Gospel for Life

Darryl Dash discusses with Myles Holmes the relationship between physical health and spiritual well-being, highlighting examples from Jonathan Edwards' practices and theology. Myles Holmes emphasizes the often overlooked influence of diet, sleep, and exercise on achieving our spiritual goals. Visit gospelforlife.com for more on this episode.

In this episode, Pastor Kyle Worley talks about his transformative book, Home With God. In this episode, we explore the concept of union with Christ, using the metaphor of a loving home. Kyle's insights offer a new perspective on our relationship with Christ and how it shapes our everyday lives. Find more show notes at gospelforlife.com.

In this episode of "Gospel for Life," host Darryl Dash sits down with author and ministry leader Daniel Im to explore the renewed spiritual openness among Generation Z and Generation Alpha. They explore key ideas from Daniel's books, No Silver Bullets and The Discipleship Opportunity, on how to adjust church practices for a changing world. This episode provides valuable insights and practical advice for church leaders, pastors, and anyone involved in discipleship to connect with today's spiritually curious generations. Read the full notes and transcript at gospelforlife.com.

In this episode of Gospel for Life, host Darryl Dash talks with guest Karl Vaters, an experienced small church pastor and author of "De-sizing the Church." They emphasize the need to shift our ministry focus from numerical growth to discipleship, underscoring Jesus' teachings on making disciples. The episode encourages pastors dealing with growth pressures, highlighting the importance of being faithful and making an impact in their congregations, no matter their size. Read more at https://go.gospelforlife.com/desizing

Season 6 of the Gospel for Life Podcast starts next Monday, October 7. We've got some great episodes coming. I'll be talking to Karl Vaters about the power of small churches, to Daniel Im about the discipleship opportunity we face, to Kyle Worley about union with Christ, to Myles Holmes about the health habits of Jonathan Edwards, and more. Be sure to subscribe, and let a friend know about the podcast!

We go way back to 2008 to an interview I did with Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck on the emerging church. Full show notes at ⁠⁠DashHouse.com⁠⁠.

Ron Johnston, the executive director of Small Church Connections, discusses the importance of small churches and the obstacles they face in a culture that frequently prioritizes size. Full show notes at ⁠DashHouse.com⁠.

Uncover the significance of 2 Timothy and 2 Corinthians for pastors dealing with suffering in ministry. Jonathan Dodson sheds light on how these biblical truths offer profound wisdom and encouragement for pastors navigating the challenges of vocational ministry. Full show notes at DashHouse.com.

Perry Edwards has written a book called Introduction to Early Church History: The First 500 Years to help us understand the first 500 years of church history and why they matter. Full show notes at DashHouse.com

Howard Hendricks is known as someone who shaped many lives not only through his teaching but through his life. You know when you've met someone who studied under Hendricks, because his name will eventually come up. ⁠According to Maina Mwaura, author of The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders⁠, Hendricks equipped and inspired a generation of leaders, including some people you'd recognize. It was my privilege to talk to Maina about the life and impact of Howard Hendricks on The Gospel for Life podcast. Full show notes at ⁠DashHouse.com⁠

Satan has one main strategy: deception. We tend to think that he works through bizarre manifestations, but he primarily works as a deceiver, and he's very effective. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). We're not always good at recognizing Satan's lies, which causes great damage. Canadian pastor Chris Quiring has written a book to address this issue, and to help us learn how to identify Satan's lies, trace them to their source, and replace them with God's truth. The book is called The Lies That Bind: Exposing The Lies Keeping You From A Rich And Meaningful Life. Full show notes at DashHouse.com

Key Ideas We've always struggled with the temptation to transcend our limits, but technology gives us new opportunities. We need to live in reality, appreciate the ordinary, and find glory in the present moment. No more chasing constant "mountaintop experiences." Living in the here and now means glorifying God in our current circumstances and surroundings. Slowing down and finding rest amidst the chaos of our hyperconnected world is essential for our well-being and productivity. Remember, God is always present with us, even in the midst of the most challenging times or seasons of life. We all have an idea in our minds of how we think life should go, and then real life happens. “We've only tasted the entree, the hors d'oeuvres of the fullness of life in God. We have the fullness of that life yet to come as the Kingdom of God breaks into this world, as the new creation becomes a new permanent reality.” “You're not awesome. You're loved, and that's awesome.” “While we should absolutely pray for and enjoy such mountaintop experiences with God, we need to, as pastors, we need to teach our people of the glory of the ordinary, the glory of plodding, the joy of simply being attentive to the life, the relationships, the geographic spaces that we inhabit, and to go, What does it look like to glorify God here in this space?” “The one thing that we owe absolutely to God is never to be afraid of anything.” (Charles de Foucauld) Liberti Church Adam Ramsey on X Adam Ramsey on Instagram Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You Truth on Fire: Gazing at God Until Your Heart Sings by Adam Ramsey The Imperfect Pastor by Zach Eswine Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio Honor: Loving Your Church by Building One Another Up by Adam Ramsey Read the full show notes (including a transcript) at DashHouse.com.

On this episode of Gospel for Life, host Darryl Dash is joined by Mason King, pastor at the Village Church in Texas and author of A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines: How to Become a Healthy Christian. The book goes beyond basic spiritual practices and discusses areas that are often neglected such as attention, emotions, and limits. Mason shares insights on how to find real joy in submitting to God and living within limits, the importance of being biblically literate and theologically sound, and how to handle emotions and manage burnout. He also reflects on his own journey and shares his own struggles and areas of growth, including managing anger and learning to love oneself as a Christian. Tune in to this inspiring episode on spiritual growth and discipleship in a secular age. Episode page

I don't know many books on unanswered prayer. That's why Blake Long's new book Taking No for an Answer: How to Respond When God Says No to Our Prayers is so necessary. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Links Mentioned Long's blog Theology and Life Books Mentioned Taking No for an Answer: How to Respond When God Says No to Our Prayers A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

I love books. I suppose I'm sometimes prone to think that a particular book I've read recently is one of the most important books and that everyone needs to read it. But I'm not exaggerating when I say that about The Thrill of Orthodoxy by Trevin Wax. It really is one of the most important books written in the past couple of years. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Link mentioned: Reconstructing Faith podcast Books mentioned: The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of the Christian Faith Rethink Your Self: The Power of Looking Up Before Looking In

In Good Time is not another book on how to use your time better. Instead, Michel wants to reimagine our relationship with time. She wants to help us let go of time anxiety by embracing new habits like receive, wait, enjoy, and remember. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Links mentioned: Leaf by Niggle @jenpmichel on Instagram @jenpmichel on Twitter Books mentioned: In Good Time: 8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace Counterproductive: Time Management in the Knowledge Economy

We hear a lot of advice about how to grow spiritually. But what actions will make the biggest difference? According to one study, reading the Bible is the number one action you can take to grow. “When it comes to reading the Bible, hands down, this is the input goal that has a direct impact on the total score of all the output goals, or discipleship attributes,” writes Daniel Im in his book No Silver Bullets, reflecting on a study by Lifeway Research. I'm glad that George Guthrie has written A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Links mentioned: georgehguthrie.com Bulk orders at Lifeway Books mentioned: A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better Read the Bible for Life CSB Day by Day Chronological Bible

I'm always excited to see a new resource explaining the value of liturgy, especially one that focuses on helping people with a low-church background to appreciate liturgy. That's why I'm grateful to see Earth Filled with Heaven: Finding Life in Liturgy, Sacraments, and other Ancient Practices of the Church, written by Aaron Damiani. Damiani knows what it's like to move from a low church background to begin to appreciate liturgy, so he's able to help people like me. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Links mentioned: Aaron Damiani on Twitter ImmanuelAnglican.org Immanuel Anglican on Instagram Books mentioned: Earth Filled with Heaven: Finding Life in Liturgy, Sacraments, and other Ancient Practices of the Church by Aaron Damiani The Book of Common Prayer (2019) — PDF The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu Check out the book on Amazon.

Singing is a big deal for Christians. It's “one of the most repeated commands in Holy Scripture,” according to Jim Thompson, author of Sing Loud, Die Happy: An Exploration of How God's Gift of Song Is Meant to Change Us. “It's right up there with ‘believe' and ‘do not fear.'” It's so important that Martin Luther said, “Next to theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.” And yet I'm not sure that many of us have given much thought to why singing matters to us as Christians. That's why I'm Thompson wrote this book. Episode Links Episode page at DashHouse.com Links mentioned: Saint Cecilia and the Melody Makers on Spotify Jim Thompson on Bandcamp Jim Thompson on Twitter Jim Thompson on Instagram Fellowship Greenville sermons Books mentioned: A King in His Kingdom: A Narrative Theology of Grace and Truth by Jim Thompson A Philosophy of Song and Singing: An Introduction by Jeanette Bicknell Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship by Jonathan Gibson Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption by Daniel Block The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory by Abigail Favale Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything by Jeremy Treat Death to Deconstruction: Reclaiming Faithfulness as an Act of Rebellion by Joshua Porter Check out the book on Amazon.

Since starting the Gospel for Life podcast, I've interviewed a couple of dozen people. This episode's guest is my favorite so far. Charlene Dash is a gospel-integrated nutrition coach She supports women experiencing setbacks in health and fitness as they gain competence, strength, freedom, and joy in their nutrition, movement, and living. Char is a Revelation Wellness group instructor and is also certified with Precision Nutrition. And she also happens to be my wife. In this episode, Char talks about how and why to care for our bodies as part of the Christian life. Read the show notes and transcript Support me on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

I love pastors who've thought a lot about discipleship, and who are able to share their knowledge with others. Jonathan Dodson is such a pastor. He's the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, which is now in its second edition. He's also a local church pastor, the founder of City Life Church in Austin, Texas, where he lives with his wife and three children. Read the show notes and transcript Support me on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

I love talking to people who've thought deeply about discipleship. One such person is Jamie Strickland. Jamie serves as pastor of discipleship ministries at [West Highland Baptist Church] in Hamilton, Ontario. He's served with Power to Change in Canada, Peru, Denmark and the United Kingdom. In 2015, after serving with Power to Change for 13 years, he transitioned to pastoral ministry, and in 2019 joined the staff at West Highland. I'm excited to talk to Jamie about his experience in leading discipleship in the context of a local church. Read the show notes and transcript Support me on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Many people talk about the importance of habits in the Christian life. But is this topic just a fad? Or do habits help us grow to be more like Christ? In his book Heart & Habits, Dr. Greg Gifford helps us understand habits from a biblical, historic, and theological perspective. He also helps us learn how to develop habits God's way. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

God doesn't need great prayers to do great things. When you speak to him in simple, trusting faith, you find yourself in a new story where anything is possible, where you always get what's best, and where your problems become opportunities for a greater experience of Jesus. In 21 Days to Childlike Prayer by Jed Coppenger, you'll witness how God responds in power and love to your specific prayers. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Do you feel too busy to pray? You're not alone. We all know that we should be praying more and we genuinely try to make it happen. But everybody that I know, everybody that I've talked to, including really mature believers, often admit that they feel like their prayer life could be improved. Today I'm really excited to talk to Asheritah Ciuciu, and she's written a new book called Prayers of REST. It's a series of prompts to help you hear God's voice. She provides guided prayers that focus your mind and heart on Scripture. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Is there a way to share an offensive message to an offended culture while not being gratuitously offensive? Blake Long wants to help us learn how to engage with boldness and gentleness, bluntness and compassion. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Social media is a gift, but it comes with a dark side. How can we use it wisely? In his new book Terms of Service, Chris Martin helps us think through the blessings and challenges of living in a social media world. Chris Martin is a content marketing editor at Moody Publishers and a social media, marketing, and communications consultant. He writes regularly in his newsletter, Terms of Service. Chris lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, Susie, their daughter, Magnolia, and their dog, Rizzo. In this episode, Sanders explains how to live faithfully in whatever season God you're in right now. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

What if you don't have a calling from God, but callings? In The 6 Seasons of Calling, Brian Sanders argues that God has ordained six basic seasons of life: Childhood – the season of bonding Adolescence – the season of learning Early Career – the season of serving Mid-Career – the season of creating Late Career – the season of giving Transition – the season of leaving In this episode, Sanders explains how to live faithfully in whatever season God you're in right now. Read the show notes and transcript Support us on Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

If we're going to go the distance, we need practices that will sustain us and help us grow. Many people call this a Rule of Life. But many of us don't know what a Rule of Life is, or where to begin. Rusty McKie, founder of Steadfast Ministries, wants to help. In this episode, I talk to Rusty about what a Rule of Life is, and how to get started. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

We're always on the move, and it's costing us. We talk a lot about going and doing, about the need for meaningful action, service, and pilgrimage. We need to learn about the benefits of resisting the temptation to remain unrooted. In his book Stability: How an Ancient Monastic Practice Can Restore Our Relationships, Churches, and Communities, Nathan Oates draws from some of the best writings on Benedictine spirituality and from his personal experiences raising a family, pastoring a church, and spending time living with monks, Nathan Oates offers a compelling invitation to find inner peace and stillness right where we are. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

“We're not our bodies. They're just containers. What really matters is what's inside.” I hear words like that all the time. What's really surprising is that I also hear them from Christians. It seems that we may be struggling to understand what the Bible teaches about the body and its importance, not just now but for eternity. That's why I'm glad to interview Sam Allberry about his new book What God Has to Say About Our Bodies. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

A lot of people claim to love Jesus, but can't be bothered with the church. The frequency of church attendance is down. Since the pandemic, some have left the church and don't plan to return to in-person anytime soon. It's time to recommit to gathering together as brothers and sisters in Christ. In this episode, Collin Hansen discusses why it's important that we rediscover church. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

This season, we're working through each of the habits in 8 Habits of Growth. We're now on the fourth habit: speaking with God, or prayer. I don't know anyone who doesn't struggle to pray. Kevin Halloran has written a helpful book called When Prayer is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer. Kevin helps us pinpoint areas of weakness in your prayer life and take immediate steps to overcome them. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Dr. Mike Bird wishes you knew seven important things about the Bible. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

We're told that freedom and opportunity are our ticket to the good life. Instead of resulting in a sense of accomplishment, this limitlessness merely has us doing more and trying harder — leaving us depleted and dissatisfied with life and faith. Contrary to what we've believed, the spacious life is not found in unfettered options or accomplished by our hustle and hurry. The life we crave is found within the confines of God's loving limits. That's what Ashley Hales writes about in her new book A Spacious Life. It's an invitation to a different way of living. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

In season two of the Gospel for Life podcast, we'll be talking about the eight habits from my book 8 Habits for Growth. The first habit is Make Time. The idea: to make time regularly for what matters most, including to develop and practice the habits of the Christian life. To discuss this habit, I talked to Reagan Rose, the man behind Redeeming Productivity, website and podcast that helps Christians get more done for the glory of God. He examines the subject of productivity from a Christian worldview—looking to the Scriptures to establish a distinctly Christian theology for work, family, efficiency, technology, and goal-setting. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Introducing Season 2 of the Gospel for Life podcast. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Have we over complicated, over-systematized, and over-formalized making disciples? That's the question Bill Mowry asks in his new book Walk With Me: Simple Principles for Everyday Disciplemaking. Mowry wants to help us declutter and de-professionalize the Great Commission. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

For many young adults, the college years are exciting ones, yet they can also be a time of testing and questioning. Some students may be confronted with the various challenges to Christianity and the Bible for the first time. That's why Dr. Michael Kruger's book Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College is so important. It's helpful not just for college students but for anyone who is facing tough questions about the Christian faith such as the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian intolerance, homosexuality, hell, the problem of evil, science, miracles, and the reliability of the Bible. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Getting Over Yourself is a call for Christians to reject the hollow messages of personal prosperity and to return to the humble truths of the gospel. You'll learn how to identify this insidious, popular theology in culture and churches and examine its devastating effects. And, perhaps most importantly, you'll learn how to combat it with gospel truth that leads to the abundant life Jesus actually desires for His people. Discover the beauty in losing yourself — and ultimately in gaining Him. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

The cultural conversation of the body has morphed into a confused and controversial debate. Many Christians have adopted the dangerous, gnostic belief that our physical bodies are inherently evil. We need to rediscover God's design for us as embodied creatures. In his new book, Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World, Gregg R. Allison PhD, invites us to embrace the statement, “I am my body.” In this episode, I talk to Dr. Allison about his book and why we need to understand the role of the body in discipleship. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

It's easy to try to live at the surface level: to focus on our actions rather than getting to the deeper issues of the heart. But God wants us to be deeply formed: to live lives with both depth and breadth. He wants us to experience transformation at the deepest level, and then to live out key values as we interact with the world. In The Deeply Formed Life, Rich Villodas explains how this kind of life is possible so we can live in the richly rooted place we all yearn for: a place of communion with God, a place where we find our purpose in life. In this podcast episode, I talk to Villodas about how to live the deeply formed life. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Doctrine is critical to the role of making disciples. Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer explains why doctrine matters, and how we can find our place in God's story. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

New and old pastors need to be reminded of what matters most in ministry. In his new book Gospel-Driven Ministry, Jared Wilson looks at the biblical qualifications for pastors, and then describes a gospel-centered approach to the core practices of pastoral ministry. In this episode, I ask Jared to reflect on discipling within a gospel-driven ministry. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

In his book Deep Discipleship, J.T. English helps churches think about how to establish environments and relationships where people can be trained, grow, and be sent as disciples. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Habits play a central role in human behavior. They also play an important role in faith. In fact, habits can help lead us to faith as we learn to see, know, live, love, and obey. In this episode, Jen Pollock Michel talks about her book A Habit Called Faith, and how we can use habits to awaken and deepen our faith. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

The Internet is a blessing, but it also presents a challenge. With endless information at our fingertips, how can we cultivate a life of wisdom? It's one of the greatest discipleship challenges today. Brett McCracken has created The Wisdom Pyramid to help us increase our intake of enduring, trustworthy sources (like the Bible) while moderating our consumption of less reliable sources. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

We want to read the Bible, but we sometimes feel stuck. In this episode, Nate Pickowicz recounts his own struggle to read Scripture, and describes how we can eat the Bible and enjoy it. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

It's not enough to disciple others in a general way. We must understand what obedience and faithfulness look like at this particular time. In this episode, Trevin Wax explains the importance of eschatological discipleship and what discipleship looks like in today's culture. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes and transcript Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter

Welcome to a new podcast about churches making disciples, launching Monday, February 8. More from Gospel for Life Read the show notes Join the Gospel for Life Patreon Subscribe to our newsletter