My name is G. W. Smallwood. I am an imperfect follower of Jesus, a husband, and a father, hopefully in that order. On this blog I share my thoughts on wisdom, faith, doubt, and discipleship, along with an occasional off-topic post.
My wife, Ashley and I have been married for over 10 years and have two wonderful kids, Haven and Jackson. We live in Arizona, where we attend a fantastic church and spend as much time as we can with family and friends.
My Background
I am an Arizona native and grew up in a small farming community just southwest of Phoenix. Growing up I spent most of my time playing baseball or riding bulls at rodeos. These days I also enjoy collecting and using traditional shaving gear and fountain pens.
I went to college at ASU (Go Devils!), where I graduated with a BSEE in Computer Systems Engineering. I now work for a large company in the Phoenix Metro Area as a Digital Hardware Design Engineer.
I love reading, learning, and knowledge. I am especially drawn to ideas about wisdom and obedience, and I love exploring the parallels between Biblical wisdom, philosophy, and research in the fields of psychology, sociology, and biology.
Why Am I Blogging?
I have believed in Jesus most of my life and have been actively following him since 2012. I read my Bible daily, attend church with my family weekly, and I am a part of a thriving small group. I have led small groups and volunteered in children’s ministry, men’s ministry leadership, and mentorship programs. As I’ve mentioned, I’m also an imperfect human who often gets discipleship wrong, but I believe that’s part of what makes me qualified to share my thoughts about it.
A few years ago, I heard an Andy Stanley sermon that really got me thinking. He was talking about the parable of the talents, which is an analogy Jesus told about a man who wasn’t responsible with the things his master had given him to manage.
I decided then that I don’t want to be the one-talent guy. I’m not going to bury what God has given me just because I don’t think he’s given me much to work with. I realized that I was consuming a lot of information and creating none. That was when I decided to start writing about the things that I’ve learned and continue to learn.
While I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible is the word of God, I also believe there is wisdom in following Jesus and obeying his teaching, even if you don’t fully believe in him, because that is exactly what he invited his very first followers to do. If this sounds interesting to you, then subscribe below to get notified about new posts, and follow me on facebook and twitter.