The Bible is a Love Story from God to us. It was given to us in order to communicate with a world that is too lost and blind in their own sin to see or fellowship with God any other way; to show us God’s unbelievable Power, Creativity, Love and Desire for us through the revealing of His Creation; to show us His initial design and purpose for our lives with Him, before we turned from Him; to show us how to find our way back to Him again; to show us the absolute worth and importance He put on us through His passion and persistence to make a way back to Him; to show us how to really love; to show us what is to come in the future He made for us; to show us how we can live beautifully with purpose and excitement right now! It is a Love Story about a love rejected; a battle that lasts through the ages to restore the lost lover; a battle against the tempter who stole that beloved—at the cost of everything the rejected Lover has in His possession (His Creation, power, position and reputation, relationships, His Life) and the reunion with all forgiven and restored- a happily ever after! We shouldn’t just analyze, study and follow It; we need to see our place in Its pages and see our worth and future in the Eyes of the One who wrote It!

Continuing with our broad overview of the Bible, today Pastor Doss goes through the big themes in the Old Testament.  When we can see the whole picture, it makes it easier to see how the pieces, or individual books of the Bible, fit together. 

How many of you have ever began studying the Bible with good intentions and enthusiasm, only to become confused and discouraged? Wondering how what you read fits into the "Big Picture?" Feeling overwhelmed with how you will ever grasp the concept of God's Plan; just wanting to give up because you feel the task of understanding Scriptures is too much for you? You are not alone. Most people today don't have a "working knowledge" of Scriptures or how they fit together. The sad part is they reflect the very thoughts and heart of God. They are endless in their depth (you can learn forever), yet God has made His Plan of Redemption easy enough for every person in this room to understand. Most of us just don't want to take the time.

Weighing in at over 780,000 words, the Bible can be a bit daunting.  Where do we start?  Do we need to read the Old Testament or the New Testament first?  Do I need to read it all?  What if I don't understand it?  Do I even need to read it at all?

Do you ever get frustrated because you don't see God working the way you read about in Bible times? Do you ever wonder why He doesn't do more around us in this day? Do you ever wonder if those stories were even real? Well Scriptures, in all of their honesty and truthfulness, tell us that some of the greatest heroes of faith had the same feelings, and asked the same questions: Judges 6:12-13.

Throughout Scripture, in every BIG act of God, He used a person to bring about the change.  Want to know a secret?  He wants to use you too. 

It can be a scary thought.  Am I worthy enough?  Am I good enough?  Will I have to sacrifice something?  Do I even want to be used?  Today Pastor Doss takes a look at moment in Gideon's life in which he questioned why God seemed to have forsaken the world and given them to the enemy.  The people were scared, felt alone, felt abandoned.  Sound familiar?  God's response to Gideon is still applicable to us today.  Listen to the message below to get a glimpse of God's plan and how you fit into it.