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GIL MERTZ is Assistant to the President at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. He has been involved with full-time Christian service for nearly forty years and draws from a vast background of ministry with international missions, humanitarian causes, public policy, and consulting. He is a former pastor and radio talk show host. His daily commentaries on forgiveness have been broadcast on more than 300 stations across America. Gil and his wife Patricia reside in southern California and have three children and three grandchildren.
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CHELSEA PATTERSON SOBOLIK is the author of Longing for Motherhood: Holding On to Hope in the Midst of Childlessness, and works in Washington, DC, as the Director of Government Relations for a nonprofit organization. Previously she’s worked for the leading evangelical child welfare organization in the country, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and on Capitol Hill. Chelsea has been published at the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and other outlets. Chelsea was adopted as a newborn from Bucharest, Romania, grew up in North Carolina, and holds a BA in International Relations from Liberty University. She and her husband, Michael, are welcoming their son home through international adoption.
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MICAH FRIES is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. Micah is married to Tracy and they have two daughters, Grace and Kessed, and a son, Haddon. Prior to serving at Brainerd, he worked for LifeWay Christian Resources, served as a Senior Pastor in Missouri, as an international church planter in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and as a Youth Director in Dothan, AL. He holds a Master of Divinity, a Bachelor of Arts, and is currently a Ph.D. student, studying North American Missiology. He is the author of a commentary on Haggai and Zephaniah in the Christ-Centered Commentary Series. Micah, along with Dr. Keith Whitfield, contributed and co-edited Islam and North America.
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RON L. DEAL is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is founder of Smart Stepfamilies™, Director of FamilyLife Blended® for Family Life®, the author of numerous videos and books on stepfamily living including the bestselling The Smart Stepfamily, and is consulting editor for the Smart Stepfamily Series of books. Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular speaker, and host of the podcast FamilyLife Blended. He and his wife, Nan, have three sons and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Find events and resources at RonDeal.org.
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AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (354-430) was one of the foremost philosopher-theologians of early Christianity and the leading figure in the church of North Africa. He became bishop of Hippo in 396 and held that position until his death. Before becoming a Christian, Augustine lived a very secular life. His mother Monica prayed for him diligently and at age 32, during a trip to Milan, Augustine heard the preaching of St. Ambrose, was convicted by the Holy Spirit, and became a Christian. His numerous written works, the most important of which are his Confessions and City of God, shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought.
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LOUIS A. BARBIERI, (B.A., Westmont College; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) is Chair of the Department of Theology at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. He is the author of a number of books, including the Everyman’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Peter, The Moody Gospel Commentary: Mark, and The Life of Christ: Matthew. Dr. Barbieri and his wife of over forty years, Carol, reside in the Chicago area. They are the parents of three and grandparents of seven.
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WENDY BLIGHT, a former trial lawyer, is a Bible teacher with Proverbs 31 Ministries and speaks frequently at events, churches, and retreats. Her passion is to help bring hope and healing to women by sharing the life-changing promises found in God’s Word. Wendy is author of Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story. Wendy, her husband Monty, and their two children live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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D. BRUCE LOCKERBIE is founder and Chairman of PAIDEIA, Inc., Stony Brook, New York, a comprehensive consulting firm serving Christian schools, colleges, seminaries, and other worthy causes. An educator for sixty years, including thirty-four years at the Stony Brook School, he is author, co-author, and editor of more than forty books, including A Passion for Learning, published by Moody Publishers in 1996. He is a frequent lecturer on topics relating to a biblical worldview of our culture, family life, education, the arts, and the role of the church. A former world class runner, he is now a struggling left-handed golfer.
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J. OSWALD SANDERS (1902-1992) was a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and authored more than forty books on the Christian life including The Incomparable Christ, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Leadership, and Spiritual Maturity. He left a promising law practice to serve as an instructor and administrator at the Bible College of New Zealand. Dr. Sanders later became general director of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), and was instrumental in beginning many new missions projects throughout East Asia.
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ROBERT L. SAUCY (Westmont College, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a distinguished professor of systematic theology at Talbot Theological Seminary. He previously served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society and addresses that group frequently. He is author of numerous books, including The Church in God’s Program, and is the editor of Women and Men in Ministry: A Complementary Perspective. His shorter works have appeared in many journals including Bibliotheca Sacra, Grace Theological Journal, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Dr. Saucy resides in Anaheim, California.
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CHARLES H. SPURGEON (1834-1892) was known as England's most prominent preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. He preached his first sermon at the age of 16, and by 22, he was the most popular preacher of his day, habitually addressing congregations of six to ten thousand. In addition, he was active in philanthropic work and evangelism. Spurgeon is the author of numerous books, including All of Grace, Finding Peace in Life’s Storms, The Anointed Life, and Praying Successfully.
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DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK is Vice President/Academic Dean and Professor of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. He is also the host/Bible teacher on Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik, answering listener Bible questions on over 325 stations nationwide. The son of Holocaust survivors, Michael became a follower of Jesus the Messiah as a teenager. He is the author of several books as well as coeditor and contributor to The Moody Bible Commentary.
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JAMES O’DONNELL spent many years as an executive in the financial services industry with such firms as Fidelity Investments and the Dreyfus Corporation. He is currently a professor of Business and Economics at Huntington University. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his MBA from Columbia University. He is the author of Letters for Lizzie and Walking with Arthur, which chronicle his wife’s battle with cancer and his spiritual journey as they walked through those trials together. O’Donnell currently resides in Huntington, Indiana.
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DR. HENRY M. MORRIS (1918-2006) (B.S. Rice University; M.S., Ph.D. University of Minnesota) is widely recognized as the founder of the modern creation science movement. For many years he was the president of the Institute for Creation Research, San Diego, California. Dr. Morris wrote extensively on creation science and evolution, producing definitive works such as Some Call It Science, Biblical Creationism, Science and the Bible Scientific Creationism, and The Biblical Basis for Modern Science. In 1963, Dr. Morris and nine other creationists founded the Creation Research Society. At the age of 87 and after a full life devoted to the defense of the gospel, Dr. Morris entered into the joy of the Lord in 2006.
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ART MURPHY (B.S. Union University; M.Ed Memphis State University) is the founder of Children's Ministry Solutions, a ministry to parents, churches, and children’s ministry leaders. Art has served 30+ years as a children's ministry pastor, author, speaker, and consultant, including seventeen years at First Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida. He also served as president of Preschool/Children Ministers Metro, leading over sixty of the largest churches in the U.S. He is author of the book The Faith of a Child: A Step-by-Step Guide to Salvation for Your Child. For more information visit www.ChildrensMinistrySolutions.com/art-murphy.
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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.
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