“Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumblin’ down.” Negro spiritual

When her story begins in Joshua 2, Rahab is just your typical big-city pagan harlot, living in one of the most depraved and idolatrous cultures in recorded history. The city was Jericho of the Canaanites and these were not their best days. Jericho’s nervous residents knew that the upstart Israelites were headed their way with conquest on their minds. That partly explains why Rahab was not surprised to see the two Hebrew spies doing reconnaissance, then agreed to hide them from the king’s men.

Take one godly man and His devout family, a humongous boat, all kinds of animals and tons and tons (literally) of rain. What do you have? The story or Noah, of course. People who have never darkened the door of a church or cracked open a Bible could probably tell us that. It might be the most familiar story in Scripture.

Last week I turned over my calendar to a new month. At the top of the new page was this quote:

Kind words are jewels that live in the heart and remain as blessed memories years after they have been spoken. M. Johnson

During a recent lunch conversation, a friend and I got on the topic of “significant” birthdays. The particular number under discussion was one looming on her horizon, but solidly in my rearview mirror, making me the expert on the subject.

If you ask young children to name the seasons, some might answer, “Christmas, Easter, July 4th and Halloween.” Following that train of thought, the sign of each new season would be the bursting forth of appropriate merchandise on the shelves of local retailers. Ah, sad, but true…

On day 4 of Creation, God placed two great lights in the heavens. Lights we recognize as the sun and our moon; one direct and one reflective.

The earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours.

The moon’s rotation around the earth every 27.5 days..

The earth makes a complete rotation around the sun every 365.265 days.

As I write this, it is August and it is hot. The recent rains were only a temporary respite from temperatures that promised 90’s and threatened 100’s. But, I know this: the heat of August won’t last forever and better days—days of dappled sun and fall breezes—are ahead. I know that because I have experienced many years and many seasons.