1. Confession and absolution offer more than assurance, they gift real and genuine Divine promises.
  2. Finding rest in God when the “what ifs”come calling
  3. We know that death does not have the last word in Christ.
  4. We must also address the stigma surrounding addiction within so many churches.
  5. It is of the utmost importance that pastors teach their congregation that through faith in Jesus Christ, they are fortified against the machinations of the adversary.
  6. God comes to us through the flesh and blood and spirit of Christ precisely where he promised to be manifest to us and for us.
  7. I’ve experienced firsthand the promise that God never leaves a congregation empty-handed.
  8. 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.
  9. If Jesus did not rise, then religion is just religion — a mere anthropological phenomenon.
  10. The resurrection of Jesus encompasses the total and comprehensive glorification of a human being, not merely his restoration.
  11. 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.