Mark E. Simpson

Hometown: Saginaw, Mich.

Pets: A Himalayan cat named Shadow, a Palm Tungsten T3 PDA and a Dell Inspiron 600m notebook computer, all of which get fed daily

Current church: Stithton Baptist Church (Radcliff/Fort Knox)

Hobbies: Computer technology and web page design

Most influential person in your life: Hazel Ryckman, a missionary to the Congo. She was a friend of the family for years, and our birthdays were on the same day. Dennis Williams also has played a significant role in my life.

Something surprising students might not know about you: All of my computer knowledge is self-taught.

What books, beside the Bible, have most influenced you: Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon; The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul; Jesus’ Pattern of Prayer by John MacArthur

Ministry philosophy: I believe that Christian education cannot exist when doctrine is absent.

What do you like most about teaching: Teaching gives me the opportunity to minister to people who I will never meet as they are taught by my students.

Favorite preachers: Adrian Rodgers; Kevin Ezell

Favorite courses that you teach: Theological Analysis of Educational Assumptions, Teaching and Learning, and Educational Research

Favorite musicians: John Michael Talbot, Keith Green and Sandy Patti

Favorite movie: Apollo 13 was my all time favorite. I saw it 28 times. I bought the DVD at midnight the day it came out, but have never watched it.

A word of wisdom for Towers readers: Remember that when you make choices, there are consequences that result from those choices for which you (not others) must take responsibility. The postmodern entitlement mentality that demands grace to excuse laziness and sinfulness has no place in the hearts and minds of believers. That kind of thinking leads to the “When did we see you...” mentality that Jesus says the lost will use at the Last Judgment in a final argument to justify their sinful behaviour.