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ASHLEY HOLLEMAN and his wife, Heather, are on staff with Cru, where Ashley serves as the national director of Cru's graduate student ministry. Prior to this assignment Ashley completed a Master's in chemistry at the University of Michigan and then joined Cru staff to minister locally to grad students -- first at the University of Michigan and then at Penn State. In his spare time, he enjoys building furniture, gardening, working on his house, and watching UNC-Chapel Hill basketball and football. He and Heather have two daughters -- Sarah and Kate.
Read MoreMIKE AND KRISTIN BERRY have been married for more than twenty years and are the parents of eight adopted children. In 2015 they launched the blog website Confessions of an Adoptive Parent. Their mission is simple - to offer hope to adoptive, foster, and special needs parents who feel weary, overwhelmed and frustrated, and to let them know they're not alone. They recently co-wrote the book, The Adoptive Parent Toolbox and travel extensively speaking at churches, camps, and conferences.
Read MoreMIKE AND KRISTIN BERRY have been married for more than twenty years and are the parents of eight adopted children. In 2015 they launched the blog website Confessions of an Adoptive Parent. Their mission is simple - to offer hope to adoptive, foster, and special needs parents who feel weary, overwhelmed and frustrated, and to let them know they're not alone. They recently co-wrote the book, The Adoptive Parent Toolbox and travel extensively speaking at churches, camps, and conferences.
Read MoreBEV GODBY is a senior associate and change management coach at The Giftedness Center in Dallas, Texas. She focuses on graduating students and women who are navigating challenging life transitions. She feels called to the role of an educator, teaching others about giftedness to help them find fulfilling lives. She serves as a consultant to schools and nonprofit organizations, and speaks and writes often on these topics. Bev holds degrees from Wheaton College and The University of Texas at Dallas. She is married to Dr. Dale Godby, with whom she has three married daughters and six grandchildren.
Read MoreANTHONY DELANEY served as a police officer in inner city Manchester, England, for ten years before going into church leadership. He now leads Ivy Church, a multiplying movement that meets at various sites and lectures on church planting and leadership. He founded LAUNCH: Church Multiplication Catalyst, a global community drawing together hundreds of church and network leaders to be inspired and commissioned to multiply disciples, leaders, churches, and movements. Anthony's books include The Man You Were Made To Be, also published by Moody. He has been married to Zoe for 36 years and they have three adult children and six grandchildren.
Read MoreCARY 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.
Read MoreREVEREND 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.
Read MoreKENDRA 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.
Read MoreCAROLYN 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.
Read MoreBRYAN 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.
Read MoreTIM DOWLEY, a native of London, holds a bachelor's degree in history and a doctorate in church history, both from the University of Manchester, England. He has written a number of children's stories and books on biblical subjects and the history of Christianity, as well as works on music and literature. A few of his latest books include Bible Atlas, A Public Faith: From Constantine to the Medieval World AD 312-600, My First Story of Christmas, and Bedtime Book of Bible Stories. Tim has traveled extensively, particularly in Israel, Turkey and other biblical lands. He lives in Clapham, South London, with his wife and family.
Read MoreLIN JOHNSON is Managing Editor of The Christian Communicator, Advanced Christian Writer and Church Libraries and is the author and co-author of more than 60 books, including Christian Education: Foundations for the Future, Extracting the Precious from 2nd Corinthians, Encouraging Others, and The Book of John from The Smart Guide to the Bible Series. Lin specializes in Bible curriculum and is a Gold Medallion Book Award recipient. She also directs the Write-to-Publish Conference in the Chicago area and teaches at writers' conferences across the country and internationally. Lin resides in Elgin, Illinois.
Read MoreJOHN R. KOHLENBERGER III (Th.B., Multnomah Bible College; M.A., Western Seminary) is the author or co-editor of more than five dozen biblical reference books and study Bibles, including the awarding-winning NIV Exhaustive Concordance and The NIV Bible Commentary. John currently divides his time between writing and Bible design and typesetting.
Read MoreDR. 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.
Read MoreR. LAIRD HARRIS (1911-2008) (B.S., University of Delaware; M.A., University of Pennsylvania; Th.B. and Th.M., Westminster Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Dropsie University) served as Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. Widely known and respected for his biblical scholarship, he completed significant work in the study of theology and science, particularly dealing with creation and evolution. Dr. Harris served as chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation which produced the New International Version. He is co-author of Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, and is the author of The Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, and Man: God's Eternal Creation.
Read MoreVICKIE 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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