NEHEMIAH – GOD’S CALL TO BUILD THE WALL (Part 6)

(August 30, 2022) Hope Flinchbaugh shares some more insights about Nehemiah’s wall- building journey, bringing a challenge to leadership!

The heart of this month’s part six is A Leader’s Faith for Finances.

My friend, whatever God calls us to do will require faith in some realm or another because without faith it is impossible to please him. God looks for faith in action and leaders should be setting examples!

Let’s give God what is due Him and offer your faith, not your friends’ or your congregation’s wallets, in respect of the project in front of you.

God is the supplier of needs
Let me pause here and talk to all of us with platforms and microphones in churches! God called Nehemiah to lead to rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. As a leader, if we’re feeling a twinge of guilt about asking for another offering, we need to talk to God. God never ever said that the church would pay our way, He said that He would supply all of our needs.

If you’re feeling a twinge of guilt, stop right there. Don’t take one more offering until God’s leading you to do it. Talk about a leap of faith.

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PRAYING TO AND TRUSTING GOD BRINGS BLESSINGS

(August 29, 2022) Robert McQuillan encourages caring for others, Christain or not…

Dear Dr Robert

This isn’t a question but a thanks to God! I’ve learned that my article – Lost at Sea – has blessed readers, including a pastor friend who had a similar experience and has emailed the following: ‘I really related to and enjoyed reading your article realising you had a good outcome like I did back in the early 90’s. God certainly has watched over our lives and we still get to experience His goodness every day.’

So, I thought I’d let you know… and also add the following that I didn’t know about at the time— On the same night (A hundred kms down the coast) sadly another man was not as fortunate as I was and didn’t return to his family but got lost and caught in the severe storm that came through at 1am. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-27/missing-search-fisherman-ian-gray-suspended-wa-police/101275878. You only realise the true danger when actually faced with it. I am so blessed to be alive. This unfortunate man’s family needs our prayers. Andrew.

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LEVELLING MOUNTAINS – NOT BY MIGHT, NOT BY POWER BUT BY MY SPIRIT! (Part 1)

(August 28, 2022) Dr Jim McClure, noted theologian, shares encouragement…

Facing mountains in these dark times?

I’ve been reflecting on a character in the Bible who faced a big mountain and discovered God had gone before him in an amazing way. His name was Zerubbabel – not the easiest name to say, nor would it be likely that you would give your new born child that name.

Most Christians know little about this man, but I find him to be inspirational and also encouraging as we cope with the ‘highs and lows’ in living in these days.

Contemporary scene
We are living in disturbing times. In my lifetime I have never known such worldwide hostility, political instability, social confusion and moral corruption. And according to medical researchers the global rates of anxiety and depression are soaring. News articles and television reports can often be quite troubling as they confront us with a stream of disturbing incidents.

Of course ours is not the only generation that has been confronted by tragedy and emotional stress. Historical records reveal many periods when war, oppression and disease have had a crushing effect on people.

God does not provide a protective wall around His people to prevent their experiencing the pain and struggles of life, but His presence in our lives gives us hope.

In the Bible, living in hope doesn’t mean that we whistle in the dark to keep our spirits up. No, biblical hope means looking to the future with assurance because we know that, regardless of conditions and circumstances, when it seems that everything is spiralling out of control, God has never lost His control! Jeremiah succinctly declared, ‘Our hope is in you’(Jeremiah 14:22).

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WHEN TO KEEP A SICK KID HOME FROM SCHOOL

(August 27, 2022) America’s Mercy Health releases good info each month as part of their concern for everyone in showing the compassion of Jesus, such as the following…

When the school year rolls around, there is one thing all parents can be certain of: your kids will probably get sick at some point.

It just happens. And when it does, you’re often left wondering when to keep your child home from school or day-care.

The following are eight instances when you should definitely keep your sick child home.

A fever
Anytime your child has a fever of 38c or greater, you’ll want to keep them home. This is because a fever is a sign of an infection which may be something contagious.

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‘LOST AT SEA’

(August 27, 2022) Andrew Kennedy shares a harrowing tale and testimony of God’s caring…

A few months ago Maree and I set out from Victoria for our first big holiday, on what we called ‘Half a Mega Trip.’ Half a mega trip! What’s a half mega? I thought at the time.

Well, mega means huge and colossal so half a huge and colossal must just big, I reasoned. Well it certainly was big! For quite a few weeks we were to travel thousands of kilometres across Western Australia and back, visiting well-known towns as well many off-the-beaten-track picturesque places.

We really enjoyed ourselves and saw lots of beautiful scenic spots. Maree took lots of photos, regularly posting quite a few to friends on FaceBook.

Gregory disaster
We were at Gregory, a small town and fishing port located 7 km northwest of the mouth of the Hutt River, in WA’s Mid-West region when it happened. Quite a small port, Gregory only has a population of around 65 people and some 80 dwellings, most of which are holiday houses.

We had decided Maree should fly back for a much-looked-forward-to couple of weeks with family back home and meantime I was to hold the fort as it were.

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BURMA (MYANMAR): DIVINE INTERVENTION NEEDED

(August 27, 2022) Elizabeth Kendal reports concerning news regarding Myanmar (originally Burma)…

Before the military coup of February 2021, Chin State in western Burma was relatively peaceful, primarily because the Tatmadaw (Burma Army) had no interests in the mountainous, sparsely populated, resource-poor region. In 1988, after the military brutally crushed pro-democracy protests and seized power for itself, the Chin founded the Chin National Front (CNF) and its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), purportedly ‘to help secure self-determination for the Chin people, democracy, and the establishment of a Federal Union of Myanmar.’

Horrible persecution
Since then, though Chin State might not have faced war in the same way the resource-rich Kachin and Karen/Kayin States have faced war, the Chin have suffered marginalisation (forced into crippling, deadly poverty) and horrible persecution, including forced labour (enslavement), forced conversion to Buddhism and torture at the hands of Burmese troops and intelligence operatives. Still, according to Mizzima (28 July 2022), the CNF/CNA ‘never had more than 200-300 members prior to 2021.’

Mizzima explains how American Baptist missionaries Reverend Arthur and Laura Carson arrived in the Chin Hills in 1899. ‘Now,’ reports Mizzima, ‘over 90 per cent of Chin people are Christians and churches are at the centre of society. Pastors and ministers are very respected and often have leadership roles in society. Every Sunday everyone goes to church, and towns and villages are deserted until everyone pours out of the churches in their Sunday best.

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BRRR! BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

(August 24, 2022) Maureen McQuillan shares some ‘wintery’ thoughts…

Each new morning the sun shines brightly and it looks so summery outside… trees and other plantings growing so well. But as I step outside to do some trimming, I shiver and rush back indoors!

Why? Because, like that old 1944 song popular with Dean Martin fans goes: ‘But, Baby, it’s cold outside!’ I haven’t been singing it but I’ve certainly been feeling it. Some mornings it’s even zero degrees or less. Brrr!

Roll on next Thursday, September 1! Why? It’s the first day of spring here! Then December 1, officially the first day of summer.

Not just the weather!
But it’s not just me looking for change… lot of people are, and I don’t mean just the weather. People are still concerned about covid and other ‘bugs’ around at this time (wise folk wear masks when mixing with others); TV news usually has more bad news than good…

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ARE YOU CRAZY? I’M NOT DOING THAT!

(August 22, 2022) Robert and Maureen McQuillan ask…

Ever had a challenge, even a simple one and your decision was along the lines above? Huh? Even though it had to do with your ministry, current or future?

Or simply a life choice.

Decisions… choices!
Life is full of them! Every new day we have to make them! Right from the moment we awake… deciding to get up, what to wear, which brekkie, then decisions whether at home or at business about this and that throughout the day!

Come to think about it, we had to decide to write this article!

Dictionaries tell us that ‘decision’ means ‘a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities.’ So decisions and choices link together. Scripture too mentions this word ‘decision’… as you’ll find in various versions.

Decision-making isn’t always easy… but it has to be done for various reasons, some easy, some difficult. 

Even Jesus had to make hard decisions
There came a moment in His life, His ministry, when Jesus had to make a very hard decision – whether or not to move ahead, even at great personal cost.

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SOME THINGS I ‘ADMIRE’ ABOUT THE DEVIL

(August 20, 2022) Richard Winter really grabs our attention with this title!

Well, with that title I better get straight to the point before some reader thinks I’ve lost the plot!

Firstly there are two things the devil and I have in common:

(i) He hates me!
(ii) I hate him!

That said, kindly bear with me and hear me out (noting that I’ve used quotes around that verb ‘admire’). There are some things that the devil consistently does that I can only wish God’s children would do in their testimony and service for the Lord.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to glorify the devil! But I’m going to use him as an example to challenge Christians.

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WHAT AN INCREDIBLE BETTER COVENANT!

(August 17, 2022) Neil Brightbard joyfully reminds us of a great scripture truth…

Whenever we think of ‘better’ we expect something superior to what we’re used to. And we usually want to know more.

‘Better’ compares to  good: a higher standard, or more suitable. Where Hebrews uses it to describe ‘covenant’ the Greek word is kreittōn… stronger, best! When Christians consider the phrase – a better covenant – let’s be aware this is speaking of something spiritual that is boldly ultra-superior.

I wish to share why the Hebrews 8:6 and 12:24 covenant is such a stronger, better covenant, one that we should boldly grasp.

The heart of Hebrews
We don’t know who wrote Hebrews. Possibly Paul, Apollos or Luke. The sophisticated teaching and excellent Greek grammar suggests a high intellect. Whoever wrote it revealed things that no other book does. Particularly the doctrine of the high priesthood of Jesus.

Hebrews isn’t just good theology! Written so well with spiritual authority primarily to discouraged Jewish Christians needing their faith strengthened, its chapters are clearly a –

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