Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: The New Testament begins with a list of who’s who from the Old Testament, a very direct link to the past. The list of characters range from good to notoriously bad and even includes five women! As I tried to get through the first two chapters, I found myself digging into the details of …
As we move from the Old to the New Testament, it’s important to pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. Using TheBibleProject.com’s reading plan, we’ll cruise through the New Testament through the end of the year. I’m not in a hurry, but I am excited about posting through the Bible in …
Read: Malachi’s prophetic and challenging words seem to flow well after reading . As contemporaries, Nehemiah was working to establish order out of the chaos of exile while Malachi focused on remembering the covenants of old. Both worked hand-in-hand to encourage the remnant and rebuke those who were misguided. The overarching theme that sticks out …
Read: The closing chapter of Nehemiah exposes Eliashib’s character and the problems caused by his association with Tobiah. Way back when I was a young child, my parents used to tell me they knew who I was playing with by my attitude when I came home. Nothing new here. The Tobiah/Eliashib relationship runs deep. I’m …
Read: I’m amazed at how Nehemiah focused on the people, individuals and families, through this entire process. Most of the time I see lists of names and numbers and just move on, but this time I saw faces and families, men, women and children–real people living in difficult times. Nehemiah invested a lot of time …
Continue reading “Nehemiah: Individuals and Families Matter”
Read: Nehemiah wasn’t just building a wall, there was purpose beyond simple fortification and construction. As I type this a song is playing in my head that just won’t stop — Wonder (Hillsong UNITED, 2017). The artists paint the picture in words and music to pay tribute to those who have only seen the world …
Continue reading “Ezra Reads the Law — All Commit to Serve the Lord”
Read: Fake news is not a new thing, just a phrase that we hear more often these days. Simply put, fake news is a lie. We’ve been dealing with the issue since the days of Adam and Eve and here we witness Nehemiah’s response to Sanballat’s lies to lure him away from Jerusalem. Round One …
Read: Sanballat and Tobiah move beyond their initial reaction where “they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites” (). They’re now actively promoting dissent among those working on the walls while planting the seed for insurrection with their cohorts. It’s a battle of words as even Sanballat …
Continue reading “Pray and Do Something: Nehemiah’s Response as Opposition Rises”
Read: I’m in no hurry to run through this fabulous story. In my imagination, Nehemiah had lots of discretionary time on his hands. After all, how much time could it really take to be a cupbearer? I can see Nehemiah in his office writing out details on his dry-erase board, sketching plans from memory, having …
Read: Nehemiah is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the concept that his words are written 1,000 years after Exodus–that is such a long time! And yet Nehemiah’s first words look back on Moses. As one in the king’s court, Nehemiah had the privilege of access …