Phil Callaway

Phil Callaway, who has achieved notoriety for his humorous writing and speaking, was born July 26, 1961 in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. He has written more than 2 dozen books of family humor, children's literature, and novels, as well as hundreds of magazine articles. [cite web | title = About Phil | work = Phil Callaway, The Unofficial Site | url = http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/aboutphil.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ] He maintains a rigorous speaking schedule, traveling primarily in North America speaking approximately 100 times a year to corporations, churches and conferences and is a frequent guest on national radio and television program.

He has edited the Prairie Bible Institute's magazine "Servant" since it began in 1989. He writes in English, and there are Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Indonesian, Portuguese and Korean translations of some of his books. [cite web | title = Foreign Language Editions | work = Phil Calloway, The Unofficial Site | url = http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/translated.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ]

He grew up in Three Hills, where his parents worked on staff at the Prairie Bible College. [cite web | last = Massey | first = Pat | title = Wonders never cease interview | url = http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Wonders%20Never%20Cease/Wonders%20never%20cease%20interview.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ] He attended Prairie High School and Prairie Bible College as a student. [cite news | title = Heart of the Matter | work = Prairie Harvester | pages = 8 | publisher = Prairie Bible Institute | date = 2005-03-29 | url = http://www.prairie.edu/alumni/Harvester/HarvesterWinter05.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ] [cite web | title = Servant Magazine
work = www.prairie.edu | publisher = Prairie Bible Institute | date = 2006-09-11 | url = https://www.prairie.edu/servant.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ] He married his high school sweetheart in 1982. They have three children; stories from all of their lives appear in his writing.

His first two books, "Honey, I Dunked the Kids" (1993) and "Daddy, I Blew up the Shed" (1994) were based on material originally published in his column "Family Matters" in "Servant" Magazine. [cite news | last = Linquist | first = N.J. | title = Inside Story: Make 'em laugh | work = Volume 18, Number 04 | publisher = ChristianWeek | date = 2004-05-11 | url = http://www.christianweek.org/opinions/insidestory/vol18/04.html | accessdate = 2006-10-19 ] His column "Family Matters" now runs in two dozen magazines, and is translated into numerous languages including Chinese, French, German, and Norwegian. [cite web | title = Foreign Language Editions | work = Phil Callaway, The Unofficial Site | url = http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/articlesphil.htm | accessdate = 2007-12-10 ] His work is primarily Christian, and at least one review has said that he bases his humor on a religious message "that in the long run overshadows and lessens the comic message." [cite book | last = Fritzer | first = Penelope | coauthors = Bland, Bartholomew | title = Merry Wives and Others: A History of Domestic Humor Writing | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | date = 2002 | location = Jefferson, North Carolina | pages = 194-195, 223-224 | id = , found at [http://books.google.com/books?id=0uXHiJ3lkWIC&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&vq=%22Phil+Callaway%22&dq=+%22Phil+Callaway%22&psp=9&sig=Fm2f0RMZ-cGVbx4o1-Q2GOoIIgE&hl=en Google Books] ] But Callaway insists that the label of "comic" was never his, that he uses humor not just to entertain, but to inspire. "I love to make people laugh. I've seen them fall off chairs when I speak. But I also like to tell them why I'm not in a home weaving baskets somewhere and it's because of faith and hope." [ [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/ Phil Callaway, The Unofficial Site] ]

Callaway writes and speaks openly about life's challenges. His book Laughing Matters [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/laughingmattersbook.htm] is the story of how he battled bitterness in the wake of his wife's Epilepsy, [http://www.epilepsy.com/] , and how he found joy. He also writes about the hereditary disease Huntington's, [http://www.huntingtonsociety.ca/english/index.asp] which three of his wife's siblings have. Writing about his father's death from Alzheimer's and his mother's Dementia has made him a popular speaker for caregivers groups. He told The Calgary Herald how his speaking career began. "People would call and ask me to speak. I would say, 'I can't speak but I can make you laugh. And they'd say, 'Come make us laugh.' And that's where it started." [ [http://shopping.calgaryherald.canada.com/SS/Page.aspx?sstarg=&facing=false&secid=32999&artid=607152 Calgary Herald | Special Sections | Alberta Geographical Series 1 | Craig Learmont & Phil Callaway: Three Hills, Two guys and a Bible Institute Page 1 ] ]

Country superstar Paul Brandt interviewed Callaway on his website, asking "Do you care to share your religious beliefs? What's your life philosophy and Phil responded, "I've traveled the world, I've searched the literature. Nothing has answered my questions like the life and words of Jesus. I'm not into religion, I'm into a relationship with him. Several years ago I was in a Seattle airport washroom during an earthquake (what a place to die!). I'd been on a trip to check out a job offering three times my current salary. I'd been dreaming about a step up the ladder, about all the stuff I could buy, all the prestige I could have. But the earthquake shook me hard. (As the place shook, the guy in the stall next to me yelled, 'Did I do that?') Back on the plane, I wrote down my definition of success on an airline napkin: 'I will consider myself a success when I'm walking close to Jesus every day, when I'm building a strong marriage and performing meaningful work. I'll consider myself a success when I'm making others homesick for heaven.' That's my life mission and I can't believe how much fun I'm having following it." [ [http://www.paulbrant.com Paul Brandt] ]

Most recently, Callaway has produced a children's book Be Kind, Be Friendly, Be Thankful [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Be%20Kind%20Be%20Thankful/Be%20Kind%20Be%20Thankful.htm] to help children deal with saying goodbye to a parent. The book's main characters have been made into plush toy animals. [http://www.glorybe.com/detail.aspx?ID=294]

Books

* Honey, I Dunked the Kids (1993)
* Daddy, I Blew Up the Shed (1994)
* The Total Christian Guy (1996)
* Making Life Rich Without Any Money (1998) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Making%20Life%20Rich/makingliferichphil.htm]
* Who Put The Skunk In The Trunk? (1999)
* I Used To Have Answers…Now I Have Kids (2000)
* Jake and the Scrambled Snake (2001)
* Jake and the Slippery Bank Robbers (2001)
* Jake and the Big Hairy Lie (2001)
* Jake and the Super Scary Sleepover (2001)
* Jake and the Christmas Surprise (2001)
* Jake and the Knuckle Sandwich (2001)
* Who Put My Life On Fast Forward? (2002) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Who%20Put%20My%20Life%20on%20FF/Who%20put%20life%20fast.htm]
* With God on the Golf Course (2003) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/With%20God%20on%20the%20Golf%20Course/With%20God%20Golf.htm]
* Edge of the World (2004) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Edge%20of%20the%20World/Edge%20of%20world.htm]
* Laughing Matters (2005) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/laughingmattersbook.htm]
* Wonders Never Cease (2005) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Wonders%20Never%20Cease/wondersneverceasephil.htm]
* Parenting: Don't Try This at Home (2006) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Parenting%20Don't%20Try%20This/parentingbook.htm]
* Golfing With The Master (2006) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Golfing%20With%20the%20Master/Golfing%20W%20Master%20Book.htm]
* It's Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens (2007) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/It's%20Always%20Darkest%20Before%20the%20Fridge/Fridge%20Book.htm]
* Be Kind, Be Friendly, Be Thankful (2007) [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/Books/Be%20Kind%20Be%20Thankful/Be%20Kind%20Be%20Thankful.htm]
* Family Squeeze: Hope and Hilarity For A Sandwiched Generation (2008)

DVDs

Laughing Matters [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/tvshowphil.htm]

CDs

The Adventures of Jake: Children's stories performed by the author http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/images/Tapes/jakecdphil.htm

External links

* [http://www.philcallaway.ab.ca/ Phil Callaway, The Unofficial Site]
* [http://www.presbyterianrecord.ca/index.php?dir=200603&id=philcallaway A humorous autobiography of how Phil became a writer]

References