finally blogging!

haha i have to confess - im blogging during service, while Pastor is preaching! (SINNER!)

but let's try something new - real time updates on the service!

Pastor Mark is giving a great message on Running From God, sharing from the book of Jonah.

that's a good thought - why do people want to run from God?? sigh....

Some pointers if you need to RUN FROM GOD:

if you run from God, you can't have a tender heart - your heart will be hardened

if you run, you can't turn to Him when times are tough. gosh...can we really handle that? why do we keep challenging God and showing that we are "tough guys", when really, we are so weak! we all need God, come on, admit it! you have to forever be healthly, wealthly, smart, stronger - to survive on our own! (is that even possible??)

If you run, you cannot yield to God's Grace chasing you! God's grace - so amazing, yet we still choose to resist it?? are we crazy? no....we are probably just selfish or we think God doesn't care about us? (or we think we are better than God?). perhaps, the issue is that we don't even really believe in God??

It's like spitting on the good things from God, throwing away the gifts that He has given us so freely.

Grace so amazing, so divine - yet we will not yield...sigh......

If you run, u must ABANDON GOD's PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!

=> CONCLUSION - without God, you are TOTALLY ON YOUR OWN!

BUT, if you turn back to God, you get so much more!

• Strength (psalm 62:11)
• Help (Isa 25:4)
• Everything you NEED (psalm 54:4)
• Comfort (Isa 40:1)

So i guess the question is - "When do you want to turn back to God?"

does it take a storm of life, depression, economic failure, divorce, heartbreak? what will it take people ! what does God have to do to win you back??

God is willing to make a fool of himself, to sacrifice everything..to be shamed on the cross, to forsake the glory of heaven for the lowly existence of humans who are mere dust of the ground!

Come on friends, God always gives a second chance - THERE IS ALWAYS GRACE for choosing the right path, the right thing! His mercy is greater than our sin!

GOD desires to forgive and give, more than He wants to judge, for in judgement, God always remembers mercies. and even HIS judgements are out of love, so that we can turn back to what is good!

God will pick you up where you fall down, if you would let HIM! Your past sins do not change God's plans! God can still use you, it would want that.