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…
Creating opportunities for Scripture to come alive (Neh 8:13-18)
Neh 8:13-18 Who hasn’t experienced the joy when our circumstances or an event brought home to us the meaning of a passage in new ways? Suddenly we realised the significance of what we read so that a dry portion of…
The best remedy for remorse (Neh 8:9-12)
Neh 8:9-12 A friend of mine hates birthdays. Every year reminds her of the passing of time, of the fact that she is still single at 45 when she longs to be married. Birthdays for her are a time to…
Helpful principles in reading Scripture (Neh 8:1-8)
Neh 8:1-8 Once I visited a church, where instead of the Bible reading, a re-imagined story of the prodigal son (in this case a prodigal daughter in a modern context) was recounted. The preacher then talked about parenting and the…
What makes the difference between success and failure? (Neh 6:15-7:5)
Neh 6:15-19; 7:1-5 Despite badgering, opposition, tactics to frighten the workers, discredit their leader and forcibly stop the project, the breaches have been filled and the Jerusalem wall now stands, less than two months after the project began (Neh 6:15).…