Jason Elam - Monday Night Jihad

But ultimately, the trip had been just what Riley needed-a lot of laughs, a little bit of adventure, and a bucketful of escape. There were no phone calls, no inquiries, no depositions, and best of all, no media. One week into the two-week trip, he was finally feeling like he was decompressing.

“Hey, Skeet, what time is it?”

“What’s wrong, Mr. Covington,” came a female voice from behind him, “someplace you need to be?”

Riley turned with relief to see Khadi standing there. She was dressed in hiking shorts and a wispy buttoned shirt that showed just a hint of the scarring on her shoulder. She had gone into the town of Tamarindo by herself, insisting on some “time away from the guys.” Riley had wanted to send Skeeter with her, but for some reason she had felt that might defeat the away-from-the-guys aspect of her excursion.

As Khadi stretched out in the neighboring lounge chair, Riley closed his eyes again. “Actually,” he answered, “I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.”

Dear Reader,

Lots of people have asked me how I made the jump from football to fiction. It’s a fair question!

The genesis of Monday Night Jihad goes back about ten years to when my brother started keeping a journal of all the football stories I told. He always tried to talk me into writing a book, but for a long time it wasn’t something that interested me. Then about a year and a half ago, I began to think about the possibility of incorporating a military/terrorist element with all of my own football experiences. My goal was to give readers a great story full of action, adventure, a little bit of romance, and of course, football.

After having lengthy discussions with my pastor, Rick Yohn, about the concept, I remember asking God to show me whether or not this was something He would like me to pursue. Eventually I became convinced to go forward. My desire in writing this book was-and still is-to contrast the more radical elements of Islam with what I view as true Christianity.

Many have attempted to distort the Jesus of the Bible, and so my hope and prayer is to honor the real Jesus. Second Corinthians 11:4 speaks of people who preach about a Jesus who is “different” from the true Son of God. My hope is that through this story each reader sees Jesus Christ for who He is -the eternal God who created all things. He is the God-man who took on human form to bring us hope. He is the one who allowed Himself to be the perfect sacrifice for us all. He is the one who suffered a brutal death on a Roman cross. He is the one who physically rose up from the grave. He is the one who now indwells all believers. He is the one who will return to take those who believe in Him to be with Him for all eternity. It is to this Jesus that I dedicate this book.

Thanks for taking the time to read Monday Night Jihad ; I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as Steve and I have enjoyed working on it. Be looking for our next Riley Covington thriller, due in stores in early 2009!

Sincerely,

Jason Elam

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Jason Elam was born in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1988, Jason received a full football scholarship to the University of Hawaii, where he played for four years, earning academic All-America and Kodak All-America honors. He graduated in 1992 with a BS in communications and was drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

In 1997 and 1998, Jason won two back-to-back World Championships with the Broncos and was selected to participate in the Pro Bowl in 1995, 1998, and 2001. He is currently working on an MA in global apologetics at Liberty Theological Seminary and has an abiding interest in Middle East affairs, the study of Scripture, and defending the Christian faith. Jason is a licensed commercial airplane pilot and lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Tamy, and their family.

Steve Yohn grew up as a pastor’s kid in Fresno, California, and both of those facts contributed significantly to his slightly warped perspective on life. Steve graduated from Multnomah Bible College with a BS in biblical studies while barely surviving a stint as a youth pastor.

While studying at Denver Seminary, Steve worked as a videographer for Youth for Christ International, traveling throughout the world to capture the ministry’s global impact. In 1997, he joined the staff of Fellowship Community Church and is now the director of adult ministries, a job that allows him ample opportunity to indulge two of his great passions-speaking and mentoring.

Surprisingly, although his hobbies are reading classic literature, translating the New Testament from Greek, and maintaining a list of the political leaders of every country worldwide over the last twenty-five years, he still occasionally gets invited to parties and has a few friends. His wife, Nancy, and their daughter are the joys of his life.