Episode 26: Joshua Baker
In our lives, we can look back and see how the influence of one person has impacted our life’s trajectory. Throughout the journey of this podcast and video podcast, numerous guests have chronicled the importance of that one teacher, that one mentor, that one friend who had the ability to see past the current circumstances of their present lives, to a greatness within them that was yearning to be released. For Pastor Joshua Baker, that man was a preacher who placed a hand on Josh’s heart and freed him from his addictions and the barriers to a life of discipleship to Jesus Christ. It is this Christ relationship that is the fundamental relationship in Josh’s life, and the foundation of his ministry as a Campus Pastor at Alive Church in Orlando, FL.
Josh at a glance is not what springs to mind when you think of a man who preaches the Good News of the Bible (neither was Saul, nor even Moses for that matter). He dances to Thundercat’s Funny Thing (and has a serious shoulder shrug to go with it), raps his own poetry, has hundreds of thousands of people watching his Instagram Reels’ antics and isn’t afraid to go vocal cord-to-vocal cord with Mariah Carey while he drives around Orlando, FL. And while it’s all good fun and laughter, underneath the carefree persona, is a man who has periodically run from his calling, survived a drunk driving car accident that left him in a coma and overcome the deep hurts and disappointments he experienced at the hands of people in the church who were supposed to be his mentors and guides.
Josh’s journey reminds us of what happens when you stop running and start facing the pain of your life. When you find the capacity within your heart to forgive yourself and those who have caused you great disappointments. In a time when religion and commitment to following any religious doctrine can be used as a tool to divide us, Josh uses his pulpit to call upon us, the Church and the world to start a love revival. To love all people. To love all people abundantly.
