Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church
By Ryan Couch
06/06/25
15mins

Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church

Every time someone is baptized, every time bread is broken and wine poured, every time a sinner hears, “Your sins are forgiven in Christ,” Pentecost happens again.
Hymns at Midnight
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
06/05/25

Hymns at Midnight

They were still praying, trusting, and hoping. Why? Because they knew who was with them and who was for them: the risen Christ.
What Now?
Wade Johnston
Wade Johnston
06/04/25

What Now?

So Christ is risen, but what now?

All Articles

Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
10/04/16

The Other Criminal’s Demand: “Save Us!”

There was another criminal next to Christ the day he died. He was aware of who Jesus was, and why he was there.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
09/28/16

The Criminal’s Prayer: “Remember Me!”

I'm afraid of dying. I am a Christian and I am horribly afraid of falling bridges, crashing planes, turned over cars and anything else that you can think of that would include my body being mangled into a mess of bones and flesh.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/27/16

My Favorite Dirty Word in Church

You became, for a time, ritually unclean. Not sinful. Not immoral. To be unclean meant you bore in your own body the effects of a creation in bondage to decay.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/23/16

The Beast of "Should" at the Zoo

All our little laws reveal that we are, by nature, trying to justify ourselves before others, and before God, based on what we do and who we are.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/20/16

Discovering God in the Ugly

We see someone driving a fancy car, owning a big home, having healthy children and an attractive spouse. Instantly, almost without a second's thought, we assume they are successful. Life is good for them.
Larry D. Hughes
Larry D. Hughes
09/20/16

The Comfort and Assurance of Eternal Election

We find such a temptation when the devil causes us to question God’s election or predestination of us in “eternity as a past event” (i.e. “eternity-past”).
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/15/16

Will Believers Be Judged? Thoughts from the Weirdest Parable Jesus Told

We fly away to the judgment seat of God. There we shall appear before the One who knows all, before whom nothing is hidden. Do you really think you can conceal anything from Him?
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
09/14/16

Why Did Jesus Scold Peter for Trying?

It is often the case that when dealing Divine, we find ourselves befuddled. For as relatable and surprisingly vulnerable God is as the man Jesus, he seems, at times, to retain a certain aloofness, a type of distance.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/12/16

Book Smart and Gospel Stupid: When Intelligence Overshadows the Cross

Real theologians can’t shut up about who Jesus is and what he’s done on your behalf. So-called theologians with little interest in Jesus may be book smart but they're Gospel stupid.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
08/24/16

Interpreting Reality Through Redemption

If you know me in the least, then you know of my fondness for the 2010 film Inception.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/23/16

The Wrinkling Clock: The Irony of Calendar Girls

The flower of youth, as lovely as it is, cannot withstand the hot winds of time. There is a beauty, however, that remains.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/17/16

The Danger and Delight of Happiness

In happiness, we dare never forget that it is Christ, and Christ alone, who has restored our joy.
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