1. This is an excerpt from “The Alien and the Proper: Luther's Two-Fold Righteousness in Controversy, Ministry, and Citizenship,” edited by Robert Kolb (1517 Publishing, 2023).
  2. God gives us the power and authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to burdened sinners who entrust us with their pain, guilt, and defeat.
  3. The law had to have its way with the expert to bring him around (and back) to Abraham's response.
  4. In Memory of My Friend, James Arne Nestingen
  5. When the church is a political actor, the gospel doesn’t have the final word.
  6. It all starts with God; and it all ends with God. He is the alpha and omega of giving and generosity.
  7. We ache in eager anticipation as we see Christ in action and as we take in the snapshots of his life, death, and resurrection.
  8. You are the friend in low places. It’s only from this place that you are free to look outside yourself for the remedy to the issues that plague you and humanity.
  9. You are a child of God. You’re blameless, holy, perfect, and righteous. Don’t feel that way? Too bad. God is greater than your heart.
  10. We don’t start with behavior and work toward Christ. We start with Christ and everything works out from there.
  11. Every incendiary move of God’s Spirit is accompanied by a group of penitent people rediscovering the power and preeminence of God’s Word.
  12. We need to hear the gospel because it is good news that is not from you, or about you, or because of you.