John R. Funk has been a serious student of the Bible having applied himself to its study ever since his days in law school over 20 years ago at Texas Tech University. Prior to receiving his legal training, he majored in accounting at New Mexico State University. John uses his legal training in the study of the Bible to explore the subtle meanings and nuances behind the scriptures. In that past 25 years, John has taught numerous Bible book and topical studies to high school students, college students and adults. His favorite areas of study include apologetics and eschatology.
John is a native New Mexican having been born in raised in Artesia, New Mexico. His occasional written topics reflect a life of physical pain and difficulty having been born with a Wilms tumor of the left kidney and diagnosed as terminal at birth. Despite his physical struggles, including six major spinal surgeries, three close calls with death and attendant nerve damage later in life, John has been able to live a full and productive life. He graduated with highest honors from high school, was a two-time finalist in the state high school tennis championships and served as the student representative to the American Cancer Society having presented the project for the State Student Council Convention of 1976. He became a National Merit Scholar upon graduation from high school, was named to numerous scholastic and service honoraries during his undergraduate career and graduated as the outstanding student in the College of Business Administration and Economics at NMSU. He is also a member of Mensa, the international high I.Q society.
Believing in a life of service, John has devoted time to underprivileged children as a member on the steering committee for the Weed & Seed Program in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He also served on the board of trustees for the Memorial Medical Center Foundation. He is now involved in the establishment of the “John R. Funk Chair for Distance Education” and “Center for Distance Education” at New Mexico State University.
John retired from the full-time private practice of law in 1998 as a senior commercial litigation partner in a major New Mexico law firm in order to acquire a small mining and manufacturing company. He currently owns interests in two other organizations including a real estate holding company and a patent holding company. It is this self-employment that gives him the flexibility to engage in the study of and writing on Biblical topics. His future plans include the development of an urgent care medical facility along with a medical services administrative organization and real estate development company.
As for his personal life, John has been married for over 21 years to Dr. Karen P. Funk who is the head of the Occupational Therapy Department at a major university. He is also the father to twin girls and one boy. Despite the rigors of daily life, John strives to maintain a consistent walk of faith in God. No longer able to play tennis or golf, his activities, since undergoing spinal surgery, include teaching Sunday School and extensive reading and writing. His motto for life has become: Never give up; never surrender. To God Be the Glory!