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STEVE and VALERIE BELL have been married and in ministry together for over 30 years. Steve is currently an executive vice-president of the Willow Creek Association. Valerie travels widely as a conference speaker, making frequent guest appearances on radio and television. Valerie is the author of seven books, and co-author with her husband of three books: Made to be Loved and Faith-Shaped Kids, and Real Survivors. Steve and Valerie live in Wheaton, Illinois; they have two grown sons.
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FELICIA MIDDLEBROOKS (B.A., Purdue University) is one of the top media personalities in Chicago, anchoring the award-winning Morning Drive program on CBS Radio/WBBM Newsradio 780. She is the first woman and first African American to co-anchor Morning Drive. She is co-author of Called: "Hello, My Name is Mrs. Jefferson, I Understand Your Plane is Being Hijacked?" She also contributed to Our Voices. Felicia lives in Chicago, Illinois.
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FRANCENA H. ARNOLD was a schoolteacher, talented storyteller, mother of four children, and author of ten novels. Her first, Not My Will, was originally written "just for the eyes of the family" and has since sold more than 500,000 copies. Her other novels include Then Am I Strong, Three Shall Be One, Brother Beloved, Straight Down Crook Lane, The Road Winds On, Fruit for Tomorrow, and Light in My Window. Raised in rural Illinois, Francena lived with her husband, Frank, in the Chicago area.
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STEVE and VALERIE BELL have been married and in ministry together for over 30 years. Steve is currently an executive vice-president of the Willow Creek Association. Valerie travels widely as a conference speaker, making frequent guest appearances on radio and television. Valerie is the author of seven books, and co-author with her husband of three books: Made to be Loved and Faith-Shaped Kids, and Real Survivors. Steve and Valerie live in Wheaton, Illinois; they have two grown sons.
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ESTHER AHN KIM was a Korean Christian who spent six years (1939-1945) in Japanese prisons during WWII as a result of her faith. As she prepared to be martyred, Miss Ahn’s courageous activities in prison brought the light of the Gospel to many, and resulted in a reduction of the brutal torture Christians were subjected to. After her release she was married to Don Kim, and the couple toured Europe and the United States speaking of God’s sustaining power during those harrowing years. She is author of If I Perish. Her story was published in Korea and Japan, where it became a national sensation, reaching number three on the all-time religious bestseller list.
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The late PAUL HUTCHENS, one of evangelical Christianity's most prolific authors, went to be with the Lord on January 23, 1977. Mr. Hutchens, an ordained Baptist minister, served as an evangelist and itinerant preacher for many years. Best known for his Sugar Creek Gang series, Hutchens was a 1927 graduate of Moody Bible Institute. He was the author of 19 adult novels, 36 books in the Sugar Creek Gang series, and several booklets for servicemen during World War II. Mr. Hutchens and his wife, Jane, were married 52 years. They had two children and four grandchildren.
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MARGARET McSWEENEY lives with her husband, David, and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. After earning a master’s degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, Margaret moved to New York City to work at a large bank where she met David. Margaret is the editor of Pearl Girls, author of A Mother’s Heart Knows and co-author of Go Back and Be Happy. Charity and community involvement are very important to Margaret. She has served on the board of directors for WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger) for over six years.
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SUZY WEIBEL is a graduate of Wheaton College and Northern Kentucky University. She spent six years as a middle school English teacher, two teaching high school English and logic, and five as a Director of Christian Education, yet she has found the past six years as a speaker and worship leader with Pure Freedom, a national sexual purity ministry for teens, to be her most fulfilling work. Suzy is author of Secret Diary Unlocked: My Struggle to Like Me and co-author of T is for Antonia and Crossroads: The Teenage Girl's Guide to Emotional Wounds. She lives with her husband, Jonathan, and their two daughters.
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WESLEY K. WILLMER is the former vice president of university advancement and professor at Biola University. He currently serves as senior vice president with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). He has been author, co-author, or editor of twenty-one books, including A Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards to Be Rich Toward God, God and Your Stuff: The Vital Link Between Your Possessions and Your Soul, and The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God's Kingdom. He has also contributed to many professional publications.
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DON WHITNEY (Arkansas State University; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality and is Associate Professor and Dean of Biblical Spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Don is the author of Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian, and Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Don and his wife, Caffy, have one daughter and live near Louisville, Kentucky.
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TIM SHOEMAKER is the dad of three grown sons and author of more than 20 books. Known for his insights and passion, he’s a trusted speaker at conferences, churches, and schools around the country. Tim is driven by a desire to help young men grow in character, integrity, and to be true to God—following His plan for manhood. Tim has been a volunteer youth worker more than 25 years, and happily married for more than 40.
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BILLY KIM History and miracles combined to make Billy Kim the person he is today. Aptly described as the Billy Graham of Asia –Kim has had an influence on many world leaders. Kim, former president of the Baptist World Alliance, is the senior pastor of the Suwon Central Baptist Church, which he built from 12 members to over 15,000. He is also the chairman of the Far East Broadcasting Company, and during his tenure at FEBC-Korea, 12 radio stations came into being speaking the gospel into China and North and South Korea.
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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.
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JOHN GOODRICH (BA, Moody Bible Institute; MDiv, ThM, Talbot School of Theology; Ph.D., University of Durham) is the dean and professor at Compass Bible Institute in Southern California. John's teaching and writing focus on the literature, context, and theology of the New Testament, with a particular interest in the interpretation of the Pauline epistles. He also is deeply committed to the church and to training people to be active in ministry. He has been married to Christin since 2005 and together they enjoy following UCLA football and spending time with their son, Justin.
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SAMY TANAGHO has shared the Gospel with Muslims for over thirty years. He speaks on God's love towards sinners and how we can communicate the Gospel effectively to the people we meet, including Muslims. Samy's passion is to encourage every member of the body of Christ to be active in fulfilling the Great Commission. His wife, Hala, often joins him to share her story of imprisonment in Egypt for converting from Islam to Christianity. He ministers as an evangelist to Muslims through the Salvation Army with a radio program on more than ninety stations.
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CHASE REPLOGLE is the pastor of Bent Oak Church in Springfield, Missouri. He holds a degree in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in New Testament from The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is currently a D.Min. student in The Sacred Art of Writing at Western Theological Seminary. His work draws from history, psychology, literature, and a rich narrative approach to Scripture to help readers think more deeply about faith and life. He has written for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Ekstatis, Bible Engagement Project, and Influence Magazine. A native of the Ozark woods, he enjoys being outdoors with his wife and two kids, sailing, playing the mandolin (badly), and quail hunting with his bird dog Millie.
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