Welcome, May!

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The past few weeks have been stressful. Training new employees, dealing with difficult customers, not sleeping well, not exercising (I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last two years), getting through family drama (two life-threatening events in the same day, 2000 miles apart: my dad’s heart attack in NM and a 9 year grandchild starting the rest of his life with Type 1 Diabetes) . . .  My CrossFit lifestyle withered into oblivion when I lost my job at the University in 2020, as Covid got going. Deep depression brought me to a standstill as I took a few months to try to reset. Since then, my physical status has been on steady decline. Now my daily schedule looks something like this: Work 3-11 pm (on a good day), Go to bed at 4 am, get up between 10:30 am and noon, get booted up and go back to work. If I get one day off a week I’m fortunate. At least I don’t have to work all night for now. That was the worst.  So I haven’t had time or energy to do much, even read, much less write. And since my

Nehemiah: Motivator and Mobilizer

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Nehemiah met opposition head-on, giving it no chance to get a foot-hold nor give it any room to grow. His response was swift and direct. He was able to do so because: 

Nehemiah defined his mission. Nehemiah came to repair a wall. “Let us rise up and build” (2:18). When the opposition came casting doubt asking, “what is this thing that you are doing?” (2:19), he was able to answer them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build.” (2:20b)

Nehemiah narrowed his focus. His critics have no heritage, right or memorial in the city (2:20c) but with a defined mission in mind, Nehemiah focused on his target and let nothing distract him from hitting it (3:1-32). Nehemiah’s focus was so narrow that he was able to name those who were rightfully there to support the mission. 

Nehemiah set a guard. Nehemiah protected his workers and their work. (Neh. 4:9-23) Any difficult endeavor tends to weaken just after the half-way mark. Strength was failing and their adversaries were noticing. Nehemiah weaponizes the people according to their families and encourages their renewed vigor, “do not be afraid of them . . . remember the Lord . . . fight . . . the work is great . . . wherever you hear the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” (4:14, 19-20)

Nehemiah disarmed his enemies. (Neh. 5-6). In the sight of growing extortion (4:1-8) Nehemiah simplifies the battlefield by disarming his enemies through swift answers to every distraction with a mission-based response (6:3, 8, 11). He had no time for opposition.

Nehemiah did what others would not. (Neh. 5:8-19) Nehemiah works alongside the people, even giving sacrificially of his own stores and personal wealth to redeems (5:8), provides (5:10), relieves (5:14-15), works alongside (5:16) and shares (5:17-18), all motivated by his love for God (5:15)


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