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GREGORY A. HATTEBERG (Joliet College; Moody Bible Institute; Dallas Theological Seminary) is the director of Alumni for Dallas Theological Seminary and a seminar leader for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Prior to joining the staff at DTS, Mr. Hatteberg worked in Admissions at Moody Bible Institute. He completed graduate studies at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, and has traveled extensively in Israel and beyond. Based on his experiences in Israel, he co-authored The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land with Dr. Charles Dyer. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of four children.
Read MoreJIM NICODEM has been the senior pastor of Christ Community Church since its start in 1984. Beginning with a group of six families, the church has grown to over five thousand weekend attendees at four campuses. A significant focus on reaching spiritual explorers has resulted in scores of new believers being baptized each year.Born and raised in the Midwest, Jim received his BA in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, and his MDiv and DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In keeping with Christ Community Church’s mission to "make passionate disciples of Jesus Christ", Jim loves to mentor others in prayer and the study of God’s Word. With that goal in mind, he has authored Prayer Coach: For All Who Want to Get Off the Bench and Onto the Praying Field (2008) and the four-book Bible Savvy series (2013).Jim and his wife, Sue, have been married for more than thirty years. They have three adult children, and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren. Jim enjoys biking, hiking and kayaking for recreation. He loves to hang out in Chicago, where he can watch the Cubs play (no better park than Wrigley) or listen to the world-class Symphony Orchestra.
Read MoreTIM GRISSOM is a freelance writer living in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he also serves as senior editor for FamilyLife. He has served on the elder team of The Summit Church, which he helped start in 1998, and remains active in the teaching ministry there. Tim served on the staff of Life Action Ministries for fourteen years. He and his wife, Janiece (who is now with the Lord) have four children. His ministry passion is to help people understand how deeply the Bible speaks to the issues of life, both big and small. You can read more from Tim through his blog, www.HurtingForward.com.
Read MoreMATT MARKINS serves as the President and CEO of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. As a researcher in child discipleship and children’s ministry, Matt has commissioned eleven research projects since 2013, including a study conducted by Barna Group called Children’s Ministry in a New Reality. He’s a board member at large for the National Association of Evangelicals and is the author or coauthor of four books, most notably The Faith of Our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Discipling the Next Generation and RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church. He’s also the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum and D6 Conference. Matt and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry for more than 25 years and spend their time in Nashville with their two sons. For more information go to www.ChildDiscipleship.com and www.Awana.org.
Read MoreK. A. ELLIS is the Director of the Edmiston Center for the Study of the Bible and Ethnicity in Atlanta, Georgia. She's passionate about theology, human rights, and global religious freedom. Since 2006, she has collaborated with the Swiss-based organization, International Christian Response, traveling internationally to connect local and global Christians while studying and advocating for global religious freedom. Her research explores Christian endurance from society's margins, particularly in places where it's most difficult to live the Christian life. She is the Cannada Fellow for World Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, and holds a Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the Yale School of Drama, and is a Ph.D. candidate in World Christianity and Ethics at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies in England.
Read MoreRON BLUE is a successful entrepreneur in the financial services industry and an admired leader and speaker on the topic of Biblical financial management. In 1970, he founded an Indianapolis-based CPA firm which has grown to be one of the 50 largest CPA firms in the United States. In 1979, he founded Ronald Blue & Co., a fee-only financial planning firm, convinced that Christians would better handle their personal finances if they were counseled objectively with the highest technical expertise and from a Biblical perspective. Ron is the author of twelve books on personal finance from a Biblical perspective, including the best-seller, Master Your Money, and his most recent book, Wealth to Last, co-authored with Larry Burkett. He is currently the President of Kingdom Advisors and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Read MoreDOUGLAS GEHMAN attended Goshen College and Fuller Theological Seminary, and completed Master's and Doctorate degrees in Missions at Liberty Christian University in Pensacola, FL. Since 1994, Doug has served with Globe International, a mission-sending agency based in Pensacola, FL. He became the Director in 2001 and the President in 2004. Doug loves coaching and mentoring emerging leaders, helping them discover their giftings and life direction. Doug and Beth have ministered in neary sixty nations. They have four married children and eleven grandchildren. Doug is the author of three books. The most recent is their family's story, called White Picket Fences. He loves writing, surfing, cycling, walking, and spending time with his family.
Read MoreWILLIAM BELL DAWSON was born in 1854. While today he is known for his books, he spent most of his life working as a surveyor and engineer. In 1893, he started working for the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries where he supervised a major tidal survey for over twenty years. This project produced what are called tide tables which gave important information about the tides in all of the main Canadian harbors. In 1924, he stopped work in Canada and began writing about creation science and evolution. He is best known for his books Forethought in Creation (1925), Evolution Contrasted with Scripture Truth (1926), and The Bible Confirmed by Science (1932).
Read MoreRon Eggert graduated from Moody Bible Institute's Pastor's Course in 1966, completing a B.A. in Bible in 1969. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1973 and served in pastoral ministry for over forty years. He currently serves as Pastoral Care Pastor at Salem First Church of the Nazarene in Salem, OR. He and his wife, Dianna, have three grown children and six grandsons. His hobbies are reading, nature study, and photography.
Read MoreCHRISTMAS CAROL KAUFMAN received her unique name in honor of her Christmas morning birth in 1901 in Elkhart, Indiana. She was raised in a Mennonite home and spent some time as a student at Goshen College. When she was 22, she married Norman Hostetler. However, tragedy struck when two months after their second anniversary, Norman was killed in an electrical accident. She worked in a sewing shop following the wake of her loss, but in 1928, her bishop recommended that she get away for a while and enroll as a Bible student at Hesston College. It was there that she met the man who would be her life partner—Nelson Kaufman. The two were married in 1929. Five years later they were commissioned by the Mennonite General Mission Board to start a mission church in Hannibal, Missouri. It was in their 22-year ministry in Missouri that she found the inspiration to write her many novels. In 1956, they returned to Elkhart where Kaufman wrote her last several books. She died in Elkhart on January 30, 1969.
Read MoreTIM DOWNS is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University in Graphic Design. After graduation in 1976 he created a comic strip, Downstown, which was syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. His cartooning has appeared in more than a hundred newspapers worldwide. In 1979 he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, where he founded and directed the Communication Center, a communication training facility. He continues to serve as a speaker and writer. He and his wife, Joy, have spoken at FamilyLife Marriage and Parenting Conferences since 1985. He is author of First the Dead, Less Than Dead, Chop Shop, Head Game, Plague Maker, Shoo Fly Pie, and Finding Common Ground, which was awarded the Gold Medallion Award in 2000. He is also co-author of Fight Fair and The Seven Conflicts: Resolving the Most Common Disagreements in Marriage along with his wife Joy. Tim lives in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife and three children.
Read MoreKAY FRIEDERICHSEN was born in China to missionary parents in the early 1900s. She and her husband, Paul, served three terms as missionaries in the Philippines and were imprisoned in Japanese concentration camps during the World War II. Following her family’s return to the United States, she conducted Bible classes and presented chalk-talk messages in churches throughout America. Kay is the author of God’s Relief for Burdens, God’s Way Made Easy, and God’s Word Made Plain. She co-authored Like Them That Dream with her husband. Kay is now home with her Lord.
Read MoreLAURIE NORRIS is a Professor of Bible at Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, having served for ten years on the faculty of Moody Bible Institute in the division of Applied Theology and Church Ministries. She has a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and a PhD in Biblical Theology-New Testament from Wheaton College. Laurie's ministry centers on the communication of God's Word and equipping of the church through teaching, speaking, writing, and mentoring in both academic and non-academic settings. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she presently lives in West Chicago with her husband Bob, four dogs, and a cat.
Read MoreAARON MENIKOFF is the Senior Pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Before entering pastoral ministry, he served as a legislative assistant for the late United States Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He earned an M.Div. and a Ph.D. at Southern Seminary where he studied Christian social engagement during the Second Great Awakening. He is the author of Politics and Piety: Baptist Social Reform in America, 1770-1860 (Pickwick, 2014). Aaron has a heart for encouraging pastors. He organizes a yearly conference called Feed My Sheep, leads a monthly pastors fellowship in his area, and is Visiting Lecturer in Church History at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He is married to Deana and is the father of Rachel, Jonah, Natalie, and Tori.
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