Post Category: Great Leader, Exceptional Follower series

We end our series, Great Leader, Exceptional Follower, this week studying the final chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua (chapter 24). It's a compelling chapter which (1) encourages us to reflect on the unique form of God's graciousness and faithfulness in our lives and then (2) challenges us to respond in the appropriate way. Joshua's charge to the Israelites in ...

What is it that inspires someone to be exceptional in the way they follow after another? For several weeks now we have been in a series in which we have argued that the OT leader of the Israelite nation, Joshua, was more than just a great leader - he was an exceptional follower of God. And as the OT book of Joshua draws to a conclusion, we find Joshua exhorting the Israe...

Throughout our study of Joshua so far we have noted that Joshua was a great leader. We have noted even more importantly that Joshua was an exceptional follower of God. But would we ever consider Joshua a 'superhero?' In chapter 11 of the book of Joshua the author of the text certainly paints a picture of Joshua that resembles a superhero. But for what purpose? That's ...

What would you do if on your way out the door this morning you discovered a rough and tough biker gang gathered in your driveway waiting to beat you up? What would you do? Would you just pretend they weren't there and head out the door? Of course you wouldn't! You wouldn't go out and face that kind of enemy without some kind of help! In our passage this week we find J...

Have you ever re-connected with a person from your past that you had been separated from for a long time? To past generations that was always a big deal. For our generation it's something we are starting to take lightly because it's becoming far more common through means of social media, like Facebook. For future generations it's something that they may never even exper...

Have you ever suffered consequences as a result of someone else's disobedience? How serious were those consequences? While they may have been serious consequences, I'm guessing it probably wasn't as bad as having the "burning anger of God" directed at you. Now what if I told you that because of someone else's disobedience the reality for both you and I is that God's ang...

The Old Testament story of the fall of the city of Jericho is one of many amazing stories in the Old Testament. A lot of times I hear people refer to the story as the "Battle of Jericho." But 'battle' seems to be a little bit of a misnomer - at least in the way the story is recounted in the Old Testament book of Joshua. This week we are going to examine the text of Josh...

Maintaining a right perspective all of the time can be a very difficult thing to do. There are many different things that can cause us to loose a right perspective. Excitement, fear, and stress are just a few things among many that can cause us to think and behave differently. But maintaining a right perspective is important in life. It's important that we see things a...

The generation of Israelites that came out of the wilderness and into the Promise Land was (at least for a time) an extraordinary generation. While we often think of the Israelites in the OT as a disobedient and idolatrous people, this generation, as we have seen over the last few weeks and will continue to see this week was exceptional in the way they believed and follow...

Have you ever watched one of those big award ceremonies on television like the Oscars or the Grammys? Do you ever get the feeling that the individuals who win the awards are just thanking others out of a sense of obligation? Do you think that they spend time throughout the course of a regular day thinking about those individuals and the difference that they have made in ...