W. Phillip Keller

W. PHILLIP KELLER (1920-1997) was born in East Africa and always loved the wildlife and the outdoors. Having spent many years in agriculture research, land management and ranch development in British Columbia, he later pursued careers in conservation, wildlife photography, and journalism. His experiences as a shepherd equipped him with the insights that are the basis for A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. His other titles include A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer, Splendor from the Sea, Lessons from a Sheepdog, and A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit.

Candy McVicar

CANDY MCVICAR is an author, educator, speaker, and devoted advocate for parents who experience the loss of a baby or child. After the stillbirth of her daughter Grace in 2001, she committed to enhance the care bereaved families receive while in the hospital, to facilitate healing holistically, and to optimize outcomes for subsequent pregnancies. Candy is the founder of the Missing GRACE Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides support, resources, and education for families and professional care providers when there is loss of a baby, infertility, or adoption challenges. Find out more about Candy at www.candymcvicar.com.

F. B. Meyer

F. B. MEYER (1847-1929) was an internationally known British minister of the Gospel, a public servant, and an evangelist for more than sixty years. A good friend of D. L. Moody, he began preaching at Christ Church in London, when there were only 100 regular attendees. Within two years he was preaching regularly to over 2,000 people. Charles Spurgeon once spoke of him, saying "Meyer preaches as a man who has seen God face to face." Meyer was also active in the temperance movement, worked to close more than 500 houses of prostitution, and formed a prison aid society. Meyer authored more than 40 books, including biographies, devotional commentaries, sermon volumes and expository works. He also authored several pamphlets and edited a number of magazines.

Lee Jenkins

LEE JENKINS (B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is regarded as one the nation’s top Registered Investment Advisors. He is President and CEO of Lee Jenkins Financial, LLC. An ordained minister, Lee is founder of Economic Evangelism, Inc. He is the author of several books, including What to do When Your Money is Funny and Taking Care of Business. Lee and his wife, Martica, live in Atlanta, Georgia with their three children.

Lori Neff

LORI NEFF is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and today she works as the Senior Producer of Midday Connection, a radio talk show for women. Lori has been general editor and writer for Come to Our Table: A Midday Connection Cookbook, and two devotional titles Daily Seeds from Women who Walk in Faith, and Tending the Soul. She lives with her husband, John, in the Chicago metro area.

C. Donald Cole

C. DONALD COLE served as a host and commentator on Moody Radio’s Open Line for 26 years before retiring in 2008. He previously served on the faculty at Emmaus Bible College and as a missionary in Angola with his wife, Naomi. Pastor Cole is the author of a number of books, including How to Know You’re Saved and All You Need to Believe: The Apostle’s Creed. Pastor and Mrs. Cole live in Carol Stream, Illinois.

David C. Thompson M.D.

DAVID THOMPSON was born in the U.S. but grew up in Cambodia where his parents worked for 16 years. When he was 14 he and his father tried unsuccessfully to save a Cambodian man who was seriously injured when a truck and a bus collided. God used the incident to plant in David's young heart a desire to become a doctor and help people who had limited access to healthcare. David graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1973 with a M.D. degree and eventually completed five years of residency in general surgery in southern California. In 1977 he and his wife Rebecca moved to Gabon, Africa and for the next 34 years built a 150-bed full-service hospital to provide medical services to Gabon's least served provinces. In 1966, Dr. Thompson helped establish the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), an organization that trains African surgeons at Christian hospitals throughout the continent. Since 2014, Dr. Thompson has been working as a volunteer to train Egyptian surgeons at Harpur Memorial Hospital.

Habits for Spiritual Growth

10.26.2022

Darryl Dash

DARRYL DASH is pastor of Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto and cofounder of Gospel for Life. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and has over 30 years of ministry experience. Darryl is married to Charlene, and has two adult children, Christy and Josiah. You can find Darryl online at www.DashHouse.com.

Jeff Goins

JEFF GOINS was born and raised outside of Chicago. After graduating from Illinois College, he spent a year on the road with a band and was once recognized on the streets of Taipei. An author, speaker, and writing coach, Jeff's work has been featured on some of the largest blogs in the world. He lives in Franklin, TN with his family. You can find him online at goinswriter.com.

Martin Sanders

DR. MARTIN SANDERS is a professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. He also serves as president of Global Leadership, Inc. through which he develops leaders, national pastors and missionaries in more than 30 countries. Dr. Sanders is married and has four adult children. He is the author of How to Get the Family You've Always Wanted.

Christmas Carol Kauffman

CHRISTMAS 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.

Karl Vaters

Natalie Ford, PhD

DR. NATALIE FORD is a licensed professional counselor, author, and speaker passionate about helping others navigate grief, mental illness, and suffering. After experiencing suicide loss, she committed her life to prevention and postvention efforts, working to break the stigma associated with mental illness. She holds a PhD in Professional Counseling and teaches at Liberty University. Dr Ford also counsels in North Georgia and serves in ministry at her local church. Her story is one of faith, healing, and resilience—shared to bring hope to others. She has written multiple books, including Grace-Based Counseling and Seeking Answers, Finding Peace: Loving and Losing Someone to Mental Illness. You can learn more at www.drfordwrites.com.

Sarah Hauser

SARAH J. HAUSER is a writer and speaker living in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and four kids. She shares biblical truth to nourish the soul—and the occasional recipe to nourish the body. She loves cooking but rarely follows a recipe exactly, and you can almost always find her with a cup of coffee in hand. Sarah completed her BA and MA at Wheaton College. She's a member of the Redbud Writers Guild and has written for Coffee + Crumbs, Risen Motherhood, The Rabbit Room, The Gospel Coalition, (in)courage, and more. Find her at sarahjhauser.com, on Instagram (@sarah.j.hauser), or check out her monthly newsletter at sarahjhauser.com/subscribe.com.