1. A pastor is sent to proclaim the unconditional grace of God, reminding us again and again that it is our Heavenly Father who reaches out to us in love through his Christ-won forgiveness, and not the other way around.
  2. God’s published will offers us anchorage, the anchorage of Jesus Christ, in the midst of chaos, reminding us that there is a greater purpose to our lives than the pursuit of worldly success or fleeting pleasures.
  3. If Jesus did not rise, then religion is just religion — a mere anthropological phenomenon.
  4. The Holy Spirit unleashes his power through us, his vines, and we then get to watch as his fruits blossom and ripen.
  5. Everything in Scripture is God revealing himself to his people, you and me.
  6. Christ Jesus brings his word and presence to where you are and he is even willing to do so through the likes of your personally present pastor.
  7. It’s not our eloquence or persuasive rhetoric that changes hearts, but the Word of God that pierces through the hardened shells of unbelief and breathes life into the dead bones of sinners.
  8. God's faithfulness is constant and consistent. It knows no season. His love for us doesn't fade with the summer sun.
  9. Prayer is not just about asking for things. It's about receiving what has already been given to us in Christ.
  10. God cares about our real life where we actually are. He is present in the everyday.
  11. When we forget that we live by promise, that's when the danger tends to creep in. Because failing to embrace promise means we usually fall back into notions of luck, or even worse--into works.