Jonny Ardavanis
6 min read ⭑
“My heart is that people would come to love and know Jesus Christ as they grow in their love for his Word — the Bible. We live in a world often enveloped in a fog of lies and deception, so if you are yearning for something true and timeless, turn to the Word of God.”
Jonny Ardavanis divides his time between pastoring the congregation of Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and running Dial In Ministries, which he founded to provide biblical teaching for everyday believers. Before that, he was a camp director at Hume Lake Christian Camps and a dean at The Master’s University. More recently, he published his debut book, “Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God.”
Read on to learn more about Jonny’s passion for God’s Word and Mediterranean food, how he finds rest in weekly outdoor chores and why he’s desperate for the Holy Spirit to guide him in every sermon and conversation. Plus, discover the top three books that have impacted his walk with God and the hymns that reinvigorate his faith.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
This is a very important question! As it relates to food, I eat the same thing almost every day: eggs, ground beef, chicken, etc. However, when I eat at restaurants, I almost exclusively eat Mediterranean food — a chicken bowl with hummus, green peppers, kalamata olives and lettuce. This could be because of my Greek heritage or simply because I love the taste. As a family, we also love to make tacos, homemade pizza and, of course, pasta. As always, every meal is served with Tabasco.
Daniel Watson; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?
I love mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. What may seem like a chore to many is therapeutic to me! Additionally, I love to exercise, get outside in nature and wash my car. Considering that a great portion of my life as a pastor is studying and reading, I find renewal and restoration in cleaning my yard and car each week!
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
I think self-delusion and self-sufficiency can be weaknesses of mine. I can often convince myself that I am fine when, truthfully, I am running on fumes. As a minister, I can even get caught up in good things that distract me from the most important thing: my relationship with Jesus Christ. This weakness is often hidden because I can rely on experience rather than Christ. I’m thankful for the reminders in God’s Word and from God’s people that propel and compel me to keep the main thing the main thing and depend on Christ alone.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I am a pastor in Franklin, Tennessee! I love serving the people of God and preaching from the Bible each week. Right now, I am in the middle of an extended series on the Gospel of John. Each week, I pick up where I left off the week before. Beyond that, I am the founder and president of Dial In Ministries, which releases biblical resources each week, and the author of “Consider the Lilies,” which debuted in October. The book helps readers find freedom from anxiety and the problems of this world and shift their focus to the changeless and powerful character of God. My heart is that people would come to love and know Jesus Christ as they grow in their love for his Word — the Bible. We live in a world often enveloped in a fog of lies and deception, so if you are yearning for something true and timeless, turn to the Word of God.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
Paul says in Acts 17:28, “In him we live and move and have our being” (ESV), meaning that everything in our life is not only done for God but sustained by God. Regardless of our occupations, we cannot live a single moment of faithfulness to God outside of the supernatural empowering of his Holy Spirit.
As a pastor, I am mindful that I can prepare a sermon, but unless the Holy Spirit takes the truths of Scripture and presses them into the hearts of those who hear, everything I do is futile. Furthermore, as I study — or minister directly to people in conversation — my prayer is that God would fill me with his Spirit so that the person of Jesus Christ would be exhibited and demonstrated through my interactions with the people the Lord puts in front of me. Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Whether we are CEOs, stay-at-home mothers, doctors, teachers or plumbers, we are strengthened, sustained and changed only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
Bible reading, prayer and meditation. Often, the practices we are familiar with are the things we’re tempted to move on from because we wrongly believe they are outdated. We crave novelty. But in God’s Word, and throughout church history, we see that the simple practices of opening the Bible, praying for illumination (see Ps. 119:18) and then meditating upon the truth we have read (see Ps. 1:1-6) have proved to be transformative, restoring and comforting.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
Other than Scripture, my life has been greatly impacted by:
1. “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer
2. “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
3. “The Holiness of God” by R.C. Sproul
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times — times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
In truth, one of the greatest resources to me in turbulent times is the great hymns that remind us of the faithfulness of our God. There is something comforting and invigorating about listening to and singing truths that the church has been singing for hundreds of years. So often, when we look at the world around us, we are tempted to despair and yet we are reminded in one of the church’s great hymns, “Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father … all I have needed thy hand hath provided!”
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
For me, my first and greatest priority is to be a godly husband to my wife, Caity, and a loving father to my precious baby girls. I never want to lose sight of the fact that my greatest ministry is in my own home. As a pastor, I want to continually train and equip the people I am entrusted to shepherd. That being said, a growing burden on my heart is to strategically resource the people of God with biblical answers to the most common questions that both the culture and the church are asking about God, the gospel, the Bible and the Christian life.
Furthermore, after finishing my most recent book, “Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God,” I have a burden to write on a couple other subjects, one idea being a biblical viewpoint on the theme of work, rest and time management.
The apostle Paul faced more than his fair share of persecutions, false accusations, mishaps and shipwrecks. And yet he said: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11b-13, ESV).
How could Paul maintain such an unworried, contented attitude in the face of hardships? Maybe it was because he encountered Jesus — on the road to Damascus, in the desert as he learned the gospel and in the trenches of suffering — and found him to be enough. Always enough.
Will you pray with us today?
Heavenly Father, thank you for being all I need. I confess I’m sometimes tempted to let my anxieties and worries take over and block my joy. I choose to believe you’re more than enough for me. You are good. You are powerful. You are loving. I give you these burdens. Help me follow faithfully wherever you lead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Jonny Ardavanis is the lead pastor of Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and the founder and president of Dial In Ministries, a ministry that provides biblical resources for the next generation. He is also the author of “Consider the Lilies” (October 2024). Jonny formerly served as both a camp director at Hume Lake Christian Camps and as a dean at The Master’s University. Jonny is passionate about people coming to know and love Jesus Christ as they pursue a deeper understanding of his Word. Jonny lives in Franklin with his wife, Caity Jean, and their two daughters.
