1. This is an excerpt from part two of “Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment” by Bradley Gray (1517 Publishing, 2023).
  2. If Jesus did not rise, then religion is just religion — a mere anthropological phenomenon.
  3. 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.
  4. Prayer is not just about asking for things. It's about receiving what has already been given to us in Christ.
  5. What I desperately needed was not to preach to myself, but to listen to a preacher—not to take myself in hand, but to be taken in the hands of the Almighty.
  6. God wants his word of promise to be the only thing we bank on, the only thing we have confidence in.
  7. Luther's emphasis on the need for sinners to have preachers who can provide them with the comfort and support they need for their faith in Jesus Christ and life is as relevant today as it was in his time.
  8. The testimony of every son and daughter of God is, God has brought us through.
  9. A father's struggle to pray for his child's healing is one of the most difficult experiences he can face.
  10. My fear of this coming darkness only lasts a moment.
  11. This is the message of Lent. We are not called to sacrifice for Jesus in order to earn our salvation. Rather, we are called to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
  12. Predestination, Jim knew, is no longer a frightening doctrine of mystery when you understand that God makes his choice about you in the simple word of God, given from one sinner to another.