1. The needs of the people remain the same, but now the people are you and me. We still sin, and that sin causes so many challenges in our lives.
  2. It’s scary to share my struggle and to show that I have cracks because once I’ve shown my cards, I open myself up for judgment.
  3. Unprompted, without any warning, for no reason at all, without any instigation say, "I love you." And that will wash over your parents like a beautiful absolution.
  4. 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.
  5. Rightly distinguishing between law and gospel, as Paul helps us see in 2 Corinthians 3, is, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
  6. 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.
  7. Repentance is meaningless unless we are willing to acknowledge who we are: sinners needing mercy.
  8. The law had to have its way with the expert to bring him around (and back) to Abraham's response.
  9. Maybe, just maybe, our goal for 2023 should not be to live more but to die more.
  10. The lesson of Malachi reveals God’s love for his people. When the people ask for proof of God’s love, he reminds them of their election.
  11. Help comes for those who cannot help themselves. When we bottom-out and come to the end of ourselves, that is where hope springs.