1. Like the serpent on the pole, God still puts real-life things up for us to look to for salvation.
  2. Jesus continues to do the same for me and for you as he did for his disciples. He still shows up for us. He still speaks his peace to us.
  3. Don’t get in the habit (or, if you already do it, get out of the habit) of saying, “I could never talk about these things the way my pastor does.”
  4. A “good death” and “good life” are not accomplished through personal striving but are grasped by faith in the promises of God.
  5. When the waters of anxiety and depression rise, there is One who understands.
  6. Finding rest in God when the “what ifs”come calling
  7. How can he say it? How can he say that Christ is after all the entire meaning of life for him, and that death is no real worry?
  8. We must also address the stigma surrounding addiction within so many churches.
  9. It is of the utmost importance that pastors teach their congregation that through faith in Jesus Christ, they are fortified against the machinations of the adversary.
  10. In that moment of greatest despair, we find the antidote for all our fears. We know we are beloved of God and there is salvation in Christ’s atoning death.
  11. Honest confession brings us into the fatherly care of God where we are always greeted with grace, mercy, peace, love, and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.