1. 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.
  2. I’ve experienced firsthand the promise that God never leaves a congregation empty-handed.
  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. Grace comes for every foolish, self-absorbed sinner, for every “Nabal,” and announces that there is one who has already taken it upon himself to shoulder all of our wrongdoing, paying the price for it through the sacrifice of himself.
  5. The resurrection of Jesus encompasses the total and comprehensive glorification of a human being, not merely his restoration.
  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. 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.
  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.