This week’s author interview is with Leland Ryken. He is the author of 40 Favorite Hymns for the Christian Year (releasing 8/19/20) and 40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life (2019).

A little about myself.  Since officially retiring from a teaching career at Wheaton College in 2012, I have continued to teach part-time at the college and as a homeschool teacher. The 2020-2021 academic will be my fifty-second year of teaching at Wheaton College. My wife and I have three children and sixteen grandchildren. Our son Philip has been president of Wheaton College for just over a decade. Only in recent years has it dawned on me that a truthful answer to the question of what I enjoy doing in my spare time is to say that I enjoy writing books. I have published just over sixty books, a genuine surprise because I come from humble stock and right to the present day, self-identify as the farm boy from Iowa.

Have you always enjoyed writing?  I only gradually came to enjoy writing. In my school days, writing was an academic duty. The thing that made it enjoyable was having success in publishing articles and books. That success brought a sense of accomplishment and a sense of Christian ministry. In the latter years of my public life, as the data rolls in from around the world, it is obvious that my greatest contribution to the Kingdom has been by publishing.

How did I come to write this book?  I qualified myself to write a second “hymns book” (as I affectionately call my two ventures in this genre) by virtue of the success of my first hymns book. My affiliation with P&R has been a story of providence all the way. My first book happened when P&R showed no interest in a list of half a dozen books that I could find myself writing, after which I floated the idea of a book on hymns as devotional poems as an afterthought. P&R latched onto the idea, and the rest is history.

Do you have a favorite quotable quote?  I absolutely love aphorisms, and in fact I keep a file of them on my computer. I have many life verses from the Bible, so the following is a slightly arbitrary choice: “Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5). I like this statement because it speaks to my heart and is a good piece of guidance for keeping on the narrow road that leads to life. Jeremiah’s advice to his secretary Baruch does not prohibit seeking great things; it only prohibits seeking them for oneself.

Do you have a favorite book that you have written?  I do not. My books are like my children and grandchildren: I like all of them equally. The book that excites my greatest interest is the book that I happen to be writing at the moment.

Do you have a favorite author?  Next to the writers of the Bible, John Milton has been the major author of my life. His appeal to me is a combination of his Christian belief and the greatness of his artistry.

What is a spiritual angle on writing that has been precious to you?  My writing has been a case study in providence. I refer particularly to the way in which time after time just the right piece of information from written sources or just the right comment from someone in my life crossed my desk at just the right time for me to use it in my current writing.

Do you have a favorite book of the Bible?  From my teen years, Ecclesiastes has been my favorite book of the Bible, and when I wrote a biography of J. I. Packer I was pleased to learn that it was his favorite book also. I resonate with the content the book rightly understood (the book is commonly misunderstood), but that is true of the whole Bible. So what raises the book to such preeminence with me? I think the answer is the superior artistry of the book.

What famous person would I like to meet?  Having made John Milton my “life author,” I would naturally like to meet him.

Tea or coffee?  Coffee, because I am Dutch rather than English. In my department at the college, I refer to coffee as Dutch gasoline.

PRE-ORDER 40 Favorite Hymns for the Christian Year

PCA Bookstore: as low as $10.71

CVBBS: $11.19

Wtsbooks.com: $11.19

Christianbook: $12.99

Amazon: $15.99

This week’s author interview is with Don McKim. He is the author of Everyday Prayer with the Reformers (releasing 8/19/20) and Everyday Prayer with John Calvin (2019).

• Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am from Wampum, Pennsylvania, about fifty miles north of Pittsburgh. I went to Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA where I became friends with Bryce Craig, the President of P&R Publishing. After graduating from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and doing a Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, I taught Theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. When my wife, LindaJo, was appointed Editor of The Presbyterian Hymnal, we moved to Berwyn, PA and I served a couple Presbyterian churches as an interim pastor. We next moved to Memphis, Tennessee where I was Academic Dean and Professor of Theology at Memphis Theological Seminary. I switched over to publishing and spent a dozen years as Executive Editor for Theology and Reference for Westminster John Knox Press. I also worked as an editor for Congregational Ministries Publishing of the PC(USA). I retired and have spent my time writing books. My wife, LindaJo is also a retired Presbyterian minister. We have two sons, who are both married and four grandchildren. I like to write reviews of theology, baseball, and chess books. 

• What inspired you to write this book, about this topic?

I’m happy to say that this new book, Everyday Prayer with the Reformers is one of three books on prayer which I am writing for P&R Publishing. The first was Everyday Prayer with John Calvin. The third book will be Everyday Prayer with the Puritans. I have had a vocational passion in the past years for trying to introduce folks to great theologians. Since many will not usually read the big books the theologians have written—I try to take a couple sentences from the theologian, write a one-page devotion on its meaning and what importance the quotation has for our Christian lives. This seeks to instruct and inspire! I’ve written a number of these kinds of books now. When I spoke with the good friends at P&R about my interest in this format, they suggested there would be interest in three books on prayer—focused on Calvin, the Protestant Reformers, and the Puritans. I jumped at the chance to write these books! I desire to communicate the insights of important theologians to pastors and laypersons. And what better topic than prayer to focus on for theological thoughts that instruct and inspire! Everyday Prayer with the Reformers was a joy to write. It allowed me to explore and write about prayer as a deeply important topic for us and to convey the strong theological insights of very significant theologians so they can speak to us today!

• What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

My teacher and co-author, Jack Rogers, used to say that “scholarship is like digging a ditch. It’s one shovelful at a time.” I’ve found this is exactly true. You don’t have to be the “smartest person” to write a book. You just need to have a “strong back” and focused will—to keep at it: one day at a time! Writing is work. The writer, Dorothy Parker, said, “I hate writing. I love having written.” The perseverance needed to “keep writing” can be draining. But the joy of “having written” is great—and worth it! So, to aspiring writers: Keep writing…“one shovelful at a time”!

• Do you have a favorite author? Who is it and why?

My favorite writer is John Calvin (1509-1564). He is first in my heart because his theological writings have meant so much to me through the years. In every season of my life, Calvin has something to say to me. I believe his interpretation of Scripture is convincing and always nourishing to my faith. I’ve written a number of books and articles on Calvin so I’ve been living with his work for many years. When I read him, I always find something new and engaging. I write about Calvin because I want to share his insights with others. My latest book on Calvin: Everyday Prayer with John Calvin focused on his thoughts about prayer. It was especially helpful for me to write it—and I hope for others to read it!

• Favorite sport to watch? Why? Favorite sports team?

I like to watch basketball. I came from a little town where basketball was big. In Memphis, we love our Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. Since I’m from the Pittsburgh area, my favorite Major League Baseball team is the Pittsburgh Pirates—through good seasons and bad!

• Favorite food?

Spaghetti and meatballs.

• What famous person (living or dead) would you like to meet and why?

I would most like to meet Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the great English writer, lexicographer, and distinguished “man of letters.” He is sometimes called “Dictionary Johnson” because he wrote a famous Dictionary of the English language which set the standard for all later dictionaries. Johnson was a great talker, a man of strange habits, and pronounced opinions. It was said Johnson knew more books than any person alive. I learned of him first in high school which led me to read an abridged edition of James Boswell’s, Life of Samuel Johnson, one of the great biographies of all time. My wife, LindaJo, made a wonderful drawing of Dr. Johnson which has always been on the wall next to me at my desk. I would like to have a long talk with one of the world’s greatest talkers!

• How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Facebook Page: Don McKim

PRE-ORDER Everyday Prayer with the Reformers

• PCA Bookstore: as low as $10.71
• CVBBS: $11.19
• Wtsbooks.com: $12.21
• Christianbook: $12.99
• Amazon: $15.99