About

Who is Jack? Jack W Bruce Jr. is a novice writer whose limited writing experience includes Letters to the Editor in several newspapers and magazines, a couple of articles in the Evangelical Missions Quarterly, and now this blog. Jack, along with his wife and four children, live in metro Atlanta, Georgia. He is a lover of God, a reader and a wanna-be runner—though he currently settles for simply being a Clydesdale jolly jogger.

Where did he come from?  Jack was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where he lived until he went off to college in St. Bonifacious, Minnesota, a small community just outside the twin cities. Following the four coldest years of his life, he moved to Nyack, New York, where he resided for three years while earning his Masters at ATS. New York was followed by 15 years in Elizabethton, Tennessee, a small city on the outskirts of Appalachia, in northeast Tennessee. In 1999 the Bruce family moved to Gwinnett County in metro Atlanta. 

Jack’s Community  Facebook is the community Jack uses to keep up with friends scattered across the world and the country. He has a few connections on LinkedIn. He, and his family, participates in the ministry of Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville, Georgia. He is a member of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and SHRM-Atlanta.

What Pays the Bills?  As Chief Operating Officer at BIS Benefits, (Alpharetta, GA), Jack provides general oversight in Finance, HR, Operations, & Strategic Management for this employee benefits firm. His role is to continually lead the firm by proactively enhancing the service, communications, human resource assistance, and technology for the benefit of their clients. Jack has earned a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation.

Why blog?  Jack chooses to blog for three primary reasons: 1) It helps him think; 2) To share his life with his family, both now and for generations to come; & 3) Maybe, just maybe, he will write something that will help someone in this journey we call life.

A Pastoral Past  For nearly 20 years Jack was a minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, (C&MA). His roles included church planting, senior minister and associate pastor. During this time he was active in missions mobilization including chairing two geographical missions committees and serving on the Missions Mobilization Advisory Council of the C&MA. He also served as a presenter for Global Focus. Jack left full-time ministry in 2004.

Why “Jack in the Pulpit?”  Jack in the Pulpit is a wild flower, (Arisaema triphyllum), which can be found growing in moist, shady and seasonally wet locations such as the Appalachian and Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. As a minister, Jack would regularly stand behind the “pulpit” when teaching. One Sunday, one of the parishioners who lived in the in the mountains of Carter County brought him a Jack in the Pulpit plant he found while walking through the hills. The plant serves as a good name for Jack’s blog, not only because of the play on words with his former profession, but because of the similarities between the plant and his writings. The plant is known for growing in shady areas, can be mistaken for poison ivy, bears fruit in the fall, and can be poisonous if eaten raw—you can draw your own conclusions.

 

My Blog Picture / Icon is a watercolor painting by award winning watercolor artist, Mary Bouzianis. Matted Giclee prints and cards of Mary’s work are also available by E-mailing Alex at:  Kassart048@aol.com