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During today's conversational back porch theology, we're going to begin exploring a 12-book

section at the tail end of the Old Testament called the Minor Prophets.

I used to think they were called Minor Prophets because the men who wrote them were diminutive,

paleo-eating kind of men, but the real reason these 12 books are referred to as the Minor

Prophets is simply that they're not as long-winded as prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

Yet in spite of their brevity, most of these books are no more than a few chapters in length,

the Minor Prophets are full of passion and intrigue and unforgettable images of God.

And my favorite image of God is presented in the very first book of the 12 Minor Prophets,

a shocking love story that serves as a biblical harbinger of the gospel.

It's all about a good guy named Hosea, his name literally means Yahweh has rescued or salvation,

and a bad girl named Gomer. So please grab a cup of coffee in your Bible,

unless you're driving or are shaping a bonsai tree, of course, and come hang out on the porch with

alley of me. Hey, hey, back porchers. It's Alice in here welcoming you to this week's episode of

Back Porch Theology. And let me just say before we take a running leap into what God has put on Lisa's

heart today, we are so thrilled and honored that you would join us whether you're in the car

on a walk. I hope you're not encountering any half-necked neck in the rapids of a run. That's right,

on the run. However you come, you are welcome here. We hope you will pull up your proverbial rocker

and rock with us a bit on the porch today as we dive into the glory and the kind of mess sometimes

that the Bible allows us to peek into as we pursue God in a redemptive manner. Today, we're kind

of talking about what it means to major on the miners. And so you're kind of a little bit of a hint

toward where we're going today. Lisa's going to unpack it for us a little bit more, but we'll

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