BE STRONG! ‘On the threshold of the promised land, Joshua receives from the Lord a direct command “Be strong and of good courage” (Josh 1 v 9). It is an optimistic and forthright call from God, with an encouraging tone, in the face of strong opposition. But it’s an unusual command. Sounding a bit like an encouraging shout from an enthusiastic coach on the side-lines, could we use this call today as a yardstick for some reflective self-examination? Are we strong? As strong as God has called us to be? How might we gauge that strength? And what might we do to better live up to that call, in our own lives and within our Ecclesia, on our walk to God’s kingdom?’