Just before midday on the final Friday in March, Joshua Israel took to his Facebook page, where he deemed it essential to encourage the hearts of his 4,900-plus social media friends.
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY — A married father with a healthy and happy family, Atlanta’s Joshua Israel has become a fixture in the Body of Christ as a talented psalmist, considering he is widely known for ministering, particularly as an award-winning solo artist. Just recently, he witnessed the much-anticipated release of two singles and, if that isn’t enough to turn heads, he will be releasing a new single and video entitled “You’re Not Alone 2.0” in the coming weeks.
Said Israel in a rather awe-inspiring post: Happy Favor Friday! It’s a great day to be Alive!! I hope that you’re intentionally participating in your own life. Don’t just allow life to happen to you. After all, you happened to life #riseupandbeyourtrueself
A pretty purposeful and spirited post by a gifted and talented individual whom, to his credit, has grasped a thorough concept of what it means to allow life to happen to him.
“A key value I have learned from my upbringing is that right is right, wrong is wrong…it and doesn’t matter who’s doing it,” Israel told Making Headline News during a weekend interview.
Because of whom he is and because of where God has predestined to take him, it’s safe to assume that Israel undoubtedly has done more right than wrong.
For starters, the 39-year-old native of St. Louis was raised in a Christian-oriented household, where strict Biblical principles had become a customary trend, considering he widely known throughout the Body of Christ as a PK, or “Preacher’s Kid.”
“I was raised Pentecostal/Apostolic, but when I was 15, my father added what he called Biblical marriage/polygyny to our religious practice,” Israel recalled. “I have been in church all my life a PK, thus I have seen a lot.”
HIS ‘NO. 1 FAN’ — Because he was determined to remain completely sold out to God, coupled with his wife’s unyielding support, Israel is witnessing his Creator take him to immense heights in the kingdom, as only He could.
As Israel specifically explains, it wasn’t until after what he described as a series of events that he began to witness God “open my eyes.”
That, in a nutshell, is when he had effectively come to grips with the notion that suggested the way he was raised was “no longer for my family and me,” he said forthrightly.
“We parted ways over five years ago,” Israel said without hesitation, “and haven’t looked back.”
A little more than five years removed from what apparently had become an unceremonious — but necessary — separation from his family, amongst the things Israel has discovered is that God can use anyone, at any given time, whenever He so pleases.
NATIONAL IMPACT — To Israel’s credit, his notable musical gifts have given way to him making appearances on TBN, TV57, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.’s Rainbow Push Coalition Conference, Bobby Jones Presents, Radio One, as well as a host of local festivals and churches.
Fortunately for Israel and his family that resides in Atlanta, God isn’t just using them but, unlike never before, He’s allowing him to put his immeasurable kingdom gifts on display in ways unimaginable.
A married father with a healthy and happy family, Israel has become a fixture in the Body of Christ as a talented psalmist, considering he is widely known for ministering, particularly as an award-winning solo artist and songwriter.
Just recently, he witnessed the much-anticipated release of two singles and, if that isn’t enough to turn heads, he will be releasing a new single and video entitled “You’re Not Alone 2.0”in the coming weeks.
“This is the song God gave me the day I left my father’s religion,” Israel, who’s also an accomplished businessman, said.
SOLD OUT TO GOD — As Israel specifically explains, it wasn’t until after he described as a series of events that he began to witness God “open my eyes.”
And because he was determined to remain completely sold out to God, coupled with his wife’s unyielding support, Israel is witnessing his Creator take him to immense heights in the kingdom, as only He could.
“My wife has always been what I call my No. 1 fan and supporter,” Israel said of his companion, whom he met at 10 years of age and married approximately eight years later. “She’s my rock. She keeps me balanced.”
Interestingly, Israel’s band was once comprised of his four older children, a trend that eventually gave way to them winning back-to-back Atlanta’s Gospel Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017.
AND THE WINNER IS — Nearly three decades removed from that death-to-life encounter, now we know why he is so destined to live and dwell on the larger side of God.
Talk about living and dwelling on the larger side of God.
“I’ve been quoting Acts 2:38 since I was about three (years old), so preaching is something I’ve always known,” Israel said. “I was born to do it, but didn’t want to for different reasons.”
Having first begun singing in church at the tender age of five, it wasn’t until Israel had turned 19 when he surrendered his life wholeheartedly to God and, in June 1998, he began preaching the gospel.
Consequently, he became the youth pastor and praise and worship under the leadership of father prior to his unlikely exit.
Interestingly, Israel’s band was once comprised of his four older children, a trend that eventually gave way to them winning back-to-back Atlanta’s Gospel Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017.
All things considered, though, his primary focus remained the same — lifting up Christ the best way he knew how.
To his credit, his notable musical gifts have given way to him making appearances on TBN, TV57, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.’s Rainbow Push Coalition Conference, Bobby Jones Presents, Radio One, as well as a host of local festivals and churches.
Talk about an array of accomplishments — all of this after having been deceased for a considerable amount of time amid being electrocuted at the tender age of 11.
“While living in College Park, Georgia, I climbed a neighborhood tree,” Israel recalled.
What happened shortly thereafter had eventually sent shock waves through the Israel household.
That’s because after finding his way to the very top of the tree, Israel somehow had become entangled in the power line which, according to him, “connected with me and didn’t turn me loose until it crossed my heart three times, finally exiting my left leg leaving two holes.”
Having first begun singing in church at the tender age of five, it wasn’t until Israel had turned 19 when he surrendered his life wholeheartedly to God and, in June 1998, he began preaching the gospel.
Consequently, Israel’s brother and a neighbor removed his lifeless body from the tree, during which paramedics arrived to what Israel referred to as “a dead boy.”
“They had to use the shockers and defibrillators on me,” said Israel telling his testimony for probably the umpteenth time.
According to Israel, medical records indicated that he had been unconscious for up to 45 minutes, a development that led to him having to spend an entire month in nearby Grady Memorial Intensive care burn unit, during which he received a skin graph.
Nearly three decades removed from that death-to-life encounter, now we know why he is so destined to live and dwell on the larger side of God.
“That experience is the very reason I’m not only a believer in God, but know God to be real in spite of,” Israel said.
And for the record, know this also: Because God has revealed Himself time and again in his life, he has no plans of looking back.
For more information about Gospel Recording Artist Joshua Israel,to purchase his music or to schedule him for an appearance, connect with him via social media at: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @JoshuaIsraelTP1. Also, he can be reached via email at: [email protected].
LISTEN IN TO JOSHUA ISRAEL:
EDITOR’S NOTE:If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, producer, author, athlete, musician, barber, life coach, motivational speaker, cosmetologist, tax preparer, model, or pastor/minister who is seeking exposure and would like to share your story with an in-depth news feature, call Reporter Andre Johnson at 901-690-6587 or Facebook message him under “Andre T. Johnson” for details.
Andre Johnson is Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.
ABOUT ANDRE: Andre Johnson is a longtime sports journalist and a 2000 graduate of the University of the Memphis with Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. A native of Memphis, Johnson is a former sport reporter Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper and Memphis Sport Magazine. He worked as full-time staffer for The Commercial Appeal from 2000-2002, in which he was the beat reporter for the Memphis Houn’dawgs of now-defunct American Basketball Assocation and the Memphis Xplorers of the arenafootball2 league. He has interviewed numerous sports personalities, most notably Archie Manning, LeBron James, George “Iceman” Gervin, Issac Bruce, Laila Ali, Vince Carter, Paul Westphal, Phil Jackson, Ken Hamlin, Cortez Kennedy, Michael Oher, Kobe Bryant, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, James Harden, Patrick Willis, Stanley Morgan, Dirk Nowitzki, Rick Carlisle, Mark Cuban, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, John Force, Lamar Odom, Alexandra Stevenson, Derek Fisher, Penny Hardaway, Phillip Rivers, Colin Kaepernick, Jim Harbaugh, Tyreke Evans, Kirk Ferentz, and O. J. Mayo, among others. To reach Johnson, send email to: [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.
Andre Johnson 
Because of whom he is and because of where God has predestined to take him, it’s safe to assume that Israel undoubtedly has done more right than wrong.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, producer, author, athlete, musician, barber, life coach, motivational speaker, cosmetologist, tax preparer, model, or pastor/minister who is seeking exposure and would like to share your story with an in-depth news feature, call Reporter Andre Johnson at 901-690-6587 or Facebook message him under “Andre T. Johnson” for details.
