CLICK HERE to visit JoshuaFamilyMinistries.com
…What is Joshua Family Ministries? …
Since I was little I have always had a special place in my heart for family. From the earliest I can remember my parents would emphasize the importance of our family and how special we were to each other and also to the world. There had never been and there would never be more like us, we were unique. I am the oldest of seven children and my father was the oldest of seven children as well, so as you can see our family was quite large.
But even though we were large we were all very close. Some of my favorite memories from childhood were not the planned parties or holiday gatherings, but the Sunday evenings when everyone just seemed to show up at grandma’s house for dinner and fun. As a child I felt secure and knew that I was loved by my parents, grandparents and all other families members.
It is also amazing to note that throughout my whole family there is not one single divorce! What a special blessing and what a example to set for all the children. God has blessed our family in so many ways and I think that is totally why I have such a desire to help and reach out to families around me.
God has given us a special gift as parents and grandparents to be able to reach out and touch the next generation directly through our children. I am still learning what a priviledge and a responsibility that this is. God has given us the opportunity to raise up leaders for him. Boys and girls who will become strong men and women of God and can impact their world in the years to come. And as a family we are also there to be able to encourage each other and the world around us!
It doesn’t take much to impress the importance of family more importantly the importance of God in our families. It can be through the little things, gatherings, picnics, game nights, movie nights, cooking lessons and so on. Or in another thing, which I fondly remember from my childhood, family Bible studies. The family Bible studies that we had every morning weren’t complex, but from a young age they instilled within me a love for God’s Word and a desire to have a personal relationship with Him.
One verse my parents quoted to us often was Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. I see how true this is, as one by one my brothers and sisters and cousins are going out into the world and learning to stand on our own. It is so awesome see and such a testimony of God’s faithfulness and also to the importance that family has played in each of our lives.
My parents always used to tell me that without one or the other of them I wouldn’t be here, but it is just as true to say that without God we wouldn’t exist and neither would our families. I long to see Christian families strengthened so that we may glorify God in all that we do and be a witness to the world around us of God’s faithfulness and love for his people.
My heart for this website is to be place where families – parents, children, grandparents, aunts & uncles – can come and be encouraged through God’s Word and other resources so that we may can be a light and an encouragement to families around us. My favorite verse, and the reason for the name Joshua Family Ministries, is Joshua 24:15 – And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
My husband and I have made a choice to put God first in our lives, in our family and in all that we do. Our desire is to raise our children to be followers of Jesus Christ, that they may know Him personally as their Lord and Savior, be lights to the world, and be blessings to all they come in contact with. If this too is your heart’s desire may I invite you to say as Joshua said… “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.
CLICK HERE to visit JoshuaFamilyMinistries.com
