Episodes

Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
The Ezra Nehemiah story ends in a very unsatisfying way, and for good reason. Every commitment the people made in chapter 10 to obey all the commands of Moses were abandoned by chapter 13. In fact, the people of God have always been faithless to follow the Lord. The story leaves us wanting more, wanting for God to do something for us and in us that we can never do for ourselves or by ourselves. The story leaves us wanting for the Cross and for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. (Nehemiah 13.4-31) August 30, 2020

Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
The joy of the Lord is my strength. But what does that mean? Does it mean that my joy in the Lord is the strength that moves me from weeping to joy? Or does it mean that the Lord's joy in me is a refuge from my fears and doubts? (Nehemiah 8.1-12) August 23, 2020

Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
When God puts something in our hearts to do, we should expect opposition, both from within and from without. From the example of Nehemiah, we learn that when we face this opposition, it helps to remember the calling and God's promises, to practice the prayers of lament, to pray for discernment, and to act in faith. (Nehemiah 2-6) August 16, 2020

Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
The calling of Nehemiah is a story about God moving in a great way. Through this story, we see that when God moves in a great way, we see small groups of people praying for extended periods of time. When God moves in a great way, we see a divine sense of timing. When God moves in a great way, we see chosen and anointed and unlikely individuals being used by God in significant ways. And when God moves in a great way, we see God doing what only God can do. (Nehemiah 1.1-2.8) August 2, 2020

Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
What does it mean to be a follower of Christ, to renounce everything to be His disciple? In the story of Ezra, we discover that our commitment to Christ supersedes even our family commitments, as all must come under the Lordship of Christ. (Ezra 10.1-3) July 26, 2020.

Monday Jul 27, 2020
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Do we pray for the Providential care of God, or do we merely assume it? Through the testimony of Ezra, we learn that when we pray for the Hand of God upon our life, we see God's Hand everywhere, we align our hearts and minds with God's heart and mind, and God acts in response to our prayers. (Ezra 8.21-23) July 12, 2020

Monday Jul 20, 2020
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Why do we need to intentionally incorporate prayers of confession in our regular prayer life? As we allow Ezra to model how to confess our sins in prayer to the Lord, we discover that the prayer of confession is the only vaccine to protect us from the virus of self-righteousness. (Ezra 9) July 19, 2020

Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Guest preacher Michael Postell shares a word from Ezra 7 (July 5, 2020)

Monday Jun 29, 2020
Monday Jun 29, 2020
When the people of God finished rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, the first thing they did was to keep the Passover. It was more than just a ceremony. It was a faith opportunity to separate themselves from the uncleanness of the land, to choose to worship the One True God only, and to delight in His gracious good works. (Ezra 6.19-22) June 28, 2020

Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
God's divine eternal plan is to build one household of faith, fellow citizens from all people groups. But when we neglect God's house and focus only on our house, we do so at our own peril. (Ezra 5.1-2) June 14, 2020