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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.
Read MoreCOLLEEN CHAO writes about God’s goodness in the unexpected chapters of her life, including singleness, chronic illness, and terminal cancer. She makes her home just outside Boise, Idaho, with her husband, Eddie, and their son, Jeremy.
Read MoreRAMON 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.
Read MoreBILL THRASHER serves as the lead faculty member in the Master's Program in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship at Moody Theological Seminary. He is a frequent speaker for churches and retreats across the country. His ministry interests include campus discipleship, singles ministry, and evangelism. He is author of Believing God for His Best, A Journey to Victorious Praying, Principles of Christian Living from Romans 5-8, The Attributes of God in Pauline Theology, Living the Life God Has Planned, Putting God Back into the Holidays, and God As He Wants You to Know Him. Bill and his wife, Penny, live in the Chicago area and have three sons—Will, Michael, and David. His website is www.victoriouspraying.com.
Read MoreSTEPHEN KELLOUGH BA, Miami University, Oxford, OH; ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; DMin, Covenant Theological Seminary, is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA. He served for fifteen years in parish ministry before being called as Chaplain of Wheaton College in 1989. He retired from this position after serving for twenty-five years. Steve and his wife, Linda, have one son, Jeffrey (wife-Sheralynn), and twin grandchildren, Luke and Brielynn.
Read MorePastor Richard E. Todd and his wife Claudia live in Southern California where he is Senior Pastor of Community Grace Brethren Church in Whittier and has served that church family since 1987. They have three grown sons and are grandparents. Richard has developed a sermon title database plus written other materials for nurturing the spiritual growth of children, youth, and adults.
Read MoreMATT MARKINS serves as the President and CEO of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. As a researcher in child discipleship and children’s ministry, Matt has commissioned eleven research projects since 2013, including a study conducted by Barna Group called Children’s Ministry in a New Reality. He’s a board member at large for the National Association of Evangelicals and is the author or coauthor of four books, most notably The Faith of Our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Discipling the Next Generation and RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church. He’s also the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum and D6 Conference. Matt and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry for more than 25 years and spend their time in Nashville with their two sons. For more information go to www.ChildDiscipleship.com and www.Awana.org.
Read MoreDR. JOHNNY PARKER is a certified Christian counselor and leadership coach. For over 10 years he conducted marriage conferences with FamilyLife Ministries. He also led Building Lasting Relationships seminars at McLean Bible Church for a number of years. Currently he serves as a chaplain for the Washington Redskins and speaks for Iron Sharpens Iron, the Man in the Mirror, NFL, and NBA teams. Dr. Parker holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Washington Bible College and a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University. He is also a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Dr. Parker is married to his best friend, Lezlyn, and they have three sons. The Parkers reside in the Washington, DC area.
Read MoreSHARON JAYNES is a popular conference speaker and author of nineteen books including The Power of a Woman's Words, and Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe. She served as Vice-President of Proverbs 31 Ministries and co-host of their daily radio feature for ten years. She is the co-founder of Girlfriends in God, Inc. that reaches over 500,000 subscribers with their daily on-line devotions. Sharon and her husband, Steve, have one grown son. They call North Carolina home.
Read MoreSUSIE LARSON is a national speaker, bestselling author, and the host of the daily talk show, Susie Larson Live heard on the Faith Radio Network. Susie has written 17 books and many articles. She's been a guest on Focus on the Family, The Life Today Show, Family Life Today, and other media outlets. Voted twice as a top-ten finalist for the John C. Maxwell Transformational Leadership Award, she is also a veteran of the fitness field. Susie has been married to her dear husband Kevin since 1985 and together they have three sons, three daughters-in-law, two beautiful grandchildren, and one adorable pit bull named Memphis. Susie's passion is to see people everywhere awakened to the value of their soul, the depth of God's love, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus.
Read MoreDOUGLAS A. SWEENEY is Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought and Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He formerly served as a lecturer at Yale University, as an adjunct professor as Aquinas College, and as a visiting professor at both Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. Sweeney is the author of a number of books and articles about religious history and the American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. He resides with his wife, Wilma, and their son in Lindenhurst, Illinois.
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