Exclusive Interview With Our Cover Star Author and Faith Leader Tim Timberlake

Faith. Leadership. And Family Tradition.

More than ever pillars of our communities are needed to calm the storm. For thought leader, Tim Timberlake, religion is deeply personal as it has played a defining role in his life and formative years.

“I’ve made it my life goal to be present wherever I am; in whatever conversation, family dinner, meeting, or just in alone time – to be fully present because time is finite.” – Tim Timberlake

Timberlake is a young black male figure in the religious community who has risen to a bit of stardom because of his ability to reach such a large audience through his teachings, outreach programs and books.

His literary contributions continue with his second book “The Power of 1440” and it comes from a powerful experience tied to his father passing into the afterlife after passing the torch along with a treasure-trove of life lessons.

We ask him more about this experience in our interview and his story helps to drive home how important it is to grasp the moments we have when our loved ones are passionate about imparting wisdom.

Society has shifted to celebrate all things secular and often that which is pointedly religious is simply spoke of as strictly religious or even anti-pop culture. Spirituality has been more acceptable or mainstream as a discussion piece.

However, at a time where an entire planet is searching to find hope, the simple things and finding ways to become centered have become extremely important to all of us. The role of religion has grown as the entire world has had to face the harsh realities of mortality and having to collectively guard against a life threatening disease.

In the face of Covid-19—an unknown and rapidly changing antagonist in many of our daily stories—hope in religion has experienced a resurgence. We talk to Tim about being a hope provider and also his take on social justice issues.

People often refer to Tim as a cultural thought leader. He explains his take on what it means to him to be a leader during this moment in society:

Culture is shaped by the conversations of leaders, and a cultural thought leader is simply the person that starts the conversation. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to start and continue much-needed conversations around racial tension, economic crisis, and faith.

His latest project, “Abandon: Laying Aside Your Plan for God’s Purpose,” delves into finding one’s purpose in life. No matter how many gurus you may follow on social media, this book is a must read as it comes from a unique perspective in the way it addresses the relationship between purpose and faith. It is sold by Barnes and Noble and really lays the groundwork for uncovering how to choose that which makes one greater over that which is familiar.

Timberlake is likeable, centered and his ability to connect through culture and style has helped him reach the younger generation. His congregation in Florida is just one part of his ministry and he also focuses on outreaches that help the community and those outside of traditional church communities.

For this fashion editorial, Tim exudes a sense of style that is distinct and echoes the fashion forward energy of style icons like Marlon Brando, Alain Delon and Sidney Poitier. Effortless cool and maximum impact.

Check out our exclusive interview with him as we dig deeper with Tim Timberlake on religion, his upbringing and what makes him tick.

Tell us a bit about your rise in the industry and how you grew up: I grew up a pastor’s kid, around the church and in church for most of my childhood life. When I turned 12 years old, I really had no desire to be in or around church anymore, so I started living life for myself and by myself – I did that for five years until I felt an undeniable call from God to do whatever I could to help people. At 20 years of age, I started serving in full-time ministry as a pastor.

How did your past play into your passion for leading a congregation? I think one of the things that unites all of us is pain. And throughout my life, I’ve encountered a lot of it – so one of my greatest desires is to help people navigate the pain that they encounter and allow them to know that they are not alone,

What did you enjoy most about your experience with writing “The Power of 1440: Making the Most of Every Minute in a Day”? Anytime that I write, it gives me an opportunity to bare my soul and really open up my life from a birds-eye view to the reader. Anytime I can utilize what I have been through to help someone else, then every word is worth it.

Tell us a bit about “The Power of 1440: Making the Most of Every Minute in a Day” The theme of the book is making the most out of the 1,440 minutes that God gifts us each day… to steward that time well and take every opportunity to create memorable moments, living and walking in the fullness that God intends for us.

The book was birthed through a marking moment in my life when at 18 years old, my father, who was battling terminal throat cancer, sat me down on my 18th birthday and began to prophetically speak over my life and download into me all that God wanted for me and my life. Just a few short hours after that 5-hour long conversation, my father went upstairs, and he passed away – looking back, if I had known that would be the last conversation, then I would have leaned in and listened more.

That circumstance changed the way I approached life, and I’ve made it my life goal to be present wherever I am; in whatever conversation, family dinner, meeting, or just in alone time – to be fully present because time is finite.

People often refer to you as a cultural thought leader. Explain that to us and what the entails and how you shape culture: Culture is shaped by the conversations of leaders, and a cultural thought leader is simply the person that starts the conversation. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to start and continue much-needed conversations around racial tension, economic crisis, and faith.

What did you do in preparation to go into ministry? There’s really nothing you can do that prepares you for ministry because it varies for different people in every situation and context. I tried my best to equip myself with the knowledge needed by attending bible college, but even in doing that, it still did not equip me fully for what I walked into.

Favorite books: 21 Laws of Irrefutable Leadership by Dr. John Maxwell and Lynch Pin by Seth Godin

Fashion! Tell us about your sense of style or favorite designers: I would consider myself to be fashion-forward – having an array and eclectic of different styles and designers in my closet ranging from Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God to Maison Margiela.

Who or what inspires you most? My dad. He is my biggest inspiration for me and how I live my life. He blazed a trail that I run on today.

Favorite sports/ sports team? My favorite sport is basketball – and I can’t say that I have a favorite sports team, mainly because I pastor and walk with a lot of athletes from various teams.

Tell us a bit about “Abandon: Laying Aside Your Plan for God’s Purpose”: All of us have something in our life that either holds us back or propels us forward. The concept for Abandon is helping us to leave behind those things that don’t propel us into our best future.

How was the experience, and what were the emotions you felt knowing your books would be available at Barnes & Noble? What went through your head knowing a large publishing company believed in your message? I felt extremely humbled and very blessed that the book has had opportunities to reach such broad audiences.

Many people are over religion and over the church as an institution. How do you tackle reaching the unchurched? I’m over religion too. I’ve never been a religious guy. I know that sounds strange, but from a biblical perspective, Jesus wasn’t religious either. For me, it’s about relationships. A relationship with Jesus helps me to establish healthy relationships with others. And often, Jesus gets a bad rap for people’s botched perspective of him.

How has the past few months and even our past year been for you? We all can agree that our society has grappled more than just a little bit with politics and social justice issues? I think what society has tried to do is make us choose a side. What I have been focused on doing is seeing how both sides can come together, understand each other’s differences, and come to some medium conclusion of what can be done for humanity. Race, politics, religion… have become such polarizing topics that few people or institutions know-how or desire to navigate them well.

How do you or maybe a better question may be how have you stay sane and centered during this time? My relationship with Jesus is a huge factor in that. It helps keeps me focused and keeps my eyes off the distractions that really don’t matter. My family is also another huge factor. My wife Jen, and son, Maxwell, are constant reminders of what is possible.