I remember my parents, when I first got my driver’s licence, putting certain rules in place in order to help me most enjoy my newly earned freedom. One such regulation was that for the first few months, I was not allowed to carry with me any passengers to whom I was not immediately related. Translation: No friends allowed! The rationale was simple—Mom and Dad Boyd wanted to limit distractions while Teenage Boyd gained confidence behind the wheel. They wanted me to enjoy the freedom of driving unhindered by the potentially accident-causing diversions teenage boys might provide.
In a similar way, God wants us to fully enjoy the good gifts he has given. However, for that to happen, we need to guard against distractions and deceptions that, left unchecked, can obstruct, dampen, and steal our ability to recognize those very gifts, understand the source of those gifts, and celebrate the best of those gifts.
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Josiah has served the Oakridge Bible Chapel family as one of its elders and one of its pastoral staff members since September 2018, before which he ministered as an associate pastor to a local congregation in the Canadian prairies. Josiah's desire is to be used by God to help equip the church for ministry, both while gathered (edification) and while scattered (evangelization). He is married to Patricia, and together they have five children—Jonah, Henry, Nathaniel, Josephine, and Benjamin.
