{"similarAuthors":[{"author":{"id":3337276,"name":"Craig Matthews","isGoodreadsAuthor":true,"profileUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3337276.Craig_Matthews","worksListUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3337276.Craig_Matthews","profileImage":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1646019819i/3337276._UX75_CR0,8,75,75_.jpg","bestBook":{"imageUrl":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1635239568i/59358308._SY40_.jpg","bookId":"59358308","workId":"93527420","bookUrl":"/book/show/59358308-the-stars-in-the-sidewalk","from_search":false,"from_srp":false,"qid":null,"rank":null,"title":"The Stars in the Sidewalk","bookTitleBare":"The Stars in the Sidewalk","numPages":318,"avgRating":"5.00","ratingsCount":11,"author":{"id":3337276,"name":"Craig Matthews","isGoodreadsAuthor":true,"profileUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3337276.Craig_Matthews","worksListUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3337276.Craig_Matthews"},"kcrPreviewUrl":"https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B09JJWDQ9G&ref=x_gr_w_preview_new_nf_story-20&tag=x_gr_w_preview_new_nf_story-20&preview=inline","description":{"html":"The Stars in the Sidewalk, My Demons Don't Die Easy, is a story of an every day working guy who gets triggered by a tragedy on the job site and is forced to face his many issu…","truncated":true,"fullContentUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59358308-the-stars-in-the-sidewalk"}},"followersCount":10,"worksCount":6,"description":{"truncatedHtml":"Craig ran away from his Michigan home at seventeen with his girlfriend. He had sold the love of his life on the romantic idea of living in the wild, wild west. So they wrote goodbye notes to all of th…","html":"Craig ran away from his Michigan home at seventeen with his girlfriend. He had sold the love of his life on the romantic idea of living in the wild, wild west. So they wrote goodbye notes to all of their family and friends, packed the car and left on a sunny June afternoon with three hundred and fifty dollars between them.

God rudely interrupted the fanciful journey at a rest area west of Chicago with a one-in-a-million chance meeting. Craig walked through the entry door to the old facility at the same moment his cousin exited. Joe, who is twenty years older, just happened to be moving to Colorado that day with his family. Long story short, Joe appealed to their sense of family and encouraged them to call home before they continued westward.

That phone call wrecked the dream and saved their lives. Hearing your tough-as-nails father break down and cry for the first time in your life can do that. Plus his girlfriend's father had the State Police looking for them, she was sixteen.

Less than nine months later, that not-so-impressed father of his girlfriend was arm in arm with her, walking down the aisle. Dad reluctantly signed over his parental rights to the eighteen year old pimple faced kid that had impregnated his daughter.

There were only two people out of the fifty six in attendance that day who believed the young idealistic couple had any chance to make it. They chose not to say one word about it. Craig discovered who that was almost forty years later while doing research for his first book.

Does this story make Craig qualified to be an author? Hell no. Neither does living forty years with the same women he married in high school and the three kids they raised (and seven grandchildren). It is only by the grace of God they have survived and through that same grace he writes. Yet, Craig’s true gift is in storytelling and many of those skills were learned the hard way, living through the myriad of life altering choices he has made over the years. Imagine that. Life happens.

Craig listens to people, striving to see them the way their Creator does, while asking pertinent questions along the way. Hearing stories of God’s kindness has been foundational to his journey, living one has transformed him. His pastors heart motivates him to teach those that struggle with addictions. He leads small groups of men toward relational wholeness. Combine all of those experiences with a love for creating, an insane imagination, and you may begin to understand his story.

Craig wants to encourage you to live in the truth God has for you today.

Other contributing factors:
Former Pastor for over sixteen years at three different congregations.
Organized and Directed international short term, cross cultural missions teams for ten years.
Directed intercity mentoring program for low income children without fathers.
Led New Hope Outreach Ministries for six years, writing and receiving numerous grants.
Founder and editor of the Holy Cross Herald.
Graduated MLMI Bible College 1992.
Lead County-wide interdenominational Youth Pastors leadership group for three years.
Worked in construction industry for sixteen years.
Owns and operates Craig Matthews Media LLC.
Managed a Pizza restaurant. He built his own Pizza oven in his back yard in his quest for the perfect pizza."}}}]}

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