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| the weekly eWell | 09 january 2008 / issue 29 |
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In this issue: • latest news • community groups • well said • more info • classifieds
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"Seeing a City from the Inside of a Fish" James Parsons “This is by far the foulest thing I have ever smelled”, is what I can only imagine Jonah saying after being swallowed whole by a fish. The story of Jonah is one that I’m sure many have heard, but (no comma) few fully understand. Until recently, I was one of those people in the dark, not seeing the reality in the story that IS the church. Let me try and explain what can and will happen once we as a church understand what really happened to Jonah. The word of the Lord came to Jonah and told him to go and preach to the city of Nineveh that had gone astray from God’s plan. Jonah’s reaction was interesting; He ran. What a coward. Jonah went to Joppa and boarded a ship headed for Tarshish to run away from the Lord. Shortly after he boarded the ship, God blew a fierce storm upon Jonah and the sailors. During all of this action, Jonah is asleep below deck. The fearful Captain awakens him to ask Jonah to call out to his God to see if he would take notice of them. The sailors knew it was Jonah that caused this trouble because he had told them what had happened. Then, in fear for their lives, they threw Jonah overboard and prayed that God would have mercy on them. God provided a great fish to swallow him, and he was in there for three days and three nights. Jonah had a very rude and foul smelling awaking. His eyes were opened for the first time. He declared a powerful prayer to the Lord from the inside, and God commanded the fish to spit him out. The Lord came to Jonah again and told him to go preach to Nineveh. The city was very important, much like Tallahassee. Jonah convinced the people and the king that their ways were evil and that they needed to repent. The king issued a decree saying that his city was going to fast and turn from their evil ways in fear of God’s wrath. God, after seeing their hearts, had compassion on them so they would not perish. What if we (no comma) as a church enlarged our view of God so big that we truly believed this story, and were motivated to tell others about Him? Let’s replace Nineveh with Tallahassee and Jonah with us. Is God calling you to do something that you are scared to do, so you are running from it? How do we view our city? Do we really love it? Starting with myself, I believe God is calling us to seek Him and understand that this city is lost and desperately needs His help. What would it look like if we as a church fell in love with our city? Maybe we need to get swallowed whole for a reality check. I am convinced if Tallahassee, the capitol city, changes, then the state will change, and if the state changes, then America changes, and if America changes, then why not the world? The time is now! Here at the Well, we are not just a church; we are a movement, and when people stop moving there is no longer a movement. Let us start today; we have just been spit out. Let us go and burn with passion and weep for a city that is lost. People are out there. We just have to be willing to walk across the room. Is there someone in your class or at work or a neighbor that needs to hear about Jesus? Stop running from God and tell them! (J.W. Parsons is a student at Tallahassee Community College. In addition to his amazing mathematical skills, James plays guitar in the Well's band.) |
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Welcome back to school! Join us twice a month for a home cooked meal. The first College Dinner is Monday, January 14th at 7:00 p.m. at The Peacock's. For more info and to RSVP contact Kaitlyn Ary: kaitlyn@nomorethirst.org. LIMELIGHT Check out The Well's very own Josh Fruit this Friday night at 8:30 p.m. at The Warehouse. WELL EVENTS Looking for something to do? Check out wellevents.nomorethirst.org for the latest info. Contact kaitlyn@nomorehtirst.org for more information. Event Updates: Girls' Night Out, Girls' Night, Sunday Scrimmage, College Dinner. SERMON PREVIEW This Sunday, Dean's sermon "See Tallahassee" will reference the book of Jonah, chapter 1 - 3.
Sunday Service is held at Godby High School. Join us in the auditorium each week at 6:00 p.m. The Well WEBCASTS Dean's sermons are now available online at nomorethirst.org. Save them to your IPod, burn them on a cd, or listen to them over the internet. Sermons will be added each Sunday night following the service. PRAYER POINT Tiffany Singleton, in Africa to serve for nine months. eGIVING eGiving is here! Log on to nomorethirst.org and click the eGiving link to set up your eTithe. |
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Visit www.nomorethirst.org for more info! |
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| Dean Inserra, Pastor Scott Simmons, Worship Leader dean@nomorethirst.org scott@nomorethirst.org | |
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| Copyright 2008 © The Well Sunday Nights, 6:00 p.m. @ the Godby High School Auditorium | |
