Thanks

08.05.2021

Gerald B. Smith

Jolene Philo

JOLENE PHILO grew up in a caregiving family and raised a son with medical special needs. As a teacher, she created an inclusive classroom for children with disabilities for 25 years. She's authored several books, including Every Child Welcome: A Ministry Handbook for Including Kids with Special Needs and Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The Five Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities. She hosts the award winning blog, www.DifferentDream.com. Jolene and her husband live in a multigenerational family in Iowa with her daughter, son-in-law and their two young children.

Doug Logan

DOUG LOGAN serves as Lead Pastor of Epiphany Camden. Doug and his wife Angel have been married since 1996 and have been blessed with three sons, Bernie, Aharon, and Avery. He is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Doug served at both 10th Presbyterian and Epiphany Fellowship in a 2-year Church Plant Residency program before planting EFC. He also served as Vice President of Relational Connectivity and is a Board Member of Thriving, a Urban Church Planting Network. Doug has served in the inner city for nearly a decade as a pastor of Calvary Bible Church of Kensington and at Epiphany Fellowship in North Philly. He is currently completing his Masters at Capital Seminary.

Jerry Vines

DR. JERRY VINES (B.A., Mercer University; Th.D., Luther Rice Seminary; PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) retired as pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 2006, where he served for 40 years. He served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jerry is author of a number of books including Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons, and A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation. He and his wife, Janet, have four adult children and five grandchildren.

Dan Stanford

DAN STANFORD is not a comic book superhero. The glasses make you do a double take but under his shirt is not a cool costume and cape. He doesn't have a catch phrase like "Up, Up and Yahweh!" and there's no blockbuster movie about his heroic deeds. He's an ordinary, decaf drinking, nap taking, Jesus loving citizen. But in spite of being ordinary, he married his true love, Suzanne and they have three dynamic boys: Caleb, Connor and Colton. Dan holds a Masters degree from Trinity International University and started The Well Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. To learn more visit www.danstanford.net.

Gil Mertz

GIL MERTZ is Assistant to the President at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. He has been involved with full-time Christian service for nearly forty years and draws from a vast background of ministry with international missions, humanitarian causes, public policy, and consulting. He is a former pastor and radio talk show host. His daily commentaries on forgiveness have been broadcast on more than 300 stations across America. Gil and his wife Patricia reside in southern California and have three children and three grandchildren.

Kim Erickson

KIM ERICKSON began following Christ after the death of her three-year-old son in 2008. Kim began a writing and teaching ministry to help other women, which can be found at www.KimAErickson.com. She is the author of His Last Words: What Jesus Taught and Prayed in His Final Hours and Surviving Sorrow, as well as a contributor to Hopelifter: Creative Ways to Spread Hope When Life Hurts. Kim is an attorney and practices immigration law. She lives in Florida with her husband, Devin, and son, Ethan.

Dustin Crowe

DUSTIN CROWE (BA, Moody Bible Institute; MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as the discipleship pastor at Stones Crossing Church, just outside Indianapolis, IN. He has written two books (with another forthcoming from Moody Publishers in 2025) and has written for websites such as The Gospel Coalition, Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and Christianity Today. Dustin and his wife have two young kids. You can follow his blog www.indycrowe.com or find him on X or Instagram (@indycrowe) and Facebook (Dustin Crowe).

Jen Barrick

JEN BARRICK is an inspirational speaker who travels all over the country, with her mother Linda, sharing their miraculous story of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She suffered a traumatic brain injury over a decade ago when her family's van was struck head-on by a drunk driver going 80 miles per hour. Even though Jen still suffers from vision impairment and memory loss, she knows there is no limit to what God can accomplish through her life. She completed a diploma from the Institute of Biblical Studies at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Connect with Jen and Linda at hopeoutloud.com.

Rob Martin

ROB MARTIN has been involved in Christian ministry since his conversion in 1976. He first served as the editor of a Christian publication and then for six years with the Orange County Rescue Mission, Orange County, CA, before becoming General Manager of Fieldstead & Company, a private philanthropy of Howard and Robert Ahmanson. He later served as Executive Director of First Fruit, Inc. and has been with this organization in a full time capacity since 2009, serving ministries and colleague foundations as a coach on a variety of organizational issues. Rob was educated as a journalist, and spent his formative career years in newspaper work. He and his wife, Bev, have raised three daughters and reside at Useless Bay on Whidbey Island, WA.

Brittany Salmon

BRITTANY SALMON is a professor, writer, and Bible teacher. She has a MA in Intercultural Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a MA in Teaching from North Carolina State University, and a doctorate from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Brittany is passionate about taking theology and applying it to everyday life. And yet the people closest to her think of her as the friend who loves oversized sweatpants and a great conversation over coffee. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with her best friend, Ben, and their six children. You can connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanynsalmon.

Rian Roux

Originally from South Africa, RIAN ROUX spent his adolescence in a small fishing and farming community in the far north of Australia. Intrigued by the stories that shape our lives, he travelled widely and pursued studies in Applied Science, Education, and Theology. After a year at Oxford University, he commenced a PhD in Australia with a focus on transformative learning and student leadership development in higher education. Rian has experience in pastoral ministry, teaching, and business and currently lives and works in Toowoomba with his wife, Sally, and their three children.

Judy Dunagan

JUDY DUNAGAN is a wonder-seeker of God and His Word, passionate about discipling and making God's Word and prayer come alive in everyday life. She is a speaker and Bible teacher and serves on the Board of Deeper Walk International, the ministry her father Mark I. Bubeck founded. For several years, she was an acquisitions editor for women's Bible studies and other books at Moody Publishers. Judy and her husband Rick live in Colorado. Connect with Judy at: www.JudyDunagan.com.

Jasmine Mullen

JASMINE MULLEN is a writer and singer from Nashville, TN, and she was born to musical parents. Her mom is singer Nicole C. (Mullen) and her dad is a songwriter named David Mullen. She credits her love of words to their influence. Most of the time, Jasmine is writing songs or touring with her band, The New Respects, which she created with Zandy Mowry and Darius Fitzgerald. When she’s not creating music, she’s usually writing a story or daydreaming one up. Her hobbies include eating too much pizza, playing with her nieces and nephews, and laughing till she cries with her dearest and closest people.

Oghosa Iyamu

OGHOSA IYAMU, the daughter of Nigerian parents, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and content creator passionate about sharing the life and mission of Jesus Christ. Oghosa holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary. She has written for YouVersion, She Reads Truth, Lifeway, Radical, Lies Young Women Believe, and many other platforms. To learn more about Oghosa and to stay connected, please visit oghosaiyamu.com.