MICHAEL J. AKERS has served in active ministry for over 40 years, mostly as an adult Bible teacher and lay pastor. In 2002 he became an ordained pastor through the Evangelical Church Alliance (ECA International, Bradley, IL). He is a graduate of Beech Grove High School in Indiana, Wabash College in Indiana, and the University of Iowa with a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry. He worked for forty years in the pharmaceutical industry and also taught in schools of pharmacy. He and his wife, Mary, live in Peoria, AZ and are members of Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV).

RYAN M. AKERS currently studies graduate divinity and theology at Grand Canyon Theological Seminary in Phoenix, AZ. He has B.A. degrees in English literature and journalism from Indiana University. Previous work includes video production, marketing/corporate communications, and creative writing. He serves in operations and pastoral care at Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria, AZ.