Greetings

Hello!

My name is Ben Simpson.  I'm guessing you know that.

I am a Christian, writer, and school bus driver in my community of De Soto, Kansas.  As for family, I have been married to my wife, Molly, for eight years, and have a daughter named Joy. Molly is the campus pastor of the West Campus of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, located in Olathe, Kansas.

I have recently completed my second Master’s degree at The University of Kansas (Spring '11), having previously obtained an MA in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary (Spring '05).  I enjoy coffee, conversation, baseball, and time with friends. You can connect with me by clicking the links in the right hand side bar.  There is also a form to submit comments, questions, prayer requests, etcetera located further down the page, or you can email me directly here.

As for other credentials, I am an ordained Baptist minister, having served in church leadership positions in children's and youth ministry.  I've taught adult discipleship classes, preached a handful of sermons, and have invested my life in local United Methodist teenagers through camps, retreats, and regular youth group gatherings.  Though I've lived in Kansas for the past several years, my heart remains south of the Red River.  I grew up in Tyler, Texas; I miss the pines, my family, and many, many dear friends.

If you wish to read a portion of my work, please visit the Collide Magazine archives for a complete listing of my musings on the church, media, spiritual formation, and other miscellany.  I have been published at the blog of RelevantMagazine.com and FaithVillage.  In addition, I have a forthcoming book from Abingdon Press due later this spring.

In addition to my writings, I've had the privilege to partner with James Bryan Smith of Friends University.  His recent series of books, The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, and The Good and Beautiful Community, has been received positively by many within the Christian community.  Dr. Smith, in an effort to best connect these ideas to the local church, has partnered with a team of leaders to gain insight from practitioners and pass those insights along to pastors, spiritual directors, and others who wish to apply the ideas found in the series within their contexts.  Though I'm a bit of a late addition to the party, I consider myself tremendously blessed to work alongside CJ Fox, Matt Johnson, Patrick Sehl, Deidre Franklin, Andrew Tash, and Jimmy Taylor.  You can visit the Apprentice Team website to gain more information about the series, follow the blog, or check out supplemental resources that can assist you in introducing this material to others.

In addition to the above, a complete curriculum vitae is available here.

To view the thesis project I composed while at KU, click here.

For guidance on how to best interface on my blog, please review my comment policy.

For eight ways to help my blog, click here.

You can also connect with me here:

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• About.me