Joshua!

"Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face,

as one speaks to a friend.  Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young

man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting."

Exodus 33:11 (New Living Translation)

 

Thank you, Doug Baker, for considering the adults of our church important enough to share the stories the children are studying in Uptown, our childrens' ministry, on Sunday mornings.  Our children are traveling through the Bible, from beginning to end, in Journeyland, every Sunday morning.  Currently, the children are studying the life of the great war hero of the Old Testament, Joshua.  He was a five-star general of the Israeli military, a man of unparalleled military feats.  Under General Joshua's leadership, six nations and 31 kings fell in defeat!  Joshua led victories through what we would call "natural" means of military conquest and through what we would call "supernatural" means: huge hailstones destroying the enemy, a city wall collapsing on its inhabitants through no use of force, the sun standing still to enable the Israeli troops to fight through to victory.

 

Books and leadership seminars have been based on General Joshua's life.  Leadership seminars have been named after him.  What is the secret to the incredible productivity of this man?

 

According to Doug, the center shelf of General Joshua's trophy shelf, the very essence of his being, is shown in Exodus 33:11, where this incredible young man remained in the presence of God, even after his mentor, Moses, had left.

 

Joshua's faith in God, Doug said, was simple "weapons assessment: big, ugly guys with sticks on one side, Yahweh on the other side!"

 

And that is what our children are learning on Sunday mornings these days!  Powerful stories, powerful faith in a powerful God!  Thank you, Doug, for letting the rest of us in on the secret!

--Posted by Mama O.