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
10/14/14

Picking at Scabs: The Religion of Regret

As with so many things, regret can begin as something natural, even beneficial, as you struggle to recover from a wound in your past. But over time, regret can devolve from a sadness to a sickness.
Mark Jasa
Mark Jasa
10/08/14

My God, My God

I explained to her that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 and pointing us to the prediction of His crucifixion. She then replied, "Isn't there more to it than that?"
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/04/14

The Day God Wrapped Up Yom Kippur

From creator to priest, our God now moves, from forming animals to slaying them, all so that His Adam and His Eve might remain truly His.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/22/14

A Victim's Shame

Wouldn’t it be great if there were something that could de-shame us?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/15/14

Honest Parenting: Tell Children the "Dreadful Beauty" of Painful Truths

My daughter’s honest, pointed question of “Why?” not only desired an answer; it deserved and demanded the “dreadful beauty” of an honest response.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/09/14

When Your Own Family Betrays You

Being thrown in the pit was but one of the many smoking guns that the prosecutor could bring forth as evidence.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/04/14

The Illusion of Control

Focus on control and you’ll end up with nothing but confusion and frustration and disappointment. It’s not about who’s in control in this life but whose you are in this life.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/21/14

And the Three Shall Become One Flesh? Men’s Sexual Fantasies and Christ’s Saving Reality

“You shall have no other gods,” God says, and we, spurred on by the prohibition, roll up our sleeves and get to work fashioning gods like there’s no tomorrow.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/14/14

It Ain't the Whiskey That's Killing Me

This chorus digs below the surface to reveal that beneath our chosen self-medications, be they alcohol or drugs or overeating or smoking or bed-hopping, you’ll unearth the real killer. And “it ain’t the whiskey.”
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/11/14

A Tattooed Angel

By the time we pulled off the side of the road, they had spilled out and surrounded our vehicle.
Rick Ritchie
Rick Ritchie
08/05/14

Food Seasons and the Christian Calendar

This summer, I made my first trip to Europe since 1984. One of the things I signed up to do was a food tour of the Marais District of Paris. My guide Catherine took us on a circuit through a small area of a neighborhood showing us the best in many food categories.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/04/14

I Will Not Meet God Halfway

Whatever numbers you want to plug in, ours must be greater than zero. We’re in a partnership with God, after all. We both do our part. We’ve got to meet the Lord halfway. If only he does all the giving, and we do all the receiving, the relationship is doomed to fail.
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