Author: Neil Hudson

It’s a common experience. We begin projects with all the best intentions. We think it’s the right moment, the right cause, the right strategy. And it starts well but then everything hits the fan. And we can be left floundering.

It happened to Nehemiah, it will happen to you. His story helps.

It’s worth listening to and living out in our own contexts.

Seeing a need, hearing a call, or even getting a vision isn’t the hard bit. What many of us find difficult is moving from that stage to knowing what to do.

Nehemiah’s experience offers timeless help for those who want to make a difference in the world.

Nehemiah is not a priest, nor a prophet, nor a governor. He is ‘just’ a cupbearer to a foreign king, working for the ‘civil service’. So what can we learn from his response to hearing some bad news?

There is often a cynicism about religion and money. How can we be known for our generosity rather than always looking like we are begging for money?

And how do we shape our own lives so that we are not gripped by financial fears, but learn a different way of approaching our personal financial affairs?

If we are to be pastors to those around us, how can we make sure that we show what a full life looks like, rather than allowing people to believe that Christianity leads to a reduced, limited life?

In other words, how do we make the good news look like good news?