Nehemiah 2 I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but appliances don't last forever. Well, unless it's a vintage dryer passed down from your great grandmother. I'm speaking from experience. Early in our marriage, my husband and I were the grateful recipients of Grammy Rebstock's old brown dryer. It was an absolute dinosaur, but … Continue reading When Home is Broken
Coming Home
Nehemiah 1 I woke up this morning with a sense of happiness and contentment. Usually, I wake up with a heavy feeling, thinking about my list of to-do's for the day or re-hashing past conversations and feeling shame. I'm told this is due to undiagnosed ADHD. I'm not sure about that. Whatever the reason, I … Continue reading Coming Home
Homesick
An Introduction to a Study in Nehemiah I have lived in nineteen different places in my lifetime, five different US states, and (for one memorable summer) a single Canadian province. That's nineteen front doors. Nineteen back yards. Nineteen kitchens and nineteen different neighborhoods. When I think of the number of neighbors I've known over my … Continue reading Homesick
Friends, Fortunes, and Family
Job 42:7-17 The Lord Gives God gave Job seven sons and three daughters, great fortune, many servants, the respect of others, close friends, and a righteous character. Job was described as a very wealthy man with 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. Job was a great man, "the greatest … Continue reading Friends, Fortunes, and Family
Who Can Say?
Job 40, 41, 42: 1-6, and Proverbs 30: 1-9 Agur, son of Jakeh recorded his oracle (Proverbs 30), his prayer, his request of simple things for a simple man. I ask the same. Lord, if You could work these things into my head and my heart, press them into the threads of my being, make … Continue reading Who Can Say?
You Don’t Even Know What You Don’t Know
Job 39 and Psalm 73 "Do you know...?" "Do you observe...?" "Can you number...?" Questions can soften a hard heart. Sometimes. If the heart has a crack, even just a little one, big enough for the truth to seep in, sometimes the question reaches in through that crack, pulls the stony pieces of the heart … Continue reading You Don’t Even Know What You Don’t Know
The King Speaks
Job 38 The rain is falling outside. It's hitting the metal porch roof on this old farmhouse. I have the window open so I can hear its music, lovely and comforting. God promises His people in Hosea and in Joel (see Hosea 6:1-3 and Joel 2:23) that He will come to them like the early, … Continue reading The King Speaks
Behold, the Lamb of God!
Job 37 These are the words of Elihu about his God. These are the words of a man who believes that God is King, that He made all things, knows all things, deserves all the praise. These are the words of a herald, a messenger who broadcasts the coming of the King. Over a thousand … Continue reading Behold, the Lamb of God!
Elihu as a Herald
Job 36 "Hark, the Herald angels sing!" It's the very last day of February in a Leap year. The Christmas season is long past. Carolers, churchgoers, and choirs have been harking and heralding all winter. But now, the bright excitement is quiet, and we have landed squarely at the end of the coldest month. March … Continue reading Elihu as a Herald
Sweet Mercy – Songs in the Night
Job 35 There are times to speak, and there are times to listen. Job is in a listening time. He has said all he can think to say, all he wants to say. His three friends are also silent, having lost their arguments with Job. But this is the right time for Elihu to speak. … Continue reading Sweet Mercy – Songs in the Night
Christina Grubb 