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

John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/18/25

What Christ Gave Up for Us

The way of the cross is the actual way of victory. Jesus absorbs the worst of what humanity and even the devil can do to him, and he spurns the shame of it all.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/02/25

Faith Remains: From Habbakuk to Luther

How do the words “The righteous shall live by his faith” go from a context of hope in hopelessness to the cornerstone declaration of the chief doctrine of the Christian faith?
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/01/25

The Worldview Inversion of the Cross

As soon as people understand what crucifixion means, the cross becomes offensive.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
06/27/25

Tongues of Fire & Breath of God

The Church speaks not with the cleverness of men, but with the breath of God.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
06/17/25

A Review of "Because Jesus Taught It" by Flame

Because Jesus Taught It. By Flame. Concordia Publishing House. Paperback. 205 pages. List price: $17.99.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
06/13/25

The Strange Wedding of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora

Few couples faced the kind of pressures they endured in their two decades of marriage prior to Martin’s death in 1546.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
06/12/25

Dorothy Sayers and the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity is not so much the story of a “who-dunnit” as it is the story of the “who-is-it.”
Michael Gibney
Michael Gibney
06/10/25

Why I Needed a Church That Gives Jesus: On Rooted Faith and Real Absolution

What I was missing—what so many are missing—is a Church that doesn’t just speak about Christ, but delivers him.
Sam Leanza Ortiz
Sam Leanza Ortiz
06/09/25

August Hermann Francke: A Practical Pietist

Though several generations removed from Luther’s generation, Francke came of age right on time for a new wave of spirituality to collide with the Reformation in the movement known as Pietism.
Ryan Couch
Ryan Couch
06/06/25

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.
Seth Moorman
Seth Moorman
05/07/25

A Kingdom Without Smoke: What the Conclave Can't Decide

The church does not await a verdict; she proclaims one.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
04/22/25

What does Pope Francis’ Death Mean to Protestants?

While I disagree with many things Francis did and believed, I think he deserves credit for this: Francis showed us what Christian leadership can look like.
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