A Wandering Disciple

To go straight to my latest thoughts, click on this link. If you want to learn more about me… read on!

Well, here you are, at my blog.
The fact that you’re here tells me that you want to know something about me.

Ordination to Christian Ministry, at Foothills Christian Church in Phoenix, AZ, on May 26th, 2013

My name is Jimmy Gawne. A child of the early ’80s, I have been a member of congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since I was two years old. I attended Northern Arizona University, graduating in 2009, and I worked in the hotel industry on-and-off (mostly on) from 2007 until 2014. I was the senior pastor of Gower Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Gower, Missouri, from March of 2014 until January of 2016.

The Wake Forest University School of Divinity Class of 2013 at hooding, May 18th, 2013

I spent three years at the Divinity School at Wake Forest University, completing my Master’s Degree in Divinity in 2013. I am an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a chaplain in the US Navy Reserves.

Receiving my first salute from my father at the US Navy’s Officer Training Command, June 15th, 2012

I was born and raised in the great state of Arizona, and lived twenty-five years of my life there; I have also lived in southern California and North Carolina. I am a third-generation US serviceman (my father and my grandfather both served before me); I was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy in August of 2011 and completed officer training in June of 2012. My parents have been married since 1980; my sister Colleen has been married since 2004 and has two sons; my youngest sister, Elisabeth, recently completed her MBA and is working her way up the ranks at USAA.

My wife, Caitie, and me, in Goodyear, AZ, on May 27th, 2013

I myself got married to Caitie Smith of Asheboro, NC, in May of 2014. The rest of my family lives in Phoenix; I was apparently the only one who decided it would be a good idea to depart the blazing hot desert.

My interests are wide and varied. On the one end of the spectrum, I am a classically trained pianist and baritone vocalist; on the other end, you can find me in front of a TV on any given Sunday, hoping for either Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, or Jamie McMurray to drive into Victory Lane in that week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. In between, I am a connoisseur of craft beer and good coffee; I am an avid amateur photographer; I am an adventurous and (I think) excellent baker (visit So Good It’s Gawne to see for yourself); I am a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Phoenix Coyotes; and I am a gigantic nerd, with interests ranging from Star Trek to the vast universes of Marvel and DC Comics. Perhaps one of my very favorite interests is camp counseling – since 1994, I have been at church camp in some form every summer except 2001 and 2002; since 2003, I have been a camp counselor for Lutheran Retreats, Camps and Conferences of Southern California, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona, Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, NY, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Mid-America, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Greater Kansas City.

The staff of Chi-Rho Camp for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona, June 2nd, 2013

I would welcome you to browse back through my blog. If you would like to join in discussion on my many posts, that would be fantastic!