Tim Timberlake

“THE POWER OF 1440: MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MINUTE IN A DAY”

Timberlake is best known as the lead pastor of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, as an avid sports fan and as a cultural thought leader. His sense of humor combined with his in-depth Bible teaching gives the listener and reader the tools to transform their lives from the inside out.

At age 18, Timberlake’s father died. That painful and tragic loss pushed him to begin seeing the benefit and blessing of each day, to exhaust every opportunity of the potential of that day, moment by moment, fulfilling his God-given purpose.

Today, as a pastor, Timberlake inspires others to do the same through weekly sermons, focusing on new ways of understanding and handling the hardships of life. He says it best, “Win some, learn some . . . but never lose.”

MONARCH: Your new book “The Power of 1440,” which you wrote with Keith Wall, has a very clever title. What prompted you to write this book?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: I grew up a preacher’s kid that fell away from God after my dad was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer. On my 18th birthday, he sat me down for what would be our final conversation, although I didn’t know that at the time. I wasn’t fully paying attention; I was probably wondering when the conversation would end so that I could go hang out with my friends. To say it frankly, I wasn’t present. And later that evening, in the early morning, he passed away. Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking back that day has always given me pause because I wished I had done things differently. I should have learned more, listened more intently to what he was saying to me. He spoke to me for around five hours, and I can only recall about 15 minutes of it. From that day forward, I made a vow to be intentional with each day, in every conversation, and with every person. Taking none of it for granted.

MONARCH: What does it mean to be a cultural thought leader?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: Culture is defined by the conversations of leadership. what I enjoy doing is looking at our society’s climate and giving thought-provoking language to it. Whether it’s entertainment, sports, artistry: I utilize those as a verbal canvas to paint biblical truth.

MONARCH: How important is it to place Jesus within your message, and how do you do so without sounding preachy?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: I believe that when Jesus is modeled, you don’t have to force him down people’s throats. And most of the time, they feel his love through the message that I’m speaking before they hear me say his name. My job is to relay his message to his people through love, by grace.

MONARCH: Can you put into words how it felt the moment you believed God called you to serve?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: It was exciting, it was scary, very confusing, but very peaceful at the same time. I knew at that moment that it was something that I had to do and that God would be with me every step of the way.

MONARCH: What separates your approach from other pastors? In short, how do you reach younger generations?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: I definitely wouldn’t say that my approach is that different from other pastors, maybe some. But my approach is to tie scriptural truths with relevant thoughts, almost joining the conversation that everyone else is having. I have often found that some pastors are answering questions that no one is asking. I try to be intentional to listen and lean into moments that people will remember.

MONARCH:What do you want readers to receive from your book?

TIM TIMBERLAKE: It is my prayer that readers would gain a deeper appreciation for each day that God gives us. The time is so finite, and if there has been anything that I have learned over the years, it is that we need to steward our time well so that we are making the most of each moment. And not only is it important for us to steward our time, but we need to prioritize our days so that the most important things are getting the best of us.