Josh Knipple tells us what really matters! Great job Josh. Ty
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5 NIV
Please hear me loud and clear. My family is my first ministry. Above all else in my life my wife and my kids are first. That isn’t something that I take lightly, and I can say it all comes from the examples I had. Looking back on my life I can say that my faith has been a generational faith. Growing up, it started with my Gram Mondie and Pap-Ike. We would be in church every Sunday morning, third pew back on the right along with all of my cousins. It was instilled in my brother and I early on just how valuable faith is and that Jesus was our foundation. We had parents who didn’t just talk about faith but lived it out daily.
Growing up that faith was challenged and I have had many ups and downs in life. One thing that I always knew along the way was Jesus was with me. As the years have ticked by I have started to wear many different hats in life. Many of them I am truly proud of whether it is being a co-owner at Ski Den Sports to the teaching pastor at Franklin St Church. I have traveled the country time and again leading a skateboard ministry and I have served as a local missionary. In my life, I can look back on it, and truly say that I have lived life to the full. I feel like in my own pride I could go on and on talking about myself, but God is teaching me continually that it is not about me. In that lesson, I have been slapped upside the head with the truth that my wife and my kids are my first ministry and have to be my first priority.
At Ski Den I have learned over and over that there is more to life than selling a $400 piece of wood that we call a snowboard. At church I have learned that there is more than just building a congregation. If I do all these things, but fail my family than what is it worth. What I instill in my kids at the end of the day is what will last. Being an example for them, showing up, and spending time with them. What if I was never around, caught up in my own work and ministry schedule? What if they never got to see my example and just saw me as being distant or always gone? I believe it is one of Satan’s greatest tactics; to keep us busy.
One of the most convicting series I have ever done at church was one called, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” It was all based the idea of a father leading his child to Christ. Imagine with me a father having a conversation with his young child.
“Make sure you learn to pray,” says the father.
“But dad I have never seen you hit your knees.” The son sharply responds.
“Well you need to learn to serve.
“But dad I have never seen you so I don’t know what that means.
“How about you learn to give.” The dad continues.
“You gotta be kidding me, you never open your wallet.”
“Can you at least learn to love and forgive?” The dad struggles to say.
“You are one of the most bitter people I know.” The son again chimes in.
Then the son makes one final statement shaking the father to the core.
“Dad if you would teach me how, be my example, then maybe I could know what you are talking about.”
As I prayed through that series and looked at my own personal life, I had a friend of mine take a picture to remind me. He followed behind me as I walked towards the cross hand in hand with my son Eli. I know there will be times in life I fail, moments where I fall flat on my face. By the grace of God I pray that I can always get back up to lead our family and be the best husband and dad possible. In a world with many absent parents and kids searching for an example to follow I pray that all believers would take their role seriously.
In closing I can’t help but think of the end of the movie Gladiator where he makes his claim, his final declaration about who he is. For me above all else it would be, “I am Josh, the husband to Lindsey, and the Dad to Eli, Silas, Evans, and Elliston.” All other accolades can fall by the wayside. What about for you?
Make it a Strong Saturday! God is good…