"Drift Happens." There are season in life, due to negligence or distraction, that we can drift from God. This is just as true of individuals as it is for communities. It is through intentional attentiveness to the gospel and to the person of Jesus that we avoid drift and encounter transformation.

We are starting a new sermon series for the fall titled "The Book of Hebrews: Forward in Faith." In the book of Hebrews we discover a community of Christians that are in need of encouragement and leadership. They are in need of a pastor. The writer of Hebrews begins his correspondence with this community by proclaiming a simple truth: Jesus is greater than anything else you may want to pursue.

The book of Jonah has a great city, a great storm, and a great fish. But the story is really about a great God that has a great mission. And while the book doesn't have a definitive conclusion it leaves us pondering. The biggest question we are left to ponder is if we will be a people focused on what we want or a people focused on what God wants.

Jonah preached the most effective one sentence sermon...and was disappointed by its result. Jonah has yet to come to grip with the fact that the grace afforded him by God is the same grace God wants to extend to his most bitter enemies. We are again reminded how much we are like Jonah when it comes to our attitudes toward enemies.

In the book of Jonah godless men pray while prophets sleep. Pagan sailors worship while God's chosen people (or person in this case) run away. The backwards nature of the story is highlighted in the story's largest twist. Rolf explores the nature of this twist and what it says to us about the one true God.

Continuing in our Jonah series Danny takes a look at Jonah's second call from God, same as the first but under different circumstances. It is in the midst of this repeated call that we see that the God of Israel is a God of second chances.

While Jonah may have thought (and maybe hoped) that his being tossed into the great storm would relieve him of the consequences of his rebelliousness he is instead greeted by a great fish. And soon finds himself in the belly of that fish. With nothing but time to kill Jonah reflects and prays about his current circumstance; he takes inventory of his life. Pastor James explores the need to do so in our lives as well.

Jonah's rebellion has put many sailors' lives at risk. In the midst of his running he is forced to answer an incredibly difficult question: am I willing to give my life for another? The questions lays at the heart of Jonah's story. His answer reveals something, not just about himself, but about the God he serves.

During the Sunday we celebrate and share the joys and experiences of our VBS program with our church and families in our community Pastor James preached from one of the week's themes: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

God uses anything at God's disposal to accomplish his purposes in the world. When it came to Jonah and his running away God used a storm and a boat captain. Rather than dismiss the rebellious Jonah God extends him grace.