My name is Jonathan Franzone and this is my blog. Who is the man behind the blog? Why do I write the things I write?
Christian
Of primary importance and significance is the fact that I am a Christian. I am a servant of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am a disciple (a follower) of Jesus Christ. I am a subject of my Sovereign King, the Lord Jesus. I am a co-heir with Christ.
The significance of this is that everything I do should be done, first and foremost, for the glory of God. I owe Him all gratitude and allegiance, and everything that I have is a gift from Him.
What type of Christian am I? There are multiple groups who would call themselves Christians, yet hold to different beliefs than I would. To be clear, I am confessional, holding to The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. I am a Trinitarian. My family and I attend Providence Church in Pensacola, FL.
To read more about my walk with Jesus, you can read My Personal Testimony.
Husband
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 5:31-33 (ESV)
I was married to the most beautiful woman (girl at the time) I had ever met on May 18, 1996. My wife, Aubrey, is my best friend in this life and she has been of the utmost benefit to me. My role as a husband has been one of the most difficult challenges of my life, because doing it well requires continual self-sacrifice. It has also been one of the most fulfilling roles.
Father
The second most fulfilling role in my life has been that of a father. This task is an extremely daunting one which I view with extreme gravity. I am an active force in forging the lives of other humans, whom God has placed into my care. No pressure. I also view it as my utmost duty to thoroughly embarrass my children often, to instill in them a sense of humor, and to try to have a joyful attitude.
My wife and I have seven children that are a mix of biological, adopted and foster children, ranging in ages from 8 months old to 20 years old. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment in the Franzone house.
Software Engineer
I have been working in the computer industry as a software engineer (programmer, web developer, code ninja, etc) for over twenty years. Yikes! That sentence makes me feel my age. No, I’m not going to regale you with tales of programming using punch cards, and that one time I dropped the whole stack and had to spend hours putting them all back in the correct order. Because honestly, I’m not that old! I think I missed that era by about five years though.
I’ve been employed by Columbia Southern University for eleven years now. If you want to see more about my professional career you can see http://about.franzone.com. If you’re looking to hire me (because you have the perfect dream-job in which I get to work from home) then you can contact me through my LinkedIn profile.
Musician
I have been a musician all my life. I started back in middle school, playing the clarinet in band. In high school I graduated to the saxophone (marching and concert band). During high school I taught myself to play piano, and later began to receive instruction. I met my wife at Pensacola Junior College (when it was called such) as a music major. After getting married, we went to Florida State University where I was a music composition major for a while. I also served my previous church as the Worship Leader for about thirteen years.
It should come as no surprise, but my family is also extremely musical. Whether singing or playing instruments we love music, especially when praising the Lord.
Seminarian
Not long after my true conversion about five years ago, I developed a keen sense that I wanted to attend seminary. Why? To become a pastor? Maybe… I don’t know. The thing I do know is that I had spent so many years investing so much time into other, less eternal pursuits. Now I wanted to invest in knowing this God who had been so merciful to me, and knowing the Scriptures more than anything else.
Thus I enrolled in the distance learning program at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am a part-time student, taking the long meandering route to obtaining my Master of Divinity degree in Christian Service. On my current schedule I should be graduating in about three years. SBTS has been a great school!
Blogger / Writer
I’ve always fancied myself a writer. I love to write… well, I love the finished product. The process isn’t always so fun. My blogging has been extremely erratic, something that I’m always aware of and trying to fix. However, with a wife and seven children and a full-time job and working on a Masters degree, finding time to write is difficult.
So, stick around and read if you like. I also have a technical blog (software engineering) and a family blog. Check the links at the top.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jonathan Franzone