This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
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
Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?

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In our attempts to flee from our fears and escape death, we will become imprisoned by them.
Love is to be the interpreter of law. Where there is no love, these things are meaningless, and law begins to do harm.
We cannot control the resistance of people to God’s Word, but we can trust in God’s power and promise to work through His Word.
If our churches are split along generational lines it's because we've turned our backs to the cross. We've shut our ears to the Good News about Jesus Christ, who judges the world with equity.
Love for our neighbor can be taxing. We may even decide it’s not worth the cost. But in this moment I found a blessed reminder of how different God's love is, and how our value rests in Christ alone.
Jesus did not come to be first. He came to be faithful, faithful to His Father’s mission for you.
The God whom I met without a preacher is neither revealing nor hiding—but now, with a preacher, he has become my hiding place!
God's Word reveals the truth about us. We don't much care for God's Word. We prefer the yes and no of our personal taste buds.
He would not go back on his word, for his word is the word of the Father and the Spirit, and they all say “come.”
We're not called to be obedient consumers. We're free in Christ to love and serve our neighbor according to his need
The kingdom I seek is the lower-case realm ruled over by the almighty upper-case Me.
If your congregation promotes and supports “family values,” you should be prepared to take this text head-on.