SMILE... Scripture Studies. Nehemiah 12+

📘 Smiley devotionals began in a small café, BJ’s market café, of NorthLittle Rock, Arkansas. I’ve been working at BJ’s for the past five years.The devotionals were born out of a desire to share God’s Word with mycoworkers and customers.I began by writing a short Scripture at the very bottom of the menufor my co-workers. I began adding a smily saying to the Scripture, like,“Smile Jesus Loves You! Smile if You Love Him too!!!” Then I began addinga short commentary about the verse. Eventually, the short commentsgrew into a devotional on the back of the menus.I began each devotional with a smiley face and “!!!” because sets ofthree are superlatives in Hebrew, and I ended each devotional with “!!!!”because that’s just the way I am. It also indicates that Jesus is over andabove all superlatives!!!Curious customers began asking what I was writing. When they foundout it was a devotional, some started requesting copies. Others begancollecting the devotionals.I was surprised to learn that my little smiley devotionals were beingused in classrooms, at churches, at fellowships, and in a prison ministrytoo!More than a few told me that I should consider publishing them, athing I didn’t think possible. However, God had other plans.This book-- Nehemiah -- begins with Nehemiah’s contrite heart pouring out its concerns to God and ends with that heart simply asking God to remember it for good. Enveloped between these two beautiful prayers are years in a world full of tears, terrors, trials, tribul...