Brian Zahnd
@brianzahnd.bsky.social
Founding pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri; author of eleven books, including The Wood Between the Worlds.
I felt like this was a timely sermon on the timeless Beatitudes.
youtu.be/iNl44047WmU?...
youtu.be/iNl44047WmU?...
The Kind of Christianity Christ Blesses || Pastor Brian Zahnd
YouTube video by Word of Life Church
youtu.be
February 1, 2026 at 9:05 PM
I felt like this was a timely sermon on the timeless Beatitudes.
youtu.be/iNl44047WmU?...
youtu.be/iNl44047WmU?...
Jesus Christ was crucified
St. Paul was beheaded
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung
In the name of Law and Order
St. Paul was beheaded
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung
In the name of Law and Order
January 28, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Jesus Christ was crucified
St. Paul was beheaded
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung
In the name of Law and Order
St. Paul was beheaded
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung
In the name of Law and Order
A Light In Dark Places || Pastor Brian Zahnd
YouTube video by Word of Life Church
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 1:31 AM
"And the government shall be upon his shoulder." -Isaiah 9:6
The government of God is the cross.
If it doesn't look like the cross, it's not the government (kingdom) of God.
"Take up your cross and follow me." -Jesus
The government of God is the cross.
If it doesn't look like the cross, it's not the government (kingdom) of God.
"Take up your cross and follow me." -Jesus
January 24, 2026 at 5:55 PM
"And the government shall be upon his shoulder." -Isaiah 9:6
The government of God is the cross.
If it doesn't look like the cross, it's not the government (kingdom) of God.
"Take up your cross and follow me." -Jesus
The government of God is the cross.
If it doesn't look like the cross, it's not the government (kingdom) of God.
"Take up your cross and follow me." -Jesus
More apropos than ever.
brianzahnd.substack.com/p/one-ring-t...
brianzahnd.substack.com/p/one-ring-t...
One Ring to Rule Them All
More Apropos Than Ever
brianzahnd.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 PM
More apropos than ever.
brianzahnd.substack.com/p/one-ring-t...
brianzahnd.substack.com/p/one-ring-t...
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
youtu.be/aqrYHLQtg14?...
youtu.be/aqrYHLQtg14?...
Four O'Clock in the Afternoon || Pastor Brian Zahnd
YouTube video by Word of Life Church
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 4:37 AM
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
youtu.be/aqrYHLQtg14?...
youtu.be/aqrYHLQtg14?...
Tomorrow’s sermon:
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
January 17, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Tomorrow’s sermon:
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
Four O’Clock in the Afternoon
The Tenderness of Christ || Pastor Brian Zahnd
YouTube video by Word of Life Church
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 3:49 AM
Registration for our Lenten Retreat is now open! This will fill up quickly, so don’t delay.
This year’s theme:
RIVERS IN THE DESERT
Spiritual Well-being in a Materialist Age
wolcevents.churchcenter.com/registration...
This year’s theme:
RIVERS IN THE DESERT
Spiritual Well-being in a Materialist Age
wolcevents.churchcenter.com/registration...
Word of Life Church
wolcevents.churchcenter.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Registration for our Lenten Retreat is now open! This will fill up quickly, so don’t delay.
This year’s theme:
RIVERS IN THE DESERT
Spiritual Well-being in a Materialist Age
wolcevents.churchcenter.com/registration...
This year’s theme:
RIVERS IN THE DESERT
Spiritual Well-being in a Materialist Age
wolcevents.churchcenter.com/registration...
Bob Weir has died. 😢 Peri and I saw Dead and Company at the Sphere last May. It was the best show we’ve ever seen.
January 10, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Bob Weir has died. 😢 Peri and I saw Dead and Company at the Sphere last May. It was the best show we’ve ever seen.
Tomorrow I’m preaching on the tenderness of Christ toward people who are like broken reeds and smoldering wicks.
January 10, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Tomorrow I’m preaching on the tenderness of Christ toward people who are like broken reeds and smoldering wicks.
I’ve been very upset by the senseless killing of Renee Nicole Good. I had a hard time sleeping last night. (A friend is a pastor to her parents.) So I pray. And then I listen to good music that reminds me there is goodness in this world and evil will not have the last word.
January 9, 2026 at 4:43 AM
I’ve been very upset by the senseless killing of Renee Nicole Good. I had a hard time sleeping last night. (A friend is a pastor to her parents.) So I pray. And then I listen to good music that reminds me there is goodness in this world and evil will not have the last word.
A war budget of 1.5 trillion dollars (proposed for 2027) is $4,322 for every man, woman, and child in America.
Mars is a voracious god.
(Artwork: “The Face of War,” Salvador Dalí, 1941)
Mars is a voracious god.
(Artwork: “The Face of War,” Salvador Dalí, 1941)
January 8, 2026 at 1:18 AM
A war budget of 1.5 trillion dollars (proposed for 2027) is $4,322 for every man, woman, and child in America.
Mars is a voracious god.
(Artwork: “The Face of War,” Salvador Dalí, 1941)
Mars is a voracious god.
(Artwork: “The Face of War,” Salvador Dalí, 1941)
The Magi and I
open.substack.com/pub/brianzah...
open.substack.com/pub/brianzah...
The Magi and I
A Post for Epiphany
open.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:12 PM
The Magi and I
open.substack.com/pub/brianzah...
open.substack.com/pub/brianzah...
The ten-week online course through “Demons”—Dostoevsky’s most prophetic novel—begins this evening!
You can participate live (with Q/A) or access the recordings later. Information and registration at wolc.com/demons.
You can participate live (with Q/A) or access the recordings later. Information and registration at wolc.com/demons.
January 5, 2026 at 2:19 PM
The ten-week online course through “Demons”—Dostoevsky’s most prophetic novel—begins this evening!
You can participate live (with Q/A) or access the recordings later. Information and registration at wolc.com/demons.
You can participate live (with Q/A) or access the recordings later. Information and registration at wolc.com/demons.
“This Light from the Child in the Darkness”
youtu.be/eHE8sU6CGCc?...
youtu.be/eHE8sU6CGCc?...
"This Light from the Child in the Darkness" || Epiphany with Isaiah
YouTube video by Word of Life Church
youtu.be
January 4, 2026 at 9:06 PM
“This Light from the Child in the Darkness”
youtu.be/eHE8sU6CGCc?...
youtu.be/eHE8sU6CGCc?...
The study at sunrise on a Lord’s day morning.
January 4, 2026 at 1:30 PM
The study at sunrise on a Lord’s day morning.
Full Moon with Contrail 🌝
January 4, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Full Moon with Contrail 🌝
The story of the Wise Men from the East led by a star to worship the Christ child is one of the most enchanting stories in the gospel. And for two thousand years this story has fascinated artists of all kinds—painters and poets, composers and writers.
Tomorrow I'll tell the story in my own way.
Tomorrow I'll tell the story in my own way.
January 3, 2026 at 6:37 PM
The story of the Wise Men from the East led by a star to worship the Christ child is one of the most enchanting stories in the gospel. And for two thousand years this story has fascinated artists of all kinds—painters and poets, composers and writers.
Tomorrow I'll tell the story in my own way.
Tomorrow I'll tell the story in my own way.
Stranger Things, which I loved, owes a lot to Stephen King’s It, which in turn owes a lot to Tolkien’s Shelob and Samwise Gamgee’s triumph over it through loyalty and friendship.
January 3, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Stranger Things, which I loved, owes a lot to Stephen King’s It, which in turn owes a lot to Tolkien’s Shelob and Samwise Gamgee’s triumph over it through loyalty and friendship.
“Life is more nearly an escape from Dostoevsky than Dostoevsky is an escape from life.” -Arthur Trace, Furnace of Doubt
The ten-week online course through “Demons” begins Monday. Info and registration at wolc.com/demons
The ten-week online course through “Demons” begins Monday. Info and registration at wolc.com/demons
January 1, 2026 at 7:15 PM
“Life is more nearly an escape from Dostoevsky than Dostoevsky is an escape from life.” -Arthur Trace, Furnace of Doubt
The ten-week online course through “Demons” begins Monday. Info and registration at wolc.com/demons
The ten-week online course through “Demons” begins Monday. Info and registration at wolc.com/demons
Happy Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus!
a.k.a. The Eighth Day of Christmas
a.k.a. The Eighth Day of Christmas
January 1, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Happy Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus!
a.k.a. The Eighth Day of Christmas
a.k.a. The Eighth Day of Christmas
