The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down
By Bradley Gray
10/02/25
23mins

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.
When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/01/25

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/30/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/24/16

Everything I Know About Worship I Learned from a Prostitute

When Simon the Pharisee got his holier-than-thou panties in a wad over what this woman was doing, Jesus insulted him by pointing out how much a better host this prostitute was than he was.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
05/19/16

What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 2: The Dialogue)

The chief verb of the liturgy is the gift of God’s forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
05/02/16

An Evil, Untrustworthy Bunch

“We humans are an evil, untrustworthy bunch.” I said to a friend recently, by way of explanation/cold comfort, after he had been cut to the core by fellow Christians who were uncomfortable with his vulnerability.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
04/22/16

Burying Old Hostilities

This I know: hate sucks you dry. It’s the worst high-maintenance companion ever. Always demanding more of your time, more of your energy, more of your emotion.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
04/19/16

Church and the Toilet Flush

Burdened within and without, we cross the threshold into church. We don't leave behind our earthiness, our tragedies, our white-knuckled grip on the last vestige of dignity in our sad lives.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
04/11/16

Sinners Get To Wear White

Years ago a young woman approached her pastor with a request. It wasn’t a strange request. She simply asked if he would perform her wedding ceremony.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
04/06/16

Easter 101 with Satan

Before you ever know what happened, Satan has taught us to doubt the promise of the crucified and risen Christ.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
03/31/16

Repentant Enough

If you’ve been in church long enough, you might have seen the worst of someone’s unrepentant sin get them kicked out, cast out, excommunicated or “handed over to Satan so their flesh might die and their soul might live.”
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/22/16

Putting a Gag Order on the Gospel

The first person who attempted to stop people from talking about Jesus was not a tyrant, a secular government, or a bully religious mob.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/03/16

Dirty Little Secrets

Your sins do not exist because He who called heaven and earth into existence, has called your sins out of existence. He who made everything from nothing unmakes your sins into nothing.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
03/03/16

There's No Cure For That

“Why now,” I said to no one, or to myself, or to God. Whoever. I was drunk, strung out, mostly dead, hopeless in the darkness. I knew I’d done it all to myself. I didn’t need God to drive the point home.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/01/16

New Life Begins in the Dark

We spend the first nine months of our lives in utter darkness. There are no tiny fluorescent bulbs beaming from the ceiling of the womb, no fetal flashlights, not even a pinprick of illumination.
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