Grace and the Illusion of Control
By Ryan Couch
06/22/26
17mins

Grace and the Illusion of Control

The life we are trying to manage, improve, and secure is not something to be mastered. It is something to be surrendered. And this is where everything changes. Because in Christ, the approval we are seeking has already been spoken.
The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
06/19/26

The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century

It is within this charged atmosphere that Luther’s writings take on their full significance. His responses to the Turkish threat were not merely reactions to military events; they were rooted in a deep theological reflection on the nature of God’s rule over the world, the responsibilities of Christian rulers, and the role of the Church in times of crisis.
AI Can't Save You
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/17/26

AI Can't Save You

Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).

All Articles

Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
10/02/25

The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down

He doesn’t consume us, even though that is what we deserve. Instead, Jesus comes down to us and consumes all our sin by taking it on himself.
1517 Guest Contributor
1517 Guest Contributor
09/26/25

Yardwork and the Antichrist

The Antichrist offers another continual presence. It is every whisper that tempts us toward autonomy, that tells us to carry it alone, that insists suffering is meaningless.
Aaron Boerst
Aaron Boerst
09/19/25

The Shepherd Who Sees Our Stains

God leads us to green pastures. He comforts us with his grace in our darkest valleys.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/10/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 86

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s upcoming book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 191-192.
Steve Kruschel
Steve Kruschel
09/08/25

When Your Children Ask

When your child asks about what we believe, and why we believe it…answer.
Delwyn Campbell
Delwyn Campbell
09/01/25

The Word: God's Message to Us

The Word seems like it is so little, like five barley loaves and two small fish, but it is all that God used to create the heavens and the earth.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/27/25

The Saddest Story and the True Story

Here is the true story, the one worth remembering: You are a gift.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
08/25/25

Eating the Word Again

Bitterness took root when he began approaching the Word merely as a burden he was called to carry rather than a balm that his soul needed, too.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/25/25

Grace for Unbearable Days

Instead of offering more details or more information, he does something even better: he promises his very presence.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/15/25

Faith That Waits

Chapter 3 of Habakkuk, which is often referred to as “the Psalm of Habakkuk,” is a song of catharsis, relief, faith, and profound emotion.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
07/04/25

Freedom Beyond Strength and Wisdom

Wisdom and strength require bootstrap-pulling and the placing of noses to grindstones.
Seth Moorman
Seth Moorman
06/30/25

What Makes A Saint: A Saint Suffers

This is the third installment in the 1517 articles series, “What Makes a Saint?”
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