Have you ever had a book come into your life and for whatever reason it was just bad timing? You got 20-30 pages in and thought, “A waste of my time.” But it really wasn’t the book’s fault, you just weren’t in a place to hear its message.
I had this experience years ago with The Circlemaker, by Mark Batterson.
In this book Batterson recounts the first century BC Jewish legend of Honi the circle maker. After a yearlong drought and at the request of his community, Honi draws a circle in the sand and prays a bold prayer. Respectfully, yet with authority, he tells God he will not leave that spot inside the circle until He makes it rain. You guessed it. God honors his request; it began to sprinkle. Yet, Honi remains in the circle and only walks away once God makes big, fat juicy drops fall from the sky.
Batterson’s premise is that we, too, should “draw circles” around miraculous ways we would like for God to show up in our lives and pray epic prayers.
Fast forward a few years in my life. Once again I take The Circlemaker off of the shelf. In the midst of a major life shift and a global pandemic, I feel driven to pray courageously. Instead of being put off by what I thought was “name it and claim it” thinking in Batterson’s work, I am now humbled by his insistence on being intentional and investing time in cultivating a deep, intimate relationship with God as we pray.
In this destabilizing season, where might God be asking you to anchor yourself in him and to engage him authentically? Pray your heart to him. What would delight his heart to do for you? Draw your circle and begin to pray. Get to know God in a way you haven’t known him before. Pray boldly. Pray consistently. Pray this promise as yours…
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
~Jacqueline Hullaby
As we head into the fall, we are excited to launch new 6 week studies on ZOOM. Studies will be Mondays 8-9:30pm starting September 14th. To register for a study you can click here.
COMPASSION & CONVICTION
Leader: Terri Pease and Lindsey Wright
In a polarized country, it often seems like we are constantly forced to choose between two candidates or policies that fall short of our Christian values and witness. The world gives us a false dichotomy of choices that leaves little room for nuance or compromise. In frustration, many Christians opt out of the political process altogether, but what if there is a third way? During this six-week study, we will use the book Compassion and Conviction by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler as a guide to show us why and how we, as Christians, should engage in politics. We will discuss topics such as: Church & State; Messaging & Rhetoric; Politics & Race; and Civility & Political Culture. We will also work through exercises to help us learn how to facilitate constructive and meaningful conversations about politics.
THE MINOR PROPHETS- DISCERNMENT IN DIFFICULT TIMES
Leader: Chris Nikkel and Steve Mathis
The minor prophets are often overlooked due to the seemingly obscure times in which they lived and the harshness of their messages. In this study, we will be diving deep into their contexts, unpacking what they said and to whom and to what end. What we hope to discover and apply is how the voice of the prophet is a bold, discerning presence in the midst of a world teetering on destruction and a faith community flirting with assimilation. Join us for prayer, study, and discussion.
WHAT THE WOMEN SAW- WOMEN’S STUDY
Leader: Nancy Gaines and All Parish Co-Hosts
Do women matter to the kingdom of God? Jesus was surrounded by both men and women during his ministry on earth. He saw, valued, and cared for women, and he still does today. This women’s, all parish study will focus on discovering Jesus through the eyes of women. We will watch a 10 minute video from some of our favorite IF:Gathering speakers, and discuss how each of us has a significant role in the kingdom of God.
Sunday’s Family Ministry Lesson
Check out Family Ministries “Say Cheese” curriculum. Click here to see week one’s lesson.
Church Lobby Sunday Mornings
We are loving chatting with you all on Sunday morning! If you haven’t checked out The Park Church Lobby yet, you can still join in on Sunday mornings starting at 9:15am until 9:55am. Pop in just to say hello or stay the whole time! We’d love to “see” you all there! Afterwards, join us online for our church streaming service at 10am. Can’t wait to see you this Sunday! Click here to join the ZOOM call Sunday.
Wednesday Night Worship & Prayer
Join us Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM on Facebook Live or YouTube Live for a time of worship and prayer. We look forward to interacting in real time as we re-center our hearts on what God is doing.
Church Chats
Join us every Thursday morning on Facebook Live at 10am for Church Chat. We will have some pastors from our church community gather to discuss topics and questions sent to us from you, our church family. To submit questions, email questions@theparksa.org.
Covid-19 Needs and Assistance
The Park is still gathering the needs of our community. We have created a way for you to request assistance. If you have a need you can click here.
If you are able to offer assistance to others you can click here.
Stay in Contact
If we can pray for you, please contact your parish pastor directly or send us an email at prayer@theparksa.org.
If you are experiencing any hardships during this time, we want to be there to support you. If you have questions or needs we can help with, email us at info@theparksa.org