The biblical picture of God as "heavenly Father" reinforces the idea that he is loving and caring. We do not ask as beggars but as sons and daughters, since he is the Father of all by creation and the Father of Christians in particular by adoption. God is also likened in the Bible to a divine Mother who seeks to gather her brood under her wings (Matthew 23:37). - From The Struggle of Prayer by Donald G. Bloesch

Jesus goes out of his way to teach and illustrate just how much we are loved by God. And yet it is still easy to maintain a distance. Why is this? Are you close with your parents? Why or why not? How do we overcome this distance we sometimes keep between ourselves and God?

Please pray for the North Alabama Annual Conference meeting this weekend at Clear Branch United Methodist Church just north of Birmingham.