Resources by Darrin Patrick

Darrin Patrick, a Regular Contributor to For The Church, is the Lead Pastor of The Journey in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as Vice President of the Acts29 Church Planting Network. Darrin has a B.A. in Biblical Languages from Southwest Baptist University, an M.Div. from Midwestern Seminary, and a D.Min. from Covenant Seminary. He is also the author or co-author of numerous books, including Church Planter, For The City, Replant, The Dude's Guide to Manhood, and The Dude’s Guide to Marriage, which he wrote with his wife Amie. Darrin is married to his high school sweetheart, Amie, and they have four beautiful children: Glory, Grace, Drew, and Delainey. Darrin blogs at DarrinPatrick.org.

Why People Leave Big Churches by Darrin Patrick
People that have embraced the mission look at the "issues" a church has as opportunities.

What Is The Good Life? by Darrin Patrick
No so-called "expert," when surveyed, associated the good life with being poor, mournful, and meek. But if you asked Jesus that very same question, that’s where he’d start.

What God Wants to Do In You is Greater Than What He Wants to Do Through You by Darrin Patrick
Series: 2013 Fall Chapel

Truth and Leadership
Session 3
Series: 2015 For The Church Conference
Dr. Darrin Patrick leads session three at the For The Church Conference on Truth and Leadership.

The Vital Importance of Spiritual Friendship by Darrin Patrick
Most people tend to have foes and fans but very few people have friends. Too few people enjoy true relationships with other people.
The Purpose of Work You're Missing by Darrin Patrick
We rarely say this out loud, but functionally, most of us believe that our responsibility is to just take of ourselves and our family. And if we do that, it's all good. If we do that, we've responded rightly to God's plan for our work and resources. So, it doesn't really matter what's happening in our neighborhood. It doesn't really matter what's happening in our city. Unless, of course, the…

The Magic Formula to Manhood by Darrin Patrick
The secret to true manhood is . . .
The Kryptonite Within by Darrin Patrick
The newest addition to my family is a Patterdale Terrier named Django. With a name like that, it's no surprise that I'm fascinated by Quentin Tarantino's art. He's a master at his craft. His movies are some of the most violent and gritty that have ever been made, but also some of the most provocative.
Tarantino's films show us the genius of how mundane conversation can lead to…

The Fuel That Grows Courage by Darrin Patrick
The fear of man leads to hypocrisy. The fear of God leads to courage.

The 6 Assassins of A Man's Contentment by Darrin Patrick
You have enemies as you try to live as a content man. Most of the time we think the enemies are from without—people around us and circumstances upon us. But the true enemies of contentment are within in us, which is where contentment is either fed or starved.

Risky Prayer by Darrin Patrick
We all like to hear about God doing extraordinary things in the lives of other people, but we’re uneasy about putting him on the hook to do the same for us.
Redeeming Practice by Darrin Patrick
Unless you're Allen Iverson (the 90s version), you can't just flip a switch. You're not going to be dominant in the game if you're not deliberate in practice. You're not going to be able to sit on your hands for weeks and months and still manage to accomplish your goals.
Time is not going to be your friend, but it doesn't have to be your constant enemy.
…
News Before Advice by Darrin Patrick
Jesus did not simply come as a wise teacher, or visionary leader.

My Grandpa's Marriage Advice by Darrin Patrick
Most advice given about finding the “right person” to marry is about identifying a certain skill-set. Whether it’s a lasting legacy or a ticket to a comfortable lifestyle, the search becomes a matter of discovering what will be useful to achieve that goal. And this type of thinking is contrary to the gospel.

Men Without Chests by Darrin Patrick
Men especially don’t know what to do with their passions and desires. We either give in to them recklessly, or try to suppress them, which is equally dangerous. We’ve now had several generations of “men without chests,” as C.S. Lewis suggests, who lack deep wells of emotional energy.

Make Friends, Not Just Converts by Darrin Patrick
Here’s some good news: You don’t have to share the gospel the way I did. You don’t have to dread doing evangelism. And you don't have to treat it like a salespitch. Jesus certaily didn't.

Is Your Mind Battle Ready? by Darrin Patrick
Here is a simple, but powerful way to prepare the mind for action.

Fight Yourself by Darrin Patrick
What most men fail to see is that they are in the ring with themselves.

Face Your Fear by Darrin Patrick
Fighting fear out of fear doesn’t work.

Bringing Good News Into Your Workplace by Darrin Patrick
You’re not there just for your job. You’re not there just for a promotion. You’re not there just to make a name for yourself and build your resume. God didn’t just put you there for you. He put you there for others. He wants to reach your workplace with the gospel through you.

Be The Father You Want To Be by Darrin Patrick
Most guys fail to parent their children well because they don’t know how to parent themselves.

5 Ways to Love Your Wife by Darrin Patrick
Husbands, we love our wives by going to the hard places with them.

5 Ways to Love Your Husband by Darrin Patrick
Your spouse is a gift from God, there to encourage, support, and affirm you. But your spouse is not the primary source of your encouragement, support, or affirmation

4 Barriers to Community by Darrin Patrick
If you want to be known, served, and celebrated in community, you’ll need to be challenged by that community. And that community will help you live the life you’ve always wanted.

4 Barriers to Community by Darrin Patrick
If you want to be known, served, and celebrated in community, you'll need to be challenged by that community. And that community will help you live the life you've always wanted.

3 Ways to Make Church Boring by Darrin Patrick
What works with commerce doesn’t work with Christianity.

3 Ways To Build A Legacy by Darrin Patrick
Here are 3 ways your family can participate in God's mission by building a God-honoring legacy . . .

3 Ways the Spirit Works in Us by Darrin Patrick
As we’re “walking” with the Spirit, here’s what He does for us . . .
3 Steps to Overcoming Mistakes by Darrin Patrick
A good leader is… 1. Humble enough to admit his mistakes
Surrender your self-righteousness. Refuse to shift blame onto people and circumstances.
2. Wise enough to profit from them
Surrender your self-protection. Open yourself to the correction and insight of others.
3. Courageous enough to correct them
Surrender your comfort. Pour yourself into the mission.
The experience of failing does not…

3 Phases of Faithful Gospel Communication by Darrin Patrick
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a missionary. But my guess is that you feel ill-equipped to share your faith with your friends. It’s not desire you lack, but training. So how about some advice on contextualizing for your particular mission field?

3 Marks of a Spirit-Filled Leader by Darrin Patrick
If you’re a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit wants you to become a leader. The good news is He stands by ready to empower you in every situation.