The story’s told of a wintry Sunday evening in a village (we might easily imagine it being in Scotland) when the river that ran alongside both the minister’s house and the church was completely frozen. To the great surprise of the congregation, the minister arrived clutching his skates, flushed from …

After being allowed to return to Jerusalem from exile, the people of Israel found the city run-down and its wall in ruins. When Nehemiah, then cupbearer to the king in Persian court at Susa, heard this news, God moved him to travel to the city. There he led a rebuilding …