Gaining a heart of wisdom
The longest recorded prayer in the Old Testament, Nehemiah 9:6-38 is also the fullest summarized retelling of Old Testament history. It's all there, point and counterpoint: the Red Sea crossing, the manna, the subduing of the Canaanites. Ponder these alongside the disobedience, the mutiny, and the faithless complaining. A slow reading of this prayer with an eye… Continue reading Just One Thing: History
When I taught my way through the book of Nehemiah with my Sunday School class this year, I was reminded of the context for one of the Bible's most "quotable" verses on joy -- it's not what I expected! Thanks be to God that He is our infallible source of joy during Advent and throughout… Continue reading Just One Thing: Joy
A Boy of The Book (A short story based on Nehemiah 8) Joel leaned his head against his mother's rough tunic, but then roused himself and immediately straightened, forcing his eyes, once again, toward the direction of Ezra's voice. He was thankful that he and his mother had found a place near the platform, because… Continue reading Just One Thing: The Book
Multi-syllabic, Mostly unpronounceable, They march across the pages. Trailing their fathers, Embedded in community, Their names inscribe the ages. There are no nameless -- There are no faceless -- Followers of God Most High. Although we read them With hearts too numb to marvel At the grace that's between the lines; For these are the… Continue reading Just One Thing: Names
Fear is a powerful motivator. Even the reluctant student might memorize lists of data for fear of failing a class. Motorists maintain a more conservative driving speed in areas where police regularly patrol. Unfortunately, there is also the fear that paralyzes, that leads to irrational decisions and self-protective behaviors. Fear of God, however, is the supremely… Continue reading Just One Thing: Fear
Muttering under my breath, I cleaned up the mess that is called party food. Where to put it all? Refrigerator? Full! Cupboards? Full! My grouching escalated into a claustrophobic "ti-rage" about my cramped life until, in the quietness of loading the dishwasher, I realized that I had been complaining about one thing: abundance. Turn it… Continue reading Just One Thing: Powerless
According to commentators, the final syllable of the name Jerusalem suggests the words "peace" [shalom] and "prosperity" [shalvah]. We don't hear it in our English rendering, but try this instead: think "yer-u-sha-lay-im." (Hear it now?) At any rate, both peace and prosperity were in short supply during Nehemiah's tenure in Jerusalem, but he was a man… Continue reading Just One Thing: Peace
"May we so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal." This was my daily prayer during the years when my boys were tiny, and even though I'm not from a tradition that uses prayer books or puts the emphasis on the first syllable in the word "collect," I've recently started praying these words again. I'm… Continue reading Just One Thing: Inconvenience
One of the drawbacks of starting a family in your thirties is that your children will likely have a distinct shortage of grandparents. However, not because we deserve it, but because God is gracious, our children are blessed to have a team of onlookers who have been, well . . . looking on for their whole lives, cheering… Continue reading Just One Thing: Onlookers
Going through an old journal -- from the days of four kids under the age of nine, I found an entry based on my reading of Nehemiah 4:10. "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot build the wall." "Wow," I thought, scanning the entry. "That must have… Continue reading Just One Thing: Rubble
