1. Sin is a heavy thing to bear. Its jacket is shame, its medals are guilt.
  2. One way or another, Rod always found a way to bring whatever story he was telling back to the gospel and God's grace in Christ.
  3. Christ's resurrection does not merely negate the bitterness of sin; it changes it into a source of divine sweetness, embodying the promise of a new life for us and a restored existence overshadowed by heavenly hope.
  4. God demonstrates his great love for us in the actions of Jesus, who came down into the flesh and soaked up all our sin.
  5. Yes, Christmas brings joy, but no less danger
  6. In this article Amy Mantravadi give a short but helpful summary of the differences in Lutheran and Reformed thought regarding assurance.
  7. 1517 Resources to help Celebrate Reformation Day
  8. The goodness of God's grace is also offensive to our egos
  9. Faith sees your neighbor not as a means to an end, not as a way to score points, but as an object of love: Christ's love and yours.
  10. Lewis takes us to the planets to satisfy our cravings for spiritual adventure, which, as he says, “sends our imaginations off the Earth,” in the first place.
  11. This is an excerpt from “Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment” by Bradley Gray (1517 Publishing, 2023).