Kathy Koch, PhD

DR. KATHY KOCH (pronounced “cook”) is the founder of Celebrate Kids, Inc., where she uses her expertise in educational psychology to help parents inspire children in their unique strengths and to thrive in their identity. She is a prolific author and sought after speaker, known for addressing contemporary challenges in parenting and education with practical, faith-integrated strategies through books and nationwide speaking engagements. Her work emphasizes the integration of Christian principles, aiming to foster character growth, identity formation, and spiritual development in children. You can learn more and access her podcasts, books, and more at www.CelebrateKids.com.

John R Kohlenberger III

JOHN R. KOHLENBERGER III (Th.B., Multnomah Bible College; M.A., Western Seminary) is the author or co-editor of more than five dozen biblical reference books and study Bibles, including the awarding-winning NIV Exhaustive Concordance and The NIV Bible Commentary. John currently divides his time between writing and Bible design and typesetting.

Howard Hendricks

DR. HOWARD G. HENDRICKS remains a legendary figure in the memory of countless Christians worldwide. In sixty years at Dallas Theological Seminary, "Prof" Hendricks is estimated to have taught more than 30,000 students, and through them now impacts tens of millions throughout the world. He ministered in more than eighty countries through speaking engagements, radio, books, and recordings (including the DVD series, Living By The Book). For a period of time he was also a Bible teacher and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys football team. Dr. Hendricks and his wife Jeanne were married for sixty-five years, and he was the father of four children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Kendra Smiley

KENDRA SMILEY, named Illinois Mother of the Year in 2001, hosts a daily radio program, Live Life Intentionally, and speaks nationally and internationally. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois then went on to earn her Master of Science from University of North Dakota.She has written more than half a dozen books including High Wire Mom and Empowering Choices. She and her husband are co-authors of Do Your Kids a Favor...Love Your Spouse and Journey of a Strong-Willed Child. Kendra has also written numerous magazine articles, contributed to several books, and currently writes a monthly column for Hearts at Home magazine.Kendra and her husband, John, live in East Lynn, Illinois.

E. M. Bounds

EDWARD MCKENDREE BOUNDS (1835-1913) was born in Missouri. He studied deeply in the Scriptures and was greatly inspired by the writings of John Wesley. At the age of 24, he felt called to be a preacher and became a Methodist Pastor around the time of the American Civil War. At the age of 58, and for the next nineteen years (until he went home to be with the Lord at age 77), he began to write books. It is said that he prayed daily, from 4 A.M. to 7 A.M., before he would begin work on his writings. Bounds is author of many books, including Purpose in Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer, and The Reality of Prayer.

Robert E. Picirilli

ROBERT E. PICIRILLI is the former Academic Dean of the Graduate School at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville. He began teaching in 1955. He is a member of the Research Commission of the American Association of Bible Colleges and served twice as chairman of the southeastern section of the Evangelical Theological Society. Dr. Picirilli is the author of a number of books including Paul The Apostle, The Book of Romans, and Time and Order in the Circumstantial Participles of Mark and Luke. Dr. Picirilli and his wife, Clara, have five daughters, all married.

Timothy George

TIMOTHY GEORGE is the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School and a professor of Divinity. He is the author of numerous books including Baptists: A Brief History, God the Holy Trinity: Reflections on Christian Faith and Practice, and Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?. He is co-author of For All the Saints and The Mark of Jesus. He is currently serving as executive editor for Christianity Today and on the editorial advisory boards of The Harvard Theological Review, Christian History and Books & Culture. Tim resides in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jonathan Leeman

JONATHAN LEEMAN is the editorial director of 9Marks, which involves him in editing the 9Marks series of books as well as the 9Marks Journal. He has written a number of books on the church, including Reverberation, and he teaches theology at several seminaries. Jonathan lives with his wife and four daughters in a suburb of Washington, DC and serves as an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.9Marks.org.

Kurt Bruner

KURT BRUNER hosts DriveFaithHome.com to help churches reach and disciple busy families. He has worked with hundreds of churches as they customize a ministry model pioneered while he served as pastor of spiritual formation at the 20,000 member Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. The bestselling author of more than twenty books, Kurt spent twenty years with Focus on the Family where he served as Vice President over films, books, magazines, radio drama, broadcasting, and other media groups including the popular Adventures in Odyssey team.

Gerald B. Smith

Helen L. Taylor

HELEN LOUISA TAYLOR (1850–1929) was the daughter of a silk manufacturer in Derby, England. She excelled in her studies as the only girl in an all-boys school. Later she wrote for magazines and published several books, including Little Christian's Pilgrimage: The Story of the Pilgrim's Progress Simply Told (1889) and Christiana, The Story of the Pilgrim's Progress Second Part (1902). Many years ago Moody Publishers purchased the rights to both books, updated them, and created the bestselling Little Pilgrim’s Progress series.

Edgar James

DR. EDGAR JAMES (Texas Institute of Technology; Wheaton College; Dallas Theological Seminary), a popular Bible teacher, is a former professor of Bible and Theology at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. He is the author of over 30 books and more than a thousand articles. Among his published books are God, Man and Disaster, Armageddon, The Open Bible Owners Guide, Arabs, Oil and Armageddon and Armageddon and the New World Order. He is a contributor to the Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia and the Family Bible Encyclopedia. He has had regular columns in Moody Magazine and Power for Living and has also written for the Chicago Tribune. Dr. James resides in Sunnyvale, California.

David M. Howard Jr.

DAVID M. HOWARD Jr. (B.S., Geneva College; M.A., Wheaton College; A.M., Ph.D., The University of Michigan), is professor of Old Testament at Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of four books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books, What Makes a Missionary, and The Structure of Psalms 93-100, as well as several dozen articles in scholarly journals and Bible encyclopedias. He resides in Shoreview, Minnesota.

G Christian Weiss

Janet Morris

John Jelinek

DR. JOHN JELINEK (Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is the former Dean of Education and Vice President and Academic Dean at Moody Theological Seminary. Prior to serving at Moody Seminary, Dr. Jelinek was professor of Theology and Academic Dean at the Michigan Theological Seminary for ten years and an associate professor at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA and at Alaska Bible College. He has published numerous articles and reviews in periodicals and books. His commentary on the biblical books of Amos and Leviticus is featured in The Moody Bible Commentary, published by Moody Publishers. Dr. Jelinek and his wife of 37 years, Linda, live in Willow Springs, IL and have three adult children, Rebekah, Micah John, and Anna.