For It Is Time... to prepare our eyes

Ladies! Friends! I am so excited to be with you on Friday night, October 21st, at Asbury United Methodist Church. Leading up to the retreat I will be writing three brief blog posts, one each week, to help each of us prepare for what God will teach us from the book of Hosea.

In Hosea 10:12 God says, ... break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord.
Our immediate unplowed ground might just be that we are slightly unfamiliar with the book of Hosea. Many of us know the first three chapters, but not so much the rest of the book. This blog post is to urge all of us to prepare our eyes by feasting upon the words of Hosea.

For the next week skim the 14 chapters. Throughout the book God shows His heart toward Israel - and toward us. No matter how far they strayed, God's desire was to bring them back.

This week, if you need an extra reminder of God's love, camp out in Hosea 2: 14-20.
As we shake our heads and wonder why our nations and our lives are in upheaval, reflect upon Hosea 4: 6, 14 - my people are destroyed by lack of knowledge... a people without understanding will come to ruin.
Hear God's call in Hosea 6: 1 - Come, let us return to the Lord.
Read Hosea 10: 12, the theme of our conference.
And don't miss, It was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness. Hosea 11:3-4.

Wherever we are, far or near, He is calling us back!