Jerry B. Jenkins, the former vice president for publishing and current chairman of the board of trustees for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, is the author of more than 175 books, including the Left Behind series. Dr. Jenkins’s writing has appeared in Time, Reader’s Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and dozens of Christian periodicals, and he is a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest magazine. He owns Jenkins Entertainment, a filmmaking company, as well as the Christian Writers Guild, which has nearly two thousand members worldwide. Jenkins and his wife, Dianna, live in Colorado Springs.

To release February 17, 2010:

Before the Tribulation, before the Rapture, before there was a legacy that could be left behind…there was Jesus. Now the authors of the phenomenal Left Behind series introduce The Jesus Chronicles—four books that individually and collectively paint a vivid portrait of the Prince of Peace told in the voices of those who knew Him best: the gospel writers, John, Mark, Luke, and now Matthew…

Matthew’s Story: Sinner to Saint

Levi was studying to be a priest, but an unspeakable tragedy causes him to turn his back on his faith and pursue riches and luxury instead. Much to the disappointment of his family, he becomes a tax collector, reviled by Jews and Romans alike.

Although he is a success, his chosen trade does not bring him contentment. And when he hears about Jesus, the man who some are saying is the prophesied Messiah, he begins a quest that leads him to question his very existence. As he follows Jesus and records His words and deeds, Levi is shaken to the core and transformed. Jesus renames him Matthew—literally “gift from God”—and the tax collector is called to give up his work and his passions and claim Jesus as his Lord.

Matthew’s Story is a novel that brings to life the most unlikely of apostles—a sinner turned saint—and his time with the Lord. With Matthew, we will walk with Jesus as He gives the Sermon on the Mount, performs the miracles of healing the sick and raising the dead, contemplates his faith and the Last Supper and in the Garden of Gethsemane, is crucified, and most important, resurrected. Thrilling and uplifting, Matthew’s Story shows how the true Messiah changed the life of one man, and forever altered the course of history.

When and how did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I was injured playing sports in high school and turned to sports writing to stay close to the sports scene. I knew almost immediately that I had found my niche. I started stringing for local papers before I was even old enough to drive. I became sports editor of a daily newspaper when I was 19.

Can you share with me some of the highlights of your writing journey – something particularly memorable or humorous?

The Left Behind series selling 70 million copies worldwide is a phenomenon I do not expect to see repeated in my life time.

Tell me a bit about what you write now and what you hope/plan to write in the future. Do you have a favorite genre?

I just finished my 178^th book (more than I have ever read) and have written as-told-biographies of famous people (Hank Aaron, Walter Payton, Nolan Ryan, Billy Graham, etc.), fiction for children, fiction for adults, documentaries, devotionals, marriage & family books, etc. My favorite genre is adult fiction.

Do you consider your writing the work God has given you to do for a lifetime or for a season of your life? If you could pursue anything else, what would it be?

I don’t sing or dance or preach; this is all I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Are there people in your life who encouraged you, who are responsible for you becoming a published author?

My father was a bit of a poet, my mother a wordsmith, and I was encouraged by my high school journalism teacher.

Can you share one struggle that entered your life as a result of writing and how God helped you to overcome it?

Writing has brought nothing but joy and reward.

Likewise, is there a particular joy in this writing business/ministry that God has used to remind you that He is, in fact, using your words to His glory?

The thousands of messages from people who tell me they became believers in Christ through reading the Left Behind series.

A few of Jerry’s current and future novels:

Riven (Tyndale House, 2008), my favorite of all my novels

Matthew’s Story (The Jesus Chronicles, Putnam, 2010), a novel based on the Gospel

The Last Operative (Tyndale House, 2010), an international spy thriller

Chicago Showdown (Tyndale House, 2010), the first novel in a police trilogy

If you want to get to know more about Jerry, please be sure to visit his website or his blog.

Thanks, Jerry, for joining me this month on Spotlight!