1. I’ve experienced firsthand the promise that God never leaves a congregation empty-handed.
  2. The gospel tells me that the revelation of weakness in myself, my husband, and my son is the occasion for the revelation of God’s strength.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  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. God's faithfulness is constant and consistent. It knows no season. His love for us doesn't fade with the summer sun.
  8. Prayer is not just about asking for things. It's about receiving what has already been given to us in Christ.
  9. God cares about our real life where we actually are. He is present in the everyday.
  10. 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.
  11. Just like for Mordecai and Esther, our lives are also sustained by the hand of God in the ordinary, in events begging to be seen as the work of Christ in our lives.