“Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” He said. Matthew 14:28, 29 NIV As a little girl growing up with flannel boards, flower, butter cookies, and juice in a Dixie cup, I can still feel, see, smell, remember my Jesus times at church. My growing up…
Category: Soul Work
His Work
Ezra Chapters 9 and 10: Changing the Cycle
We often reflect back on our life story and see the hand of God. We worship and celebrate all that He has done for us. Ezra chapter 9 and 10 come as a great shock after you read about the awesome power of God, the generosity of the king, and the faith of the people….
Ezra Study: Time to sit under the apple tree and enjoy
There are several friends reading Ezra with me. God’s Word is living and active. I loved the words expressed by a reader after studying Chapter 8 together: “Whew! I’m mentally exhausted. I have so much work to do, but I’m excited about it. I’m going to try to print out the 12 ways to humble yourself!”…
We are all pearls in need of a string
My dear friend Melinda sent a text that she was listening to S.M. Lockridge’s full sermon from the post I shared the other day that included the portion “That’s My King” by Lockridge. The message starts off slower than most sermons today, but the beauty in the message is found in his relaxed but authoritative…
THAT’S MY KING: Ezra Chapter 7 afterthoughts
Yesterday we talked about the encouragement of king Artaxerxes of Persia. There is something so powerful about studying God’s Word line upon line and chapter by chapter. I feel like I know Ezra, and I look forward to seeing him in heaven one day! I ponder during my quiet time conversations and circumstances surrounding his life…
The Power of Encouragement: Ezra Chapter 7: 11-28
King Artaxerxes addressed Ezra as “the teacher of the laws of the God of heaven”. He recognized Ezra’s God and the importance of keeping the laws of the Jewish people. His recognition included decrees to keep them safe in their travels, financial provision, and funds for offerings or sacrifices to God to be placed on…
A Good Trip: Ezra Chapter 7: 1-10
A family tree displays our bloodline–our heritage. Who begot who, marriages, deaths, and in some cases, if we are blessed, we have stories recorded of amazing events. Chapter 7 of Ezra takes a detour to remind us of Ezra’s bloodline. Ezra was the son of Seriah, and many, many years before Seriah was born, a son…
Ezra Chapter 4, 5, and 6: Resistance and Opposition
Resistance and opposition are a part of any movement. From the smallest of actions taken to life changing goals expect push back. Not all opposition is a bad thing. We learn and grow from those who think differently from us. We improve our programs and enhance our goals by listening to those who see things…
Ezra Chapter 3, The Building Begun: “The Foundation of the Temple Was Laid”
The people who returned to Jerusalem to build the temple did not begin the actual construction of the Temple until June of the second year of their arrival. Construction began after they rebuilt the altar of Moses, “the man of God”. They offered prayer, worship, and sacrifices on the very spot that Moses worshiped. They…
Ezra Chapter 2
42,360 persons returned to Judah. In addition to the list were 200 choir members. The choir members were from the clan of Asaph. Who was Asaph? There were a number of Levites that King David assigned as worship leaders in the tabernacle choir, according to 1 Chronicles 6:31–32. Asaph was one of these men (1 Chronicles…
ARRESTED BY GRACE 