Desert Storms

Is it easy or hard to admit you’re tired?

“Hey, Alan, how ya doin’? What’s been going on? What have you been up to lately? What’s God doing in your life and at Cumberland?”

Those are trigger words for me. They trigger adrenaline, fear, guilt, and the newly discovered endorphin unleashed by our pituitary gland called gitbizeenow.

Could it be detrimental to our souls NOT to admit that we’re walking in a bit of a dry desert? Could NOT being honest with ourselves (or others) drive us further into a depleted, soul-thirsty desert?

As Jesus followers, what our Lord asks of us is difficult at best. We are to die to ourselves, pursue justice, be humble in a proud world, give away what we’ve worked for, love the unlikeable, and obey Jesus’s counter-intuitive and counter-cultural words. No problem, right?

Are you kidding me? Who can do this? You have rowed your storm-tossed boat about as far as you can. As ironic as it may sound, the waves are crashing all around you in your spiritual desert. You are depleted, maybe depressed. Dry as a bone. Bone dry. What a weird phrase.

Apparently, there’s nothing much dryer than a bone left bleached by a scorching sun. Sometimes… many times… our souls feel that same way.

Jonah was in a spiritual desert. He ran, and then got caught in a storm. On Sunday we’ll look more closely at Jonah’s desert and ours. Our text is Jonah 1:7-16. We’ll actually take a test to determine whether we’re in deserts or not. If you’re in a dry place, there’s help. If you’re in a good place, strap on your seat belt. God wants to use your blessings to bless others.

Either way, we need to gather and talk to scatter and have impact.

Jonah is such a practical book. I’m excited to teach it. I hope you’ll consider bringing a friend or two. I’d bet there’s something in our “Interrupted” series just for them, too.

See you Sunday at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
Blessings!

Weekly Giving | 8.21.16

$34,065.81

Weekly Need

$39,700.00