The 1Glories Vision

Welcome to 1Glories, the creative and publishing hub for Chad Gramling. Through captivating storytelling, history, and art, Chad bridges the past and present to inspire a more thoughtful, creative future.

Tulips - Flowers Listening Up

Insights and Inspirations

Its Time to Turn: Remembering 9/11 in a Divided World

A reflection on the shadow of 9/11, our collective memory shift from unity to division, and we must the season.

Father’s Day Reflection and Legacy Letter to My Beautiful Baby Girls

On this Father’s Day, I’m pouring my heart out to my daughters in a message about the past, unfair forks in the road, and my deepest wishes for their futures.

Elvis, Hulk Hogan, and… Me

I am no superhero or king. But I do confess I miss the days when my wife and little girls thought I might be one, or at least lead me to feel like one. Unfortunately, 2026 has mostly served up to yours truly, a lot of kryptonite, yellow, loud sounds, and...

Hey God! Dave Mustaine Made the Soundtrack to My Midlife Meltdown

The greatest dream of my life has been the family I was blessed to build. But lately, as the sharpness of youth dulls and my children use the very wings I fought to give them, I find myself in a painful new season. In the quiet insecurity of a changing life, an unexpected heavy metal anthem has become my ultimate prayer.

Ending My Purposeful Pause from Blogging and More

Growth often requires a purposeful pause. A few years ago, I stepped away from writing online to focus on some massive shifts in my professional, personal, and civic life—from stepping into an exciting new season leading an incredible Business Intelligence team to finally drafting a historical fiction novel two decades in the making. I’m returning to the keyboard with a more grounded perspective on community, leadership, faith, and resilience.

Fly on, Thunderbird, Fly & the Quiet Riot in My Soul

I've worked on this message for a year, but it's really DECADES in the making. Whether to post it or not has had countless reconsiderations, but WTH, here it goes... BUT, before I dive in, please know this is NOT a cry for help, sympathy, or attention. Quite the...

The Coming New Digital Hell

Many technophobes experience a personal digital hell on a daily basis. But, fast forward 100 years to a fully digitized society. Physical newspapers and magazines have ceased to exist. Books are all nestled within the Applazon Cloud by monopolizing the rights when the...

A Community’s Legacy of Change

I recently sat on the outside patio of the Auburn, Indiana Starbucks, pondering historical legacy in the context of community. Many years ago, as a teenager, this very spot might have been where I experienced the first garlicy joys of Fazoli's breadsticks. Before...

Welcome to My Last “Blog Post”

Have you noticed I don’t post on my blog at 1Glories all that often any longer? Here’s why: it became a distraction. If you’ve ever blogged and tried to do so, you know that chasing visits, clicks, optimizing for search and such is exhausting! The blogger has to have...

When Being Teachable Takes More Humility than Smarts

Early in my career, an email changed my life by helping me realize I was unteachable. Thankfully, I took it to heart and have grown more than I ever would have had it not been sent.

The shame of the cross was endured by Christ. He became less than human so we may live. In light of this unmatchable love, I am not ashamed.

Why We Must Strive for a Healthy Perspective of Shame

I don’t know how it goes in other countries, but the U.S. culture certainly has an interesting relationship with the concept of shame. On the one hand, it seems that nobody has any shame. In addition, people are constantly thrusting themselves into attention seeking...

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Being different usually comes with negative connotation. Yet, there are times where we must embrace being different. In Keep Christianity Weird, Michael Frost argues it’s the key to a successful modern church and an essential of personal discipleship.

Book Review – Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different by Michael Frost

Being different usually comes with a negative connotation. However, there are times where we must not just endure being different, we must embrace being different. In Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different, Michael Frost argues it’s the...

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Spiritual warfare is very real. We must therefore pursue of broader discipleship so we can stand firm in our faith while in a world that wants to call us guilty as we are fulfilling a divine calling.

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare and The Battle for Your Heart

Spiritual warfare. It’s a term that conjures all sorts of visual representations. And it probably varies greatly by culture. I can’t claim to be all that knowledgeable about it, and I have kept my life mostly ignorant of the concept. I like to live in my little bubble...

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