kill”. In this piece I share the story of my being wooed by the flattery of a church member and how it ultimately hurt the ministry: Flattery is a hidden trap for pastors, especially young men new to leadership. Pressured to grow and besieged by…
Read MoreWhy Your Work Matters
This is a terrific conversation between Collin Hansen of The Gospel Coalition and Matt Perman, proprietor of the blog What’s Best Next and director of strategy for Desiring God Ministries. Collin interviews Matt about his forthcoming book, but more importantly about the often-neglected doctrine of work. I love this new emphasis, helping so-called “lay people” discover…
Read MoreKevin DeYoung on Christian Political Engagement
Today is the Iowa caucus and the first of many primaries for Republicans before a long drawn-out Presidential and Congressional contest. Christians of course have to wrestle with politics in America. Good people find themselves on both sides of important issues. This is why I especially appreciated the wisdom of Kevin DeYoung, who writes on…
Read MorePermission to Pursue What You Love
I’ve just finished reading two books which have cemented in my mind an often neglected biblical doctrine. We often call it the doctrine of “vocation” but I think this doesn’t speak to the totality of it. The first book I finished was Work Matters by Pastor Tom Nelson (Christ Community Church, Leewood, Kansas). The second was…
Read MoreThe Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible | Kyria
I was pleasantly surprised to find that an article I wrote for the Kyria online magazine (Christianity Today) was among it’s most popular articles. This was one I enjoyed writing, a sort of contrarian take on the typical depiction of Job’s wife: Her name was never revealed and yet she may be the most infamous…
Read MoreMini Reviews #9
Thanks to my new NOOK, I’ve been on a reading tear lately. So here are two more mini-reviews: The Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado I appreciate Lucado’s unique gift at taking difficult concepts and making them easy for lay people to understand. In The Cure for the Common Life, Max shares a…
Read MoreMy Favorite Books of 2011
I had the opportunity to read quite a few great books in 2011. Not quite as many (101) as my friend, Aaron Armstrong, but I read quite a few. Here are my top ten books. You’ll notice they are not necessarily all books that were published in 2011, but books I had the chance to read…
Read MoreMini-Reviews #8
Just finished another great batch of books: Work Matters by Tom Nelson. This is a terrific book on a subject not explored fully enough in contemporary evangelicalism: a theology of work. As usual, Nelson (pastor of Christ Community Church in Leawood, Kansas), shares a comprehensive, balanced, biblical view of the doctrine of work. A Christmas Journey…
Read MoreFinding Christmas Joy
I’ve always loved the Christmas season. When I was a kid, my parents always made the season great. Our traditions were simple, but wonderful. I especially enjoyed the two weeks off of school. Usually we chilled out at home or would go to a Christmas party or two at friends’ homes. When I was in…
Read MoreWhy Your Pastor Shouldn’t Be Your Podcast
Trevin Wax recently wrote a widely distributed post entitled, “Why Your Podcast Shouldn’t Be Your Pastor.” He raised some important points about the proliferation of content over the Internet. Its easy today to consume the best of contemporary evangelical pastors simply by downloading them through iTunes or listening online. While this is a wonderful blessing…
Read MoreElijah: Jack Bauer of the Old Testament, Spiritual Living, Christian Faith
I was honored to have an article chosen as one of Crosswalk.com’s top ten articles of the year. It is the article: “Elijah, Jack Bauer of the Old Testament.” Here is an excerpt: There’s a part of Elijah’s life that doesn’t often get told. This is the scene that would get left on the cutting…
Read MoreHow I Found My Preaching and Speaking Voice
Growing up, public speaking was something I both enjoyed and dreaded. I enjoyed the preparation for a speech (still do), but always got the intense butterflies in public. Especially in school where one Rick-Perry like flub could ignite the snickering chorus in the front row of our high-school. I know because when I wasn’t speaking,…
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