On Every Side Read Free Page A

views—only golden light almost too brilliant to take in. His heart began to race. “I… I can't do it alone…”
    “Have I not commanded you?”
    Joshua sat stone still in his chair as the voice rang out again. It was booming, yet it warmed the room the way Joshua's heater warmed his car on winter days.
    “Be
strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Remember the command that Bob Moses, servant of the Lord, gave you. The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land. You will cross My Jordan, and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own. “
    Joshua banged his head twice against the palm of his hand. Was he having a stroke? No, maybe it was an inner ear infection, something that made sounds form into sentences when he was the only one in the room. There was a flash of light—and then he saw it.
    In the corner of the room, there in front of Bob's old book-case, stood a man wearing the finest armor, a man whose eyes blazed with shining light. A golden man unlike anyone Joshua had ever seen before. His breath caught in his throat and his jaw dropped as the man drew his sword. Joshua's teeth and even the tips of his fingers trembled, but something deep in his gut told him he was not in danger. He could trust this man.
    He stood, his knees knocking, and made his way closer to the soldier. “Are you… are you friend or foe?” Joshua forced his voice to cooperate and then waited stiffly, as though his feet were planted in cement.
    “Neither. I have come as commander of the army of the Lord.”
    Joshua felt his eyes fly open even wider than before.
Commander of the army of the Lord?
That meant the man was an…an
angel?
It was impossible…but what other explanation was there? Joshua fell facedown to the ground, managing in a muffled voice, “What message does my Lord have for me?”
    The strangely peaceful soldier studied Joshua for a moment. “Take off your shoes, Joshua, for you stand on holy ground.”
    Immediately Joshua fumbled with his laces, loosened their grip on his feet, and slid his shoes off, arranging them neatly so they faced Bob's bookcase. Who was this man and where had he come from? If he was an angel did he know about Bob? Had he spoken with him? Was this God's way of getting Joshua's attention? And what of the strange light outside and the odd picture on the wall?
    But before he could ask any of the hundreds of questions pelting the roof of his heart, the phone rang. Joshua groped about, but nothing was where it should have been.
    Again and again the phone rang, until Joshua sat bolt upright and opened his eyes, his mouth dry, heart pounding. He was breathing fast and he glanced around the room, stunned at the sight that met him.
    The man was gone. In his place were all the boxes and piles of papers and books that had been there minutes earlier. His eyes darted to the photographs on the wall and he exhaled his relief. Bob's picture was back, and there was no sign of the angry young man whose picture had been there a moment ago.
    Joshua remembered the voice and what had been said. What land? How could he be crossing the Lord's Jordan when the Holy Land was thousands of miles away?
    None of it made sense.
    The phone rang once more and the sound of it startled Joshua, jerking him further back to reality There was wetness at the corner of his mouth, and he wiped it with the back of his hand as every-thing became utterly clear. He hadn't heard a voice or been visited by a commander in the Lord's army Of course not.
    He had fallen asleep and it had all been a dream.
    He reached for the receiver and snapped it to his ear. “Religious Freedom Institute, Joshua Nunn.”
    “Good. You're in.” It was Frank Furlong the town's mayor. Joshua eased back into his chair and willed his heart to slow down. He and Frank had been friends for twenty years.
    “Yeah… sorry I was busy What's