Walker Hayes

WALKER HAYES is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter originally from Mobile, Alabama, signed to Monument Records. Throughout his career, he has released multi-Platinum singles "Fancy Like" and "You Broke Up With Me," performed on national television with Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The TODAY Show, and has been written about in the LA Times, Esquire, Billboard and Rolling Stone. His single "Craig" -- a song about a neighbor who reached out to Hayes in a time of need -- was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2018 AIMP Nashville Awards and prompted Hayes to start the Be a Craig Fund to help other families during their own times of need. A new version of the track featuring MercyMe is on Hayes' forthcoming album Country Stuff the Album. The song inspired this book.

Eric Demeter

ERIC DEMETER (B.S., Purdue University; M.A., Bethel University) is a relationship and conflict resolution specialist with advanced studies in mediation, peacemaking and negotiation from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and Peacemaker Ministries. He is currently a missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) based in Athens, Greece where he disciples young people from the Middle East, and teaches conflict resolution and healthy relationships to YWAM staff and missionary students. His experiences growing up listening to heavy metal, working alongside ex-convicts, and being raised in the Roman Catholic tradition give him the ability to connect well with people of diverse belief systems. He considers every reader a friend and challenges everyone to become more like Christ in everything they do.

J. C. Brumfield

J.C. BRUMFIELD, D.D., served as a pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, California for many years and also ministered widely to children through radio. Pastor Brumfield is author of Comfort for Troubled Christians.

Thomas A'Kempis

THOMAS A’KEMPIS (1380-1471) was a Dutch priest, monk, and writer born in Kempen, Germany. He attended a school near Deventer in Holland. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. The most famous of his works, by far, is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature.

Margaret D. Pagan

MARGARET PAGAN received an A.B. in English from Morgan State University and studied writing at Johns Hopkins University. Her first published work appeared in Essence magazine, and she continued to publish many freelance articles, for the most part, dealing with African American history and genealogy. After accepting Jesus Christ as her Savior she studied at Baltimore School of the Bible, and she began to desire to write on things that glorify Christ. After writing an entry on the life of Katherine Ferguson, a pioneer in the Sunday School movement, for a biographical encyclopedia, Margaret went on to write her first work of historical fiction, More Than a Slave: The Life of Katherine Ferguson. Margaret is the wife of Carl E. Pagan, pastor of Urban Bible Fellowship Church and resides in Baltimore, Maryland.

Gary Cohen

GARY G. COHEN represented Moody Bible Institute from coast to coast as a regular speaker for twenty years, 1974-1995, in annual regional Moody Prophecy Conferences and is author of Hosea and Amos Everyman's Bible Commentary.

Henry Drummond

HENRY DRUMMOND was born in Stirling, Scotland on August 17, 1851. As a young man he attended Edinburgh University where he particularly enjoyed the natural sciences. However, driven by a desire to preach the Gospel, he entered the Free Church of Scotland, where, before taking his own pastorate, he worked with D.L. Moody on his evangelistic efforts. In 1877 he became a teacher of natural science at the Free Church College. He spent six years lecturing and writing until, in 1883, he received an opportunity to conduct a geological survey in southern Africa. Upon his return a year later, he found himself to be rather famous in his homeland. Later on he would write of his work in Africa and participate in a similar work in Australia. He continued to write and lecture in England and the United States until his death on March 11, 1897.

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Michael Gerson

MICHAEL GERSON (1964–2022), former policy advisor and chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, wrote a nationally syndicated column that appeared in the Washington Post. He was the author of Heroic Conservatism.

Kate McCord

KATE MCCORD worked in Afghanistan for nine years after the fall of the Taliban. During her years in country, she worked as a humanitarian aid worker, delivering projects to benefit the people of Afghanistan. She also learned the local language and developed deep and lasting friendships with local Afghans. After evacuating from her home in Afghanistan, Ms. McCord transitioned into a mentoring, training, consulting and coaching role to other workers serving in the region. Prior to moving to Afghanistan, Ms. McCord worked in the international corporate community as a business process and strategy consultant.Currently, she serves Christ through writing, speaking, mentoring, and conducting workshops and seminars. She is the author of In the Land of Blue Burqas and Farewell Four Waters, both published by Moody Publishers.

Ben Connelly

BEN CONNELLY is a pastor, author, equipper, and occasional professor. He is honored to serve everyday disciples, ministry leaders, and church planters across the world through The Equipping Group, and to help lead Salt+Light Community and Plant Fort Worth, TX. Ben has written or contributed to several books, workbooks, articles, and publications, has overseen church planting efforts for multiple organizations, and has also taught university and seminary classes. He and Jess have three children and at times host short-term foster kids too. Learn more at www.benconnelly.com, or @connellyben on various social media platforms.

Tim Shoemaker

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.

Richard Brown

RICH BROWN Rich and his wife Janet have served together in churches in the Midwest and the Seattle area. He and Janet have three adult children; Rich III, Jenna, and Ryan. In 2003, Rich transitioned from serving as Pastor of Student Ministries to become Associate Professor within the Department of Church Ministries at his alma-mater, Liberty University. It is in this context of mentoring, equipping, and teaching the next generation of youth ministry leaders where he ministers to the college students God has placed in his life. Along with his residential teaching load, he also teaches online to adult learners. He has developed a number of youth ministry courses, including published work texts.

Kim Erickson

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.

Jon Gauger

JON GAUGER hosts several nationally syndicated programs for Moody Radio and is an award-winning narrator of more than 45 audio books. As a journalist and speaker, he has traveled to 35 countries. From Billy Graham to Chuck Norris, Jon is never more at home than when hosting an interview. An ordained minister, Jon is an avid photographer and videographer. He is married to Diana, and they have two children and several grandchildren. He enjoys camping (trailers, not tents), reading, travel, and great Mexican food. His weekly blog, The Thursday Thought, is available at jongauger.com.

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.