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Approximately 438 years had passed since Solomon built a great temple in Jerusalem...and now it has come to Nehemiah's attention that the walls and gates of the city are in disrepair. More importantly, though, he realizes that in those 438 years, the nation of Israel has crumbled time and time again because of its disobediance to God.

So now, when Nehemiah becomes aware of the sad state of Israel and the gates of her city, he intercedes in prayer on behalf of both the scattered remnant and the city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive the people's sins, and in effect,…  ( Click for more )

Albert Einstein, the great physicist honored by Time magazine as the 'Man of the Century', was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket. It wasn't there! H looked in his briefcase but just could not find it. Then he looked in the seat by him...still no ticket! The conductor said, "Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you…  ( Click for more )

I am confident that if I were with the apostles after the crucifixion and resurrection...I am sure that you would be reading my name instead of Thomas' in John 20! Without a doubt I would be the one to express doubt! There is no way that the disciples who had witnessed the appearance of Jesus would be able to convince me that He was alive. In order for me to believe I would have to physically put my hands into the nail prints and see the scars on His body. Then, and only then, would I be convinced!

Well - - here it is, after the resurrection and Jesus appears to the apostles…  ( Click for more )

At Calvary a man was hanging on a cross next to Jesus. This man had lived a life of evil. He was a thief. He was murderer. He deserved his punishment. He deserved hell.

Yet in the last moment he turned to Christ and said, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." (Luke 23:42). In that moment Jesus turned to him and said, "I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

I fully expect to see that man in Paradise. I believe that man is in heaven today. Not because he could come down from the cross and be baptized. Not because he could…  ( Click for more )

I believe that most everyone who knows me is aware that my favorite author is none other than...Max Lucado!

May I share with you how Max describes the event of the cross in his book 'The Gift for All People'... "Christ came to earth for one reason - - to give His life as a ransom for you, for me, for all of us. He sacrificed Himself to give us a second chance. He would have gone to any lengths to do so. And He did. He went to the cross, where man's utter despair collided with God's unbending grace. And in that moment when God's great gift was complete,…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever been overwhelmed with hopelessness?

My mother-in-law is coming to visit soon...please pray for me! Whenever my mother-in-law visits our home she loves to engage us in some challenging games of Scrabble. Of course whenever I play scrabble I love to cheat and make up words...so my mother-in-law now brings a Webster's Dictionary to the table when we're playing Scrabble to make sure that I'm not trying to bluff her!

Now - if you were to take a Webster's Dictionary and look up the word 'confidence' (as seen in the Scripture text above)…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever been overwhelmed with hopelessness?

Do you ever have thoughts or feelings of worthlessness?

Do you ever think, "I can't do anything right," or "I'm not lovable."?

Read this and read it carefully - - GOD NEVER CONSIDERS YOU WORTHLESS!! When He sees you, He sees an individual with potential and great value. To you He says, "As the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in MY hand." (Jeremiah 18:6)

A cold, shapeless lump of clay may seem useless...but in the hands of a master potter it can become a rare and precious treasure. However,…  ( Click for more )

Could there possibly have been a more unified group than the disciples after Jesus' ascension? (Acts 1:6-11)

Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were pretty much a ragtag bunch. Most of them really had no clue what Jesus was up to and they spent a great deal of time squabbling among themselves. In the Gospels, we catch glimpses of tiffs and even jealously among them. But then in the book of Acts - there is none of that! They present a strong, cohesive, unifed front to new converts, to dissenters, and to their opposition. No doubt the presence of the Holy Spirit…  ( Click for more )

For several weeks in late February, 2003, there were quite a few email letters being passed from computer to computer encouraging Christians across the land to pray for our nation and our world on March 03, 2003. These emails stressed the significance of this date because of it's numerical sequence - 03/03/03 - which reminds Christians of the Trinity. One email asked folks to pray at 3:03 p.m.

Jeremiah 33:3 (again...note the 3's) was cited an important passage of Scripture..."Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

One…  ( Click for more )

One of the things I love about the season of winter is building a fire in the fireplace on a cold, snowy night...and then getting cozy with my wife on the sofa and watch the flames dance and enjoy the warmth! A blazing fire gives warmth and it gives light...just picturing this scene in my mind speaks quietness and comfort to me!

Whenever we've been at church camp and the evening ends with everyone singing around the campfire and making smores...it's wonderful. But after the campers go to their dorms...we always douse the fire with water and sand make sure it's totally…  ( Click for more )

Absolutely, one of my favorite stories in the Bible (and a favorite for most children too!) is found in the New Testament in the book of Mark chapter 2. Here you read the touching story of a paralyzed man whose freinds desperately wanted Jesus to heal him. They carried him on a mat to the house where Jesus was teaching - - but the place was so packed with people that they couldn't even get near the door.

Undaunted, the friends found another way. Somehow they maneuvered the mat onto the roof, dug through the clay roof, and lowered the paralyzed man right down in front of…  ( Click for more )

On September 18,2004 at 9:08 a.m. Sharon and I welcomed GRACE EVELYN JEFFERY into our hearts! Our second beautiful grandbaby! I invite you to join with us in celebrating this precious child that God has brought into our lives.

My beautiful Grace Evelyn!

We couldn't believe our ears when in the winter months of 2004 your mommy and daddy shared the news that they were expecting a second child! Immediately...we were in love with you and for the next several months we anxiously awaited your arrival! Early on Saturday morning, September 18, your mommy & daddy called…  ( Click for more )

Do you remember those times in your childhood when you wanted to reach something but you were too small and what you wanted was just out of your reach??!! I know for me it was the cookie jar that Florence Aldridge had made for my parents. It sat on the kitchen counter and was always filled with yummy cookies and snacks...but as a 5 year old I could not reach it even if I stood on my tip-toes!! I've grown up some now and the cookie jar doesn't quite seem to have the same appeal that it did 40+ years ago (well - maybe it does sometimes!!).

Honestly, one of the things…  ( Click for more )

Take a coin or a dollar bill out of your pocket or purse right now and look at it. On each coin or paper currency there is a phrase that reads "In God We Trust." It astounds me that there are those in our culture who desire to have that phrase removed from all U. S. currency. There attitude irks me...but that's another issue!!

But the phrase "In God We Trust" - - trust Him to do what?

Trust Him … to keep us free from terrorist invasion? Trust Him … to make us rich? Trust Him … to make the gasoline prices go down? Trust Him … to keep our nation in…  ( Click for more )

I think one of the great challenges facing our churches today is the issue of being a 'servant'. Somehow many folks have the idea that the best way to serve God is to attend a worship service on Sunday morning. But if you study the Scriptures you find that when Jesus talks about 'serving' - it always means pouring your life into somebody else.

Jesus certainly modeled this the evening of the Last Supper when He took on the role of the lowest servant and washed the feet of the disciples. (John 13:3-16) Through this act He showed that the key to servanthood…  ( Click for more )

When I was a little boy (and believe it or not - - I used to be 'little'!!)...I had a cute little pet hamster named 'Hammy'. Hammy had a nice little cage that we kept on a shelf next to our back door in the kitchen. In the mornings I would feed Hammy, talk to him and try to play with him. One of Hammy's favorite things to do was to get into his tiny tread-wheel and run and run and run and run! I wonder...did he ever realize that despite his valiant effort - - he was going absolutely NOWHERE!!

When you occasionally slow down from your hectic schedule…  ( Click for more )

On your journey of live have you ever faced a difficult situation that seemed overwhelming...and at that moment you questioned God's love for you? Maybe you vocalized these words..."Lord, do You love me? Do You even care about me?"

This past Saturday morning I listened and watched in disbelief at the horrifying news that the space shuttle Columbia had exploded over Texas as it prepared for landing in Florida. It is certainly a time of mourning for our nation and a time of grief for the families of the seven astronauts who gave of their lives. And I'm sure that there…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever experienced feelings of anxiety? Fear? A sudden change that leaves you feeling uncertain about the future?

Whew!! I sure have!!

BUT...there is never a time when God is unsure! He is in control even when our lives become fractured by the pressures of the world.

The Bible clearly tells us what we are to do when worries and concerns arise and begin to overwhelm us..."Do not be worried about your life..." (Matthew 6:25). "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

I've experienced that anxiety comes when I feel…  ( Click for more )

Most likely all of us have watched with interest on television the recovery efforts for the thousands of folks who have been terribly devastated by Hurricane Charley. Homes have been destroyed...water is unsafe to drink...gasoline for cars is not available...electricity is unavailable to thousands...phone lines are down...and sadly, lives have been lost.

We read the newspaper and watch the evening news and with despair we shake our heads and say, "How sad! How awful it must be for those folks." And we tend to act like we are helpless and hopeless.

BUT...WE'RE NOT!! …  ( Click for more )

If we - the church - desire for the world to sit up and take notice...then we must absolutely take the focus off of ourselves and selflessly reach out and meet the needs of those around us. As we tangibly strive to meet the needs of the lost, the hurting, the confused, the abused - - then the world will sit up, and will notice and will see the divine love of Jesus Christ.

I recently heard of a church in Tucson, Arizona where the church family meets at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, then proceed immediately out into the community to feed the homeless, paint over graffiti, or do other…  ( Click for more )

Gather with your friends at lunch today and the conversation is sure to turn to Mark & Lori Hacking...the husband in Salt Lake City, Utah who has been arrested for murdering his pregnant wife. The details are just beginning to emerge...and certainly more is to come. It is shocking and seems so hard for us to imagine what would drive a person to purposely kill someone ... especially someone they love and is bearing their child! We just can't fathom that.

But then, take your Bible and take a look at Romans 1:24-32...it presents a rather unsettling description of mankind…  ( Click for more )

One of the things that my wife and I enjoy doing in our free time is to spend that time with our friends and deepen our relationship with them. Going to the lake, out for dinner, to concerts or the movies...spending quality and quantity time with them shows how much we value, appreciate and love them. It's also during these extended times together that we discover their deepest desires, hurts, concerns, and life experiences. We grow together, laugh together, and cry together.

I'm sure that you agree with me that developing any friendship takes time and commitment.

I'm…  ( Click for more )

Back in 1971 when I was in the 10th grade my good friend David and I were raiding the refridgerator at my home in search of an afterschool snack!! Mom came into the kitchen with a prized possession...a beautiful hurricane glass shade that she had just picked up for FREE by using her trading stamps that she had been saving from the local A & P grocery store. (Are you old enough to remember trading stamps??) Mom had saved her stamps for months with the specific goal of getting this beautiful hurricane glass shade. David and I sat at the kitchen counter munching on some leftover pizza…  ( Click for more )

Once, at a horse auction in New Mexico...one rancher bragged to his buddies that he had gotten the full asking price of $2,500 for his two-year-old filly - - selling her to some kid before the auction even started. The rancher got rather gloomy, however, one hour later when that same 'kid' ran the filly through the same auction and sold her for $4,200!!

It was evident that the rancher had not recognized his horse's truth worth.

However...Jesus recognizes true worth!

When Jesus looked at Mary Magdalene - He did not see an adulteress, but He saw…  ( Click for more )