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

Rick Ritchie
Rick Ritchie
10/27/15

That Sermon Was Perfect For Those People

If there was a proclamation of grace, it was an afterthought, given in the sense of “just in case anyone needs this.”
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/13/15

Building Towers of Babel to the Glory of God

Here’s what lurks beneath this seemingly righteous behavior: they wanted to make a name for themselves, these tower-builders.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
10/10/15

Narrow Gate: The Radically Inclusive-Exclusive Gospel

This was one of the most haunting and soul tormenting verses in the Bible for me when I was growing up.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/24/15

Forgive Us Our Good Works

Good people like fist-pounding on the pulpit about the bad things that bad people do in this bad world of ours. It makes them feel better about themselves.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
09/21/15

Never Far Away

Why am I not surprised when people have a need to feel, touch or sense God in some tangible way? Part of it probably has to do with my church experience consisting of denominations that place a fairly strong emphasis on some form of tangible, experiential expression of God.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/18/15

God Writes Straight With Crooked Lines

I stumbled down labyrinthine paths, crawled in and out of cavernous pits, got lost a million times, and somehow ended up a little farther down the road to healing. Yet in all those crooked lines I see the hand of God writing straight.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/10/15

The Nameless Little Girl Who Changed a General's Life

Ultimately, the lie we have believed is that God is like we are. He is not. Thank God that he is not. He is the Lord who reverses all our expectations.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
09/02/15

Sinners, Wretches and Pond Scum

In response to one of my recent posts on social media, a beloved agnostic friend of mine commented, in part, “What’s with all you religious folk feeling like you’re sinners?
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
08/27/15

Our Rescue in the Darkness

If you read my posts here or on my own site, you’ll find that most of my writings lean toward the issue of dark times or brokenness in our lives.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
08/25/15

You're Boring

Whether you're a fan of the School of Rock legend or not, there's no denying that Jack Black knows how to own the moment when he's given one at the Oscars.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/18/15

The Story of Sodom Is About Much More than Homosexuality

In the rest of the Scriptures, Sodom and Gomorrah became emblematic of cities, nations, and indeed a world that steadfastly refuses to believe in the God of mercy and truth and justice, and instead follow their own hearts.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/12/15

When God Drags His Feet

For most of us, waiting on God is not funny at all. It makes us wonder if he cares. If he has forgotten us. In our darkest hours, many even wonder if the atheists are right, if our prayers are nothing more than sick words vomited into an empty heaven.
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