In Distress

Jonah 2 The prayer of Jonah in Chapter 2; we can understand something about prayer. Jonah was in distress. Jonah was in pain, sorrow and suffering. Jonah was in that position because he put himself in that position by running away from God. Jonah refused to do what God asked him to do, which was […]

Jonah 2
The prayer of Jonah in Chapter 2; we can understand something about prayer. Jonah was in distress. Jonah was in pain, sorrow and suffering. Jonah was in that position because he put himself in that position by running away from God. Jonah refused to do what God asked him to do, which was a great thing! God asked him to preach, which not many at that time had the privilege. Jonah forgot that God is everywhere and that God can see him no matter where he was hiding; and that includes the belly of the fish. God heard his prayers when he was in distress. If God can hear the prayers of a rebellious servant and the prayers of the one who refused to do what God asked him to do, so then, can God listen to our prayers?
Even when people have been running away from God, God can hear their prayers. God can hear your prayers, do not stop praying, do not stop telling God what you are feeling and how you are feeling, especially when you are in a tough situation because you put yourself there. God is greater than all your problems. Believe that.

Community Connections

A couple of weeks ago, I shared two opportunities that we had to connect with people in our surrounding communities. We had booths representing the church at “Hay Hoover” and Pelham’s “Fall Fun Day.” By taking advantage of these opportunities, we were able to connect...

Permission to Wonder

In the 6th grade classroom there is a large metal envelope hanging on a bulletin board, and the students know that during bible class, anytime they have a Bible / religious question pop in their mind (whether related to the topic of class, or not), they can go and...

Kidmin 101

This past Sunday night, I shared five core values that our Children’s Ministry is founded on. These values are what helps keep each event, activity, and class in line with our overall mission. The core values are: 1. Know: Our children will learn to know God and the...

Faith On a Shelf

I have this hat that my dad brought back to me from a business trip to Atlanta when I was 9 or 10 years old. You can see that I’ve worn it a lot. In fact, I wore it to just about everywhere I went during the summer when I was a kid. Church camps, grandparents’ house,...

“Jesus Loves Me”

After being led in this song by two of our young men Sunday night, I was reminded of a quotation from Karl Barth. On April 23, 1962, Karl Barth (the renown 20th Century Swiss-German, neo-orthodox theologian) spoke at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University...

That’s Not a Candle

Several years ago, there was story shared about a woman from Connecticut whose power had gone out during a storm. She left her house to go to a local hardware store to purchase some flashlights, but the store was closed. She returned home and found what she thought...

The Post-Christian Problem

I attended the New Day Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the end of last week with a small group from Riverchase. It was a good conference and I left encouraged about the opportunities we have to fulfill the call of Christ to make disciples. On Friday evening,...

Josiah’s Reform

In the thirty-one years of his rule, King Josiah proved to be a faithful man of God and a great king of Judah. He served God from the beginning as a young king and grew into a greater understanding of God’s will and a determination to follow that will. He made a...

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Simply defined, it means that you should eat healthy if you want to be healthy. This phrase can trace its roots back to the early 1800’s. It came from the 1826 work The Physiology of Taste, in which...

It Is Well

Above the piano in our house is a large wood sign with the phrase, “it is well with my soul” on it. Kimberly and I purchased it during a season of our life together where we were not completely sure what the future had in store for our little family. Since then, the...