About Bible Novels
Colin Piper is a Brit married to an Aussie, Melissa. Together they head up an informal family of like minded youth ministries around the world called International Christian Youthworks. Colin says:
“Melissa and I have perhaps the most
wonderful and most challenging job in the world. We meet the sort of people who love Jesus so much they simply lose themselves in his service. Their sacrifice is at the same time inspirational and challenging. They are the sort of people you would be prepared to die for.”
One of Colin’s main reasons for writing Patriarch was to support these unsung heroes of the cross. The other though is his love for scripture.
“I am so very grateful to those who led me to the Lord and discipled me. They taught me to love the Bible and hear the Lord through it. When I first entered full time ministry in the early eighties, one of my leaders challenged me to give five hours a day to prayer and study. I failed. I tried for three, but failed at that too. However I did manage to get into a habit of daily Bible reading, and I will be for ever in the debt of those who inspired me along this road.”
Colin’s love for scripture has led him to memorise much of it over the years including most of Mark’s Gospel and his personal favourite book, Philippians. He believes individual Bible Study is becoming a tragic lost art in the twenty-first church.
“I love the release the church is finding in worship today. I have discovered so much of the Lord through it. But I fear we are so much the poorer for the fact that the discipline of personal Bible Study has been lost. My prayer is that Patriarch will help people see again just how relevant and powerful scripture is. Essentially the Bible offers an encounter with God by His Spirit!”
These days although always writing, Colin’s chief role can best be described as a Global Youth Ministry Strategist. Colin and Melissa are Associates of European Evangelical Alliance. They live in the UK but travel extensively around the world. They say their heart is in Africa, and their call is to Europe. But with so many friends and such good coffee in North America and the best rugby down under, they really don’t know where to call home these days!
