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
08/02/18

When God Disappoints

In the tiny Bible-belt town where I grew up, tragedy brought people together.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
08/02/18

Who are You to Walk the Walk

I can pretend for a little bit, but as soon as the phone is put away and it’s just me and my sin, I am fearful about what my walk says about me. I know what I should do, but I can’t quite seem to do it.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
08/01/18

When God Wounds

Life is certainly unfair. But in Christ, at least in part, we rejoice at such a notion. Grace, that great descriptor of God’s devotion, is a word that only finds its purpose, only exists at all, because it exists as a response to guilt.
Valerie Thur
Valerie Thur
07/30/18

What Writer’s Block Tells us About the Kingdom of God

Writer’s Block, however, entertains no such fantasies. It goes straight for my ego’s jugular and pounds home the fact that I’m not good enough.
Kelsi Klembara
Kelsi Klembara
07/27/18

Luther's Anxiety of the Heart and Today's Despair

Today’s world has replaced Anfechtung with an entirely new sort of despair.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/24/18

The Truth About Loving Our God

The force of our love is violent. It is love acted out as, “I will love you in a way that’s best for me, and you’ll like it, and celebrate it, and reward me for it.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/23/18

Grace Has No Expiration Date

I, like you probably, have an uncontrollable aversion to any food product that is past its expiration date.
Kelsi Klembara
Kelsi Klembara
07/19/18

Ideology, Theology, and Women Without Tattoos

You may have seen the uproar from a recent blog post suggesting that virgins who forego college, learn to cook big meals and abstain from tattoos make more desirable wives.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
07/19/18

Worth Your Meditation

Our meditation listens to the King of Kings when He says; it is finished.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/18/18

The Kind of Grace Named Jesus

Our complaints about God's grace always sound the same: "It was good to see him in church with his son this morning.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
07/17/18

Jedi, George Beverly Shea and Good Works

I don’t know if you’re like me or not, but ideas can kick around in my head in a big jumble for awhile and then, all of a sudden, something random makes all of the pieces come together.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/15/18

Getting Used to What Happened Tomorrow

In God’s eyes, the last day has already happened in Jesus. We’ve already been made alive in Jesus, raised with him, and seated with him at the Father’s right hand.
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