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Why I wrote my book: The Bible is a painting: it is a vast artist’s canvas packed with vibrant words brimming with imagery, a visual feast so immense that the universe itself can fit neatly within its measureless frame. Every page is a breathtaking vista, teeming with colorful characters awash in the mighty marvels of God. And spread out behind them is an impeccably painted panorama, a lively landscape upon which the often sketchy and unfamiliar doings of its inhabitants burst into clear and radiant meaning. It is the masterpiece of both time and eternity…But most people have never read a Bible that looked like that. And that is what this book is about…

A little about myself and my book: Originally schooled as an artist, Jay McCarl has served in ministry since 1973 and is the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel on the Georgetown Divide. He is a veteran Law Enforcement Chaplain, traveling speaker, leads annual tours of Israel and presents Biblical Dinners worldwide. Additionally, Jay has earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Chaplaincy Ministry and currently serves as a supervising Chaplain with Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy. He has been married to his beautiful wife Kathee for more than thirty years and has four amazing children.

My favorite part about working with Bethany Press/BelieversPress: This being my first attempt at a book, BelieversPress provided thorough information, quick and accurate estimates, and speedy printing. I never knew that I could produce a book so quickly and inexpensively.

Jay McCarl’s book Broken Bread is available at his website.

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Why I wrote my book: 3 reasons: I believe God wanted me to; It documents my first-hand experience; After viewing other marriage related publications for three decades, I felt the need for this very concise yet easy to use format which also requires user involvement and not just reading the book.

A little about myself and my book: My wife and I wrote the Intimate Anatomy workbook. We are former missionaries and have a heart to minister. We plan on returning to full time missions, perhaps in a new venue. We left missions due to severe and prolonged (over two decades) health issues with my wife. These experiences birthed first-hand revelation on what it means to love my wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5). It also prompted deep times of crying out to God for His strength in our weakness. It also reinforced our experience and conviction that relationship between husband and wife is directly patterned after Biblically defined relationship between Christ and the church, who is refered to as the bride of Christ in Scripture. All of this came together over ten years and we copyrighted a diagram of this parallel in 2006. Prompting to write a workbook about came in 2007, which we copyrighted in 2008. I learned about Bethany Press later in 2008, got everything together (our own website online, set-up with Believers Press / STL-Distribution, ISBN, bar code, Bowkerlink, etc.) in 2009 and published Intimate Anatomy January 1, 2010. We now present the workbook and related discussions to individuals, couples and groups.

My favorite part about working with Bethany Press/BelieversPress: Common faith in Jesus Christ and passion to spread the Gospel.

A tip for others: Do your homework: apply yourself to learn alot from other people and the way things work without compromising the gift God gave you– even if it seems unpopular (just make sure it is holy and wise).

Why I wrote my book: I wrote this book with the intention and hope that it would offer a thought-provoking analytical approach to overcoming adversity for Christians. Why aren’t more Christians living an abundant life filled with joy and other fruits of the Spirit? Why is the journey so hard? This book examines how we shoot ourselves in the foot at times if we don’t follow the biblical principles of success that are available to us through Christ. Woven into the various chapters is the concept of the Great Commission and the idea that “missionary work” is when we live the driveway of our residence. Finally, the book was written to attract nonbelievers and seekers to Christ, and to that end, it explores the issues of sin and our need for Christ and his precious blood that was shed for the remission of our sin.

About me and my book: I was raised in the church as a preacher’s kid (PK) and a missionary kid (MK). I am basically a preacher at heart with a passion for evangelism and missions. Ironically, my career was in law enforcement. I had a wonderful career arresting murders, rapists, child molesters, thieves of every sort, and drug dealers who never went to Sunday School when they should have! My view is that police work is missionary work!

Favorite part about working with Bethany Press/BelieversPress? I think what attracted me to Bethany Press more than anything was their mission statement and commitment to the gospel of Christ. It struck a cord deep in my heart that we were sharing the same goal…the good news of Christ. Our mission is not books: our mission is the Great Commission and it just happen to involve the medium of print.

A tip for others: Since this was my first book I learned a lot. One of the biggest things I learned is that editing is time consuming and repetitive. If you want to get it right, edit, edit and re-edit. I must have had a million revisions to my manuscript before it was truly ready for print.

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Why I wrote my book: A few years ago my son came home from his high school biology class asking me to help him prepare for a class debate on the ethics of sex selection and genetic engineering. To his and my surprise, the majority of his high school class, including his teacher, had no ethical problems with termination of pregnancies based on amniocentesis results, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, genetic engineering, nanotechnology and trans-human combinations.

When I attempted to talk to my friends about these pressing bioetech issues I was met with disinterest, complacency and claims of over complexity. Afterall, bioethics is not a popular topic at potlucks.

This experience with my son’s high school class and with my friends challenged me to find a palatable way to communicate the ethical issues and problems surrounding advancements in biotechnology. I am hopeful that I can accomplish this through the power of story.

About me and my book: I am very happily married and have three great kids who I love and adore. I currently live in western Wisconsin, which is beautiful about eight months out of the year. Since graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law I have gone back and forth between full time ministry and corporate legal practice. When in full time ministry I served as an associate pastor and worked a short time as an attorney for The Christian Broadcasting Corporation. I currently run a small financial planning practice and occasionally speak at my home church, Point of Grace Community Church.

My passion has always been to communicate about the big questions in life. Who am I? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? Is there a God? Does he have a plan? Have I been made on purpose, for a purpose? I am hoping that The Awakening will be a useful tool to help readers ask the right questions and direct them in the right direction.

Favorite part of working with BelieversPress: BelieversPress allows you to leverage the skills and knowledge of a fantastic group of publishing professionals. I feel privileged to have been able to work with Barb Lilland and Jeff Gerke.

The other great thing about working with Bethany Press/BelieversPress is knowing that you are partnering with them to advance the Kingdom by training missionaries and funding world evangelism.

Share a tip for others: You will hear over and over again that you need to develop a marketing plan far in advance of the printing of your book. Believe it! It’s true. Another tip is when you put together a budget for your book add 10% for changes and upgrades you may make down the line. Lastly, let yourself enjoy the process; self-publishing is an adventure.

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Why I wrote my book: Blessed Assurances is a book to help Christians grow strong in their faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible, His Word. It is a real faith builder. The book contains many precious promises or assurances from the Bible that are true because the Bible says so. This book will fill your life with God’s peace, joy and victory , put these Bible truths in your heart.

About me and my book: Alfred (Fred) is a retired chemical engineer who has been serving the Lord Jesus as a Gideon for about 15 years. He speaks frequently at churches about the Gideons International ministry that places Bibles in hotels, hospitals, colleges and jails in 190 contries world-wide. Fred enjoyed teaching christian life-style principles at a county jail in VA for 7 years.

The book contains 10 assurances , such as forgiveness, answered prayer, guidance, victory and provision. Each assurance is explained and supported with Bible verses. Ten messages are also included, such as be thankful always, the hope of the believer, and God’s love is just awesome.

Favorite part of working with BelieversPress: I always enjoy working with people at BelieversPress because they are congenial, understanding, willing to go the extra mile to please clients.

Why I wrote my book: The Bilhah Moment was written during a desperate period in my life. I discovered that everyone is bound to have bilhah moments. What we are going through is not new: battles outside and fear inside. Our faith is tested daily and the biggest challenges Christians face today are waiting on God for answers and deciphering His will for their lives.

About me and my book: The Bilhah Moment is a period of desperation devoid of hope. Taken from Genesis 30, it is the gap or blank space between the unfolding will of God and your choice of action in a desperate situation. It is a teachable moment, a recurrent and lifelong event.

In this book, I use examples of real, desperate encounters that people face today, the lessons drawn from them and how to handle silent periods while waiting for answers.

Belinda Enoma is a born-again believer, speaker, lawyer and founder of Persistent Faith Ministries. She passionately shares the unadulterated Word of God empowering people across the globe to live victoriously. She has appeared on internationally syndicated TV programs like The Harvest Show of LeSea Broadcasting Network, TBN’s Praise the Lord and REJOICE of TCT Network.

Her ministry’s weekly ‘Prayer Mountain’ sessions have received numerous testimonies of God’s miraculous power from around the world. For more information about Belinda Enoma, visit www.persistentfaith.org and www.thebilhahmoment.com.

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Why I wrote my book: Originally it stared out as a memoir for my family & grandhildren. As the pages unfolded I could see the hand of God leading, guiding & supplying, a sometime reluctant servant, with whatever was needed to serve Him. I began to realize that my story could be an inspiration to others in their faith journey.

About me and my book: I am a retired minister. The book is about growing up in a small Iowa town. It is full of anecdotel stories about school, college, ministry, family, missions & travel & many amazing “God” moments.

Favorite part about working with BelieversPress: They were very accomodating & helpful in working with me & my already-published book in getting it out in the marketplace & at an affordable price.

Share a tip for others: With the modern advantage of computers & word processors it is easy to get your story written down. So get your story written down. There may be those out there that will be inspired by your walk of faith.

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Why I wrote my book: I get asked a lot of questions. I have 50 high school kids from around the country who live with me, and give me the opportunity to understand their culture, their struggles, and the world they live in which is far different from the “world” parents grew up in. People ask those questions on our radio program, at my speaking seminars, and through our websites. I have taken the top 32 questions and shared my answers. I write because parents ask.

About me and my book: Over 2,000 teens have lived with me through the years at our residential counseling center in Texas. I’ve been married to my first wife for 34 years, have two kids, two grand-kids, 4 dogs, and way too many horses. I never intended to be an author, nor would I call myself that. I’m more of a story-teller, sharing insights and understandings gained from those I live with.

It’s a tough culture for teens to grow up in. I believe that if parents had a greater understanding of their teen’s world, their response would change thus changing the response of their teen. Any difficulty entered into with compassion and gentleness always changes the outcome.

Favorite part of working with BelieversPress/Bethany Press: All the folks that we have dealt with at Bethany have been wonderful. Their commitment to excellence and their willingness to help make an idea a reality was welcoming easy. Thank-you!

Share a tip for others: Be the person that your dog thinks you are, and you’ll find that your teens will like you better.

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Why I wrote my book: I wrote this book because of the staggering number of Christian men and women in the church who are compromising their testimonies with sexual immorality. For example, estimates of Christian men viewing pornography monthly range from a low of 60% to a high of 70% and estimates of the number of evangelical Christian pastors viewing pornography at least monthly ranges from between 30-35%. This is unacceptable for the Church of the Holy One of Israel. Because the church is infected with sexual immorality, it is producing worldly people, compromised pastors, and powerless congregations. We are not a threat to the gates of hell but rather are weak and impotent. Almighty God calls us to “be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and we are anything but holy. Someone has likened the church to the proverbial frog in the kettle. We are simmering in a stew of sexualized messages pumped out by the culture and we don’t even realize it!

This book was written as a clarion call to the church to be holy, not “kind of holy” or “sort of holy” or “holy by my own standards,” but holy by God’s standards.

About me and my book: I have been a pastor for over 30 years. I am a graduate of Bradley University (B. Sc.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M. Div.), and Denver Seminary (D. Min.). In addition to being trained and serving as a pastor, I am a licensed marriage and family counselor.

I am the founder and director of the National Coalition For Purity, the sponsoring agency of the popular men’s ministry, Every Man’s Battle For Purity. My wife, Elsie, is the director of Women of Truth, the wives’ purity ministry. Elsie and I have been married for 40 years and have three married adult children and seven precious grandchildren.

The book I’ve written, The Power of Purity: God’s Design for Sex in a Sex-Saturated World, is an outgrowth of the purity ministry in which I’m engaged. It is the first of two books with the second book, The Purity of the Bride, due out in 2010. The first book was written for laymen and broaches the subject of sexual purity. The second book is written for pastors and denominational leaders and addresses the subject of purifying local churches and denominations.

Favorite part of working with BelieversPress/Bethany Press: Sara Rosenberg was a great help in explaining in simple terms the process of metamorphosing my manuscript into a book. She patiently answered my questions and walked me through the process.

High on my list of what sold me on Bethany was the new addition of distribution, marketing, and promotional to their menu of services. No author wants to write a book, get it published, and then have it sit in a box or on a shelf. Authors want to get their books into the hands of readers. Bethany has added that important piece to and that was attractive to me.

Finally, a main consideration in why I chose Bethany was because they are a Christian business that directs a portion of all their profits toward missions and the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That was very appealing to me.

Share a tip for others: As you know, the larger the number of books printed the cheaper each per book copy becomes. As long as they have the presses rolling, they might as well keep printing. Paper is pretty cheap. Based on that, print as many copies as you can reasonably afford. Have a marketing plan in place that will reasonably sell or distribute the number of books you’ve printed in a maximum of three years.

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Why I wrote my book: The need to reduce the excessive technical jargon and explain the needs of the mission field in story form motivated me. Long years in college classrooms taught me that illustrating abstract principles with stories kept students focused. Also, as I spoke in churches I noticed that it was when I told true stories to illustrate my points that more people woke from their naps.

I felt that only writing what went beyond stereotypes would bring the needed clarity in East/West cultural relations. The myth that all Orientals are the same, and are inscrutable, unsmiling, and lack a sense of humor, needed to be discredited. Although entrenched traditions have restrained the Japanese from making easy changes in religious affiliations, it is a joy to write of the conversions of those who have encountered the grace of God.

About me and my book: As part of the G.I. generation, I lost former high school friends in WWII. A number of my classmates in Submarine Torpedo School were simply reported as “missing in action.” Time and circumstances dictated we look upon the Japanese as our enemies. Yet, I retained a pleasant memory of friends in Californian schools who were of Japanese ancestory. Reconciliation became an underlying theme of my book.

Through Christian Endeavor, a dynamic youth movement, I was challenged by missionary speakers to make a difference in the world by serving in a foreign land. To reach that goal I enrolled in a Christian college and was rewarded by meeting my wife there, who also wanted to introduce the Prince of Peace to those who had been our former enemies. After finishing the intensive training, and spending one year in deputation work, we sailed for Japan.

It has been good to write of our family’s bonding experiences with Japanese friends and neighbors. Finally, after our lengthy experience of living in Japan and studying its culture for many years, it gave me a sense of closure to sum up ten strategic crosscultural communication principles.

Favorite part of working with BelieversPress/Bethany Press: After waiting for a long time, I was finally informed by an apologetic publisher that it would be close to two years before my book could be scheduled. He suggested that I try self-publishing. After checking out this option, I ultimately chose Bethany Press because of the recommendation of a friend. Once committed to Bethany Press, it took only four and one half months for my manuscript to be transformed into beautiful well-bound books that were conveniently packaged and delivered on pallets to my garage.

During the process of interacting with Bethany’s coordinator, I learned how to obtain a copyright, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and a Library of Congress Control number. I was patiently tutored in how to make and submit editing corrections and how to transmit sensitive photos without loss of detail. Now that Bethany Press started BelieversPress I look forward to continuing my education in the distribution of my book.