Tuesday, December 23, 2008  

Timothy Paul Jones


Spouse's name: Rayann

Length of marriage: 14 years this summer

Children's names and ages: Hannah, 11

Hometown: Tulsa, Okla.

Current church: Highview Baptist Church, Indiana campus

Current local church ministry: Oasis Journey Group leader, children's worker

Hobbies: Spending time with my wife and daughter, writing books, playing guitar

Most influential person in your life: While they were IMB missionaries, my sister Shyre and her husband Ken provided my first cross-cultural experience by flying me to Honduras to visit them. They challenged me to go to college and seminary. Apart from their influence, I would never have been able to do what I do now.

Favorite Southern Seminary memory: My first convocation as a faculty member, with my parents in attendance, in August 2007. My father had been a Southern Baptist pastor and left the SBC almost 30 years ago because of the liberalism in the seminaries. After convocation last fall, my father said something that I'll never forget: "If I had known back then that men like Dr. Mohler were on the way, we never would have left."

Something surprising students might not know about you: I know far more about the Star Wars universe than any sane person ought to know.

What books, beside the Bible, have most influenced you and why: "The Word of God and the Word of Man" by Karl Barth, as well as "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton, taught me how beautiful theology can be. "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis so poetically describes the true nature of sin.

What influenced your decision to come to Southern Seminary: The heritage of this place and the passion for continually reorienting our proclamation and practices so that they conform more closely to God's Word.

Ministry philosophy: What you accomplish for God beyond your home will not typically be greater than what you practice with God within your home.

What do you like most about teaching: Interacting with students who are passionate about God's work in and through the local church.

Life Bible verse: Jeremiah 29:7: "Seek the peace of the place where I have sent you, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its peace you will find your peace." — A reminder to pursue God's peace and contentment in whatever circumstance he may place us.

List one of your favorite: Courses that you teach — lifespan development; Music groups — U2, Rich Mullins, John Coltrane; Restaurants — Havana Rumba, Qdoba, Starbucks; Vacation spots — Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

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