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About Me
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A Bio Sketch My name is Paul Simpson. I was born on a farm outside of Ft Dodge, Iowa in June of 1983. I lived there with both of my parents and my three older siblings until graduation. My parents and one sister remain in Ft Dodge while myself, my brother and my other sister now live in various parts of Des Moines and the surrounding suburbs. Growing up, I attended public school, graduating from Fort Dodge Senior High. I started my first job at fourteen, working construction during the summers and after school. Even though my career started out roughly, sliding off the roof and breaking an ankle on my first day on the job, I returned the next summer and continued to work construction to this very day, though now I am a sub-contractor. Living at home, I had always been very involved in the local youth group and while I was in middle school I began to have a feeling that God may be calling me into ministry for Him. I didn’t really think about it any further until I hit high school, assuming I would have several more years to consider my options. Like most high school students I still wasn't sure which career I wanted to pursue. The call to the ministry resurfaced briefly but I always pushed the thought out as just a weird sort of feeling. When it came time to graduate, however, I had to pick some sort of career path, so I decided on engineering. I had excelled in math and science in High School, even graduating with some science honors from my school and the State of Iowa. So I attend Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge for a year before going on to Iowa State University for an additional year. The youth program at my home church was in need of a youth leader at this time and I felt pulled to volunteer. I served as the volunteer youth leader at Faith Baptist Church for the next three years, organizing and presenting the services, as well as planning and coordinating all activities. It was during this time at Iowa State that I began to realize that I would never be happy as an engineer. Not because I wouldn't be "successful" or that it would not bring enough wealth, but because it wasn't what I was supposed to do. That feeling that I should serve God began to tug at my soul again and I knew apart from serving Him with total abandon I could never be happy. I left Iowa State University after the spring semester and enrolled for the fall at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. In 2005, I participated in a pastoral internship done with Pastor Greg White of Grace Baptist Church in Harlan, Iowa. I had three great months of learning with Pastor Greg and I enjoyed getting to know the people of Grace Baptist Church. I enjoyed getting to know one, in particular, my wife, who I met there during that summer. My “unhealthy infatuation” with the fruit of the coffee plant is clearly exhibited on my “About Coffee” page. It originated on its own, but was cultivated by a local coffee house where I worked during my time at FBBC while I was a barista at Taraccino Coffee. I had the opportunity there to meet a lot of new and interesting people, including co-workers who came from every walk of life, some agnostic, some who practiced witchcraft, and some who were a little charismatic. I also met a lot of interesting regular customers, writers, lawyers, nurses, teenagers, and even a parole officer. Though that period of my life is now over, I feel I gained valuable experience from that time. Since then, I have graduated from FBBC&TS with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Nouthetic Counseling, and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. Within the next few months I hope to move to wherever God would open the door for me to minister as a Youth Pastor.
I was married last June and now reside in Ankeny, Iowa with my beautiful wife.
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