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

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/30/15

Climbing One Hundred and Nine Mountains

Rather than praying a lie by pretending all is well, this psalm places upon our lips a truthful plea. A godly complaint. These are God’s words, given as gifts to you, by which you can speak back to him.
Jeff Mallinson
Jeff Mallinson
07/29/15

The Holy Plumb Line

We believers are those who have been called out for a special healing mission in the world because we’ve caught a glimpse of the heavenly city.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/08/15

On Mount Moriah You Can See the Whole Bible

Jesus was not killed in Bethlehem as a baby, or in Galilee or Samaria as an adult. He couldn’t be, for it was necessary for him to die in Jerusalem, where Moriah is.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/08/15

Learning Theology in the Devil’s Classroom

My best teacher, the instructor who taught me more theology than any other, has been the devil.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/30/15

When the Pulpit Apes the World

The more law-centered a church becomes, the more it and the world become kissing cousins.
Jonathan Ruehs
Jonathan Ruehs
06/18/15

Dirty Saints and Stain-Free Sinners: A Story

His face was gaunt and his eyes had a haunted look to them as he strode into the office. He resembled a man beaten down, a wreck of an individual who looked disheveled and worn out.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/06/15

Sodom and Gomorrah and St. Louis

And there was heard, all round the world, the boom of a pounding hammer. And there resounded, all around the world, the cry of a righteous man who prayed for an unrighteous world.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/15/15

Where’s Drunk, Naked Noah on the Sunday School Felt Board?

For the less we tell these stories of sin, the more it seems we are ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of bad people.
Jessica Thompson
Jessica Thompson
05/13/15

When Parenting by Grace Doesn't Lead to Change

A twelve-year-old girl stomped out of the room and slammed her bedroom door. Her two parents sat at the table completely befuddled. They had been trying to lead her to grace, to forgiveness, to a remembering that she was loved.
Jessica Thompson
Jessica Thompson
05/08/15

Inexhaustible Grace for Exhausted Women

Moms, your worth is not determined by what present you get on Mother’s Day. Everything that is true about you was said on the cross thousands of years ago.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/05/15

The Night We Defeated God

His name’s Jacob. He’s not my first choice. I don’t care for Jacob. Never have. He’s got too much of me in him. He’s a liar and a cheat.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
04/28/15

Called and Ordained Sheriff of the Word

What is most amazing to me is not that Jesus welcomed public transgressors into his company. What astounds me is that they came to him with the full expectation of not being turned away.
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