God is a Father. He counts His children.

Some of His first words with man were, “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God knew where Adam and Eve were hiding and what they had done, but he calls to them and seeks their presence. He had been caring for them like a father all along.

God desired to have a relationship with Adam and Eve and spend time with them in an intimate friendship. God is very personal.

All throughout the Bible we see a God that responds to people. We have received God’s spirit where He has adopted us as His own children.

Today we will delve into the loving chase or as one pastor termed it, ‘the hound of Heaven’ dynamic where God takes the first step toward a relationship with His children.

A message by Janet

As followers of Jesus, we believe that we can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Being close to God means we communicate with Him – speaking to Him but also listening. And it is the second half of our conversation with God that can often feel uncertain –

Does God speak to everyone and if He does then how do we hear His voice? How can we know it is God and not our own subconscious? And what language can we use for our experience that doesn’t make us sound crazy?

A message by Samantha Barlow

Junk mail. It fills our letterboxes and email inboxes; it comes as text messages and even robo-advertising or phone calls at dinner time.

So, we hang up the phone, block the mobile number, or move the email to the junk mail folder or the letterbox contents to the recycle bin. And get ready, ‘case we have a state election coming up – so Effie - brace yourself.

But when it comes to our praying, have you ever considered that God might have a junk mailbox? And how do we keep our prayers out of junk mail?