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?

When we speak to God, it is instant. He hears us. And we believe that our God is powerful and willing to act for good.

So, why does it sometimes feel like he is ghosting us or that His response is significantly delayed, especially when he appears to answer other prayers immediately? Does God sometimes have a hard time hearing us, is he indecisive? or is he up to something else entirely?

A message by Sam Barlow

Charles Spurgeon was once asked, what was more important – praying or reading the Bible?
The response was brilliant: He asked, "What’s more important – breathing in or breathing out?"
You can’t do one without the other.

Oswald Chambers said this about prayer: “Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.”

Simply stated, we are commanded to pray. Jesus modelled the kind of prayer life we should strive to emulate. He made it clear that certain Jewish religious leaders were abusing the act and intent of prayer to the Lord, labelling them hypocrites.

This morning we will examine the difference between private and public prayer, and how what Jesus taught His disciples still applies to all believers today.

A Message by Janet Dougherty

When we are in the midst of the messiness of life; when we are down in the hole, who is on the outside listening to our cries?

And is that one who hears our cries one ready with a rope to haul us out of the hole, or one who jumps into the hole with us, ready to lead us out again, no matter how long it takes?

A message by David Bone

Can Christians Pray To The Holy Spirit? | Ask NT Wright Anything https://youtu.be/Zk6jTdu1akA?si=bluzexn16lsBQKVZ

There is a difference, isn't there? One moment you are going about your day, and then the phone rings. And then you see the number. Depending on what you see, your response will vary. Because there is a difference.

For some, you recognise their number; their name comes up on your phone screen, and you are happy to talk to them.

For others, it is a number you don't recognise, or 'Private number' or even worse 'Suspected scam' appears on a glowing red screen. Does your finger go to the answer or reject icon, or do you allow it to ring through to your voicemail box?

Let's face it- there is a difference in the way we respond to a call, depending on our relationship with the caller.

But have you ever wondered about how God responds to a non-believer praying? What is the response to someone cold calling God?

A message by David Toscano

What if prayer isn’t a last resort, but a way of becoming more honest, grounded and open to help? This message explores why prayer matters — not as religious performance, but as a deeply human practice of relationship, trust and learning to live with purpose.

A message by Sam Barlow