Pathways Church | Messages

As we close the book of Nehemiah, it's important to reflect and be challenged by the lessons learned from this amazing moment in History. Nehemiah was a man who saw a serious problem, and through prayer and fasting chose to answer the call to "do something."

Paul McCartney wrote a song as a reaction to a dream He once had about His mother, who died of cancer when He was only 14 years old. In the dream Paul's mother, Mary told Him that "it will be alright, just let it be." Today, "Let It Be" has become an iconic song, and its meaning has been left largely to the listener for interpretation.

As we close our study of Nehemiah, it's important to examine His struggle to balance the responsibility of the things He could do, and those He could not and what that means for us thousands of years later.

Keith Urban recently released a song called "Break the Chain". One aspect that makes this song unique is that it was written in just one sitting! Urban said that before He realized what was happening, He had burst into tears as He wrote about His difficult childhood and alcoholic father. He quickly recognized that He had repeated the pattern that was modeled to Him. The song was later recorded in just one take, with no redo. Despite the dark backstory, the song is about hope and breaking the chain of a destructive cycle. This process starts with recognizing the truth and confessing wrongdoing.

The Super Bowl is the culmination event of the football season, a team sport where everything boils down to one game, one moment. Some say everything is on the line. Moments like these produce the greatest challenges to motivate a team of people to work together. Fittingly Nehemiah was possibly one of the greatest motivational speakers in History, rallying the troops to accomplish "the impossible."

Courage—what does it truly mean? We admire courageous people, yet many individuals struggle to embody it when the situation demands it. This week, we explore Nehemiah's courage to achieve the seemingly impossible, grounded in His relationship with God.

What do you do when you see a situation that breaks your heart? Do you freeze or are you someone who acts? When He learned the state of Jerusalem's walls, Nehemiah was moved so deeply that He mourned, fasted, and took the matter to God in prayer.

We live in a culture of complaining. This week, we open the book of Nehemiah to examine a man with a broken heart about the condition of Jerusalem. But Nehemiah didn't just sit and sob, instead, He decided to seek God and ultimately, do something.

We all like to get a good deal on something, but have you ever tried to negotiate a deal with the creator of the universe? This week we look at Jephthah, who made a deal with God.

This week, we look back at the messages from 2024 and talk about some of our favorite sermons and the lessons to be learned from them.

Across the globe, the table has always been a special place in a home, symbolizing togetherness and blessing. While the importance of life around the table was diminished for a while, more families have gathered at the table in recent years. As we reflect on the close of a year, we examine not only life at home but a very important table that appears in scripture.