Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based, public policy “think tank.” He is a health policy expert and weekly contributor at Forbes.co...

Coming from a family of writers, Michael Nathanson held a lifelong dream of one day weaving a good story that also points to hope and light in a darkened world. “Cries of the Eagle” is his first novel...

Coming from a family of writers, Michael Nathanson held a lifelong dream of one day weaving a good story that also points to hope and light in a darkened world. “Cries of the Eagle” is his first novel. He lives in Texas with his wife, Jan, and they joyfully serve together in the marriage ministry at their church.

Jessica Sharpe is a fiction acquisitions editor at Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group. She has been editing fiction for over fifteen years and has worked with several best-...

Jessica Sharpe is a fiction acquisitions editor at Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group. She has been editing fiction for over fifteen years and has worked with several best-selling and award-winning authors. Life has taken her from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains to Asia to New York City, but she’s currently based in the Twin Cities.

Andy McGuire is editorial director of Bethany House, where he has worked for thirteen years. Previously he acquired for Moody Publishers and before that he edited economics textbooks for an academic p...

Andy McGuire is editorial director of Bethany House, where he has worked for thirteen years. Previously he acquired for Moody Publishers and before that he edited economics textbooks for an academic publisher. Andy has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Miami University and an M.A. in Literature from Ohio University. Andy also writes and illustrates children’s books in his spare time and has been either the author or illustrator of twelve books ranging from read-alouds to middle grade fiction. He and his wife have three kids and live in Burnsville, MN.

Billy Ballenger’s powerful life story of finding redemption in prison has riveted audiences across the globe. Following a difficult childhood, which included being bullied, Ballenger married and becam...

Billy Ballenger’s powerful life story of finding redemption in prison has riveted audiences across the globe. Following a difficult childhood, which included being bullied, Ballenger married and became a father at the age of 18 as he pursued a lifestyle of partying, substance abuse, violence and burglary. After a SWAT team invaded their home, Ballenger and his wife, Jodie, were both sentenced to six years in prison and lost custody oftheir daughter. Shortly before he went to prison, Billy began attending church where he re-committed his life to Christ. While incarcerated, Ballenger studied the Word and grew in his faith, and two years later, he and Jodie were released and reunited with their daughter. Today, his journey fuels his passion for sharing the Hope of Christ with audiences around the world, including Russia and China. Ballenger’s Break the Grey Inc. has produced assemblies at hundreds of schools, and he’s shared his testimony and music with more than 500,000 listeners at festivals, churches, camps and other venues. In 2020, Ballenger joined the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular lineup—Christian music’s largest annual tour—performing in 31 arenas around the country. He has released three EPs: Skin Deep in 2012; Walking On Waves in 2020; and this year’s Tree And The Nails.

Jodie Ballenger’s powerful life story intersects with husband Billy’s when they met as teens at a juvenile residential facility in Indiana, where they both sang in the choir. In the years prior, howev...

Jodie Ballenger’s powerful life story intersects with husband Billy’s when they met as teens at a juvenile residential facility in Indiana, where they both sang in the choir. In the years prior, however, Jodie’s story is radically different as she was raised in abuse and neglect by her mother, who had been a prostitute, and a father who chose his new wife over her. Suffering mental, physical and sexual abuse, and abandonment and neglect, she knew at a young age she would need to learn to survive on her own. She began taking pills, smoking pot, and partying at the age of 9. She ran on the streets. When she met Billy, their paths became joined, eventually finding redemption before being sentenced to 6 years in prison. She and Billy grew in their faith while incarcerated, and after two years, were miraculously released and reunited with their daughter. They haven’t looked back, and have both together and individually, shared their stories with audiences around the world. Jodie documented her story in the 2020 book, Beautifully Unbroken – TheProstitute’s Daughter.