Jonah 4:6–11 | Jonah: Running from the God Who Pursues What if God’s mercy changed in size the way our hearts sometimes do? Consider how quickly gratitude can turn into dissatisfaction. We pray for something, and God graciously provides it. We rejoice, give thanks, and acknowledge His goodness. But then …
Jonah 4:1–5 | Jonah: Running from the God Who Pursues My wife loves Hallmark Christmas movies. Here we are in October, and she has already started watching them! I have discovered that these movies generally follow a familiar pattern. A young man leaves his hometown, moves to the big city, …
Jonah 3:6–10 | Jonah: Running from the God Who Pursues Sometimes those who know the most about God are the slowest to submit to Him. That is an interesting thought when we consider the events unfolding in the third chapter of Jonah. We have followed a prophet who knew God, …
Jonah 3:1–5 Every Sunday, before standing in the pulpit, I am aware of the responsibility of proclaiming God’s Word. A question often accompanies that awareness: Who am I that God would entrust me with this privilege? The answer is not that I deserve it. The answer is that God is …
Jonah 2:1–10 • Jonah: Running from the God Who Pursues “I wish I had that one back.” Most of us have said something like that. Perhaps we made a purchase we regretted, spoke words we could not retrieve, or chose a direction that brought painful consequences. Looking backward, the better …
Jonah 1:11–17 Recently, I was playing chess with my nine-year-old grandson, Paul. He beat me twice. I will admit that he has become a very good chess player. Of course, I am going to play him again. There is a difference between admitting defeat and surrendering. That distinction matters when …
Jonah 1:4–10 Basketball is a team game. When we play Hoops at Grace, the idea is pretty simple. Players move the ball, play defense, work together, and everybody participates. But every once in a while, someone decides the game is really about him. He does not pass. He takes every …
Running from God Jonah 1:1–3 Jonah: Running from the God Who Pursues — Week 1 Mention Jonah and most people immediately think about a fish. Maybe a whale. Maybe a giant fish swallowing a reluctant prophet. And if you have spent much time around fishermen, you know something about fish …
Psalm 1 Yogi Berra once famously said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Like many of Berra’s sayings, it makes you smile because it sounds profound until you stop and think about it. A fork in the road is precisely where we cannot simply keep …
1 John 5:13-21 There is no shortage of uncertainty in the world around us. Headlines change by the hour. Opinions are presented as facts and lies are presented as truth. People wonder what tomorrow will bring, whom they can trust, and even whether there is such a thing as truth …