Posts by Daniel Darling
21st Century Discipleship
If you are familiar with the Great Commission verses (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8), you’ll know that the imperative command by Jesus is to “make disciples.” Evangelism is the simple part in many ways, but building up strong believers is the hard work. So how is a person discipled? Well, we first…
Read MoreGod of Scars
Because I grew up as a classic Christian good kid (a heritage for which I am grateful), I used to look at folks who bore a few scars of their previously worldly life and sort of think, “Well, God bless them, but they can’t be used for Christ as much as I am, because I’ve…
Read MoreGreat Reads on Heaven, Hell, and Universalism
I’ve been talking to quite a few pastors, both online and off, about the issue with Rob Bell, Love Wins, and the whole issue of universalism, hell, etc. Some are lamenting this as a unnecessary controversy in the body of Christ, but I view this as a great opportunity to discuss some basic Christian doctrines.…
Read MoreFriday Five – Toni Birdsong
A few weeks ago I attended the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, TN–my first time–and met quite a few terrific gospel communicators, who are faithful in sharing the gospel across old, new, and emerging mediums. I came away greatly encouraged at the increasing ways in which 21st Century technology is allowing Christ to be…
Read MoreThe Gospel Isn’t This Hard
I’m amazed at the conversations that Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins is provoking in the mainstream media environment. I think Bell’s book is tragic for a variety of reasons, articulated most thoughtfully, in my view by Kevin DeYoung. But, I’m amazed at how gospel-centered questions are being asked in environments not normally reserved for these…
Read MoreUpdate from Awana in Japan
I got this update from one of our Awana Missionaries: Awana Praying Friends: My friend Jess Curabo, Awana Director for the Philippines, reported the following in Japan: Pastor Sato of Fukushima Ist Baptist Church was able to locate around 150 of their people but more than 50 are still unaccounted for. He was able…
Read MoreOn Showing Up
Yesterday I attended a ministerium (meeting of pastors) for the church fellowship of which Gages Lake is a member. (IFCA International). We meet every other month. I enjoy these times, opportunities to meet other pastors in the region and glean wisdom from those who’ve been doing this way longer than me. As a young pastor,…
Read MoreFriday Five – Eric Metaxas
Eric Metaxas penned one of the most celebrated books of 2010, a thorough and gripping biography of German pastor, Deitrich Bonheoffer. It’s a powerful book that is a must-read for serious Christian leaders, with life lessons spilling out of the pages of Bonheoffer’s highly courageous life. Metaxas is also the other of several…
Read MoreBooks I’m reading
Here are the books I’m either reading or on the verge of reading: Spiritual Rhythm by Mark Buchanan Sticky Jesus by Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand St. Patrick by Jonathan Rogers More Than an Aspirin by M. Gay Hubbard Podcasts I’m listening to: The Village Church – Matt Chandler Coral…
Read MoreThe World’s First Prayer Meeting – iFaith
When I was writing iFaith, I came across one of the most interesting passages in the Bible. It’s almost a throwaway line at the end of Genesis 4. It describes the birth of Seth, Adam and Eve’s third son. “Then men began to pray.” That passage really grabbed me because it came at the end…
Read MoreFriday Five Interview – Michael Catt
Chances are, if you’ve heard of Michael Catt, it’s because you’ve watched Facing the Giants or Fireproof, both produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in Georgia. But that is only one of many accomplishments in his very full biography. Besides serving as Senior Pastor of this 3,000 member church (since 1989), Michael Catt is also the…
Read MoreMe, God, and Sunday Morning
This week I had a conversation with longtime believer. It was a conversation while on a flight to Nashville. It wasn’t long before our conversation veered toward the spiritual life. You could immediately tell from this lady’s conversations that she was someone who was kind, generous, and spiritual. And yet, when the topic came toward…
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