Grace and the Illusion of Control
By Ryan Couch
06/22/26
17mins

Grace and the Illusion of Control

The life we are trying to manage, improve, and secure is not something to be mastered. It is something to be surrendered. And this is where everything changes. Because in Christ, the approval we are seeking has already been spoken.
The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
06/19/26

The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century

It is within this charged atmosphere that Luther’s writings take on their full significance. His responses to the Turkish threat were not merely reactions to military events; they were rooted in a deep theological reflection on the nature of God’s rule over the world, the responsibilities of Christian rulers, and the role of the Church in times of crisis.
AI Can't Save You
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/17/26

AI Can't Save You

Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).

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Kelsi Klembara
Kelsi Klembara
06/07/19

Luther's Counsel for the Worried and Anxious

Today’s advice for the anxious and worried would have likely horrified Luther.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
05/31/19

Luther's Counsel on Persecution

While most of his letters were written as semi-private counsel and consolation, some, like the “Letter to the Christians of Miltenburg” were written openly for public consumption.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
05/24/19

Luther's Counsel for the Bereaved

For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
05/16/19

Font to Table: Why Does the Pastor Wear That?

The minister’s clothing represents his office of service, derived from the ministry of Christ, and never himself.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
05/13/19

A Note on the Seriousness of Preaching

Our stories are decidedly unserious when viewed through the lens of the seriousness of God’s affairs. Jesus put the matter succinctly: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). Human affairs are not serious in and of themselves. Rather, they are consequential because they garner meaning and significance within the overarching story of God and man.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
05/01/19

The Divine Drama

If I don't preach Christ, then there's really no reason anyone should roll out of bed on Sunday to hear anything I have to say.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
04/16/19

Pastor Of Disaster

How are things at your church? Are people getting saved in droves, are there mass baptisms every Sunday, is giving at an all-time high, and are your members model citizens and pillars of the community?
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
04/09/19

The Truly Good Shepherd

You have heard that after his sufferings and death Christ our Lord arose from the dead and entered upon, and was enthroned in, an immortal existence.
Jacob Corzine
Jacob Corzine
03/31/19

The Law and the Already Terrified Conscience

Where contrition is evident, the conscience has already been prodded, piqued, finally terrified. More Law only serves to confirm the lie this person is already at risk of believing: that the last work of the conscience is also God’s last word. But God’s last word is the word of absolution, not the confirmation of the conscience’s testimony, but now its contradiction.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
03/26/19

Why Bad News Is Good News

Martin Luther knew something about economics. Well, God’s economics anyway.
Robert Kolb
Robert Kolb
03/24/19

Meditating on the Passion (A Forgotten Art: For Preachers and the Entire Congregation)

Lenten meditation is the one time Luther might advise us to be turning in on ourselves--and taking a cold, honest glance. For only in the shadow of the Cross can we look honsetly into the cause of the death of the man from Nazareth, the second person of the Trinity.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
03/21/19

Agree With Your Enemy

Paul describes this faith in most significant words, namely, when we cry Abba! Father! For in the spirit of fear it is not possible to cry, for we can scarcely open our mouth or mumble.
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