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Susie Hawkins lives in Dallas and has been actively involved in women’s ministry as a pastor’s wife, teacher and volunteer. She has also served as the Director of Women’s Ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. She has taught a weekly Bible study for business women in downtown Dallas and speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. She is also a contributor to various publications, such as Voices Behind the Veil and the soon to be released “Women’s Evangelical Library Commentary.” Susie has an MA in Christian Leadership from Criswell College as well as an MA in Theology. She is married to O. S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (formerly the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention) and is the mother of two married daughters, Wendy and Holly, as well as a grandmother of five. Her favorite things to do are bargain hunting, lunching with friends and playing with her grandchildren!08/08
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THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization dedicated to serving the persecuted church worldwide through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the body of Christ into fellowship with them. Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned for fourteen years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ; his wife, Sabrina, was imprisoned for three years. In 1965 they were ransomed out of Romania, and soon thereafter they established the global network of missions of which Voice of the Martyrs is a part. They based these missions on Hebrews 13:3, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (NIV)
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HAZEN STEVENS is one of the original leaders and vice chairman of OneRace Movement, an organization focused on gospel-centered racial reconciliation and biblical justice. Since the movement's inception in 2016, OneRace has been addressing the racial divide in the church and society through four key pillars: mobilizing catalytic prayer, building authentic relationships, equipping disciples, and partnering for justice. He has a passion for prayer and missions and for thirteen years has served on staff with a 24/7 house of prayer and as domestic director of a pioneer missions organization. He currently serves as the Executive Pastor of GateCity Church. He is married to his best friend Hannah and they reside with their four delightful children (Amarin 8, Chesed 5, Pearl 4, and Elisha 3) in metro-Atlanta.
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REV. RAY WOOLRIDGE (M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Master of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College) is the Executive Director of Life Model Works. He is thrilled to serve in a role that combines his pastoral and leadership experience with his calling, giftings, and walk with God. Ray is a skilled public communicator and a leadership coach who enjoys helping leaders discover their uniqueness and unleash their potential. He is a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General with forty-three years of military and civilian service with the Department of Defense.Ray has been blessed by thirty-five years of marriage to the love of his life, Deborah. They enjoy life in Colorado and their five children and four grandchildren. A disabled veteran, he is a malignant melanoma cancer survivor, avid skier, coffee aficionado, and mentor to young leaders.
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JEFF SIMMONS is the founding and senior pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, which he and his wife, Lisa, planted twenty years ago. The church has grown from 15 people meeting for a Bible study in an apartment clubhouse on Thursday nights to several thousand people and five campuses in Franklin, Nashville, Nolensville, Columbia, and Haywood Hills. Jeff is a follower of Jesus, husband, and father of three wonderful children. He serves alongside an amazing staff team at Rolling Hills and is the President of Justice and Mercy International doing mission work in the countries of Moldova and the Amazon jungle. Jeff is an author and speaker while overseeing the ministry work with over 80 full-time church staff, 55 international staff, 70 learning center teachers, and multi-million-dollar budgets. Jeff is passionate about God's work and longs to make a difference for the glory of God in His day and generation.
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RALPH EARLE (1908-1995; B.A., Eastern Nazarene College; M.A., Boston University; B.D., Gordon Divinity School; D.D., Eastern Nazarene College) was Distinguished Professor of New Testament Emeritus at the Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri, where he first began teaching in 1945. While holding pastorates in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and Everett, Massachusetts, from 1933 to 1945, he was a professor of biblical literature at Eastern Nazarene College, Wollaston, Massachusetts. He later served on the fifteen-man Committee on Bible Translation, the governing body for the New International Version of the Bible. Ralph is the author of several books including Mark (from the Everyman’s Bible Commentary series), Word Meanings in the New Testament, How We Got Our Bible, Exploring the New Testament, and Story of the New Testament. He is now at home with his Lord.
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SUSAN HUNT is the wife of retired PCA pastor Gene Hunt, mother of 3, and grandmother of 12. Susan is the former Coordinator of Women’s Ministry for the Presbyterian Church in America and is author of several books for women and children. She teaches a weekly Bible study for women in her church and has spoken for women’s conferences throughout the country and in several other countries.
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RHETT SMITH is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in private practice at Auxano Counseling in Plano, TX. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (MDiv, MSMFT) and former college pastor at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Rhett has a passion for helping people navigate significant areas of transition in their lives such as parenting, marriage, and the adolescent to young adult journey. He also serves on staff at The Hideaway Experience in Amarillo, TX where he helps couples work towards having great marriages. Rhett lives in Frisco, TX with his wife Heather and their two children. You can find out more about Rhett at his blog www.rhettsmith.com or his counseling practice www.rhettsmithcounseling.com
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GARY CHAPMAN, PhD–author, speaker, counselor–has a passion for people and for helping them form lasting relationships. He is the #1 bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages® series and director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio programs air on more than 400 stations. For more information, visit his website at www.5lovelanguages.com.
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RAMON PRESSON, PhD, a licensed marriage & family therapist, has been in practice for 30 years and is the founder of LifeChange Counseling and Marriage Center of Franklin. He is a newspaper columnist; and with a dozen books in print he is the most published practicing therapist in Tennessee. He is a charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. From 1989 to 2004 Presson served as an assistant pastor in large churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. Ramon has had the unique privilege to serve on staff with and later co-author several books with Dr. Gary Chapman. He is currently co-authoring the teen edition of When Will My Life Not Suck? Authentic Hope for the Disillusioned with his 17-year-old son, Cameron. Ramon and his wife, Dorne, have been married for 28 years, have two sons, and live outside Nashville. He can be reached at ramonpresson@gmail.com.
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DR. PAUL BENWARE (B.A., Los Angeles Baptist College, Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is currently teaching in the Bible department at Southwestern College in Pheonix, Arizona. A former faculty member of the Los Angeles Baptist College (now the Master’s College) and Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Benware has continued to be involved in several local churches, often holding pastoral or staff positions. Dr. Benware is the author of seven books including Understanding End Times Prophecy, The Believer’s Payday, surveys of both the Old and New Testaments, and a newly published commentary on the Book of Daniel, as well as numerous articles published in journals and magazines. Dr. Benware lives with his wife, Anne, in Litchfield Park, Arizona. They have four children and six grandchildren.
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DAVE CARDER serves as Pastor of Counseling Ministries at First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, CA. His specialty is Adultery Recovery and Prevention for which he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Health, and The Learning Channel, has done training for the US Army and Navy, plus multiple tapings for The Tony Robbins Passion Project, Marriage Uncensored, 100 Huntley Street, Salvation Army Leadership Training, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. His interviews and articles have appeared in Ladies Home Journal, USA Today, The Counseling Connection, and various other magazines and journals. He is the author or co-author of Torn Asunder: Recovering from an Extramarital Affair, Close Calls: What Adulterers Want You to Know About Protecting Your Marriage, and Unlocking Your Family Patterns: Finding Freedom from a Hurtful Past. He holds the Michigan Limited License for Psychology and the California Marital and Family Therapy license, and has graduate degrees in Biblical Literature and Counseling Psychology. Dave and his wife, Ronnie, have been married 49 years, have four adult children, and eight grandchildren.
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JOHN WALSH is the founder of BibleTelling and the Christian Storytelling Conference. His network of BibleTelling trainers conduct seminars in the US as well as 21 other countries. The most exciting seminar is the annual BibleTelling Seminar in Israel. Those who attend tell 120 stories of the Bible at the 45 locations where they happened. The Art of Storytelling was first published in 2003, and then republished in 2014. His book, All the Stories of the Bible is used worldwide by missionaries, pastors, and other Christian workers. John shares his Bible stories on a 2-minute daily radio spot called All the Stories of the Bible in a Year and a 4-minute weekly radio spot called Telling the Stories of the Bible.
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Soong-Chan Rah is Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He is the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009). Prior to coming to North Park, Soong-Chan was the founding and senior pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church, a multi-ethnic, urban church in Cambridge, MA. Soong-Chan has a B.A. from Columbia University, a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Harvard University, and a D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell. Soong-Chan serves on the boards of Sojourners, the Christian Community Development Association, World Vision, and the Catalyst Leadership Center. He lives in Chicago with his wife Sue, a special educator and his two children, Annah and Elijah.
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CHARLES LEACH was born in England on March 1, 1847 and started from humble beginnings, having to begin work at the age of eight. He worked hard and eventually went to Ranmoor Theological College. In 1873 he took up a pastorate in Sheffield, and for the next thirty years, preached, ministered, and lectured all around England. He also took several trips to the Middle East and the United States. While he was successful in his professional life, he was not as fortunate in his personal life as only two of his six children were alive at his death. In 1908 he joined the Liberal Party to run for Parliament. Although initially thought to be a weak candidate, he won his seat in 1910. While in Parliament he introduced several bills and was fairly influential. Because of this and his ministry background he was named Chaplain to the Armed Forces at outset of World War I. After this, he began to step back from public life because of physical and mental deterioration. He died in England on November 24, 1919 at the age of seventy-two.
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BRYAN LORITTS is the Lead Pastor of the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship of Silicon Valley, California. He is the privileged husband of Korie, and the graced father of three sons -- Quentin, Myles, and Jaden. He is also an award winning author of six books including Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves us from Try-harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love which was given the Christianity Today Award of Merit, and his newest release Insider Outsider. Bryan co-founded Fellowship Memphis in 2003, and later founded the Kainos Movement -- an organization committed to seeing the multi-ethnic church become the new normal in our world. He travels extensively throughout the world preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ at conferences and events, as well as serving on the board of trustees for Biola University and PineCove Christian Camps. His messages can be heard daily on the Salem Radio Network's KFAX station. You can follow him on Twitter @bcloritts.
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