Danita Jenae

DANITA JENAE is a young mom and recent military widow learning to carry both joy and sorrow in the same breath. As an author, speaker, poet, and artist, she walks alongside the broken-hearted, offering practical and creative ways to lead a Spirit-led life at danitajenae.com and @CompanioninSorrow. To help you find your footing in sorrow, Danita invites you to grab your free copy of The Grief Guide at WhenMountainsCrumble.com.

Thomas J Terry

THOMAS J. TERRY is the founder and executive director of Humble Beast, a record label and ministry in Portland, Oregon. As a spoken word artist and a member of Beautiful Eulogy, he seeks to bring creativity and theology together to glorify the Lord who created them both. Thomas lives with his wife, Heather, and two boys, Tobin and Kuyper, and serves as the Executive Pastor at Trinity Church of Portland.

Adam Griffin

ADAM GRIFFIN (DEdMin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dallas, Texas. He is the coauthor of Family Discipleship with Matt Chandler. He previously served as an elder and spiritual formation pastor at the Village Church. Adam lives in Dallas with his wife Chelsea, and their three sons Oscar, Gus, and Theodore.

Clayton Greene

CLAYTON GREENE is CEO and cofounder of GoodKind. Together with friends, Clayton and his wife, Kristen, created Advent Blocks—a devotional practice to help them anticipate Jesus during the month of December. Clayton is also the Summit Collaborative Director, where he supports 70+ independent church plants. The Greenes live in Durham, NC, with their two daughters, Cara and Susan.

Jed Coppenger

JED COPPENGER is the lead pastor of First Baptist Church Cumming, GA. He earned his MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time. He and his wife, Melanie, have three kids. Connect with him at jedcoppenger.com.

Ruth Schleppi-Verboom

RUTH SCHLEPPI-VERBOOM first heard Joni speak as a teen in the Netherlands and became a lifelong fan. Years later, they met face to face—and heart to heart—after Ruth and her husband, filmmaker Helmut Schleppi, moved to California. There they raised their four children. Now splitting time between the U.S. and the Netherlands, Ruth—storyteller at heart—writes about life, food, travel, God, and everything in between at ruthfully.us.

Laurie Davies

A former journalist, women’s ministry director, and lay counselor, LAURIE DAVIES knows the burdens that weigh women down. As an author and speaker, she encourages women to trade their “emotional hoards” for freedom. Her exploration of “emotional hoarding” comes from first-hand observation of the toll that physical hoarding has taken on the lives of those she loves. Laurie lives in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband of 30 years, Greg. Their adult son, Morgan, lives nearby.

Laura Busse

LAURA BUSSE is a dynamic speaker, certified grief educator, spiritual coach, and podcaster who expertly overlaps biblical truths with practical strategies for healing and growth. She is the founder of The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call, a nonprofit ministry growing gratitude to God around the globe every day at 3:00 p.m. Laura also supports people in bereavement, specializing in traumatic loss, suicide postvention, spiritual formation, resilience training, and post-traumatic growth.

Zhava Glaser

MITCH GLASER (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary, M.Div., Talbot Theological Seminary) serves as president of Chosen People Ministries with his wife, Zhava, who is their director of publications. Together they work to share Jesus with Jewish people, not only in New York City, but around the world. They are co-author of The Fall Feasts of Israel. The Glasers reside in Brooklyn, New York with their two daughters.

Leslie Parrott III

DRS. LES AND LESLIE PARROTT are psychologists and #1 New York Times bestselling authors of numerous books, including Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. They have been featured on Oprah, The View, The Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America, and Fox News, and in USA Today and the New York Times. Les and Leslie live in Seattle. Learn more at LesAndLeslie.com.

Les Parrott

DRS. LES AND LESLIE PARROTT are psychologists and #1 New York Times bestselling authors of numerous books, including Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. They have been featured on Oprah, The View, The Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America, and Fox News, and in USA Today and the New York Times. Les and Leslie live in Seattle. Learn more at LesAndLeslie.com.

Richard Ellsworth Day

RICHARD ELLSWORTH DAY was born in the United States in 1884. In his early life he was an apprentice at the Terre Haute Gazette in Indiana serving as an associate reporter. His first book was a biography on the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon entitled The Shadow of the Broad Brim, which he published with Judson Press in 1934. The book was an immediate success which led to subsequent biographies on Charles Grandison Finney (1942), D.L. Moody (1944), and Henry Parsons Crowell (1946). Richard Day and his wife Deborah would begin each project with extensive research and study and then retreat to their little cottage in Sunnyvale, California to write. In his day he was a noted Christian biographer, and between projects, traveled around speaking in churches and schools until his death in 1965.

Arlene Pellicane

ARLENE PELLICANE is a speaker, host of the Happy Home podcast, and author of several books, including Parents Rising, Making Marriage Easier, and Screen Kids (coauthored with Dr. Gary Chapman). Arlene has been featured on popular media outlets including The Today Show, Fox & Friends, Focus on the Family, FamilyLife Today, The 700 Club, and the Wall Street Journal. She is the spokesperson for National Marriage Week and has been happily married to her husband, James, for more than 25 years. Arlene earned her BA from Biola University and her master’s in journalism from Regent University. Arlene inspires parents to raise children who are ready for life (not just playing video games). As an advocate of delaying smartphones and social media, her three children are living a revolutionary digital life and thriving. Arlene lives with her family in San Diego. To learn more, visit ArlenePellicane.com.

Tim Downs

TIM 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.

Laura Dingman

LAURA DINGMAN spends most of her time creating and leading worship experiences that help connect people with the story of God. She has served in vocational ministry as the Creative Arts Director at The Creek, a large church in Indianapolis, for over a decade. She loves to show people where their story intersects with God's story. She enjoys belting Broadway, laughing hysterically, reading great books, and living life with her favorite two people in the whole world, her husband, Matt, and her spunky daughter, Abigail. She is the author of Life Rhythms: Learning to Live in God-Centered Time and I Am Found: Quitting the Game of Hide and Seek with God, Ourselves, and Others. You can learn more about her journey and connect with her at www.lauradingman.com.

Karl Vaters