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. When properly distinguishing law and gospel in the Word of God, it is important to use the God-given gift and abilities of the imagination as your ears.
  3. The resurrection of Jesus encompasses the total and comprehensive glorification of a human being, not merely his restoration.
  4. If we believe that ours is truly the greatest story ever told, then we must share that story in creative ways and allow it to change the desires of its hearers.
  5. 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.
  6. The Parable of the Lost Sheep bursts through the confines of convention and demands that we embrace the messiness of life and the unpredictable ways in which God's grace and forgiveness operates.
  7. Below is a compilation of some of our staff and contributor’s recommended reads for this summer (based, of course, on what we are reading). Let us know if you find a book you love!
  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. 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.