 The exiles and I had accomplished what we set out to do since returning from Babylon twelve years ago. They had been twelve very busy years, and overall, I was happy with the outcome.
Instead of feeling proud and satisfied, I should have been waiting for the other sandal to drop.
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 The wall around Jerusalem was finished, and the Temple was started. Now that the Law had been read to all the people, it was a day of reckoning.
The people gathered in sackcloth and ashes to confess their sins and repent. Then a decision had to be made.  Well, we'd finally done it! The wall is finished and the gates are hung. We have guards for the city gates, and even guys to help the priests out in the Temple.
Things are looking pretty good; only one thing wrong. Okay, not a big thing compared to what we'd been through, but still...  The boys and I were back on track rebuilding the wall around our hometown. That didn't mean we didn't keep our guard up against the local bullies.
We were coming into the home stretch, the wall almost finished and the gates ready to be hung. The word was out in a minute that our work was nearly done. (It's amazing how fast the down-low travels in a place with no cell towels.)  If it's not one thing, it's another! We were finally making progress again on the wall. Meanwhile, we still had to stay on our guard from Sanballat and his "associates", as they liked to call themselves.
Now there's grumbling about corruption in the house. Who had time to make a buck off his brother? You can't be serious!  Once Sanballat and his posse were put in their places, we really got to work. Everybody, and I mean everybody, pitched in to get the wall rebuilt, even the priests and merchants had jobs to do.
Things were going fine until we got the wall rebuilt about halfway up. That's when Sanballat and his crew showed back up and decided to ramp up their game.  My brother, Hanani, shows up in my town with all kinds of bad news. Being the dutiful brother, I pray about it. And you're never going to believe what the Lord God of Israel did next! Text based on the Old Testament account of Nehemiah's story
 Seriously, I really wasn't looking for trouble. Why would I? Not with the cushy job I had. Sure, it came with a little stress, what job doesn't? But I'd worked hard to get to where I was. I wasn't look for a change of scene. (Text based on the Old Testament account of Nehemiah's story)
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Hi, my name is Alice. A Way with Words is about sharing faith,
fun, & encouragement. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you find a little something to take with you. 
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