Leader of the Spiritual Formation Leadership Summit and Learning Retreats. JodyLOwens.com

My favorite part about teaching at Johnson is: I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead students into God’s presence through study. When I can help students see God in fresh ways I know I’m doing what I was created to do.

When I’m not teaching, I love to: Spend time with family, go on a mission trip (with family), work in my garden, birdwatch, read a good book (preferably an old book), exercise, strum my six string on my front porch swing, watch a great movie, travel to unique places.

In my classes, students can expect: Teaching centered on encountering God in the biblical text. While reading books “about” the Bible is important, studying the text is fundamental to my courses.

My best advice to a new student in my program is: View study as an act of worship that nurtures your soul, rather than a discipline that is somehow separate from your “devotional life.” Academic study at Johnson can be a wonderful soul-nurturing experience if you approach it that way.

Because of my influence, I most want my students to become: Deep people who walk with God, loving the things God loves and hating the things God hates.

The myth-busting truth about my discipline I most want people to understand is: There is more continuity between the Old and New Testament than there is discontinuity.

A quote that influences how I live is: “Superficiality is the curse of our age… The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” – Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline