What gives us hope for the future? (Neh 12:1-43)
Neh 12:1-43 As a young Christian reading the gospels, I sometimes wondered about the emphasis in them on healing sick people and raising the dead, when I thought the point was that Jesus came to deal with sin and make…
Who do you belong to? (Neh 11)
Neh 11:1-36 A friend of mine was part of a growing church with wonderful relationships and a sense of belonging. However, given its growth, the leadership eventually decided to split the group and start a new church-plant with some key…
The mark of true repentance (Neh 10)
Neh 9:38; 10:1-39 A month or so after a Billy Graham crusade, someone in my youth group who ‘went forward’ was expressing her disappointment. The initial glow from her decision had faded and she wondered where God was. She felt…
The consequences of a compromised life (Neh 9:26-37)
Neh 9:26-37 A generation or two ago, the Church was at pains to emphasise the great truth re-discovered by the Reformation that we are not saved by works and can add nothing to the finished work of Christ that redeemed…
Why God perseveres with us (Neh 9:16-25)
Neh 9:16-25 When I taught Old Testament, my students often started out with grave reservations about this part of the Bible. God seemed harsh and unrelenting to them, even vindictive. Yet, by the end of their studies, their perspective often…
Remember what He told you! (Luke 24:1-12)
Luke 24:1-12 A girl in my youth group wished she had lived in Jesus’ time and could have met Him in the flesh. I suspect we can all relate to that desire. How much better it would be if we…
Where do we stand? What do we see? (Luke 23:44-49)
Luke 23:44-49 If one googles ‘optical illusions’, there is usually a drawing of a woman among the images. Some see her as young with her head turned away, others as old and in profile. Most notice one or other of…
God’s law: gift or burden? (Neh 9:9-15)
Neh 9:9-15 Once my husband and I were driven by our host to an event in a city that we did not know. Our driver was not entirely sure of his direction and his wife, mother-in-law, and Siri were all…
Finding certainty in our shifting world (Neh 9:6-8)
Neh 9:6-8 When trying to gauge what a church is like, worship songs are often as revealing as the sermon. Sadly, many contemporary Christian songs express how confused, wounded and lost we feel in the world and emphasise God coming…
The key to recognising sin in our lives (Neh 9:1-5)
Neh 9:1-5 When God called me to Himself, I had little understanding of sin. I was only fifteen at the time, from a Christian home, so I struggled to feel a sense of guilt over wrongs I had done or…