What Israel’s story makes painfully obvious is that following the Lord is a lifelong lesson in “I believe, but help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
Faith holds on to the truth of who Jesus is revealed to be, despite our sometimes incongruent experience with God.
This is an excerpt from the first chapter of A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco (1517 Publishing, 2026), pgs 1-3.

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When I was about 10, I went on a hike with a boys brigade. We were all racing down this path at lunchtime when I decided to beat everyone to the bottom by deviating from the path.
Good preaching does something for you. It delivers to you a Good Samaritan.
I’ve always been a very passionate person. Adventure is my favorite thing.
In Christ we are freed to be for our neighbor without fear of sin and damnation falling upon us.
The Reformation handed over the crystal-clear Gospel of Jesus Christ on to the next generation.
Luther contends that even our best spiritual, theological, and moral efforts are insufficient to save us.
As I came to read the Reformers, I found their words comforting. I started to hope again.
This book tells of my long and brutal journey. From married to divorced. From a seminary professor and pastor to a disgraced, bitter truck driver in the oil fields of Texas. From a man at war with God to a child redeemed by grace.
Rather than presenting Christ’s words as a rule or a threat, Luther reveals it to be the promise of God.
These teachings are the heart of the Reformation…If it is about you, it isn’t about Jesus.
But where love is necessary we pray for our enemies and bless them in the hope that God will repent and convert them to the Gospel.
Recovery helps us see beauty in the ordinary; the miracle and wonder of creation in the oak leaf or the evergreen needle.