1. We can interpret "be the Church" as either law or gospel.
  2. This is the sound of freedom. The Eternal One died so that we who are dying might live eternally with him.
  3. We are the fruit that grows from the branch, which extends from the trunk of the tree, which is rooted in the soil that it grows out of, which is all Christ.
  4. He was rooted in his own tradition but gracious with others when they wanted to learn about his faith or their own.
  5. In a world—and even a church—full of distractions, thank God for Rod Rosenbladt. He pointed us to Jesus and Jesus alone.
  6. My goal here isn’t to selfishly reflect on all the reasons I will miss Rod because I know that if you are reading this, you may miss this man, too.
  7. A “good death” and “good life” are not accomplished through personal striving but are grasped by faith in the promises of God.
  8. The essence of what it means to be a son or daughter of Abraham, an inheritor of the Abrahamic promise, was irrevocably tethered to faith.
  9. God gives his church a story that helps to make sense of this life.
  10. It would serve us well to embrace the beauty of our diversity within the unity of the body of Christ.
  11. How’s your ticker?
  12. We still think we can sort own own problems with more money, more education, more resources, more techniques, more, more, more.