Prayer. What a gift and yet so many of us struggle with prayer. I’ve heard story after story of those who prayed, earnestly prayed, pleaded with God, and they didn’t get what they asked for so they stopped praying, some
Rachel Freeman had been looking forward to Wednesday, February 5, for weeks, no months. She’d worked hard during her four years of high school and her hard work had paid off. On Wednesday of this past week, Rachel was set
It has only been one week since we were together and taking one final look at Ezra. Today we are starting our new study of Nehemiah. You’ll find the two books right next to one another, Nehemiah follows Ezra, but
Like a great Hollywood movie, we’ve experienced the highs and lows of the people of God during the past few months as we’ve been studying the book of Ezra. Last week, as we took a look at Ezra 9, we
I want to take you back to December of the year 458 B.C. It would be a pivotal moment for the people of God in Jerusalem. Ezra, a Jewish scribe who worked for the pagan King Artaxerxes in Babylon, had
What will the New Year bring about for you and me? That’s a huge question looming in the minds of many people as we get ready to turn the page on the calendar and begin a brand new year. Many
The dispositions of the human heart are varied. A “disposition” is the predominant or prevailing tendency of one’s heart, a habitual inclination, or characteristic attitude. When we stop to think about our own heart, our own tendencies concerning how we
Last week we were finally introduced to Ezra, the man for whom the book is named. After six chapters and so much having taken place in Jerusalem, we met Ezra. In the first six chapters we witnessed the journey to
In 2008, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called, “Outliers.” In the book he says that 10,000 hours is the secret to success. Gladwell says that if you want to master something then you have to commit the time to practicing
Last week, as we took a look at Ezra 5, we were able to see such a clear demonstration of the kindness and love of God. The people had grown stagnant and dissatisfied with life because of their neglect of
