I don’t know if I ever intended for anyone to read what I wrote. I created this blog because I just wanted to vent. Why I chose such a public place as the internet I’ll never know.
A couple years later and apparently I am an avid blogger with a following. What started out as a “Dear diary” that only my parents read has turned into a publication that I have recently discovered is read all over the world by people I have never met.
I have absolutely no idea how this happened and I am completely humbled that God would use my ramblings to reach people I never would have been able to reach. I never expected anyone to not only read my blog, but pass it on to their friends and family.
God gets all the credit. I am not creative or smart enough to write all those on my own and He is the one getting people to read them. Sometimes I forget that and try and write one with my own wit and wisdom. It usually flops and just gets me frustrated. There have been many times when I actually start thinking I’m something special for posting a blog everyone seemed to like and God once again has to remind me of who really did all the work and I will have to write yet another post about how bad my pride can get.
I called this blog “It’s That Semple” first and foremost because it is a cheesy pun on my last name. I seem to have a strange affinity for cheesiness and I think the title fit perfectly with what I write. I thought it was clever at the time, now I’m not so sure. Over time, I began to realize that the title was more than just a pun. The things God usually teaches me don’t require a PhD or professional experience, they come from everyday life. If there is one thing I have grown to understand in the past couple years it is that the deep and profound truths of this world are almost always found in the simple things we usually brush over.
The title really became the point of the blog. It was about how God was showing me that He could be found anywhere in any situation, that I could learn about Him in even the most obscure places. The deepest truths don’t require the most intelligence, just the willingness to look for them. God always has things to teach us if we are just willing to listen. It’s all really that simple.
I could have thought of a tagline for the blog that went something like “The expounding of the universe, its depths, and relevance to society at large with implications to daily living and the Deity behind it all by a learned professional” but that wouldn’t have fit at all. It would be more than a slight exaggeration and would be hugely misleading and false. I’ll never make the audacious claim that I know what I am talking about. I will never tell you that I have figured it all, or even most, of it all out. I decided to use a tagline more fitting; “just some thoughts from a kid on a journey.” That is what this is all about, because that is what all are. No matter how old we are, what experiences we have, or where we are going we all just kids on a journey trying to better understand ourselves and the God who created us more and more each day.
My journey since creating this blog in February of 2009 has taken me through the absolute best and absolute worst parts of my life. These blogs reflect high school life and then my journeying into full-time ministry traveling the country as a missionary and student. They reflect on my spiritual highs as well as my lowest of lows, like when my 12 year old brother suddenly went to be with the Lord in August of 2010. Whether written in the darkest or happiest times, these blog posts all point to the fact that God is the God of the everyday as well as the extraordinary. He is found in the most traumatic and most trivial of circumstances and always has more to show you. Creation screams about its Creator and He will use whatever it takes to get your attention.
I’m still on this journey, and this blog is my invitation to you to come with me. In traditional Judaism, Rabbi’s were ones who not only taught people but were known for learning with their students. I’m on a journey and here is what I am learning, come with me, I want to go with you on your journey too.
I want the world to know the God I have come to know and want to share as much as I can. Take the random nuggets found in these posts and do whatever you want with them- they aren’t mine anyway. I want nothing more than God to use what I’ve seen and experienced to draw people closer to Himself.
I hope you laugh when I try to be funny and nod your head when I pretend to be wise but above all else, my prayer is that God will use the simple things of your world to teach you the profound things of His world and that together, we can journey toward knowing Him so much more deeply.
Sincerely,
A fellow kid on a journey
A couple years later and apparently I am an avid blogger with a following. What started out as a “Dear diary” that only my parents read has turned into a publication that I have recently discovered is read all over the world by people I have never met.
I have absolutely no idea how this happened and I am completely humbled that God would use my ramblings to reach people I never would have been able to reach. I never expected anyone to not only read my blog, but pass it on to their friends and family.
God gets all the credit. I am not creative or smart enough to write all those on my own and He is the one getting people to read them. Sometimes I forget that and try and write one with my own wit and wisdom. It usually flops and just gets me frustrated. There have been many times when I actually start thinking I’m something special for posting a blog everyone seemed to like and God once again has to remind me of who really did all the work and I will have to write yet another post about how bad my pride can get.
I called this blog “It’s That Semple” first and foremost because it is a cheesy pun on my last name. I seem to have a strange affinity for cheesiness and I think the title fit perfectly with what I write. I thought it was clever at the time, now I’m not so sure. Over time, I began to realize that the title was more than just a pun. The things God usually teaches me don’t require a PhD or professional experience, they come from everyday life. If there is one thing I have grown to understand in the past couple years it is that the deep and profound truths of this world are almost always found in the simple things we usually brush over.
The title really became the point of the blog. It was about how God was showing me that He could be found anywhere in any situation, that I could learn about Him in even the most obscure places. The deepest truths don’t require the most intelligence, just the willingness to look for them. God always has things to teach us if we are just willing to listen. It’s all really that simple.
I could have thought of a tagline for the blog that went something like “The expounding of the universe, its depths, and relevance to society at large with implications to daily living and the Deity behind it all by a learned professional” but that wouldn’t have fit at all. It would be more than a slight exaggeration and would be hugely misleading and false. I’ll never make the audacious claim that I know what I am talking about. I will never tell you that I have figured it all, or even most, of it all out. I decided to use a tagline more fitting; “just some thoughts from a kid on a journey.” That is what this is all about, because that is what all are. No matter how old we are, what experiences we have, or where we are going we all just kids on a journey trying to better understand ourselves and the God who created us more and more each day.
My journey since creating this blog in February of 2009 has taken me through the absolute best and absolute worst parts of my life. These blogs reflect high school life and then my journeying into full-time ministry traveling the country as a missionary and student. They reflect on my spiritual highs as well as my lowest of lows, like when my 12 year old brother suddenly went to be with the Lord in August of 2010. Whether written in the darkest or happiest times, these blog posts all point to the fact that God is the God of the everyday as well as the extraordinary. He is found in the most traumatic and most trivial of circumstances and always has more to show you. Creation screams about its Creator and He will use whatever it takes to get your attention.
I’m still on this journey, and this blog is my invitation to you to come with me. In traditional Judaism, Rabbi’s were ones who not only taught people but were known for learning with their students. I’m on a journey and here is what I am learning, come with me, I want to go with you on your journey too.
I want the world to know the God I have come to know and want to share as much as I can. Take the random nuggets found in these posts and do whatever you want with them- they aren’t mine anyway. I want nothing more than God to use what I’ve seen and experienced to draw people closer to Himself.
I hope you laugh when I try to be funny and nod your head when I pretend to be wise but above all else, my prayer is that God will use the simple things of your world to teach you the profound things of His world and that together, we can journey toward knowing Him so much more deeply.
Sincerely,
A fellow kid on a journey
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