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

Norman Nagel
Norman Nagel
10/29/19

Don't Condemn That Pharisee

We would be utterly miserable if we could not find somebody less than ourselves, somebody to look down on, somebody to make us more pleased with ourselves.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/28/19

Love Conquers All?

True love isn't a thing. We can't find true love in our souls, soul mates, or safe spaces. We can't marry true love, buy it, or create it from scratch.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
10/28/19

On Freedom in Christ and the Parable of the Forgiving Father

Like the younger son, we can return to our Father every time our sinful hearts rebel against him. Like the older brother, we can complain and lament to our Father without fear of being destroyed.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/28/19

You Can’t Be Late to Church—Here’s Why

We show up to this crowded sacred shindig on Sundays, all wings and halos and blue jeans, and shimmy our way into the sanctuary, late to church but not late to church, for how can we be late to a service that never ends?
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
10/25/19

Confessing the Father's Confession About the Son

When it comes to confessing the truth of the Christian faith, Christians are given the words. We don’t have to formulate them ourselves.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/24/19

Meeting God in the Delivery Room

Our very lives as parents and children implicitly proclaim this higher and lovely truth: we have no value to God based upon our usefulness.
Joel Fitzpatrick
Joel Fitzpatrick
10/24/19

Ugly Prayer and the God of Sleep

God broke into the midst of our pain and allows us to bring our requests to him as those who are counted as “godly.”
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
10/22/19

Baptized into Christ, a Child of Paradise

When I hear my brother’s name, I will grieve a little. But I will also rejoice, for I know that he is with his Savior.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/21/19

Remember Your Death

So long as we entrust death to Jesus, new life is ours. He has lunch ready and he is waiting for us in the power of his resurrection.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
10/16/19

When Bible Reading Becomes Boring.

If the gospel is promise that means it is essentially relational. It stands that the nature of any promise is that it's only as good as the one who issues it.
Pete Lange
Pete Lange
10/16/19

A Gracious Invitation

Jesus gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a gift. It’s really our prayer when you think about it.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/15/19

Our Savior Today

Jesus is a heroic warrior that not even hell can defeat.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.