The Fall of Jericho

Now Jericho was tightly shut up. No one went in and no one came out. The people in the city were afraid of the the powerful nation of Israel. God said to Joshua, "I have delivered Jericho, its king, and fighting men into your hands. March around the city with your army. Do this for six days. On the seventh day have seven priests blow their trumpets in front of the ark and march around Jericho seven times. At the sound of a long, a very long blast, have the people give a loud, a very loud shout, and the city will fall down.

Joshua believed God would do exactly what He said, so he and his men walked around Jericho once every day for six days. On the seventh day, the seven priests blew their trumpets and Joshua's army marched around Jericho seven times. At the sound of a long, a very long blast, the people gave a loud, a very loud shout and the walls of Jericho crumbled to the ground. The city fell--never to be rebuilt.

Are there times in your life when things seem so great to you that it is hard to trust God? That is how Joshua felt. Against all odds, he trusted God to do what He said He would do and God did exactly what He promised. You can be sure He keeps His promises. The promise I rely on most is that He promised He would never leave me, that He would always be with me. So whenever I feel alone, I say His name and know He is near. He loves you as He loves me and He will be with you too. Just say His name.

The Burning Bush

Darkness filled the desert air and a cool breeze swished through Moses hair. He gathered his sheep close to him. "B-a-a," went the lambs. Then he saw it. A bush on fire but it didn't burn up. He sneaked up to take a peak. 

"Moses! Moses!" a voice thundered. His knees knocked and his teeth chattered.

"Here I am," said Moses.

"Take off your sandals for the ground where you stand is holy ground," said God.

Moses kicked off his sandals and bowed before the Lord.

"I've heard the cries of my people," God said, "and I've come to rescue them and take them to a spacious land flowing with milk and honey."

"Who am I?" asked Moses. "I can't even talk right." Now why would he say that? He grew up in Pharaoh's palace and went to good Egyptian schools. He grew up to be strong and powerful. He thought he could do anything. But God had him in the desert with helpless lambs for a reason. He had to teach Moses to trust Him with everything, because he would lead God's people out of Egypt to a place where they would not suffer from slavery.

God will rescue us from things that enslave us too, things that cause us to worry or stress or hurt. When we say His name, He hears us just as He did His people in Egypt. He loves us so much He promised to always be with us, and we can trust Him to keep His promises.

Our Father's House

In Bible times, when a man was betrothed, he built a new section of his father's house where he and his bride would live and raise their family. Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am," (John 14:2-3 NIV).

The bride of Christ is the church. Have you wondered what the Father's house looks like? Sometimes when I survey the mansions near my home, I wonder what kind of place Jesus is preparing. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV). 

The Bible is filled with hints of what our new home is like--the river of life that flows from the throne of God, the tree of life that bears twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month of the year, streets of gold, fortress walls made of precious jewels, and much more. The best part is that when it's finished, Jesus will come to take us there.


Will you be ready? Be sure that no sin, nothing you have done against God's laws, will be able to enter the place where Jesus is. He gave all He had so you could be with Him in that glorious place. Will you accept what He did on the cross and choose to live for Him? I hope your answer is 'yes.' He does too. He stands at the door of your heart waiting for you to ask Him in. I am praying for you.


Lord Jesus, if there is anything in the lives of the people reading this message that is outside of your will, please send your Holy Spirit on them and make them aware of their need for your amazing love. Thank you for all you have done and will do for those who love you. Amen.

At the Gate Called Beautiful

At 3:00 in the afternoon Peter and John went to the temple to pray. When they entered the gate called Beautiful, some men carried a man who had been crippled since birth. He never knew what it was like to walk or run or play ball. Now he was a man in his forties and the only way he could get money to buy food for himself was to beg at the temple. Seeing Peter and John, he asked them for money. His eyes met Peter's.

"Look at us," said Peter. Anyone could tell that they were not wealthy. "I don't have silver or gold, my friend, but what I have I give to you."

Something amazing happened! I wish I could have been there. Peter reached out his hand to the crippled man and lifted him to his feet. The man grabbed his cane.

"In the name of Jesus walk," Peter said. The crippled man felt tingling in his legs, things he never felt before. His eyes got really big, he dropped his cane and started laughing. Then he ran and jumped, and he jumped and ran and praised God. The people at the temple recognized him as the crippled man who begged day in and day out, year after year at the temple. They knew they were in the presence of God.

Have you wanted to feel God's presence? You can by saying Jesus' name as Peter did. Did you know God loves you? He loves you just the way you are, but He wants you to be like Jesus, His son, who had no sin. He never did anything bad. Each of us have done bad things, but Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sins AND He rose from death to give us a forever life with Him and the Father. Will you believe this today? If so, pray this simple prayer:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me from my sin. Help me to live for you today and forever. Amen.

How Many Arms Can a Starfish Have?

What is your favorite fish in the acquarium? I like the starfish. Did you know that two thousand species of starfish or sea stars live in all the world's oceans? That includes the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic regions. The starfish live in a broad depth range from intertidal to abyssal depths which is 6000 meters.

We think of the typical five arm sea star, but depending on the species, they can have as many as fifty arms. Each species has different feeding and regeneration behaviors. Although most starfish are calm, the tropical Crown of Thorns starfish are voracious predators of coral throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

The starfish are examples of God's magnificent creation. Did you know you are more precious to Him than the most beautiful of sea creatures? It's true! He loves you so much He sent Jesus, His only Son to earth. Jesus held children in His arms and blessed them. He loves you and wants to be your Forever Friend. He will always be with you. Say His name (Jesus) and you will know He is near.

A Real Treasure

What would you do if you found a real treasure, something you really want on an Easter egg hunt? Would you try to get it into your basket or bag? Would you bury it and come back when no one is looking to get it?

The Bible talks about a man who found a treasure in a field. He valued it so much that he buried it. Then he purchased the field and claimed the treasure.

Did you know that you are God's treasure? He found such great value in you that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to love on you. One time Jesus was in a big crowd and parents brought their children on their birthdays to Him for a blessing. The disciples thought He wouldn't have time for the kids and began to ask them to leave. This disappointed Jesus and He said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them." He took the little ones in His arms and blessed them. Imagine looking up into Jesus' face and seeing His eyes sparkle and the smile on His face that goes from ear to ear.

This is the hope of children who love Jesus. Only one thing will come between you and Him. It's the wrong things you do, things Jesus said we shouldn't do. But if we are sorry and willing to change and live our lives for Him, He will forgive us and let us live with Him forever. This is the real meaning of Easter.

Remember God loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. I hope you will give Him your heart today. I am praying for you.

Lord Jesus, watch over the one reading this post. Let him or her experience your amazing love so they will always want to be with you. Amen.