DAVENPORT, Iowa — Jeffrey C. Dunn expects to receive a wonderful gift for his 21st birthday next week, but he has no intention of keeping it to himself.

That gift is his first book, “Verses by Virtue: A Reference of Organized Bible Verses,” which he hopes to have in hand by Dec. 17. He plans to ship them as soon as possible so they can be delivered in time for Christmas.

Using his love of Scripture and 14 different translations of the Bible, Dunn has selected more than 3,000 verses that address every dimension of Christian life and placed them in 121 categories. The 448-page book has five chapters: “Virtues of Victory,” “Calls to Action,” “Overcoming Problems,” “Vices to Avoid” and “Concepts of the Faith.”

The book, which took him about 18 months to write and edit, was published by the company he established, Eternal Light Publishing. It is being printed by Dickinson Press Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Now a resident of Davenport, Iowa, Dunn was born and raised in the Diocese of Peoria, where his faith was nurtured at Immaculate Conception Church in Ohio. Parishioners there will be among the first to see “Verses by Virtue” when he returns on Saturday, Dec. 20, for a book signing after the 4 p.m. Mass.

On Sunday, Dec. 21, he will visit Immaculate Conception’s sister parish, St. John the Evangelist in Walnut, for a book signing after the 10 a.m. Mass. Refreshments will be served at both events.

“It’s something useful that we can all get use out of,” Dunn told The Catholic Post. “Somebody from a Bible study I attend picked up a pre-publication copy and said, ‘This is exactly what my husband wanted.'”

He hopes people will see “Verses by Virtue” as a way to keep God’s word in their life and have it near them all the time.

“I just want this to be a tool for people to know Christ as Lord,” Dunn said.

The young author added that Father Daniel Wilder, pastor of the Ohio and Walnut parishes, told him that if “Verses by Virtue” changed one life or led one soul to salvation, Dunn would have done his job. “I would do that job thousands of times over,” Dunn said.