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JOSH MCDOWELL As a young man, Josh McDowell considered himself an agnostic. He truly believed that Christianity was worthless. However, when challenged to intellectually examine the claims of Christianity, Josh discovered compelling, overwhelming evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. In 1961 Josh joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ International. Not long after, he started the Josh McDowell Ministry to reach young people worldwide with the truth and love of Jesus.
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ANTHONY G. BOLLBACK Anthony Bollback was born into a Christian home that always entertained missionaries. He received Christ at age 16 after a near-drowning incident at a summer youth conference. Beginning his missionary career in China, he and his wife Evelyn, were forced to evacuate when the Communists took over, and three years later began serving in Japan for five years. The remainder of his 24 years in Asia was spent in Hong Kong where he planted and directed 10 chapels and schools with 10,000 students. He served as Field Chairman of the China-Hong Kong Field of The Christian and Missionary Alliance for four years. Unexpectedly, God changed his direction and sent him to Honolulu for a most effective ministry as pastor of Kapahulu Bible Church. He retired from active ministry after serving as District Superintendent of the Mid-America District C&MA for 9 very productive years. Following retirement in Florida, he began an active writing career and the publishing of a very popular series of 6 books based on his experiences in China for children entitled Jack and Jenny Mystery Series. His most popular adult books based on the persecution of the church in China are the two-book series entitled The Persecuted Church in China: Red Runs the River, Vol. 1 and Exiles of Hope, Vol. 2.He continues a very active ministry of writing and speaking that includes a monthly e-letter called China Clippings. In addition he serves on the Church Board and is an Elder in the church.
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AUSTIN HILL is an emerging American voice on talk radio and in national publications such as U.S. News & World Report and Townhall.Com. Focused on addressing culture-defining questions, Hill has an M.A. in the philosophy of religion and ethics from Biola University.
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ISSAM SMEIR is a clinician, author, and advocate committed to serving refugees and trauma-affected communities worldwide. He holds a doctorate in Clinical Supervision and Educational Counseling from Northern Illinois University, a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College, and completed post-doctoral training at Harvard University in Global Mental Health. Issam bridges research, clinical practice, and humanitarian work, applying his expertise to create meaningful, trauma-informed interventions.He is the author of the Amal series, a collection of therapeutic children’s books, and the Amal for Children animation series, both used globally to help children navigate and heal from trauma. An expert in the Narrative Exposure Therapy approach, Issam blends storytelling with evidence-based guidance to support caregivers and professionals in their work with vulnerable populations.Through his work, Issam centers the voices and experiences of those he serves, believing that every story carries the power to restore dignity and hope. He and his wife, Stephanie, are raising four boys who remind them every day of the importance of faith, resilience, hope, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
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JIM NICODEM has been the senior pastor of Christ Community Church since its start in 1984. Beginning with a group of six families, the church has grown to over five thousand weekend attendees at four campuses. A significant focus on reaching spiritual explorers has resulted in scores of new believers being baptized each year.Born and raised in the Midwest, Jim received his BA in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, and his MDiv and DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In keeping with Christ Community Church’s mission to "make passionate disciples of Jesus Christ", Jim loves to mentor others in prayer and the study of God’s Word. With that goal in mind, he has authored Prayer Coach: For All Who Want to Get Off the Bench and Onto the Praying Field (2008) and the four-book Bible Savvy series (2013).Jim and his wife, Sue, have been married for more than thirty years. They have three adult children, and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren. Jim enjoys biking, hiking and kayaking for recreation. He loves to hang out in Chicago, where he can watch the Cubs play (no better park than Wrigley) or listen to the world-class Symphony Orchestra.
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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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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.
Read More/F-cover/without%20spine/9780802422798.jpg "A Field Guide for Genuine Community")
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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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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ROBERTSON McQUILKIN served as the third president of Columbia International University from 1968 to 1990 and currently serves as the president emeritus. He resigned from the presidency to care for his wife, Muriel, who had reached the stage of Alzheimer’s disease in which she needed full-time care. Prior to coming president of CIU, McQuilkin served as headmaster of Ben Lippen School, then for 12 years as a missionary in Japan. McQuilkin’s writings have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals. Among the books he has published are Understanding and Applying the Bible, Five Smooth Stones, Life in the Spirit, A Promise Kept, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, and The Great Omission. In 2003 McQuilkin married Deborah Jones Sink. Between them, Robertson and Deborah have nine children.
Read More/M-cover/without%20spine/9781575675565.jpg "The Missional Mom")
LEROY WAGNER has served as a pastor and speaker for more than thirty years. His greatest desire is to see God's glory fill the earth and he believes that begins with training individuals to live out the gospel in their homes and through their daily life experiences. The supreme love of his life is Jesus Christ, then his wife, Kimberly, their children, and grandchildren.
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DEAN INSERRA is a graduate of Liberty University and holds a M.A. in Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the founding pastor of City Church. Dean is passionate about reaching the city of Tallahassee with the Gospel, to see a worldwide impact made for Jesus. He is married to Krissie and they have two sons, Tommy and Ty, and one daughter, Sally Ashlyn.
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CLARENCE SHULER is the President/CEO of BLR: Building Lasting Relationships. Clarence is a counselor, diversity consultant, speaker, and author of ten books. He and his wife, Brenda, reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and have three adult daughters. For more information, visit www.clarenceshuler.com.
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RON BLOCK has been banjoist guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Alison Krauss & Union Station since 1991. He wrote many of the band's gospel songs: "There is a Reason," "In the Palm of Your Hand," "Jesus, Help Me to Stand," and his playing has been featured on albums by Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Fernando Ortega, and others. He's received 14 Grammy Awards for his work with Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and the O Brother, Where Are Thou soundtrack, and received a Dove Award for his song "A Living Prayer." He has also written on spiritual and musical topics for the Rabbit Room website since its inception in 2007, rabbitroom.com.He married Sandra in 1988 and they live in rural Tennessee. They have two grown children, Ethan and Erica.
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