It boils down to this: You will trust God only as much as you love him. You will love God, not because you have studied him, but because you have touched him and he has touched you. This does not mean an automatic end to all trouble in the future. Trust does not guarantee you will never again experience desolation, disappointment, or pain -- but it does mean you will never again go through it alone!
-- from the Proper 5 sermon "How long has it been since you heard a sermon about Elijah, Elisha, Melchizedek, and Amos? It was so exciting to write from these fresh passages. How they speak to our day -- and to us!" writes Barbara Brokhoff. "God's eyes are ever upon us; upon those who do evil and those who do good. God never sleeps. Nothing escapes him. He is not hoodwinked by our easy rationalizations for our sins. He misses nothing," says the author. "How happy we are when God can bless our lives as we try to follow him in obedience and integrity." The ten sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts primarily from 1 Kings and 2 Kings. The sermons follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Barbara Brokhoff, Largo, Florida, is a general evangelist for the United Methodist Church. She preaches around the nation in revivals, pastor's schools, and at annual conferences. This is her second CSS lectionary-based sermon book.