Christmas in the Dillon home in small-town Bellefontaine, Ohio, means time with lots of family. Bethany’s extended family from out-of-state traditionally comes to her family’s house Christmas afternoon to have lunch together. “My mom’s side of the family is very loud. They’re crazy, and they’re really fun. A lot of them play guitar, so we have singing time,” she says. “Everybody makes the same food every year, and we watch football games, lie around and laugh.”

One of their holiday food favorites is old-fashioned melt-in-your-mouth potato candy. (See “World-Famous Potato Candy” below for the recipe.) “Because the candy is so bad for you, Mom won’t make it until the holidays. But when she does, we all load up on it,” Bethany says.

With her own family of three brothers, one sister and brother-in-law (her sister married Christian artist Shawn McDonald), Bethany’s favorite winter outdoor activity is sledding. “Since we were little kids, our parents drove us to this big hill in a town near us. Someone almost dies every year because it’s so dangerous, but we love it! Your nose is running; your hands are bright red; you’re sweating; it’s just so fun. We fall all over the place.”

On the day after Christmas, once the potato candy is gone and all the presents are unwrapped, Bethany enjoys watching all the movies she’s gotten or going over to her friend’s house. “We walk through her woods and drink hot chocolate. We like to hang out,” she says.

Bethany’s affection for a good movie with a good story extends to her love for God’s Word. She likes using her imagination when she reads the Bible and picturing the stories in her mind. “When I read the Christmas story in the book of Luke, I read all that happens right before Jesus is born,” she says. “I enjoy reading about Elizabeth, how she’s pregnant with John and all that happened. How confusing and mysterious it must have been with God making contact. I love the whole story, but I especially like the beginning when the suspense builds.”

Son of God, Son of Man
Bethany is amazed that God used ordinary people to play such important roles in our Savior’s life. One person that stands out is Mary and her faith. “The girl was a virgin, yet she was pregnant. Putting myself in her shoes, I think I’d get caught up in what people would think about me, instead of seeing it as a blessing. I love picturing Mary, what she was like and what a heart she must have had for God to pick her,” Bethany says.

Many of the songs on Bethany’s current album, Imagination, talk about God’s love — a love so strong that He sent His Son to earth. “It’s incredible to think of Jesus — 100 percent God — walking around in flesh. The Bible says He faced all the same temptations we do,” she says. “I love dreaming about what Jesus was like. He was a man who engaged the Pharisees and the really intelligent people, but at the same time, He drew out the tax collectors, the prostitutes and the common people. Jesus would be with them as well — what a man! What a God that He would have that ‘something’ about Him that people would be drawn to Him, want to hear Him tell stories, want to hear Him laugh, want to make eye contact with Him and want to brush shoulders with Him. I can’t wait to meet Jesus because I’ll finally know what that ‘something’ is.”

Bethany weaves Scripture into her songs and talks about God’s Word when she’s on stage at a concert. “I don’t want the Enemy to have any room to deceive people into thinking that the Bible is irrelevant or boring.

“I’m praying that God would give me clear vision to see the Bible as it is. It’s an adventure. There’s no movie or fiction book out there that can top it. The Bible talks about people who had families and were asked to do foolish things by God, yet everything turned out for the best. God’s Word is our food; it is our sword in this world. It’s important to keep His Word and honor it.”

Watch it then hear it!
In celebration of the Dec. 9, 2005, release of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , Bethany was selected to contribute an original new song to the soundtrack of music inspired by the movie. Released in September 2005, this album also includes contributions from tobyMac, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Jars of Clay, Nichole Nordeman and other Christian artists.

“When my record label mentioned the opportunity to me about doing a song for the soundtrack, I freaked out!” Bethany says. “So many people are huge fans of those books, and my family has been huge fans for a long time. I’m so excited to see the movie. I’ll be the first person in line!”

World-Famous Potato Candy
by Bethany’s mom
What you need:
1 medium boiled potato
1 stick butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 3 pounds powdered sugar (Measurements aren’t exact because the amount of sugar depends on the size of potato used.)
1 jar creamy peanut butter
2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon

What to do:
Boil the potato until tender all the way through; peel it and mash with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Add softened butter/margarine and mix until blended uniformly. Add vanilla extract and stir. Add 1 1/2 pounds of sugar and stir until mixture is consistency of cookie dough. (You may need to add more than the one stick of butter to get the correct consistency, depending on the size of the potato used.)

Take half of mixture and roll with a rolling pin until it is approximately one-fourth to one-third of an inch-thick. Spread peanut butter over the entire mixture and then roll like a jellyroll. Once rolled, cover and put into freezer. After it’s frozen, cut it into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and serve. The other half of the mixture can be prepared this way as well, or it can be rolled into small spheres and rolled in cinnamon. Serve as is.

A Look into Bethany’s Imagination
Bethany’s goal for her current record, Imagination, has been to write songs that connect with people and honor God. “The best way to connect is to be as brutally honest as possible about faith, about struggle — even when writing love songs!” she says. “I want to let girls my age and other people know that we’re all in the same boat. We’re created by the same God. There’s an awesome alikeness about us.”

Bethany wrote the title track, “Imagination,” while on the road, and the song helped shape everything else on the record. “I wrote ‘Imagination’ when I was reading about Jonah, Moses and people who had trouble doing what God asked them to do. I relate to them by also aching for the courage to do what God has asked me to do. The song is about struggle and asking God to look at me with imagination because He has such a bigger heart than I could ever imagine.”

Keep reading as Bethany talks about a few other songs from Imagination:

“The Way I See You” is a love song. I admit, it’s pretty mushy. I think every girl, even if she’s just admiring someone from a distance, wonders if the other person notices her at all. I don’t think it’s wrong to feel that because God made us that way.

The song asks the questions, “Do you see me the way I see you? Do you even notice me and who I am? Do you see past my awkwardness and nervousness?” That song doesn’t have a huge, deep spiritual meaning about it, but I think it’s important nonetheless.

“I Believe in You” is about God speaking to someone like me who feels all she does is make mistakes and ask for second chances. The song is about God’s hope and how He looks at us and sees so much potential and purpose. In the song, God keeps saying to us, “I believe in you even though it’s hard for you to figure out why you’re here and what you’re supposed to be doing. I believe in you.”

“My Love Has Not Grown Cold” is a love song from God — a lot like Psalm 139 and Zephaniah 3:17. When I’m asleep in my bed, God is still awake. He doesn’t tire; He’s singing over me the plans He has for me. I just love that picture. To think God cares that much about us is a powerful thought.

“New” was inspired by The Magician’s Nephew, a book in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” My producer and I read a chapter together from that book, and it was so inspiring. I long to be made new in my life. Even though my mom calls me “youngin’ ” — and I am in a lot of ways — I sense that the world has made me older. I long for the things of God because He never grows tired. This song is a prayer that God would restore and make the old things new again.