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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.
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KENNETH KEMP, author and blogger, writes like he takes photographs. When a scene strikes him, he frames it and checks the lighting. If a story moves him, he takes on the challenge of capturing the essence in a narrative that will engage a reader. He complains that he has too much education. He currently serves as Western Regional Director for Global Generosity with Operation Mobilization, USA. He and his lifelong partner, Carolyn, cherish their children and grandchildren and live in Southern California. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute (B.A., 1971) and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.Div., 1974), and the author of To Everything a Season, Fire in Paradise, Why Not Today, and Broken for Good.
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VICKIE KRAFT (M.A., Dallas Theological Seminary) served as Minister to Women at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas for over 13 years. She is also co-founder of Titus 2:4 Ministries Inc., a ministry established to encourage and equip women to mentor and disciple the generation following them, and to help local churches start effective, relevant women's ministries. She travels to speak nationally and internationally and is the author of Women Mentoring Women: Ways to Start, Maintain and Expand a Biblical Women's Ministry, The Influential Woman, and Facing Your Feelings.
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ELLA K. LINDVALL was a mother and former elementary school teacher. She spent 20 years teaching Kindergarten, first, and second grades in Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Ella was a skilled children’s editor and writer, and served until retirement as the managing editor for Moody Publishers. Among her many children’s books are The Bible in Pictures for Toddlers and the acclaimed Read-Aloud Bible Stories series, the first volume of which is an ECPA Gold Medallion winner and C.S. Lewis Honor Book.
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RICK LAWRENCE is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith, a ministry resourcing, training, coaching, and research organization. He’s an award-winning author, journalist, cultural researcher, editor, and national speaker. For many years he led Group Publishing’s Youth Ministry Resourcing Team, and helped launch its “Jesus-Centered” line of adult resources. He also leads a “home church” for young people: Pursuing the Heart of Jesus, Not His Recipes. He’s the general editor of the bestselling Jesus-Centered Bible, and author of many books, including The Suicide Solution, Jesus-Centered Daily, and The Jesus-Centered Life. He’s host of the popular podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus. He’s married to Beverly Rose and has two young-adult daughters, Lucy and Emma.
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REVEREND JAMES T. MEEKS (B.A., Bishop College) is the founder and senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago’s Roseland community. With over 20,000 members, Salem is the largest African American church in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the nation. He also serves as the joint chairman for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and as an Illinois State Senator for the 15th Legislative District. Rev. Meeks is the author of How to get Out of Debt and Into Praise and Life-Changing Relationships. He and his wife, Jamell, reside in Chicago and are the proud parents of four children.
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JASMINE MULLEN is a writer and singer from Nashville, TN, and she was born to musical parents. Her mom is singer Nicole C. (Mullen) and her dad is a songwriter named David Mullen. She credits her love of words to their influence. Most of the time, Jasmine is writing songs or touring with her band, The New Respects, which she created with Zandy Mowry and Darius Fitzgerald. When she’s not creating music, she’s usually writing a story or daydreaming one up. Her hobbies include eating too much pizza, playing with her nieces and nephews, and laughing till she cries with her dearest and closest people.
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ROB MARTIN has been involved in Christian ministry since his conversion in 1976. He first served as the editor of a Christian publication and then for six years with the Orange County Rescue Mission, Orange County, CA, before becoming General Manager of Fieldstead & Company, a private philanthropy of Howard and Robert Ahmanson. He later served as Executive Director of First Fruit, Inc. and has been with this organization in a full time capacity since 2009, serving ministries and colleague foundations as a coach on a variety of organizational issues. Rob was educated as a journalist, and spent his formative career years in newspaper work. He and his wife, Bev, have raised three daughters and reside at Useless Bay on Whidbey Island, WA.
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CAROLYN NYSTROM received her BA and MA from Wheaton College and is the author of more than 80 books, about half of which are written for children. She co-authored Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions and Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight with theologian J.I. Packer, and Before I Was Born (God’s Design for Sex) with Sandra Speidel. Carolyn lives in the Chicago area with her husband and they have four grown children.
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DR. PAUL NYQUIST was the 9th president of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago—a higher education and media ministry founded by evangelist D. L. Moody in 1886. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Studies and received a Th.M. and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books including Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture.
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BRYAN O'NEAL (M.A., Purdue University; Ph.D., Purdue University) served as the Vice President and Dean of Moody Distance Learning, as well as Interim Dean of Moody Undergraduate School. He edited and contributed to Standing Firm: The Doctrinal Commitments of Moody Bible Institute and was a contributor to The Moody Handbook of Preaching, Proclaiming Jesus, and The Moody Bible Commentary. He and his wife Denise have been married for over 30 years and have three wonderful daughters and one wonderful granddaughter.
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Lois Olmstead makes inspiring others a way of life. She shares her wit, wisdom and faith at women's retreats, camps, conferences, national and civic organizations. She has also hosted a daily radio program and writes a weekly newspaper column. Lois and her husband Robert live in Livingston, Montana and have been married 54 years. She has been active in many community and church activities and volunteers for the American Cancer Society as a breast cancer survivor. You can learn more about Lois on her website www.timeoutwithlois.com.
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ASHLEIGH SLATER is also the author of the book Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage and Braving Sorrow: The Transformative Power of Faith and Community When Life is Hard. With over twenty years of writing experience and a master's degree in communication, she loves to combine the power of a good story with practical application to encourage and inspire readers. She and her husband Ted married in 2002 and have four daughters.
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CARY SCHMIDT (MMin, DMin) serves as the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newington, Connecticut. He and his wife, Dana, have been blessed with three children, their spouses, and four grandchildren, and they have enjoyed over thirty years of marriage and ministry together. Cary is the author of more than a dozen books, and his passion is to point people to Jesus Christ through leading, teaching, and writing. You can connect with Cary at www.caryschmidt.com.
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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.
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DR. CHARLES STONE (MDiv, DMin, PhD) has served for forty-three years in vocational ministry, thirty of those years as a senior pastor. He recently completed a nine-year role as lead pastor of West Park Church in London, Ontario, Canada, a multicultural congregation with over a thousand attendees. He has authored eight books and now serves as a coach-consultant to pastors and leaders. Over three hundred of his articles have appeared in magazines and online in publications such as Outreach Magazine, Leadership Journal, Pastors.com, SermonCentral.com, and Churchleaders.com. Charles and his wife, Sherryl, have been married for forty-four years and have three adult children and five grandchildren. You can reach him through his website at www.charlesstone.com.
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