How often do we say amen just as a reflex? Listen, I am a church girl through and through. I have been found saying amen when listening to speakers that were on point. They were not preaching the gospel. They were just saying things that I agreed with, and the amen bubbled to the surface without much thought on my part. But there is a danger in an amen. Pastor broke it down for us during the sermon. We should get right to this sermon recap. Nehemiah 10 begins with a list of people that are signing a pledge to obey God. They are putting their amen on paper. Nehemiah’s…

Can you believe that we are already into week nine of our study of the book of Nehemiah???  Every Sunday, the sermon takes us higher and higher.  We are constantly challenged to look at ourselves and do the work to become better.  You already know this week turned it up a notch.  Let’s jump into the sermon recap. Week nine means that we are going through the ninth chapter of the book of Nehemiah.  The children of Israel are assembled together and fasting.  They do not look pretty or desirable.  As a matter of fact, they dressed in sack cloth and have ashes on their head.  Why the dusty appearance? …

Sermon recap time is upon us.  Although I am enjoying my break from daily writing, I must admit that I know that this platform is definitely a part of God’s plan for my life.  The time away is showing me just how special this opportunity is.  Enough of the mushy stuff.  Pastor continued our study of the book of Nehemiah.  When we last left, the wall was completed but the inside of the city was in shambles.  With some elbow grease and perseverance, the city was restored.  This week left us with great tips on how to build our strength after we have finished the wall and worked on our…

Heeeeeeey!!!!  It’s me.  I’m back for our sermon recap.  Man, I missed ya’ll.  This past week was truly one for the books for me and not in a good way.  I was gruuuuumpy!  And irritable.  And really over people.  And over work.  I was too through.  Now, no one had done anything to me.  I was just out of sorts.  Thankfully, I got over the hump.  I have said it before, and I will say it again.  Every Sunday, my pastor has a word that speaks directly to my life.  I truly believe that having a covering makes a world of difference.  This Sunday, we journeyed to Nehemiah 7 and…

Today’s sermon recap is hot off the presses.  We have made it all the way to chapter 6 of Nehemiah.  Each week provides us with practical steps that we can take to rebuild the mess that we have made of our lives.  I do not know about you, but I am glad to have some help.  Enough babbling.  Let us get into the meat of Nehemiah 6. When the chapter begins, we find Nehemiah on the wall—building.  He is engrossed in his work.  His enemies have gotten word that the work on the wall has been totally completed.  Which is not totally accurate.  The hard work of the community has…

Our journey through the book of Nehemiah has been right on time in my life.  At one point in time, the Christian streets were ablaze with the prayer of Jabez.  We wanted God to enlarge our territories.  We wanted all that He had for us, but there is a problem.  Some of us cannot handle increase.  When we are elevated, we start talking out of the side of our necks.  We forget where we came from.  Nehemiah has moved from prayer to promise.  God provided Nehemiah what he asked for and then some.  Sunday’s sermon reminded us that while we should rise up to the call that God has placed…

We have reached week four of our journey with Nehemiah.  A man who is not a pastor or a priest.  He is not a bishop or a prophet.  He is a man who was dedicated to the call of God on his life.  I do not know about you, but every sermon speaks to a tender place in my heart.  They challenge me to do better and be better.  You already know that Sunday’s sermon was no exception to this trend. Nehemiah 4 lands us in the middle of this reconstruction of the walls.  We have moved beyond prayer to action.  Each family is tending to their section.  They are…

Happy Monday!  This may be your very first time ever reading this blog.  I do not want you to be hopelessly lost.  I’ll do my best to get you up to speed quickly.  My church is currently in the midst of a “Rise Up!” campaign.  We are deeply entrenched in the book of Nehemiah.  Every week, we learn more of his story.  Bit by bit, we are given tools that will help us craft a life that is full of purpose.  Hopefully, today’s sermon recap will add to the arsenal of tools that have already been given out. This week’s sermon finds us in Nehemiah 3.  Nehemiah is no longer…

Well, it’s another day’s journey, and I am glad about it.  Last week kicked off the Rise Up campaign at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church.  We are studying the book of Nehemiah and taking nuggets of wisdom from his life.  While not a prophet or priest, Nehemiah was a worker in the kingdom of God.  The sermon from Sunday provided more practical ways that I can apply the word of God in my life.  Nehemiah 2:1-5 opens by telling us that it is the month of Nisan.  This means that four months have passed since Nehemiah has prayed his prayer in chapter one.  Four months of fasting.  Four months of…

It has been a month of Sundays since I stepped foot into the sanctuary of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church. (That’s just a really country way to say that it has been a loonng time!)  Actually, it has been more like seven months.  Sunday was the kickoff rally for our life groups, so I moseyed on out of the house to participate in in-person worship as well.  By now you know that every sermon is for me, and Sunday’s sermon was no exception.  We started our journey into the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 1:1-11 records Nehemiah’s reaction to distressing news.  He asks about the Jews who have survived captivity.  He…