I’ve authored, co-authored and contributed to 40 books
Author
• Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer
Leaders Guide for Eugene Peterson (Harper San Francisco, 1992)
• Communicate to Change Lives in Person and in Print
Biblical and behavioral principles for changing lives in print, pixels and person. (Wesleyan Publishing House, 2007)
• Death & Beyond
The 2,500 questions from teens about death and dying, which received an award of merit in Campus Life‘s "Book of the Year" contest (Tyndale House, 1988)
• Devotional Pursuits: Trivia and Truth
Light-hearted devotions based on bizarre triia. (Beacon Hill, 1986)
• If You’re Not Dead, You’re Not Done! Live with Purpose at Any Age (Tyndale House, 2022)
• The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language
Thomas à Kempis’ 500-year-old classic modernized and organized for today’s reader. (Worthy Inspired, 2016)
• Jesus: His Life and Lessons
The life of Jesus in chronological order and his lessons in topical order. (Xaris, 2013)
• Keeping Pace
Practical ways to share your faith (Wesley Press, 1986)
• God, I Don’t Understand: Unanswered Prayer, Unfulfilled Promises, and Unpunished Evil
(Bold Vision Books, 2017, originally title The Psalms of Asaph)
• Overcoming Fear and Worry (Our Daily Bread, 2019)
• The Persuasive Person
Original edition of Communicate to Change Lives in Person and in Print (Wesley Press, 1987)
• Sex is Not a Four-letter Word
Original edition of The Why Files: When Can I Start Dating (Tyndale House Publishers, 1991)
• Should a Christian Wear Purple Sweat Socks? (Wesley Press, 1987)
• Squeezing Good Out of Bad
Top ten list of ways to respond to the lemons i your life (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2013)
• The Teen Sex Survival Manual (Bridge, 1987).
• The Why Files
A three-book series based on over 2,500 young people’s questions about sex, death, and the supernatural. “Christian Retailers Choice” award for best book series (Concordia, 2000)
• Why? Why questions, wise quotations
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there sickness and death? Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Why? (XarisCom, 2014)
• Writing with Banana Peels: Principles, Practices, and Pratfalls of Writing Humor
(XarisCom, 2009)
Co-Author
• Characters James and Lois Watkins
Comedy/dramas based on biblical characters (Lillenas, 1993)
• Over the Hill—Onto the Mountaintop Louise Looney and James Watkins
Devotions with hope and humor for the Social Security crowd (ACW Press, 2014)
• Praise the Lord and Pass the Prozac James and Faith Watkins (Hope&Humor Books, 2022)
A hopeful, helpful, humorous devotional
Contributor
• 30 Days to a More Incredible Marriage
(Tyndale House, 1998)
• 100 Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers
(Joy Publishing, 1991)
• A Complete Guide to Writing for Publication
(ACW Press, 1999)
• Connections
Jim ghosted the book on family relationships (Moody Press, 1992)
• The Cure
Jim wrote twenty devotionals for the Bible edition
• Family Traditions that Last a Lifetime
(Tyndale House, 1993)
• FeatureWriting.net by Michael R. Smith
(EpisteLogic, 2005)
• Heartbeat
Primary contributor for teen “book-a-zine” on sexuality (Tyndale House, 1988)
• Mother’s & Father’s Day Program Builder No. 10
Includes “Faith of Our Mothers” (Lillenas, 2005)
• The Pastors’ Study Bible
Jim wrote encouraging quotations (Group/Zondervan, 2000)
• Pause for Pastors: Finding Still Waters in the Storm of Ministry by Chris Maxwell
Jim wrote a paraphrase of Job for pastors
• Perfect Love
Primary contributor, ghost writer for two chapters (Wesley Press, 1987)
• Stories for a Grad’s Heart
(Multnomah Publishers, 2001)
• This Cloud of Witnesses
Jim wrote devotional (Taylor University Press, 1999)
• Total Quality Life by Stan Toler
Jim wrote the sidebars and collected the quotations (Wesleyan Publishing House, 2007)
• Wesleyan Bible Lesson Commentary: Volume 2
(Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011)
• Wesleyan Bible Lesson Commentary: Volume 3
(Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011)
• Wesleyan Bible Lesson Commentary: Volume 4
(Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011)
• What Does She Want From Me Anyway?
(Harper/Collins/Zondervan, 1997)
• Writers on Writing: Top Christian Authors Share Their Secrets for Getting Published
(Wesleyan Publishing House, 2005)
• Where Are You, God? A 365-Day Devotional Journal (Ellie Claire, 2020)
•Writing Right to Success – Stories of the Writing Life by those who followed their dream!
(Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2016)
Ghostwriter
Two books, but I can’t tell you the authors or I’ll lose my “ghostly” status.