Posts by Daniel Darling
Mini-Reviews #4
Here is another batch of reviews for books I’ve recently read. Not all are recently published. Some are a few years. Still, I think they are good and relevant today: Just As I Am by Billy Graham I’ve always wanted to read this book. I’m intrigued by the biographies of well-known evangelical leaders. A couple…
Read MoreWhy We Work
When I think of Labor Day, I think first of my father, a union plumber who has spent nearly every day of his adult life working with his hands. I’m a bit biased, but I happen to think he’s the best at what he does. Every job he does to near-perfection, not satisfied until he…
Read MoreTaming the Tongue
We’re going through James at Gages Lake Bible Church in a series we’re calling Authentic Faith. Currently we’re in the middle of chapter three, which gives perhaps the most specific, biting description of the tongue in all of Scripture and perhaps all of literature. It begins with a warning, in James 3:1-2 about the importance…
Read MoreFriday Five: Vanessa Van Petten
Vanessa Van Petten is one of the nation’s youngest experts, or ‘youthologists’ on parenting and adolescents. She now runs her popular parenting website, RadicalParenting.com, which she writes with 120 other teenage writers to answer questions from parents and adults. Her approach has been featured by CNN, Fox News, and Wall Street Journal. Her next book, Do I Get…
Read MoreBooks I’m Reading (8/30/2011)
I’m always reading books. Here are some I’m working on right now: The Beginning and End of Wisdom – Preaching Christ from the First and Last Chapters of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Douglas Sean O’Donnell Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me – Ian Morgan Cron Jonathan Edwards, A Life – George Marsden
Read MoreWhy Words Matter
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. James 3:1-2 (ESV) We…
Read MoreWhat a Pastor Says
At Gages Lake Bible Church, we’re going through the book of James, in a series we’ve entitled, Authentic Faith. (You can listen/download the sermons here.) James is a section of Scripture that really makes you sit up and listen. And it’s written specifically to Christians in the church. There is no way to dance around…
Read MoreThe Ethics of a Church Protest Blog
It’s become more and more popular: a group of disgruntled church members set up a website to “protest” the church leadership of a big and established congregation. In the last two years, there have been protest sites set up against prominent megachurches like Bellevue Baptist Church in Tennessee (Adrian Roger’s old church), Coral Ridge Presbyterian…
Read MoreFriday Five: Collin Hansen
Today I’m pleased to chat with Collin Hansen, the editorial director of The Gospel Coalition. Prior to his work with TGC, Collin was a journalist with Christianity Today. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Young, Restless, and Reformed and most recently co-author of a…
Read MoreWhy Hobbies are Better When They are Not Idols
John Calvin famous said our hearts are great “idol-making factories.” A good, wholesome, beneficial pursuit can quickly become an idol. For me, I find that my pleasurable hobbies can often lead to idolatry. Sports is perhaps the biggest threat. I’m a big time fan of team sports. I love the NFL, the NBA, and Major…
Read MoreChristians, Fear, and the Truth about Muslims
Since 9/11, the West has been skeptical and downright fearful of the Muslim faith. And rightfully so, given the attacks on 9/11 in the name of Islam. The American Church has, at times, led the skepticism, especially conservative evangelicals like myself. You don’t have to look far to see documentaries and books and other media…
Read MoreWhy Campaigning is Easy, but Governing is Hard
I’ve been watching, with interest, the emerging campaign for Presidency of the United States. I gave up involvement in politics a few years ago to devote full-time attention to ministry, but I am still keenly interested. I watched clips of the GOP Presidential debate last Thursday night. I’ve always enjoyed the debates and give the…
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