About Joshua
Program Overview
- Classes
- Staff
- Teachers
- Guest Speakers
- FAQs
What is Joshua 2.0?
The Joshua Wilderness Institute has been transforming the life effectiveness of God’s people for 10 years, and as we look to the future, we have added some things into the program to make students even more effective as they move on. At its core, the program is the same- instilling wisdom and discipline through classroom learning and life application, with some exciting new enhancements.
- Earn College Credit
- Scholarships to Christian Colleges
- 12 month program including summer service practicum
- New Domestic and International trips
- New All-Inclusive Pricing Structure
- Work Study Program
Overview
In an era where information has become more readily available to us than ever before, mankind has come to value knowledge above all else. Universities and colleges around the world provide seekers with facts and figures in incredible detail about every imaginable subject. But for many, this accumulation of knowledge will fall far short of what is truly needed to live an effective life in the kingdom of God, as information allows one to know without always affecting what one does or more importantly who one is.
What is desperately needed then is not more knowledge based training, but rather a wisdom based curriculum that focuses less on the assimilation of facts, and more on the practical outworking of what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ. A program designed for those who know they want to serve the Lord but lack the discernment, focus, spiritual and personal discipline, or life experience to exercise real wisdom in everyday situations. It is with this great need recognized then, that Hume Lake Christian Camp and Conference Center is pleased to provide the Joshua Wilderness Institute.
Mission Statement
Our mission statement at Joshua, “Transforming the Life Effectiveness of God’s People” is simple. But the process by which this mission is realized is anything but. Utilizing a combination of theology, Bible study skills, philosophy and worldview training, evangelism, character development, personal life skills, and monthly mission trips, we endeavor to expose students to life, guide them to discern God’s will, and cultivate a spiritual passion and calling. Ultimately though, it is not our programming or passion that transforms these students. It is God Himself responding to the individual cry of each one who has purposefully set this time aside to be transformed. We do not offer college credit, there are no grades, no one passes and no one fails. The sole motivation for attendance should be life effectiveness, through an increase in wisdom. When students come with that singular goal in mind, each one takes home a measure of transformation proportional to his or her individual drive and desire to be more like Christ.
Cruce, Libro, et Atro
This Benedictine motto from the 9th century also serves as the philosophical foundation of our training at the Joshua Wilderness Institute. Cruce, Libro, et Atro literally means “the cross, the book, and the plow.” It emphasizes the necessity of personal balance in faith, knowledge, and work ethic for the disciple. Faith “without deeds” is dead as it says in James, while faith without knowledge is unsustainable. Similarly, Christian activity motivated by anything other than faith and God’s glory is wasted, and work ethic alone, separated from knowledge is not only dangerous, but directionless. It is only when one learns to synchronize Biblical faith, the acquisition of knowledge, and the service of God and others that life effectiveness truly becomes attainable. The institute provides the necessary tools and means for attaining just such a balance.
Core Values
The Joshua Wilderness Institute is founded upon 15 core values which direct all of our curriculum development, disciplinary action, instructor choices, and student/faculty coaching.
- Instilling an urgency for discovering one’s calling and central purpose for life. (Ephesians 4:1)
- Creating a hunger to know and understand God. (Jeremiah 9:23,24)
- Prompting the student to identify and evaluate their personal philosophy of life and assist them in developing a Godly worldview. (Philippians 4:8; Titus 1:9)
- Developing a passion for God’s guidance and instruction and seeking to recognize the lessons and truths hidden in all of life. (Proverbs 25:2; Psalms 19)
- Challenging the student to develop convictions, which result in a person of moral and ethical character. (Numbers 13:30; Daniel 1:8)
- Teaching the life skills necessary for effective practical living. Covering stewardship, financial, environmental, and time management, relationships, conflict resolution, etc. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
- Insisting that the student live a disciplined life, in thought, word, deed, and attitude; which includes making of beds, rising early, devotions, staying in shape, extra curricular reading, orderliness, denying self, and seeing others as more important than yourself. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
- Cultivating a desire to live a life of holiness. Striving for Honesty, Purity, and Integrity in every area of life. (Psalms 15; Leviticus 11:44)
- Building critical thinking skills, and equipping their hearts and minds for living in a relativistic age, able to decipher truth and communicate clearly and compellingly to others. (I Peter 3:15)
- Urging the student to live a life of contentment, finding the pleasures in all of life and being peaceful in it. (Philippians 4:11-13)
- Leading the student to live a life of humility, seeing themselves as God sees them. This humble spirit allows one to be teachable in all of life’s circumstances. (Psalm 25:9)
- Assisting the student to discover their talents and giftedness, to be used with confidence in accordance with the purpose God has set before them. (I Corinthians 10:31)
- Establishing a solid foundation of Biblical truth, teaching scripture as the ultimate authority, with an emphasis on the Old Testament and the study of Theology. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
- Awakening the student to God’s abiding presence and their need to abide with Him. (John 14, 15:4-10; Psalms 15:1)
- Challenging students to live incarnational lives among the nations. Loving others and reproducing disciples through lives that not only evangelize in word and tongue, but in action and in truth. (I John 3:18; I Peter 2:12)
*New* Earn credits through Moody Bible Institute
| We are partnering with Moody Bible Institute’s Distance Learning program to offer up to 12 units of credit. Our Inductive Bible Study classes make up 9 of those units. All students will take these classes, and if they choose to pay the Moody tuition at $93 per unit, they can receive up to 9 fully accredited, transferable units of Bible Credit. Most Bible colleges and Christian universities will accept these as part of their Bible requirements, and some liberal arts universities will accept them as open elective credits. Credit is dependent on how they do in the class. Students may choose one of four additional 3 unit courses that they may complete on their own time for a potential total of 12 units. |
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*New* Scholarships to Christian Colleges
We are partnering with Christian colleges to obtain scholarship money for Joshua students upon completion of the program. Joshua students are better prepared to succeed in college, having lived in community, developed leadership skills, and grown in their work ethic and discipline. The colleges we are talking to recognize this, and see Joshua students as valuable people to have on campus. Currently, we have secured an $8000 scholarship from San Diego Christian College for any graduated Joshua student, and we are in conversation with several other schools about similar offers.
*New* 12 month program including summer service practicum
The 12 month Joshua Wilderness Institute program includes 9 months of traditional classroom education and work study finishing with 3 months of service practicum. After completing the traditional Joshua program, which runs September to May, students will have a short break, then return to Hume to put what they've learned into action. Students will move down to main camp and work alongside Hume Lake “summer staff” with the intention of putting into practice the skills that they have developed over the year in their Ministry Skills and other classes. Learning to build community, start Bible studies, resolve conflict and lead their peers with the Joshua staff available as resources will prepare them as they move on to college and other real life situations. Students will also have the ability to enroll with our partnering colleges and complete the Work Ministry Internship requirements that some colleges have, earning up to six units depending on the school.
*New* Work Study Program
We have a new work study program. In order to offset the cost of the Joshua program and keep it an affordable option for students, we have developed a work study program. Part of the Joshua program has always been to work at Hume Lake on the weekends to gain valuable skills and develop discipline and work ethic. This will continue under the work study program, only it will directly offset the student’s program fees, contributing $4000 to program costs for each student. Even though they aren’t being “paid”, students will receive a $50 stipend each month for incidentals, and all other basic costs of living in the building and on trips are taken care of.
*New* New Domestic and International trips
Joshua will now have 3 international trips; Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Israel. There is great value in getting outside of the world and culture we are familiar with, and learning from another perspective. Mexico is a great first international trip, especially for students who have never been out of the country. Experiencing another culture while working at a boarding school for deaf children opens eyes and hearts to different cultures and expressions of faith. We are adding a two week trip to the Dominican Republic in January, partnering with Student International, to give students a chance to experience real world ministry. They will have the chance to International out on the mission field in different areas and see what ministry looks like in a different culture. We also take a two week walking study tour of Israel, which is faith changing for many. Walking in the actual places that Bible stories take place, sitting at the sea of Galilee, walking the ramparts of Jerusalem- the Bible comes alive in a way that it never has before. All of these international trips, in addition to our four domestic trips, are included in the cost of the program.
*New* New All-Inclusive Pricing Structure
We have a new, all inclusive pricing structure. We have changed the pricing structure of Joshua to include all program fees, room and board, all trips (including Israel), and books. The cost of tuition for Moody classes, should students opt to get credit, is additional. Additionally, part of the camp fees paid will return to the student. Each student will receive a $50 stipend each month (sort of an “allowance), and upon completion of the program, they will receive back their $1000 security deposit.
Cost Breakdown
* Deposit returned in August if the student completes the program. |
Payment Schedule
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Mandatory Book List
Each month Joshua students have the opportunity to read one of the following books, and then interact with the material during weekly group discussions. Attendees are required to buy the books at cost from the Joshua Book Store, guaranteeing uniformity of edition, page number, etc… Not only do these book assignments develop students reading ability, create the foundations of a discipleship library, and introduce them to a variety of classic and contemporary Christian authors, but the discussions encourage critical thought, idea formulation, and communication skills.
Current Booklist:
- Prior to Joshua: Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
- Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders
- The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
- The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
- The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
- A Million Miles and a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
- The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
- Introduction of Christian Doctrine by Miller Erikson
All the above books in the "Current Booklist" are included in the overall price of Joshua.
In addition, we recommend all students purchase a complete Bible concordance or equivalent software to accompany their particular Bible translation.
- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
- Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance
- Zondervan NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Schedule
Someone once said, “Blessed are the flexible for they shall be bent, but never broken.” Recognizing that patience and adaptability are quickly being overrun by irritation and rigidity as our lives become almost entirely agenda driven, the Joshua Wilderness Institute’s schedules are not only adjustable, but purposefully tentative. While we do have relatively firm daily and yearly calendars, there are many occasions where plans are rearranged, report times are modified, or whole weeks are shifted in an effort to promote flexibility, diligence, and initiative. As a result, students must discipline themselves to exercise Biblical time management, effective communication skills, and discernment in order to meet deadlines and stay focused on the task at hand. This fluidity in schedule also allows the Institute to intuitively develop curriculum and programming that is based on individual and group needs, as opposed to operating on a predetermined timeline that may or may not fit from year to year. This way our program becomes student driven instead of curriculum driven.
Typical Daily Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | Breakfast | 7:00 | Breakfast | 7:00 | Breakfast |
| 7:30 | Devotions | 7:30 | Devotions | 7:30 | Devotions |
| 8:30 | Prep Time | 8:30 | Prep Time | 8:30 | Prep Time |
| 9:00 | Ministries 101 | 9:00 | Moody Classes | 9:00 | The Grill |
| 10:30 | Israel Prep | 10:30 | Old Testament | 10:30 | Theology |
| 12:00 | Lunch | 12:00 | Lunch | 12:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Study Time | 1:00 | Work Study | 1:00 | Book Discussion |
| 4:00 | Study Time | 3:00 | Study Time | ||
| 5:00 | Dinner | 5:00 | Dinner | 5:00 | Dinner |
| 6:30 | Evening Discussion | 6:30 | Evening Discussion | 6:30 | Evening Discussion |
| 9:00 | Study Time | 9:00 | Study Time | 9:00 | Study Time |
| 11:00 | Lights Out | 11:00 | Lights Out | 11:00 | Lights Out |
| Thursday | Friday | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | Breakfast | 7:00 | Breakfast |
| 7:30 | Devotions | 7:30 | Devotions |
| 8:30 | Prep Time | 8:30 | Prep Time |
| 9:00 | Morning Discussion | 9:00 | Moody Classes |
| 10:30 | Flex Time | 10:30 | Corporate Life Skills |
| 12:00 | Lunch | 12:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Work Study | 1:00 | Flex Time |
| 4:00 | Study Time | 3:00 | Work Assignments |
| 5:00 | Dinner | 5:00 | Dinner |
| 6:30 | Pause Groups | 6:30 | Work Assignments |
| 9:00 | Study Time | 11:00 | Lights Out |
| 11:00 | Lights Out | ||
Students work in various positions for Hume Lake on the weekends. Their schedule also includes occasional weekends off, and 7 ministry trips, Students also have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Holiday breaks. Joshua begins the second full week of September and runs through the end of the second full week of May, then after a small break, students return for their summer internship. See calendar for specifics.
Teachers
Utilizing Hume Lake’s incredibly diverse and experienced staff as Joshua’s anchor course instructors brings Biblical insight, practical ministry experience, demonstrated life effectiveness, and most importantly wisdom to the classroom. In classes such as Old Testament, Consequences of Ideas, and Theology, these men and women deftly weave classic informational content with the down to earth application points so unique to the Joshua Wilderness Institute. Meet the teachers.
Each week of the year a different guest speaker is brought in from around the country to teach during four interactive discussion sessions. As opposed to being assigned topical subject matter by the institute, these speakers are invited to teach out of the overflow of their personal passions and struggles. This method provides for a diverse and ever changing array of thought provoking instruction, dialogue, and reflection on the part of the students. In addition to daily discussions, students are also afforded valuable one-on-one time with these leaders and their families across the dinner table and during free times. Meet the guest speakers.
Catalyst Couples
Our catalyst program is a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved in the lives of older people in a unique way. Each week a catalyst couple or individual will be living in the lodge day in and day out to share their life experience and to offer a listening ear, words of encouragement, and advice.
Trips
While classroom instruction offers many obvious benefits, most of the fundamental aspects of practical wisdom cannot be as effectively taught, as they can be caught. With this truth in mind, the Joshua Wilderness Institute embarks on monthly application trips where students catch an active passion for simple service, hard work, compassion, evangelism, and sacrifice from experts in the field who embody these techniques. Whether building houses with Habitat for Humanity, sharing the gospel with strangers on the streets of Hollywood, or working with deaf children in Mexico each trip provides an opportunity for students to put into practice that true Biblical discipleship which for many believers never moves beyond the concept stage. These trips extend the mission of Joshua beyond the creation of more people who can only theorize effectively about the Christian life, to the creation of more people who will actually live it. New to Joshua is a trip in April to Israel. Above and beyond the cost of the JWI program, students raise support for this trip and experience the Bible first hand.
Leadership Training
In September our first trip is designed to stretch and grow the students and prepare them for the year ahead. We leave Joshua for a week in order to focus on discipleship, leadership, spiritual disciplines, and a team unity for the year.
Hartland Camp
We will travel Hartland Christian Camp and do work projects as we get familiar with the work and ministry of this camp. During this trip, students will begin preparing to return later in the year for their final class project which is to fully run a weekend retreat at this camp.
Mexico
In November we will drive to Guadalupe, Mexico to work at Rancho Sordo Mudo, which is a school for the deaf and hard of hearing. We will assist in work projects, hang out with students, and learn about the Mexican culture. This is a great introduction to international missions.
Dominican Republic
We will travel to the Dominican Republic to work with Students International. Opportunities include:
- Enabling outreach participants and the poor to discover how God can use them in their occupation.
- Providing outreach participants and the poor the opportunity to be a part of ongoing ministry and not just a short outreach where follow up is difficult.
- Helping outreach participants and the poor understand the value of building personal relationships in sharing the Gospel.
This trip will enable student to put into practice the spiritual gifts that we've identified and worked on throughout the year.
Los Angeles
While in Los Angeles we will participate in a week of urban ministry which will include working at homeless shelters, ministering to children in the inner city and learning more about various ethnic cultures in the surrounding area. We will also have the opportunity to share our faith in different locations, as we put into practice the evangelism skills we’ve been working on.
Hartland Part Two
Since the last time we were at Heartland Christian Camp, students will be divided into all of the parts it takes to put on a camp, and will have the vast knowledge and resources available at Hume Lake to learn how to do each piece. They will then come together and put on a weekend camp for kids at Hartland, being responsible from everything from food service and cleaning to recreation and speaking. This trip is a culmination of all of the ministry skills they’ve been learning over the year, in the classroom and out.
Israel
In the month of April we make our way to Israel for two weeks to walk in the footsteps of Christ. We spend the year studying the Bible and finish the Joshua year being able to experience it firsthand with this once in a lifetime trip. Find out more details about the Israel trip.
Location
Nestled in the heart of the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Monument, Hume Lake Christian Camp is an ideal location for solitude, reflection, and refreshment. Just as city lights diminish our ability to perceive the stars in the sky, so the routine expectations of daily life can cloud students’ ability to clearly see the calling God has placed on their lives. The Biblical precedent of removing oneself for a season in order to more clearly focus on the voice of God is obvious, and the Joshua Wilderness Institute provides just such a retreat. Plus, with almost immediate access to numerous backpacking trails, fishing streams, and Hume’s vast array of recreational options, students are seldom at a loss for things to do.
The Joshua Lodge itself provides students with elegant accommodations while at the same time retaining the warm touch and feel of home. Combining 28 deluxe student rooms (with two full size beds, desks, cedar dressers, closets, and individual bathrooms), a full discipleship library, state of the art kitchen and dining room, classroom, three fireplaces, two laundry rooms, an inspirational Great room, and the best view at Hume Lake, the Lodge becomes the center of daily life and activity for our 56 students throughout the year. Our philosophy is that by presenting world class teaching, spectacular food, and comfortable housing in a beautiful mountain lodge surrounded by God’s breathtaking creation, students will be able to commune with their Creator in a way normally made impossible by the distraction of mediocrity.
The Commitment
Understanding the purpose of the Joshua Wilderness Institute Commitment to be threefold; developing and demonstrating the priority of personal discipline in my life, denying myself access to practices which might prove a distraction from hearing the voice of God clearly, and making a distinct and determined separation from the world and it’s influences, I have decided to commit myself to the following, for the complete duration of the nine month course, including all breaks, days off and holidays:
- To abstain from any and all movies and video, including theatrical releases, videos, DVDs or internet features, with no exception made for content, company or occasion, unless introduced by the Joshua program.
- To abstain from any and all television programming, whether live or prerecorded, with no exception made for content, company or occasion unless introduced by the Joshua program
- To abstain from any and all video games, in any format, or on any platform with absolutely no exception made for content company or occasion.
- To abstain from any and all music, except for live worship music, whether prerecorded in any format or live with no other exceptions made for content company or occasion, unless introduced by the Joshua program.
- To abstain from any and all dating, defined as social engagements with persons of the opposite sex, whether alone or in groups, and including phone, post or email interactions for the purpose of developing future dating activities, except for those with existing dating relationships as established at the outset of the program, and with no other exception made for incident, company or occasion. Those in existing relationships will not be able to further their relationships.
Involvement at Hume
The one distinct advantage that the Joshua Wilderness Institute will always have over other programs of this kind is it’s location within the finest Christian Camp and Conference Center in the world. Whether through students’ open access to full time staff members in weekly Pause Groups and mentoring relationships, practical experience gained through weekend work and midweek internships, or regular exposure to the outworking of cutting edge ministry philosophy, there are multiple aspects of the institute’s appeal that simply could not be replicated in any other environment. Some have argued that the view of Hume Lake itself is worth the price of tuition, the training is just frosting on top.
