Celebrating
fifteen years
of Internet
ministry

Over 100 
Nehemiah Notes
posted on
this site

  The official website for Blaine Smith’s ministry and Nehemiah Notes 

     
Books by
Blaine Smith

With Sample Chapters
***NEW***
Reach Beyond
Your Grasp

Embracing Dreams That Reflect God's Best for You -- And Achieving Them
Available
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook
The Yes Anxiety
Taming the Fear
of Commitment
Available
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook
Overcoming Shyness
 Conquering Your
Social Fears
Available 
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook
Faith and Optimism: Positive Expectation in the Christian Life (formerly The Optimism Factor)
Available
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook
*** New ***
Marry a Friend

Finding Someone to Marry Who Is Truly Right for You
Available
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook

One of a Kind
A Biblical view of Self-Acceptance
Available 
in paperback,
Kindle and Nook

Knowing God's Will
Knowing God's Will
Finding Guidance for Personal Decisions
(Expanded Edition)
Available in
paperback and
Kindle
Should I Get Married?
Should I Get Married?
Revised/Updated Edition
Available 
in paperback
Knowing God's Will
 Biblical Principles of
Guidance
The original
1979 edition
Translations and
British Editions

Welcome to the Nehemiah Ministries website . . .

And thank you for visiting! I began this site in 1997, as my effort to bring encouragement and counsel to Christians online -- especially regarding relationships and realizing their personal potential. I've posted a Nehemiah Notes article twice each month since then, and all are archived here. While Ive reissued some, over 100 individual articles are available. Youll also find information on all my books, with sample chapters, and most can be ordered through this site. And theres also a history of this ministry, and I've posted some recent photos, in case you're interested. I hope an article or book featured on this site will provide the help you need, and Gods best to you as you browse!  - Blaine Smith

   

   

* * * New book by Blaine Smith * * *
   
Reach Beyond Your Grasp
Embracing Dreams That Reflect God's Best for You --
 And Achieving Them

April 23, 2012: Im pleased to announce the release of this new book, on achieving personal dreams. It is available now through Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle editions, and will soon be available through other online sellers also, and for order through local bookstores. Click the title above for full info. on this site, or see this book's Amazon page. It is also available in a Nook eReader edition from Barnes and Noble.

   

   

Update on my other books . . .

   
All American editions of my other books are now available in paperback online through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Books-a-Million (see full listing to the left). Most are also available in Kindle and Nook eReader editions. Full full information, see my authors page at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-a-Million. These books can be ordered through most local bookstores as well.
   

   
Nehemiah Notes, May 15, 2012
     

Beating the Comparison Trap
Developing Vision That Is Right for Your Life

   

It was the first time ever that I’d heard a Charlie Hunter song. The jazz instrumental, Someday We’ll All Be Free, which Hunter plays with only bass accompaniment, melted me, and I phoned the radio station at once to find out who the guitarist on this recording was. I felt immediately that this was a song I wanted to perform on guitar myself. While I knew it would stretch me, I was sure I could learn it with some effort, and that the challenge would be good for me.
         If you happen to be a Charlie Hunter fan, you’re already chuckling, for you know where this story is heading . . . 

     
It's vital that our dreams and goals be based on our own potential, and not upon the gifts or accomplishments of others. Read the article.
    

    
Nehemiah Notes, May 1, 2012
     

Dare to Dream
The Power of Deeply-Held Aspirations

     
When my father was a high school junior, he locked into a dream: he would become the world's champion endurance bicyclist.
         An audacious aspiration for a frail sixteen-year-old with no previous athletic achievements to his credit, we might say.
         Not as it turned out . . .
   
Our passion for a dream, and our availability to pursue it, make far more difference in achieving it than we imagine. Read the article.
    

     
Nehemiah Notes, April 15, 2012
     

Bad Days -- What Do They Mean?
Should I Crawl Back into Bed, or Fight All the Harder?

     
You’re driving to work and pull into the company lot. There at the entrance your car grinds to a stop and won’t restart. You call for a tow truck, which hauls your lame vehicle to a repair shop across town. An hour later they phone with the diagnosis: a blown head gasket--a $2,000 repair. So much for that ski vacation you’ve been planning.
         You’re not five minutes into mulling your misfortune when the phone rings again. Now it’s the school nurse; your ten-year-old is feeling nauseous and needs to see a doctor . . .
    
In this article, I offer reasons for hope when our setbacks multiply.
   

YES! We have
The Yes Anxiety
in stock (with
online orderin
g)
Over 100 Nehemiah Notes archived-- articles by Blaine Smith--including:
Waiting on God's Timing
Seizing the Moment
Confronting Your Social Fears
Growing Wise Emotionally
Listening to God: Why It Helps to Be Moving
When We Get Our Wires Crossed
When Waiting Is
 Worth It
When Someone Lets
You Down
Don't Look Back
Facing Your Fears of Success
Your Life's Bigger Picture
The Triumph of Simple Persistence
Trust Your Judgment
When Is a Door Truly Closed?
Reshaping Assumptions That Shape Our Life
If God Loves Everyone, Where Does That Leave me?
Looking Inward and Looking Outward
Handling Life's Interruptions
The Challenge of Optimism
Should I Wait in Faith--Or Step Out in Faith?
The Eureka Factor
Keeping Your Life in Motion
The Motive Trap
Turning the Page
Learning to Fail Successfully
Golden Opportunities and God's Will
Confronting the Fear of Change
Waking to Your Hidden Potential
Paranoia Can
Annoy Ya
Regretting the Choice That Seemed So Right
Christians and Self-Talk
My Desires and
God's Will
Dare to Dream
Keep on Dreaming
Seeing Your Life Dynamically
Obedience to Christ--What Does It Mean?
Hearing God in a Time of Crisis
Is God a Matchmaker?
Embracing Your Signature Style
The Greatness of Small Beginnings
No Fatal Errors
When God Does the Unexpected
Serving Christ for (the Highest) Benefits
Bailing Us Out
The Triumph of Hope
The Positive Side of Mixed Emotions
Fresh Starts
Fooled by Fleecing
The Shortest Cop on the Force
Welcome Guidance from Unwelcome Interruptions
The Joy of Late Blooming
Bad Days -- What Do They Mean?
The Problem of Unanswered Prayer
Past Guidance and Present Decisions
Aiming Straight,
Aiming High
Faith and Assertiveness
Helping Others by Asking for Help
When Trying Again
Makes the Difference
You're a Gift to Others--But Not a Savior
Grasping the Bigger
Picture
Revising the Map
Guidance and
Intuition
Faith and Individuality
Pearls of Too Great a Price
Tradeoffs Worth
Making
Prayer and Your Personal Potential
Pacing Yourself
Many, many more!
Copyright 1997-2012 M. Blaine Smith
PO Box 448, Damascus, MD 20872
E-mail Blaine Smith