Eugene H. Peterson,translator of The Message- The Bible in Contemporary Language, authored more than thirty books, including Every Step an Arrival, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. He earned his master's degree in Semitic languages from Johns Hopkins University and also held several honorary doctoral degrees. Peterson was the founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he and his wife, Jan, served for twenty-nine years. Peterson held the title of professor emeritus of spiritual theology at Regent College, British Columbia, from 1998 until his passing in 2018.