1. 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.
  2. We can interpret "be the Church" as either law or gospel.
  3. What if the dissonance in this calendrical coincidence can be harmonized into a deeper melody?
  4. 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.
  5. A “good death” and “good life” are not accomplished through personal striving but are grasped by faith in the promises of God.
  6. God gives his church a story that helps to make sense of this life.
  7. It would serve us well to embrace the beauty of our diversity within the unity of the body of Christ.
  8. We know that death does not have the last word in Christ.
  9. We must also address the stigma surrounding addiction within so many churches.
  10. 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.
  11. This is an excerpt from “Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment” by Bradley Gray (1517 Publishing, 2023).