Joshua Harris Biography, Age, Family, Books, Boy meets, Quotes and Sermons

Last Updated on 2 weeks by General

Joshua Harris Biography (Pastor)

Joshua Harris born as Joshua Eugene Harris is an American pastor and author, and is well known as the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye (1997). He explained what he believed at the time to be the biblical approach to dating and relationships. Harris was lead pastor of Covenant Life Church, the founding church of Sovereign Grace Ministries, in Gaithersburg, Maryland from 2004 until 2015, when he stepped down to become a student at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Joshua Harris Age

He was born on December 30, 1974 in Dayton, Ohio. He is 43 years old as of 2018.

Joshua Harris Family

Harris was born in Dayton Ohio on 30 December 1974. He is the son to Gregg and Sono Harris pioneers in the Christian homeschooling movement. He is the first of seven children. On his mother’s side he is of Japanese descent.

Joshua Harris Wife|Joshua And Shannon Harris

Joshua is married to Shannon Harris and they have 3 children.

Joshua Harris Photo

Joshua Harris Books

1. I Kissed Dating Goodbye
2. Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is): Sexual Purity in a Lust-Saturated World
3. Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship
4. Why Church Matters: Discovering Your Place in the Family of God
5. Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) – A Study Guide for Men: Sexual Purity in a Lust-Saturated World
6. Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters
7. I Kissed Dating Goodbye: A New Attitude Toward Relationships and Romance
8. I Kissed Dating Goodbye: Study Guide
9. Not Even a Hint by Joshua Harris (10-Dec-2005) Hardcover
10. Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) – A Study Guide for Women: Sexuality Purity in a Lust-Saturated World
11. Stop Dating the Church!: Fall in Love with the Family of God (LifeChange Books)

Boy Meets Girl Joshua Harris

Purpose Driven Romance The last thing singles want is more rules. But if you’re looking for an intentional, God-pleasing game plan for finding a future spouse, Joshua Harris delivers an appealing one. A compelling new foreword, an all-new “8 Great Courtship Conversations” section, and updated material throughout makes this five-year revision of the original Boy Meets Girl a must-have! Harris illustrates how biblical courtship – a healthy, joyous alternative to recreational dating – worked for him and his wife. Boy Meets Girl presents an inspiring, practical example for readers wanting to pursue the possibility of marriage with someone they may be serious about.

Joshua Harris I Kissed Dating Goodbye

I Kissed Dating Goodbye is the first book Joshua wrote when he was 21 years. It inspires call to sincere love, real purity and purposeful singleness. It remains the benchmark for books on christian dating.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye shows what it means to entrust your love life to God. Joshua Harris shares his story of giving up dating and discovering that God has something even better—a life of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness.

The Room Joshua Harris

by Joshua Harris

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found
myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features
save for the one wall covered with small index card files.
They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author
or subject in alphabetical order.
But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and
seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different
headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to
catch my attention was one that read “Girls I Have Liked”.
I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I
quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the
names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.
This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog
system for my life. Here were written the actions of my
every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory
couldn’t match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled
with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening
files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and
sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so
intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if
anyone was watching.

A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I
Have Betrayed”. The titles ranged from the mundane to
the outright weird. “Books I Have Read”, “Lies I Have
Told”, “Comfort I Have Given”, “Jokes I Have Laughed
At”. Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things
I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at:
“Things I Have Done in My Anger”, “Things I Have
muttered Under My Breath at My Parents”. I never
ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were
many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I
hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had
lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 16
years to write each of these thousands or even millions of
cards? But each card confirmed this truth.
Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with
my signature. When I pulled out the file marked “Songs I
Have Listened To”, I realized the files grew to contain
their contents. The cards were packed tightly,
and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of
the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of
music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file
represented.

When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts”, I felt a
chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch,
not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I
shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that
such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought
dominated my mind: “No one must ever see these cards!
No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!”
In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t
matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I
took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I
could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and
pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I
tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot.
Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-
pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I
Have Shared the Gospel With”.

The handle was brighter than those around it, newer,
almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not
more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could
count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep
that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me.
I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from
the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves
swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever
know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No,
please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I
watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read
the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in
the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I
saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to
intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read
every one?

Finally, He turned and looked at me from across the
room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was
a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered
my face with my hands and began to cry again.

He walked over and put His arm around me. He could
have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word.
He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files.
Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and,
one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each
card. “No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could
find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him.
His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was,
written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus
covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently
took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began
to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He
did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard
Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He
placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.” I
stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was
no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

Joshua Harris Author

Harris from 1994 to 1997 he published New Attitude, a magazine aimed at fellow homeschoolers . He Published his first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye in 1997 and it has sold nearly one million copies worldwide, though in 2016, Harris was interviewed as reconsidering the book’s prescriptions, and apologized to people who said they had been hurt by them. His later publications include Boy Meets Girl (2000), in part describing his engagement to his wife, Shannon; Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust, released in 2003 and renamed Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) in 2005; and Stop Dating the Church!: Fall in Love with the Family of God (2004). His publishers agreed in 2018 that the original book and two other follow-up books would not be reprinted once the current stock was depleted.

Harris’ book known as Dug Down Deep highlights his passion for what he calls “Humble Orthodoxy.” In early 2010 that  when it was released, Harris shares his own journey towards a love for theology, and theological concepts that changed his life.

Joshua Harris Divorce

I Kissed Dating Goodbye, written by Joshua Harris and first published in 1997, argued that traditional dating was “a training ground for divorce” …

Joshua Harris Sermons

Boy Meets Girl Joshua Harris Quotes

1. Living to glorify God means doing everything…
   for Him,
   His way,
   to point to His greatness
   and to reflect His goodness.“Terms don’t define our lives; our lives define our terms.”
2. “Women need to remember that if nature has made them plain, grace can make them beautiful, and if nature has made them beautiful, good deeds can add to their beauty. Grace will make you beautiful and will attract truly godly men to you. Make godliness and inward beauty your priority.”
3. “During courtship, guarding each other’s purity and refraining from intimacy are the acts of lovemaking.”
4. “In fact, the Bible tells us that the union of man and woman in marriage points to the climatic final scene – when Christ returns for His church, the bride He died to save
5. “No matter where we are today or what mistakes we’ve made in the past, He has given us everything we need to glorify Him right now.”
6. “We should never use spiritual activities as a way to grab for more intimacy than is appropriate for our relationship.”
7. “We can’t change by fancy methods. We can’t change by mere willpower. But God’s Spirit working in us can help us to “will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).”

Joshua Harris Covenant Life Church |Joshua Harris Md |Pastor Joshua Harris |Joshua Harris Church

Harris moved from Oregon to Gaithersberg in 1997, MD to be a “pastoral intern.” Here “, a charismatic Calvinist and founding pastor of megachurch Covenant Life Church C. J. Mahaney, took Harris under his wing and groomed him to take over the church.”

He began Sovereign Grace Ministries’ New Attitude Conference for Christian singles in 1999, with inspiration and guidance from Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences. He continued frequently to organize and lead this conference from 1999 until 2011, although in 2009 it was renamed “Next.” The primary focus of New Attitude was to provide young Christians with what organizers believe is the biblical truth of the gospel, and to emphasize on the importance of the church in the lives of all Christians. New Attitude’s focus is that the truth should be conveyed with humility and uses the term Humble Orthodoxy to represent this.

In 2004 Harris assumed the role of senior pastor for Covenant Life Church at the age of 30. He announced his resignation from that role due to a desire to broaden his views and connect to other parts of Christianity in January, 2015 . “He said that the isolation of Covenant Life, and of a small cluster of churches of which it was a part, may have fed leadership mistakes, including the decision of pastors himself among them to handle a child sexual abuse case internally instead of going to police.”