The proposed book takes the reader through the ancient book of Nehemiah and applies lessons from Nehemiah to contemporary life. It explains exactly what Nehemiah did that led to his success. As I wrote in the Epilogue, “In this book, I have attempted to provide contemporary application of an ancient writing. I believe the lessons Nehemiah provides are invaluable for people of the 21st century who are tempted to live their lives without intentional planning or thought of the future.”
This book was intended to be a bridge between the Christian Church and those outside its walls. My intended reader is a pre-Christian – the person that is looking for the relevance of Christianity for his/her life and is asking sincere questions about the Christian faith. New Christians would also benefit from this book, as would anyone who had little or no knowledge about the contents of the book of Nehemiah. My hope is that Christians would purchase this book to use as a tool for witnessing to their unsaved friends and family members. I also included questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter so that small groups could go through the book and discuss it together.
This book is unlike other studies of the Bible because it was not written primarily for Christians. It was written in such a way that all thoughtful individuals might be interested in it. I avoided writing a research paper or a theological treatise. I explained unfamiliar terms and concepts. I used personal anecdotes and humor to make the reading more enjoyable. I referenced a wide range of sources: from Sports Illustrated to Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life; from Dr. James Dobson to a story about Billy Graham. When Building a Life is not an intimidating book – only 19,000 words in length – which is one of its greatest strengths. This makes it more attractive to people who do not usually have time or patience to read religious books.
