The Ark of the Covenant was dwelling place of God in the Old Testament. The Israelites transported the Ark wherever they went. Imagine a structure with angel-like statues on top of it, with special things inside of it, and with rings on the side where poles could be inserted to carry it. The enemy of the Israelites saw the Ark as a secret weapon of sorts. They thought if they took it, they would gain strength and have the advantage over the Israelites. Wrong!

When unusal things happen in the Bible, we might react in different ways. For me, this is a funny story – yet serious at the same time. I hope you enjoy listening.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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Certain names conjur up certain feelings. Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hilter, and many other names instantly take us to an uncertain place in our minds. The name Jezebel is one of those names! When we hear that name we think of evil, and indeed that an accurate depiction of this terrible woman. We think of her as an ugly witch but that is not the case. She was a beautiful woman, and that’s how this message starts: Sometimes evil comes in a pretty package. 

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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In this message, I present a comparsion between a lumberjack losing his cutting edge and people when we lose our cutting edge. Sometimes we become dull and have some serious self-examination. How did we lose our cutting edge? How do we gain it back? What lessons can we learn? In this podcast, you’ll practical insights for your every day life.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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With God’s help, Moses led his people out of their slavery in Egypt and they headed toward the Promised Land. However, quite often they did not obey God, so their entry into the Promised Land was delay for guess how long? Forty-years! During their wandering they learned many lessons and grew into a nation. Moses died and Joshua their new leader who would usher them into the Promised Land. There was only one problem: The city of Jericho stood in the way. 

Listen and learn how submission to God comes first, obedience involves effort, and triumph takes time.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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If you’ve listened to the previous ten podcasts in the Nehemiah series, get ready for the last message in this series! If you’re catching this podcast without having heard the previous ten messages, no worries, just press the play button.

When times were good, the people forgot God! After Nehemiah finished his work in Jerusalem as both supervisor over the rebuilding of the wall and navigating the population through spiritual renewal, he returned home and resumed his previous job. After some time had passed he went to Jerusalem for a visit. He was put out with how the people had strayed and held them accountable.

I hope you’ve gained from listening to the Nehemiah series. All of the podcast have practical application for our everyday lives.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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After the wall was complete, the people of Jerusalem had a spiritual awakening! They cast lots in order to choose one out of ten people to live inside the city walls. The wall was complete but the “capital city” of Jerusalem still had to be rebuilt and maintained. In this message, you’ll hear some very practical direction:

1-Go where God wants you to go

2-Do what God wants you to do

3-Trust God with the results

Twenty-nine minutes from now, I trust your mind will be open to God’s direction in your life.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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A few years ago I took my family to Bimini, Bahamas during the winter holidays. We left our cold Tennessee weather behind and flew into sunshine and warmth. While I enjoyed each day of our trip, there was one that had extra meaning for me. A Bahamian friend named Michael joined us for supper in our beach house. As the day came to a close, one of my sons got out his Backpacker guitar and together we sang the old classic, “Lord I Lift Your Name On High”. It was such a meaningful time that I did not want it to end. I am sure you’ve had times like that, too.

After the wall had been rebuilt and dedicated, after the people had repented and were unified for the first time in many years, they did not want the spiritual renewal to end. They publicly pledged to be ALL IN, IN ALL WAYS. (That’s actually a better title for this message but I didn’t think of it until just now!) The rebuilding of the wall was more than just a construction project, it had spiritual significance as well. People were closer to God than they had ever been and they wanted the spiritual renewal to continue.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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The first part of Nehemiah’s story focused on the rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. The second part focused on rebuilding a people dedicated to the Lord. In this message you’ll hear answers to two questions that are about as old as time itself. Who is God? Who are we? Nehemiah’s book was written long before Jesus came to this earth. To enhance the overall impact of the message, I included some selected scriptures from the New Testament about Jesus. I hope you’ll gain from listening and I hope you’ll share this message with someone else.

Just passing through,

Paul Gunn

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How do we meet with God? Do we approach him in the way my kids approach me sometimes: “Yo Pops, what’s up?” That’s probably not a good idea. Approaching God, I believe, requires some advance preparation. Yes, we can approach his throne of grace at any time because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, but reverence is essential. Listen and learn a model for meeting with God that comes from the story of a man named Nehemiah. In the story, we learn the importance of paying attention to God’s Word, worshipping the Lord, understanding what God says, repenting of sins, and then experiencing joy.

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At this point we are half way through the book of Nehemiah. This message from the book of Nehemiah brings up four questions for us to ask ourselves?

Do I fear the Lord? (Fear meaning “deep respect”)

Am I protecting myself from the enemy?

Do I recognize God’s voice?

How do I feel about giving?

Growing as a believer in the Lord requires us to consider these things. Listen as these four questions are woven into today’s message from Nehemiah chapter 7.

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