Speaker for Sovereign Grace Ministries
Author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl
https://joshharris.com
by Trisha Bleau Smith
T4J: Can you start off with a brief testimony of how God came into your life?
JOSH: Thanks for asking. I grew up around the church and Christianity but it wasn’t until I was about 14 that God made me a new creation and I truly trusted in Christ for my salvation.
I like to say God rescued me from a Christian home. What I mean by that is that while I had wonderful parents and a loving family I was still a sinner who deserved God’s wrath. I could have easily stayed in a state of hypocrisy and superficial religion if God had not rescued me. I’m very grateful.
T4J: Having read I Kissed Dating Goodbye when it was first published I found myself impressed and encouraged. How has this book impacted your own life? How did writing this book impact your life?
JOSH: Writing for me is an extremely intense and deeply emotional process. I pray my way through a book. At times it is agonizing. At times I really hate writing. I Kissed Dating Goodbye is a very personal book and I share a lot of my own mistakes. Through writing it God sealed my own convictions and showed me the depth of my own wrong ideas about relationships. So I think I definitely grew in the process.
T4J: What was the response from the public when the book was released?
JOSH: It wasn’t immediate at first, but it grew to be an incredibly overwhelming response of encouragement and support. There have always been detractors, but for the most part the book came as a great encouragement to many people. And I think God used it to challenge many singles about the way they date.
T4J: What was the response when the second book was released, having been teaching courtship and responsibility in dating then writing again as a married man?
JOSH: A lot of people didn’t think I was allowed to get married! Honestly, I had people say, “Wait a second, I thought you kissed dating goodbye!” I was like, “Look, I didn’t kiss marriage goodbye.”
But actually I think Boy Meets Girl really clarified for people what my message was all about. Most people I talk to say they like it better. And I’ve heard from many readers who said that it was only after reading Boy Meets Girl that they were willing to go back and read my first book.
I think that many people were just encouraged to see that God provided a wonderful wife for me. For them it was evidence that giving up dating doesn’t mean you miss out.
T4J: How did you move into speaking for conferences and such? Can you outline the process for someone interested in going out and speaking?
JOSH: I’ve been speaking publicly since I was seventeen. Speaking was first, then I got into writing.
I was able to speak because of my dad and the seminars he conducted. Later I started my own conferences and now conduct an annual conference for college students called New Attitude (high school seniors who are 17 can come, too). But now the main way I use the gifts of speaking God has given me is in my home church, Covenant Life. I’m a pastor and I view preaching the gospel as the greatest use of that gift.
For those interested in speaking I’d encourage you to listen to great speakers. Really study them, even imitate them. There are also lots of good books on public speaking at your local library that can help. Then look for any opportunity to speak—no matter how small it is. You have to start somewhere!
T4J: Who are some of the more known people you have worked with in various conferences and speaking engagements and what are your thoughts on them?
JOSH: Whoa! That’s an interesting question. I supposed I’m only supposed to say nice things, right? Just kidding. No, I haven’t really hung out with many famous people. I mean, I meet a lot of Christian artists at music festivals and have gotten to know some, but to be honest I’ve come to see how meaningless fame and celebrity is.
The guys I like to brag about are my fellow pastors at Covenant Life—CJ Mahaney, Kenneth Maresco, Grant Layman, Eric Simmons, John Loftness—I could go on. These guys aren’t famous, but they’re my heroes in my book because they serve God’s people day in and day.
T4J: What are the New Attitude conferences about and what can someone expect if they were to attend?
JOSH: New Attitude is an incredible experience of being in God’s presence surrounded by thousands of people who know and love Him. We worship passionately and the teaching is great. The purpose is to gather a generation (18 to 29) of young adults and orient them toward Christ and his church as a priority in their lives.
If you really want to get a taste of the conference, drop by our website (www.newattitude.org) read about the event, watch some video clips and talk to people on our message board. People who have come are the best advertisement for the conference. They’ve experienced the life-change and want come back.
This year was our fifth year. Every one seems to get better.
T4J: What book are you currently reading? What was the last CD you bought?
JOSH: Right now I’m reading The Glory of Christ that includes chapters by John Armstrong and JI Packer. And my pastor, CJ Mahaney, just came out with his first book The Cross Centered Life, which is very good. For fun I’m also reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. The last CD I bought was the new Sixpence None the Richer CD. I like it. Tim Hughes’ worship album Here I am to Worship is another favorite. We did a lot of his songs this year at New Attitude.
T4J: Are you working on any new writing projects?
JOSH: I am. First, I’ve wrapped up a new edition of I Kissed Dating Goodbye that I’m excited about. I went back, did a little fine-tuning throughout, added a chapter and tried to make it even better. That comes out in April of 2003. Then in September of 2003 I’m releasing a new book about hating lust and loving holiness called Not A Hint. It’s going to be for men and women and deal with the topic of sexual sin and how to overcome lust and impurity. It’s my first book that isn’t about dating and courtship so it’s kinda fun. Please pray for me. It’s a heavy topic and I need God’s help.
Be the first to comment