Approaching the intersection...

Week #6 in the “When the Walls Fall Down” Series … Stay on Course  Pikeville UMC August 19, 2018 Review series Today we conclude our series from the Book of Nehemiah.   Over the previous five weeks we have followed him in his quest to help rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem and – in doing so – help rebuild the morale and spirit of the Hebrew people.   These events happened roughly 450 years before the birth of Jesus and, yet, the principles we can draw from this book are timeless.  In our journey with Nehemiah, we have learned about how to respond when life takes us in unexpected directions.   Nehemiah teaches us that when the walls fall down in our lives we learn to:   pray, prepare, get to work, expect opposition and celebrate the victories. If Hollywood were making a movie about Nehemiah, the movie would have ended last week with the successful reconstruction of the wall, but as we all know, Hollywood often struggles with t...

Week #5 in the “When the Walls Fall Down” Series …Celebrate the Victories   Pikeville UMC August 12, 2018 Review series We have – for the last month – been following the journey of Nehemiah.   Born more than 450 years before Jesus, Nehemiah – a Jew living in exile – made a 1,000-mile trip to Jerusalem to repair its broken walls and help restore hope to a defeated Hebrew people.   We have been looking at how Nehemiah was able to do what he did and how we can apply those principles in our own lives when we face challenges in our own journeys.     The first step in Nehemiah’s journey was to pray.   You are probably sick of hearing it by now, but we have said that prayer is Nehemiah’s first option, not his last resort.   Nehemiah not only prayed; he prepared.   When God opened a door for Nehemiah with the Persian King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was prepared with an answer for what he desired to do and what he needed to do it.   Ne...

Week #4 in the “When the Walls Fall Down” Series … Expect Opposition Pikeville UMC  August 5, 2018 Review series Over the past three weeks, we have been looking at the story of Nehemiah.   A Jew, born in exile, more than 450 years before Jesus, Nehemiah made a 1,000-mile trip to Jerusalem to repair its broken walls and help restore hope to the Hebrew people.   Nehemiah’s story can teach us what to do when we face challenges that are our equivalent of broken walls.   The first step in Nehemiah’s journey was to pray.   As we have said throughout this series, it was his first option, not his last resort.   Nehemiah not only prayed; he prepared.   When God opened a door for him to share his vision with the Persian King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was prepared with an answer for what he desired to do and what he needed to be able to do it.   When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he toured the city’s walls, saw what needed to be done, and shared hi...