[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]
Dear Friend:
My name is Joshua and the first thing you should know about me is that…
I Am
NOT God!
I am not perfect.
I am not infallible.
I do not have a degree in psychology, psychiatry, counseling or anything else that might qualify me to write an advice column.
Truth is… I’m just some “chump off the street” who’s of nothing more than average intelligence.
Be that as it may, using what I believe is guidance from God, I think I’ve come up with a very realistic, very practical way to help “save the world.”
And yes…
WARNING:
It DOES Involve Me
Preaching The Gospel
But before you go getting all bent outta shape about the matter, I want to tell you… when I speak (or write) I speak from the heart and I speak using a tone of voice that’s relatively subdued.
I’m not into yelling, “selling” or shouting.
Also, when speaking or writing, I rarely quote scripture. Sure, I can quote some of the more well-known verses like Matthew 19:26… Romans 10:9… and of course…John 3:16. But that’s about it. (I’m working diligently at changing that though.)
Instead of quoting scripture, you’ll find that I speak and write using dialogue which the average person can relate to.
Dialogue that no slick, quick, fast-talking, $3,000.00 Armani suit-wearing television preachers are likely to use in any one of their sermons.
Sorry… But…
That’s Just Not Me!
My style of preaching involves wit, humor, sarcasm and about five other “no-no’s” that would probably get me kicked out of a number of Christian churches.
And it’s because of this… that…
I Believe Some “Christians”
May Actually Hate Me!
Admittedly, my preaching style, it doesn’t always appeal to Born-Again Christians.
Which is fine by me… cause they ain’t the ones I’m trying to attract anyway.
Nope.
I’m trying to attract the… the… well… let’s just say… I’m trying to attract the…
And I’ll do whatever it takes to attract ‘em (within reason of course).
What’s that?
[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id=”1739|full” max_width=”” style_type=”glow” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”liftup” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”center” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”fade” animation_direction=”static” animation_speed=”1.0″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]https://askjoshua.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Picture1.png[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]
You say you don’t like this approach I’m taking… in leading lost souls to Christ?
You say that instead of writing an advice column that uses wit and sarcasm to attract readers… that instead… what I should be doing… is quoting scripture in the same, dry, mundane manner that every other Christian website on the planet employs in their attempts at spreading the good news message of Jesus Christ?
That is what you’re saying… isn’t it?
That’s okay… I understand.
Really… I do.
And because of this… if you ever feel like venting… voicing your concerns… offering constructive criticism… or heck… even if you ever feel like cussing me out about my unusual preaching methods… you can do so by calling me on my cell.
My Cellphone # is…
(712) 220-7058
(No texts please. Thanks.)
Don’t worry… whatever you want to say… I’ll be fine with it. Seriously… no matter how much of a tongue-lashing you decide to unleash… I will not fight back.
I’ll just sit there and take it like a man.
Sound fair?
Good.
Let’s move on to…
Even More… About Me:
Approximately 20 years ago I was in the U.S. Military stationed over in Europe. One day I was hanging around the barracks and I saw a sign posted on a bulletin board that said, “Bible Study Tonight at 7:00 p.m. Room 307. Everyone Welcome.”
Being a skeptic, I thought to myself, “This could be interesting… at the very least it should provide me with a few good laughs and some mild entertainment.” (I should probably now mention that, at this point in my life I was a big believer in God, however, I did not have a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.)
I believed that I was a “good person” who had never committed any “serious” sins, and that I was “all set”. When I died, and was standing before God at the pearly gates, I believed He would say to me, “Joshua, my child, overall you have lived a good life. You are welcome to spend eternity with me in my kingdom.”
Boy, Did I Have
A Lot To Learn !!!
When I entered Room 307 at 7:00 p.m., there were eight people there. I made nine. A very nice fellow (Sgt. Ronald M.) was in charge of the Bible study.
“Sgt. Ron” wasted no time and got right down to business.
He opened up his Bible, asked us to all hold hands, and he read a verse from the New Testament that said something along the lines of, “Where two or more are gathered together in my name, I am there amongst them.”
Within seconds, tears were flowing down the sergeant’s cheeks like a waterfall… and as I watched and listened intently, the tone of his voice began to change.
He started “speaking in tongues.”
I was baffled… awe-struck as to what was happening… because at this point in my life, I was completely clueless as to what “speaking in tongues” even was.
I sat nervously on the edge of my seat, twitching… trembling… filled with anxiety… and then all of a sudden… Wham!!!…
I Was Suffused With
A Feeling of Peace
That Was Indescribable!
My body felt like it was glowing. It was like I was punch-drunk or high on some kind of drug.
Whatever it was… it was something I’d never experienced before.
Nothing even comes close!
At that moment in Room 307… an awesome feeling of love and peace came over my entire body from head to toe. There are no words in the English language that can accurately describe how I felt.
Then, after about 15 minutes of being in a state of bliss, I started to question myself and wondered, “What is this? This feeling of joy and peace… where did it come from? Had somebody drugged me?
But as I looked around the room at the people I was holding hands with, I saw it in their eyes, and on their faces… we all knew it…
The Holy Spirit Was In Room 307
… And Was Upon Us!
There’s no other explanation.
Nine different people couldn’t imagine the exact same thing (an overwhelming sense of love, peace and joy) all at the exact same time.
They couldn’t.
Not all nine of them.
Not at the exact same time.
It’s just not possible.
If you’re one of those skeptics who would suggest that we were hypnotized…
You Are
Sadly Mistaken!
I know a lot about the subject of hypnosis (a real lot) and in this particular situation… hypnosis is simply out of the question.
What we had experienced was for real.
We all felt it.
And, afterwards, we all discussed… at great length… this amazing encounter.
To make a long story short, that night, my life changed forever. I started reading the Bible every day and I immediately began searching for information about what had happened to me there in Room 307.
I read everything I could get my hands on regarding God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I mean everything. If my local library or bookstore didn’t have a book I wanted, I would drive hundreds of miles to get it.
This Was Before
The Internet!
When I went on leave, back to the United States, I traveled to New York City to check out the Manhattan Public Library, and to Washington D.C. to forage through the Library of Congress.
Let me tell you… I was driven. I read it all. I was voracious. I went on a reading frenzy with the same passion that a Great White goes on a feeding frenzy.
I also joined a Bible study group which I believe accurately interpreted the Word of God.
In short… from a spiritual standpoint… I was “on fire”.
Be that as it may, it’s important for you to know that…
I’m No Saint!
Unfortunately, spiritually speaking, I didn’t remain “on fire.” Nope… I’ve wrestled with many demons over the years.
From time to time I’d get caught up in the world. I’d stray from obeying the Word of God. I partied with my college buddies. We drank alcohol, experimented with drugs, used cuss words, went to strip clubs, and had impure thoughts.
I’ve pretty much done it all… and… well… to sum things up…
I Am A
Big-Time Sinner!
But you know what?
Along the way, I learned something, and that is… God loves me… always has… and always will. God will never turn his back on me. He will never forsake me or you! All you have to do is open your heart and ask him to come into your life.
When you get a chance, there are two very important sections of this website I want you to take a look at.
One of them is Contact God.
The other is Accepting J.C.
Click on either one of these links and you’ll discover step-by-step instructions on how to invite God into your heart in such a way that it will literally change your life.
My friend… I don’t know… I could be wrong… but…
I Think God
Might Be Calling You!
Why not answer his call?
It couldn’t hurt.
Sincerely yours,
P.S. Like what you’ve read so far? If so, click on the MENU tab that’s at the top of this page. Do it… because there’s some really cool stuff inside that’s all about…
P.P.S. Think this website of mine might actually help make the world a better place? If so… please be sure to share it with everyone you know. Thanks.
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