If you’re stuck in Good Friday — carrying the guilt, shame, and exhaustion of past actions and future dread — that’s not where the story ends. Christ’s crucifixion was God’s No to sin and brokenness. The resurrection was God’s Yes. And that Yes is bigger than any No.

That’s what Easter is all about.

The smite button is real. Scripture says so.

But here’s what most people never hear: it was already pressed. On Jesus. Two thousand years ago. Every debt, every failure, everything you’ve done that you hope no one ever finds out about — it landed on Him instead of you.

That’s not a metaphor. That’s the whole point.

Peace and Love,

Ellis

P.S. This flash sermon is outperforming everything I’ve ever posted. If you were waiting for a good one to share with your friends, this may be it.

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Exciting news. My A Preacher with a Parrot channel has topped 4,000 subscribers on YouTube.

I’m celebrating by posting a new introductory video, the one folks see when they visit my About page or my YouTube Channel Page. This project has always been for my friends and people who skipped church last Sunday. Or for the last 20 years.

The problem with the old intro was that it told my story, not yours. This version starts with Shakespeare, which feels right. He has always been the argument, not the decoration. And it ends with an invitation I actually mean.

Here is the link to the video I mentioned. It’s the one about Mom’s passing.

Thanks to everyone who has shared these videos with a friend. And thanks for all of the ways you serve Christ in the world.

If you know someone who has given up on church but has not given up on God — or who has given up on both but is not entirely sure that was the right call — send them here. The front door is finally worth walking through.

Peace and Love

Ellis

PS. If someone subscribes on YouTube, they only see YouTube only sends them one out of ten videos. To get a fresh video every week delivered to your inbox, they must subscribe here on Substack.

A Preacher with A Parrot | New episode every week

A Preacher with A Parrot | New episode every week

This week I’m trying something new. In addition to my regular, 60-second A Preacher with a Parrot video, I’m adding a link to a 9-minute deep dive on the same topic for folks who’d like a bit more depth.

Here is a link to the video essay for those who’d like a deeper dive. If that doesn’t work, searching YouTube for @apreacherwithaparrot should take you to my channel and this is the first one on the “Videos” page.

“If I don’t build a strong brand, I’ll never get a job… or a wife… or a record contract.”

He’s not wrong.

But he’s also not right.

In this reflection, I share what I told him — and why I believe the modern pressure to construct your identity is spiritually and psychologically devastating.

Science says self-forgetfulness brings joy.
Eastern religion says ego causes suffering.
Christianity says something even better:

You don’t have to build yourself.
You are received.

If you’re tired of performing your existence, this video essay might feel like oxygen.

If you’d like Jesus more if so many of His friends weren’t jerks, this stack is for you.

Most people don’t lose faith.

They lose permission to ask questions.

Questions are not a threat to faith.

Ignoring questions is.

If you’ve been carrying a question you’ve never been allowed to ask, ask it now.

Put it in the comments. Or email us. We will answer.

Your question is not the end of your faith.

It may be the beginning.

Much of our lives is spent trying to construct a self strong enough to hold us together. We manage impressions, curate identities, and attempt to become someone stable enough to endure uncertainty. It is exhausting work. And sooner or later, it begins to fail.

Many of you have written to me about the microsermons, saying they helped you see your life differently. This book club is an opportunity to explore those same ideas more deeply, in conversation with two remarkable Christian witnesses.

This Lent, I am cohosting a six-week book club where we will read Julian of Norwich and Thomas Merton—two Christians who describe what happens when God dismantles the false self we construct and gives us a life we no longer have to build.

Julian of Norwich, a 14th-century anchoress, received a series of visions while suffering a near-fatal illness. She recorded them in Revelations of Divine Love, a work of extraordinary theological depth and pastoral tenderness. Her visions reveal a divine love deeper than fear, sin, or death itself.

Thomas Merton, a 20th-century Trappist monk, explored the same reality from another angle. In New Seeds of Contemplation, he argues that much of human suffering arises from the false self—the identity we construct in order to secure ourselves—and that the spiritual life begins when we awaken to the life God gives instead.

These books are not instruction manuals for achieving mystical experiences. They are testimonies to what happens when God reshapes the human heart through grace.

We meet for all six Sundays in Lent on ZOOM at 8:00 PM Eastern.

For details and the Zoom link, visit my other Substack, Christians Anonymous, here:

Christians Anonymous

Lenten Book Club Begins Sunday, February 22

This Lent, we will read two Christian witnesses who describe what happens when God begins to dismantle the false self we construct and give us a life we no longer have to build…

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2 months ago · A Preacher With A Parrot

Most importantly, this is a no-commitment group. You are welcome whether you attend every week or only once. You are welcome whether you have read the material or not. We never ask, “Where have you been?” Only, “We’re glad to see you.”

You do not have to build yourself.

Peace and Love,

Ellis
Rev. Wm. Ellis Oglesby
A Preacher with a Parrot

Whether you received a gift today or not, Scripture speaks of a love that does not depend on romance, performance, or timing.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promises something extraordinary: a new heart. Not one we build, but one God gives.

Shakespeare doesn’t strive. He doesn’t worry about usefulness or productivity. He glorifies God simply by continuing to be what he was created to be.

Philippians 1:6 reminds us that God finishes what God begins — even in seasons when we feel spent or unsure we have anything left to offer. If you’re burned out, this is a reminder that your life still matters. God is not finished with you.

#faith #bombcyclone #Forgiveness #Isaiah118 #deconstructingfaith

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In this short message, I talk about grief, faith, and what Jesus actually promises to people who are weary and overwhelmed.

This is for anyone who feels like they are failing at life, faith, or both.

“Son… we’re all going to die. I’m not scared.”

She faced death with unshakable faith and went home—all the way home—into the arms of God.

If her courage blesses you today, please share this story of her storybook life and death.

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