About Carl

So, you’d like to know more about me, eh? Well, since you asked nicely….

First of all: Why do we need yet another blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, socially networking self-promoter? Believe me, just reading that sentence would be enough to paralyze anyone with a degree of common sense. So why am I here writing to you anyway?

One word: Discipleship. And by definition, discipleship requires that none of us stay quiet, but lay ourselves out there as God moves us, so that God can change us. Thus, it also requires that I approach this with enough humility that my words might actually have some value.

So let’s do this.

So, about me personally: I’ve been an editor and writer for more than a quarter-century. Not uncoincidentally, I’ve also been a Christian for about the same amount of time—it turns out that when you pull all that stuff out of yourself in the course of the creative process, God shows up to deal with it in a way you can’t. That’s been my experience, at least.

OK, so more in the ways of particulars: I’m the author of the 6-book Bible study series Growing Out: From Disciples to Disciplers (Group Publishing), as well as the brand-new book Lay It Down: A Journey into Trust (CreateSpace). And I’m not done writing—that’s why you’re reading this, after all.

I’ve also worked and written for a variety of publishers: local newspapers throughout northern New Jersey, AB Bookman’s Weekly (magazine for the antiquarian-book trade), U.S. Chess Federation, Career Press (career-based books), Lexis-Nexis/Martindale-Hubbell (law directory), and most recently Group Publishing (Christian books and curriculum). The latter gig gave me the opportunity to develop studies and books for Tony Dungy, Bill Bright, Dwayne Moore and Josh Hunt, among others.

More recently, I’ve been editing and otherwise contributing to books and small-group resources and other projects from New Growth Press, Compassion International, Rose Publishing/Aspire Press, David C. Cook, ChurchLeaders.com, Kregel Publications and ChurchSmart Resources, among others (which in turn, has given me the opportunity to work on the writings of Tim Keller, Bob Logan, and others).

In other worlds: I’ve also been a small-group leader and Sunday-school teacher for more than 20 years, as well as a licensed pastor with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. I’ve had a hand in a few church plants also, including Living Word Church in West Milford, New Jersey, which began in our living room in the fall of 1997.

My wife Marion & I today live in Loveland, Colorado, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything. That’s another reason I’m here offering my thoughts, wares and services.

So enough about me—how are YOU doing? Talk to me, baby. Let’s enjoy this journey together.

– Carl Simmons

P.S. In case you’re wondering, the photo that graces this page and header comes from a stained-glass piece by the late artist/sculptor Frederick Franck, and was taken at his private-but-still-open-to-the-public sculpture garden Pacem in Terris in Warwick, New York. It’s from his Stations of the Cross series (also featured in the book The Tao of the Cross), and depicts Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross for Jesus. Now that’s a discipleship image.