A few years ago I had the opportunity to share Logos and speak at the Women of Faith events across the U.S. I was usually introduced by either Lisa Harper or Lysa Terkeurst – Both amazing women of God and incredible Bible teachers. Over the last few years I’ve gotten to know Lysa and her ministry Proverbs 31 through teaching at their event She Speaks and training their ministry teams on Logos. Throughout the years Lysa shared her vision to eradicate Biblical poverty. Helping people have access to scripture and take hold of it. Teaching them how to study so that they weren’t constantly looking to others to unpack the depth and beauty of the Bible. As I heard this vision I realized this simple statement – “Eradicating Biblical Poverty” was a defining phrase that captured my own heart beat and desire. I’ve had the opportunity to see how this vision has been put into action through P31’s First 5 app (which is amazing and all of you should download now). The Experience Guides that go with each study, and Lysa’s own books Uninvited and her newest study “Finding I Am” which I had the incredible opportunity to help her in with some research.

After a lot of prayer and asking our mentors for advice and wisdom, Brittany and I have decided to accept an offer from Lysa and P31 to join their team as the Director of Theology and Ministry Products.

I’m excited to help with the future development of First 5, bring support and help around theology development, research and writing, and a couple other really exciting projects that I’ll share with you all in the coming months!

I’ve often said that it feels like God only shows fragmented images of what my future would look like. Often, I felt like my educational and career path has been the most confusing and scatter brained. Having an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies, a M.S in Organizational Psychology, and then recently finishing Seminary makes my resume look a little crazy. Not mention my career path has had me in ministry positions, a stint at Starbucks as a barista, serving adults with developmental disabilities as a Program Director, and then finally the last four years working as a product manager and transitioning into a National Conference Speaker at Faithlife (makers of Logos Bible Software), which is the best Bible software and suite of church products out in the market hands down.

I’ve always privately questioned God why my life took so many different paths and what the purpose for all of this was? I’ve always known two important things:

  1. I love the the Bible – studying it, teaching it, and research
  2. I love the Church –  both local and universal and helping it to effectively teach and share the good news of the Gospel

The decision making process to make this transition came down to this:

  • Eradicating Biblical Poverty – I am so excited to be directly putting my efforts to this vision which I believe in and could spend the rest of my life pursuing
  • Less Travel and Family Prioritization – As many of you know I’ve averaged over 100K air miles over the last 3 years. Another factor is that over the last year my youngest son, Lucas; began having febrile seizures (you can read more about that journey here). At least 7 seizures occurred this year while I was away and 4 of them as I was literally waiting on the plane to take off. While I will travel some, it wont be as extensive and will allow me to really be there for my family and young children.
  • I recently finished seminary and have always had a desire to pursue a PhD or Dmin. With this transition I will be able to really look into this and begin that journey as well.

I have absolutely LOVED working at Faithlife and am really excited about continued partnership with P31. The truth is I owe a lot of my speaking, teaching, and product management skills to Faithlife. Speaking at over 30 conferences per year and working with the best developers, marketers, and sales teams has been an incredible blessing. Bob (CEO) and Dan (Exec Vice President) have been incredibly gracious to me and I’ve learned so much from them. My uncle Scott Lindsey has been an incredible mentor (he’s the face of Faithlife) and I am so thankful for him and his support.

The future is incredibly exciting and I cant wait to see all that God will accomplish. I’d love your prayer and support as we venture into this new journey eradicating Biblical poverty and showing as many people as possible not only the beauty of the scriptures but the truth that it holds.

 

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  1. Chelle Marcum says:

    I’m so happy for your success, Joel! May God continue to bless you and your family!

  2. Terry BRown says:

    Joel, I am extremely happy for you and your family. As a former Faithlife employee, I know the rigors of weekly travel and the toll that it can take on one’s family. It’s refreshing to see you prioritize family over all else. I am praying for you guys!

  3. Joy Ware Miller says:

    Joel – what a perfect fit! Equipped and ready…for such a time as this! Prayers for you and your lovely Family and your “next steps”! I’m excited for you! 🙂

  4. Joel, it was a pleasure meeting you at the Word Alive pre-event in Orlando. You are such a great find and addition to the P31 family.

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