About Jonathon
Jonathon Clinesmith is a pastor, writer, and well-meaning if slightly confused human who spends way too much time wrestling with life’s big questions. He holds an MDiv from St. Paul School of Theology and has had the privilege (and sometimes the challenge) of serving in nearly every role the church has to offer—senior pastor, youth minister, worship leader, and even full-time foreign missionary. He currently serves as the pastor of St. Matthew UMC in the Oklahoma City metro. He’s been all over the world trying to love people in the name of Jesus, from rural Oklahomans struggling with poverty to Syrian refugees in Jordan. He’s walked with people in their highest moments of joy and their deepest moments of doubt, and he knows firsthand that faith isn’t always neat, tidy, or easy.
Jonathon is originally from the Oklahoma Panhandle, a sparse and desolate region where the winds whip relentlessly and the sunsets are breathtaking. He co-hosts a podcast about the area with his buddy Hayden, bringing a quirky, honest perspective to life in a region often overlooked. Jonathon met his wife, Jamie, while doing mission work in southern Mexico. While there they fell in love with each other and with the people they served alongside. Jonathon is well aware that he outkicked his coverage. Together Jamie and Jonathon are raising two beautiful kids: Jobe, a newly minted teenager with a big heart and sharp mind (despite his overuse of the word “bruh”), and Sadie, an extremely kind but ornery wildflower who keeps the household lively and unpredictable. Their two dogs, Lucy and Pauly, are weird but well-loved, like the family they’re part of.
Jonathon loves Jesus and he loves people, but he’ll be the first to admit he doesn’t have it all figured out. Maybe that’s what makes him the right person to write a book on disappointment. He believes that the real work of faith isn’t about having everything together—it’s about living honestly in the mess, finding God in the places we least expect, and being okay with not having all the answers... while still holding onto hope.