Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. – Joshua 1:7

Today's Scripture Reading (March 23, 2025): Joshua 1

I am a bit of a Queen fan. How do you not at least respect a guy with a four-octave vocal range? I sometimes struggle with an octave and a half. But Freddie Mercury, Queen's lead singer, was incredible. Unfortunately, Mercury died of an AIDS-related illness on November 24, 1991. However, what has always amazed me about Freddie Mercury was that he was an introvert. The flamboyant image that he portrayed on the stage was nothing more than a stage persona. Freddie Mercury offstage was very different from the rock star his fans watched perform in concert.

You will find me if you google my name, but you will have to search a little. The top Google search response for my name is a Freddie Mercury impersonator. Gary Mullen is the lead singer for a Queen tribute band called "The Works." But the reality is that my long-lost cousin, who possesses the same name, except that I think he spells Garry with only one R, had to learn to be Freddie Mercury. But that shouldn't surprise us; Freddie Mercury had to learn how to be Freddie. 

I grew up loving a singer whose name is Vincent Furnier. Admittedly, probably only hardcore fans know him by that name, but it is the name with whom this singer self-identifies. Vincent grew up the son of a pastor, which in some ways is weird because Christians often refuse to listen to Vincent Furnier's music. You know Vincent, but by a different name: most of us know him as Alice Cooper. But Alice Cooper is not who he is, not really. Alice is a character that Vincent Furnier plays on stage. In fact, Alice Cooper was originally the band that Vincent Furnier sang for. Today, Vincent Furnier pays his old band members a fee to use the name. But it is not who he is. A few years ago, Furnier said that he had hoped to play the part of Alice Cooper for six years past the retirement of Mick Jagger, who is six years older than he is; Furnier refuses to be beaten out in longevity by someone like Jagger. But when the day comes, when Vincent Furnier puts down the makeup never to become Alice Cooper again, he hopes someone else will pick up the character.

I have often admitted that I am an introvert and extremely shy. Those who know me best agree. Some question how an introvert does some of the things I do, but that has never been a problem for me. My problem has always been what I am supposed to do when I walk off of the platform. Meetings have always been a problem for me. Unscripted gatherings are also a problem. I am more comfortable sitting behind a computer and writing down my thoughts. However, I have learned to play the part of a pastor because I believe that God has called me to this task. It is the same journey that Freddie Mercury and the other Gary Mullen have to make on their way to becoming the stage persona of Freddie Mercury, and it is the same process that Vincent Furnier has to go through in putting on the character of Alice Cooper. It is a process because, deep down, we aren't that.

Repeatedly, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. Why? Because in this moment, strong and courageous are the last things that he is. At this moment, he realizes that he will have to put on a costume and face the fear that could very well keep him in the background. Deep down, everything inside Joshua is screaming at him, saying it was supposed to be Moses doing this, not him.

The idea that everything in life is supposed to be easy and done naturally is wrong. Life is hard because we aren't something, but we know we have to be. The reason for this is relatively simple. We are in process; stretching to be more and more like who God desires us to be.

There are always some things that we have to just step up and do. It is not because of a lack of faith that we are sometimes scared. It is a lack of faith when we can't move past that fear and be strong and courageous because God asks us to and promises to be with us. I am convinced that at this moment, Joshua was both a man of faith and scared out of his boots. But the man of faith would not allow fear to stop him. And so, he put on courage, just like Vincent Furnier puts on Alice Cooper, or Gary Mullen (with one r) puts on Freddie Mercury. Joshua would focus on the things of God and not on what the world would throw at him to stop him. He would become God's person, regardless of who he felt he was. As he met the future, he would be strong and courageous, even when that was the last thing Joshua felt he was. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 2