Introducing the 2021 National Bible Bee Alumni Service Team members
Each year, a group of 9 talented alumni come alongside National Bible Bee to curate content and encourage participants. We are excited to announce the 2021 Alumni Service Team members: Brianna Minica, Cory Messerschmidt, Dylan George, Hannah Kohner, Jeremiah Wilkerson, Joshua Hooper, Kate Russell, Olivia Davis, and Ruth Derby. Throughout the year, we look forward to sharing their testimonies with you, and getting to know a little more about each of these alumni.
Meet Joshua
Joshua Hooper is an 18-year-old National Bible Bee alumnus from Northwest Louisiana. After competing in the National Bible Bee Competition for 11 years, he is currently working on finishing high school and plans on starting nursing school in the fall. In his free time, Joshua enjoys running, Ultimate Frisbee, playing piano, reading, theology, deep conversations, and spending time with friends and family.
Fun Facts about Joshua:
- He is a 2nd degree red belt in Tae Kwon Do.
- He has 4 siblings, all of whom competed in the National Bible Bee Competition.
- His favorite verse is Psalm 19:14, because, “It addresses two significant parts of our life; our thoughts and speech. Both can either build up or tear down others. Both are mentioned in the Bible as things we should guard and use carefully. Both of these need to be sanctified by God.” It also “asks that God would use common parts of our lives (thinking and speaking) for His glory and pleasure, and proclaims God’s character. He is my Rock and my Redeemer!”
The National Bible Bee is something Joshua grew up with, participating for the first time when he was seven. When asked how it impacted his life, Joshua said, “God used the time I spent memorizing and studying to teach me many things. When I was overwhelmed with the amount of material I had to study, He taught me dependence and trust. When I didn’t score as well as I would have liked, I learned contentment and humility. Throughout my life, having God’s Word in my heart has been a continual blessing. As Scripture says, it convicts us of sin, guides us in the truth, and most importantly, tells of our only hope in life and in death: Jesus Christ!”
Although Joshua began NBB at a young age, he was not very interested or motivated in memorizing or studying the Bible at first. “But the first year I entered the Senior division, my approach and interest changed. At this time, I began to have an interest in the things of the Lord. I wanted to know beyond a doubt that I knew Christ. I then did what Romans 10 commands; I confessed my sin and truly believed and trusted in Jesus. Memorizing and studying God’s Word, though not always easy, was no longer a drudgery; it was something I enjoyed doing! God used, and still uses, what I learned in my younger years, through the ministry of NBB, to point me to Him and to give Him glory!”
“[Memorizing large amounts of Scripture] has pushed me past what I thought was possible. The first year that I qualified for the National Bible Bee Competition, I was quite daunted by the amount of verses there were to memorize. Yet, as I pushed forward and worked to memorize one verse at a time, I started to realize it WAS possible.” Joshua would encourage those wanting to memorize Scripture with these words: “What better thing could you invest in than in the everlasting Word of God? ‘For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come’ (1 Timothy 4:8). So I’d encourage you to start now! Take it one verse at a time, and may God bless you in your worthy endeavor!”
Composed by NBB Alumna: Ruth Derby
