Gary Lee Shirley was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1950. He has served in ministry bi-vocationally for over fifty years, currently as the associate pastor at Woodhaven Baptist Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Gary has been both a firefighter and paramedic. After retirement, Gary began serving as a full-time chaplain through Good News Jail & Prison Ministry at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Throughout his ministry, God has placed Gary in many interesting, exciting situations and a wealth of experiences, of which he writes.