這是“跟elisha一起念英文”系列的第三篇。我的本意是同大家一起分享我在讀的一些小文章。我現在有個計劃：就是找些短文章，學習英文。對這樣的文章，應該怎麼去學習呢？大家有不同的方法，我是這樣做的。首先這些都是我喜歡的文章，我會去品味其中的意思。二來我要去學習我不會使用的單詞因為單詞是寫作的材料。三來我要去看文章句子之間的銜接和寫作的方式。一篇要這麼看個十幾遍，潛移默化就成了自己的了，“熟讀唐詩三百首，不會作詩也會吟”嘛。

在選擇文章的時候，我也有些遲疑。我看到有很多很好的文章，寫作的STYLE非常好，但是與基督無關。因我也希望在這裡既有激勵大家讀英文，也有傳福音的目的，所以肯就找些福音性質卻文章STYLE並不非常出色的，但是保證是很流暢有意思的文章。我有時會發點議論，做個引子之類，我都會註明：Elisha L.

A misleading atmosphere sometimes permeates here，especially when we talked about the suffering in life, the hardship in following Jesus many times in this forum. All those are good, but they are only one facet of this new life. As Christians, we are also to know that the life with Jesus is a bright one with blessings, hope, happiness, and success. The following passage indicates that our effort in seeking for success is congruent to God's will if we do everything in Him. __Elisha L.

“Should a man like me run away? I will not.” Nehemiah 6:11

Want to be a success?

If you’re serious about success, study the life og Nehemiah. Jerusalem lies in ruins; that’s when he enters the picture. He rallies, organizes and motivates the people. Fifty-two days later they wash off their trowels, stow their gear and walk away from a newly finished wall. How did he do it?

(1) He had passion! He couldn’t sleep at night for picturing the problem and seeing himself solving it (Neh 4:13). That’s what it takes!

(2) He could motivate others! What good is your vision if you can’t involve others in it? (Neh 4:17).

(3) He’d confidence in God! He may have doubted his own ability but he never doubted God’s. His book is full of prayers – silent ones, short ones, specific ones (Neh 4:11).

(4) He refused to give up! From when he started mixing the mortar until he hung the last gate, his critics never let up. But he took it, sarcasm, suspicion, threats, you name it, nothing moved him (Neh 6:11).

(5) He was realistic! He had some workers building the wall while others stood guard against attack (Neh 4:16). He acted without over-reacting; he was gracious but unbending. You may have your head in the heavenlies, but you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground.

(6) He’d the discipline to finish the job! Successful people are finishers. (See Neh 6:15). When the job loses its luster they don’t go somewhere else; they stay at it “in season and out.”

Still want to be a success? Incorporate these principles into your daily life.