Dust lingered in the air like a curtain, and smoke plumed heavenward.  Achan wiped his brow with the back of his hand and sheathed his sword.  The battle of Jericho was over. God’s command had been clear.  Everything in the city was devoted to the Lord.  No plunder was to be taken. Achan moved through the rubble as an eerie silence fell over the destroyed city.  All around him, remnants of the once-formidable fortress lay scattered. Achan: A Lesson on the Progression Into Sin Among the rubbish, Achan spotted something beautiful, untouched by the flames: a colorful Babylonian robe. Reaching down to touch the unmarred garment, a thought passed through…

Rahab was a prostitute who lived in the thick wall surrounding the city of Jericho.  When Israel secretly sent spies to plan their attack against the city, Rahab hid the spies from authorities and helped them escape. The spies promised that when Israel returned to attack Jericho, Rahab and her family would be spared.  She was told to tie a scarlet cord in her window so the army would know which house to spare. Lessons From Rahab Rahab and her family were saved during the attack.  She eventually became a follower of God and was even in the lineage of Jesus. Rahab is listed in the famous “Hall of Faith”…

“I’m not sure I’m going to make it through Leviticus,” my friend declared as we walked together through the local park.  We’d both been reflectively reading through the Old Testament stories in Genesis and Exodus, but Leviticus posed a challenge. “I feel that,” I agreed.  A few weeks earlier, we both started a Bible reading plan with the hope of reading through the Bible in a year. Bogged down by text we didn’t understand and rules about sacrifices and oxen, we were both having trouble applying the words to our lives. “Maybe we need a different plan.  Instead of just reading the Bible, maybe we need to slow down and…