Jim Andrews
Biography
Jim Andrews
Jim Andrews never expected to write a book about suffering. He and his wife, Olsie, will celebrate 49 years of marriage this August. The couple has two daughters, Kristi and Juli. Jim and Olsie have the kind of relationship that most couples aspire to achieve. “We have compatible tastes. We actually enjoy shopping together, sitting and talking,” Jim marvels. Yet the strength of their relationship has been tested time and again as they have walked through twenty years of suffering alongside their afflicted daughter, Juli, who suffers from CFS, a mysterious and debilitating condition.
Jim is an experienced pastor and teacher who brings a special wisdom --- the kind that can only be learned through difficult times --- to each message, whether through the written or spoken word. “My brand, everyone would say, is teaching the Word of God,” Jim says. “Nothing brings me greater joy or fulfillment than to bring the Scriptures alive to God’s people. As I see it, my job as a Bible teacher is to cause the issues of life and the truth of God’s Word to collide violently at the intersections of the consciousness. God knows that brings me more satisfaction than anything on earth. Not far behind that is the opportunity to lead. I like putting my stamp on things, something I missed in academia. I loved the teaching, but missed shaping the direction of a church body.”
Jim holds a B.A. degree in Journalism from West Virginia Institute of Technology, an M.A. in Classics from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and a Th.M. in New Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary. A native of West Virginia, he spent his first seven post-seminary years pasturing a small church in Poca, WV, before accepting an invitation to teach at Western Bible College (now a part of Colorado Christian University) from 1970-80 as director of pastoral studies. He then taught for eleven years at Western Seminary in Portland, OR, serving the last four years as chairman of the division of ministerial studies.
Jim has served as the senior pastor of Lake Bible Church in Lake Oswego, OR, since 1991. He also hosts "The Final Word," a popular radio program that airs daily in the greater Portland metro area on KPDQ-FM and AM, the local flagships of Christian radio. The program features straightforward Bible teaching and has attracted a strong following.
After twenty years of constant care, Juli’s health has progressed enough to allow Jim and Olsie to escape for a solid month to Naples, Florida, each August. During that downtime the couple reads voraciously and Jim enjoys writing. Ever young at heart, he has reluctantly surrendered to the march of time. “Once I was less boring than I have become. Up until about 10 years ago, believe it or not, I was still very competitive athletically and enjoyed, if I ever had the chance, balling and mixing it up with the guys. When I played, there was always blood, mine or theirs or both. But sadly at 69, the risk of serious injury has cooled my jets. Olsie threatens to cremate me alive if I cripple myself anymore.”
Jim Andrews
