Editorial Team

Matt Erickson Editor, Stand Firm Magazine
Matt Erickson is the editor of Stand Firm, a devotional magazine designed to help equip men daily to be godly leaders in their homes, churches, and communities. Prior to joining Walk Thru the Bible, Matt worked in the Resources department of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga. Before that, he spent a couple of years teaching middle school Bible in Tampa, Fla. These days when he's not at his post typing away, there's a good chance you can find him doing something active like running or working out—anything to counteract the sedentary lifestyle of an editor! Oh, and it should probably be mentioned that Matt likes books and has a lot of them and (regretfully) doesn't have nearly enough time to read them all.

Paula Kirk Editorial Director
Paula Kirk started work at Walk Thru the Bible in 1981 and is today the longest serving employee at the company. As the editorial director, she makes sure all Walk Thru the Bible materials meet strict biblical standards. During her long tenure she has served as typesetter, copy editor, general editor, and editorial director. She is the author of the Family Walk devotional guide that Walk Thru the Bible published for 20 years in both magazine and book formats. Her greatest joy has been seeing God develop Walk Thru the Bible into an international ministry that serves Christians throughout the world. In 2009 Paula's lifestyle changed dramatically when God moved her away from her home in Atlanta to live with her son and two of her grandchildren on a farm. Away from the concrete, the crowds, and the culture of city life, she thoroughly enjoys rural life. But she has an entirely new set of questions to ask God in eternity, one of which is this: What was His purpose for creating pot-bellied pigs?

Laurin Makohon Editor, YW Magazine
Laurin Makohon is the editor of YW Magazine, a devotional magazine for students that's designed to help them get to know God's great heart through His Word and to live the adventure of walking with Him. Before joining the Walk Thru the Bible family, she interned at Southern Living magazine where she couldn't believe they paid her to do craft projects and write about them. If her fingers aren't glued to her keyboard (or a hot glue gun), you'll probably find her out looking for ways to experience God in the good, the true, and the beautiful in the world—something He has been teaching her a lot about lately. She's a former college athlete, and if you challenge her to a game—whether it's cornhole or Catchphrase—she's in. Just don't beat her. She'll get mad. God's still working on that.

Susan Nelson Senior Editor, Tapestry/Journey Magazine
Susan Nelson joined Walk Thru the Bible in 1997 and serves as senior editor of Tapestry, a devotional magazine for women. She also works with LifeWay Christian Resources to publish the same product under the title Journey. Before coming to Walk Thru the Bible, she taught English and Language Arts at a private school in St. Louis. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and nearly completed an M.A.Ed. when her husband, Bill, was transferred to Atlanta. Bill and Susan have three grown children. Susan enjoys reading (especially the Bible), photography, and rescuing retired racing greyhounds. But her favorite pastime is spending time with her five grandchildren. Now empty nesters, Bill and Susan share their home with an 80-pound greyhound and a very large cat that showed up on their doorstep.

Donna Pennell Editorial Manager
Donna Pennell's heritage is from a long line of readers, writers, and grammar lovers. Serving as Walk Thru the Bible's editorial manager, she feels the responsibility and the privilege of handling God's Word. Donna manages the editorial and design staff, as well as the Walk Thru the Bible devotional magazines. She also writes a bit—her articles and devotionals have appeared in Tapestry/Journey, with a weekend page or two in indeed magazine. A graduate of Georgia State University, Donna has a BBA in Marketing, graduate work in communications, and a background in advertising, marketing, and the nonprofit sector. She and her husband, Don, are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters who are learning to edit at their mother's knee.

Chris Tiegreen Senior Editor, indeed Magazine
Chris Tiegreen is the editor of indeed, a devotional magazine aimed at getting committed Christians even deeper into God's Word and His heart. Chris has authored more than a dozen books on topics he's passionate about, which include the Bible, prayer, and breaking common assumptions that hinder a true relationship with God. Determined not to spend his entire life staring at a laptop screen, Chris also loves to travel, study languages, play piano and guitar, and paint. That would make him something of a Renaissance man if he were any good at those things, but he's not, so he's really more like a Renaissance average Joe. Though he loves to read, he finds it virtually impossible to read the Chronicles of Narnia without speaking the dialog in a variety of British accents—out loud—so much of his reading time is spent in a quiet, secluded place.