The Hermit and the Blackbird
By Donavon Riley
03/27/26
11mins

The Hermit and the Blackbird

Lent exists because we are forgetful creatures. We forget how hungry we really are.
Getting Over Your Moral Superiority
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
03/26/26

Getting Over Your Moral Superiority

The Pharisee valued fasting and giving tithes, but could not find value in his fellow sinner.
The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew
Magnus Persson
Magnus Persson
03/25/26

The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew

God is not a tool in our hands. He does not exist to serve our goals, our metrics, or our platforms.

All Articles

Scott Keith
Scott Keith
01/12/26

Christian Self-Defense Isn’t a Dirty Word

There’s a difference between refusing revenge and refusing responsibility.
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey |
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
01/08/26

The Future of Lutheranism Belongs to Builders

The crisis is not merely that people are leaving. The crisis is that we have relinquished what is uniquely Lutheran and deeply needed.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/07/26

A Psalm for the Desperate

The ethos of the church’s worship is found in poor, needy, and desperate sinners finding solace and relief in the God of their salvation.
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
01/05/26

Wake Up Dead Man: A Word Worth Saving for Lent

Wake Up Dead Man is not ultimately a story about mystery, exposure, or even justice. It is a story about what happens when mercy speaks to death—and death listens.
Seth Moorman
Seth Moorman
12/22/25

Comfort During a Blue Christmas

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” That word isn't just for Israel; it's also for you.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
12/18/25

Psalm 11: The Lord is in His Holy Temple Loving His Own Righteousness

What God perceives is not what our eyes see; he is focused on righteousness because his love creates what is righteous.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
12/03/25

Did the Church Replace Israel?

The unity of God’s people is grounded not in lineage nor land but in the promise of the coming Christ.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/25/25

A Review of The Well That Washes What it Shows by Jonathan Linebaugh

“The well that washes what it shows” captures the essence of Linebaugh’s project, which aims to give the paradigmatic law-gospel hermeneutic a colloquial and visual language.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
11/19/25

A Review of "The Quiet Ambition" by Ryan P. Tinetti

While Thoreau’s Walden is seen as a central text of that most American of virtues—self-reliance—quiet ambition as envisioned by Tinetti is exactly the opposite: dependence on God.
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
11/17/25

The Word That Will Not Shut Down

Every age has its emergencies, and the church must never ignore them. Yet, our response cannot be one of panic or propaganda.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/05/25

Mercy Runs Downstairs

The testimony of the Word assures us that God isn’t waiting for us at the top of the stairs, with arms folded and brows furrowed.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
10/16/25

An Introduction to The Bondage of the Will: The Preached and Unpreached God

This is the fifth installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
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