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Nehemiah teaches us how to handle the Backyard Bullies
Nehemiah is not the only one who faced backyard bullies who used their strength or power to intimidate the weaker Jerusalemites. Joshua and Jabez did as well. Bully's tactics begin as a low rumble and escalate to a roar! They are jealous, angry, scornful, mockers who plant invidious ideas and thoughts to distract and scare. Our children meet these backyard bullies with their taunts and scary words. They meet them when they are faced with pressure to log on and be a part of the social media scene. Help them to see and understand that bullies are like that because essentially bullies are scaredy cats who are all bluff and…
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Fake News Isn’t New (Ezra 4; Nehemiah 4-6)
Fake news isn’t new. It’s been going on for years. You can find several examples in the Bible even. In fact, fake news is sprinkled throughout the books of Ezra and Nehemiah—always with the purpose of discouragement to stop or distract God’s people from doing the work He gave them to do. Ezra 4:16, 22 — a letter to King Artaxerxes from those who had power over Judah before the exiles and their leaders returned to the land to rebuild. “We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates…Why let this threat grow, to the detriment…
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Managing Our 2016 Expectations
Back in the saddle of weekly activities, 2016 is already barreling along, the stock market and the weather jerking around like a bull in the Houston Rodeo. (Or…maybe that should be a bear?) Whether we write down our goals and vision for the year ahead or not, we all have this picture of the way we'd like things to be. And then life happens. Here are some reminders to think about, pray about, as we try to live on purpose when life starts bucking around: We hold our expectations with open, God-trusting hands. Like Nehemiah, we may long to see certain outcomes and ready strategic plans for the moment when…
