William D. Thrasher

BILL 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.

Winfred Neely

WINFRED NEELY (B.A., D.Min. Trinity International University; M.A. Wheaton) is currently working towards an advanced research degree in Old Testament at the University of Bristol, England. He is an ordained minister of the Gospel and a full time professor of hermeneutics, homiletics, and pastoral studies at Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Prior to joining the faculty at Moody, Winfred served churches in the City of Chicago and is currently interim pastor of the Judson Baptist Church in Oak Park, IL. He brings to his ministry a global perspective, having served as a missionary/pastor in Senegal, West Africa for nine years. He is also involved in a global equipping ministry, speaking and conducting workshops and training events at churches and conferences in the US and abroad. He and his wife Stephne have been married for forty years and have four adult children and nine grandchildren. He takes acting classes from time to time and is an ardent fan of science fiction films such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

Chris Pappalardo

CHRIS PAPPALARDO, PhD, is the author and cofounder of GoodKind, the makers of Advent Blocks, an organization that helps people cultivate the good kind of habits and holiday celebrations. Chris is a pastor, editor, and writer at The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, NC, area. He is married to Jenn and is the proud dad of Lottie (who wants to save the planet) and Teddy (who wants you to read him another book).

Ellen Drummond

John Fuller

JOHN FULLER is vice president of Audio and New Media at Focus on the Family and co-host of the daily “Focus on the Family” broadcast. He leads the team that produces more than a dozen Focus programs reaching millions of listeners around the world. Many of these features and podcasts are also available at www.focusonthefamily.com. A media veteran of more than 30 years, John writes and speaks about creativity, media trends, influential leadership, excellence, and social media. As a father of six, he writes and speaks about strong marriages and effective parenting. John and his wife Dena are also advocates for orphan care and adoption. John has a M.A. from the University of Northern Colorado, and serves as an elected member of the board of the National Religious Broadcasters.

St Augustine

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.

Steve DeWitt

STEVE DEWITT has served as Senior Pastor of Bethel Church since 1997. Bethel is a nondenominational church located in NW Indiana/Chicagoland and ministers to its community across multiple campuses. Steve is on the council of The Gospel Coalition and is a board member of Global Action. His teaching ministry can be heard on his popular podcast and media ministry The Journey. Steve and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of two daughters.

D. Bruce Lockerbie

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.

Colin S. Smith

COLIN SMITH is President of Open the Bible and Pastor Emeritus of The Orchard Church in northwest suburban Chicago. He can be heard daily on the radio broadcast Open the Bible, and at openthebible.org. Colin is the author of many books, including: Fly Through the Bible, Heaven, How I Got Here, and Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes. He is married to Karen, and they have two married sons and five granddaughters.

Ryan Cook

DR. RYAN COOK is Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Moody Theological Seminary. He is also a regular writer for Today in the Word, a daily devotional with over 900,000 subscribers. He has been a pastor and high school teacher. Ryan and his wife, Ashley, live in northwest Indiana with their three children. They enjoy traveling, playing board games, and hosting youth group game nights. Ryan also serves as an elder and Sunday school teacher at their local church.

Randy Southern

RANDY SOUTHERN has written dozens of books, articles, study guides and curricula for the Christian market. His works include The World's Easiest Guide to Family Relationships, Raising Highly Capable Kids, and Dating Clues for the Clueless. A graduate of Taylor University, Randy lives with his family in Fishers, Indiana.

Vicki Rose

VICKI ROSE is a strong Bible teacher with a relevant, life-changing message. She was born and raised in New York City and upon graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 1975, Vicki began her retail career at Saks Fifth Ave and went on to marry Bill Rose in 1977.After almost 10 years of marriage, Vicki found herself the single mother of a 1 ½ and 4 year old, separated from her husband who was addicted to cocaine, woman and work. 1 ½ years later, Vicki accepted Christ through an outreach dinner at age 35 and became a passionate follower of Jesus Christ with a deep hunger for His word. As Vicki began to pray for her husband to also know Christ, her heart toward him changed and they were reconciled after he accepted Christ, entered rehab and they spent time in counseling. They had been separated for 5 ½ years. Both Vicki and Bill are Jewish believers though neither was raised in a religious Jewish home. Vicki has taught, facilitated and led many Bible Studies for women in her church as well as acted as Prayer Coordinator for the Women’s Ministry and has taught and shared her testimony all across the U.S. as well as in Nicaragua, Poland, Russia, Bulgaria and Italy.

Dann Spader

DANN SPADER (Moody Bible Institute, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) has dedicated his life to disciple-making, teaching others how to take someone from seeker to making disciples themselves. More than 750,000 people in 90 plus countries have been trained to make disciples through organizations he has led. He is the Founder of Sonlife ministries and currently serves as President of Global Youth Initiative, an alliance of organizations in 95 countries committed to "equipping young leaders for movements of multiplication." He is also author of Walking As Jesus Walked and co-author of Growing a Healthy Church and The Everyday Commission, among other titles. For free online videos visit disciplemovement.com.

Carl Trueman

CARL R. TRUEMAN studied at the Universities of Cambridge and Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Prior to emigrating to the United States, he was on faculty at the University of Nottingham and King's College, University of Aberdeen. He is currently Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary (PA). His scholarly publications focus on the development of Reformed Orthodoxy in sixteenth and seventeenth century Britain. He is also a Council Member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. His latest books are Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative (Presbyterian and Reformed) and, Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History (Crossway).

Barry J. Beitzel

BARRY J. BEITZEL (PhD, The Dropsie University; Fuller Theological Seminary; University of Pennsylvania) is professor emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He obtained a postdoctorate in ancient Near Eastern geography from the Université de Liège, Belgium, and has engaged in postdoctoral archaeological work in eastern Syria through UCLA. Dr. Beitzel is the editor and cartographer for Biblica, The Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible (Viking/Penguin Press), editor of the Lexham Geographical Commentary series (Logos/Lexham Press), and author of Where Was the Biblical Red Sea?: Examining the Ancient Evidence (Lexham Press). His published mapwork appears in Bibles produced by Moody Publishers, Zondervan, B. B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Tyndale House Publishers, Holman Bible Publishers, Crossway, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Schuyler Publishers. He and his wife, Carol, reside in Mundelein, Illinois, and have three married children.

A. W. Tozer

A. W. TOZER began his lifelong pursuit of God at the age of seventeen after hearing a street preacher. He never attended high school or seminary—his spiritual understanding came from the power of the Word and the power of the Spirit. While serving as a pastor and magazine editor, he wrote prolifically about basic spiritual disciplines and their relationship to contemporary life. His powerful use of words continues to grip the intellect and stir the soul of today's reader.