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RON BLOCK has been banjoist guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Alison Krauss & Union Station since 1991. He wrote many of the band's gospel songs: "There is a Reason," "In the Palm of Your Hand," "Jesus, Help Me to Stand," and his playing has been featured on albums by Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Fernando Ortega, and others. He's received 14 Grammy Awards for his work with Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and the O Brother, Where Are Thou soundtrack, and received a Dove Award for his song "A Living Prayer." He has also written on spiritual and musical topics for the Rabbit Room website since its inception in 2007, rabbitroom.com.He married Sandra in 1988 and they live in rural Tennessee. They have two grown children, Ethan and Erica.
Read MoreHAZEN STEVENS is one of the original leaders and vice chairman of OneRace Movement, an organization focused on gospel-centered racial reconciliation and biblical justice. Since the movement's inception in 2016, OneRace has been addressing the racial divide in the church and society through four key pillars: mobilizing catalytic prayer, building authentic relationships, equipping disciples, and partnering for justice. He has a passion for prayer and missions and for thirteen years has served on staff with a 24/7 house of prayer and as domestic director of a pioneer missions organization. He currently serves as the Executive Pastor of GateCity Church. He is married to his best friend Hannah and they reside with their four delightful children (Amarin 8, Chesed 5, Pearl 4, and Elisha 3) in metro-Atlanta.
Read MoreJUSTIN HOLCOMB is an Episcopal priest and teaches theology, philosophy, and Christian thought at Gordon-Conwell-Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. He holds two masters degrees from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Emory University.Justin has written or edited numerous books: Know the Heretics, Know the Creeds and Councils, On the Grace of God, Acts: A 12-Week Study, For the World, and Christian Theologies of Scripture.He and his wife, Lindsey, are authors of: Is It My Fault?: Hope and Healing for Those Suffering Domestic Violence and Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault.Justin serves on the boards of REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade) and GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments). He also serves on the council board of the Biblical Counseling Coalition.Connect with Justin Holcomb on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and his blog.
Read MoreCRYSTAL RENAUD DAY is a pastoral counselor, certified coach, author, and speaker with over a decade of experience working with women, couples, and teen girls. She holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling: Life Coaching from Liberty University and eight certifications in counseling and coaching specialties from the American Association of Christian Counselors. Crystal owns and operates Living on Purpose Coaching & Pastoral Counseling and is the founding director of Dirty Girls Ministries, a non-profit organization helping women overcome porn and sexual addiction. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Christianity Today, The 700 Club, Outreach Magazine, and more. Her books include Dirty Girls Come Clean, 90 Days to Wholeness, and Dating Done Right (releasing December 2019). Crystal resides in the Kansas City area with her husband Tim.
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 MoreTIM DOWNS is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University in Graphic Design. After graduation in 1976 he created a comic strip, Downstown, which was syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. His cartooning has appeared in more than a hundred newspapers worldwide. In 1979 he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, where he founded and directed the Communication Center, a communication training facility. He continues to serve as a speaker and writer. He and his wife, Joy, have spoken at FamilyLife Marriage and Parenting Conferences since 1985. He is author of First the Dead, Less Than Dead, Chop Shop, Head Game, Plague Maker, Shoo Fly Pie, and Finding Common Ground, which was awarded the Gold Medallion Award in 2000. He is also co-author of Fight Fair and The Seven Conflicts: Resolving the Most Common Disagreements in Marriage along with his wife Joy. Tim lives in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife and three children.
Read MoreROBERT WOLGEMUTH grew up in a Swiss-German home where truth-telling was a big deal. Even exaggerations were verboten. Writing a book denouncing lies spoken and believed makes perfect sense. He is the bestselling author of over twenty books, including She Calls Me Daddy, The Most Important Place on Earth, Like the Shepherd, Gun Lap, Finish Line, and You Can Trust God to Write Your Story, cowritten with his wife, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, founder of Revive Our Hearts. Robert is the General Editor of the Men’s Daily Bible. He is a 1969 graduate of Taylor University, where he received an honorary doctorate in May 2005. Dr. Wolgemuth has two grown daughters, two sons-in-law, one grandson-in-law, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren named Ezra and Ruby. Robert is a dogguy, but doesn’t currently own one.
Read MoreEARL R. HENSLIN (Psy.D., Biola University), is a licensed marriage and family therapist, former part-time faculty member at the Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology at Biola University, La Mirada, California, author of seven books, and co-author of three books and numerous professional articles. He is a member of several professional organizations and helped in the founding of Overcomers Outreach to aid churches in establishing support groups.For the past 14 years Dr. Henslin has been integrating brain imaging into the treatment of psychological, physical, and spiritual problems at his counseling practice, Henslin and Associates, a Christian counseling group in Brea, California. Dr. Henslin has four adult children and two lovely granddaughters.
Read MoreAuthor and speakerMARLA ALUPOAICEI (Dallas Theological Seminary) serves as the Director for Leap of Faith Ministries, an intercultural marriage support ministry in Frisco, Texas. Marla has authored or co-authored over twenty books and Bible study guides, including Taking the Intercultural Leap, Generation Hex: Understanding the Subtle Dangers of Wicca, and In the Flow: Spiritual Insights for Living a More Creative Life, as well as numerous nonfiction articles and poems. Marla has fifteen-plus years of ministry, teaching, and speaking experience with a variety of organizations. Currently she works as a staff writer for East-West Ministries, a grace-based church planting organization in Addison, Texas. Marla and her husband, Catalin, whom she met while on a missions trip to Romania in 1998, have been married for 7 years and currently reside in Texas.
Read MoreDR. JOHN TOWNSEND is a psychologist, relational expert, business consultant, and leadership coach. He has written or co-written over 20 books, selling 5 million copies, including the 2 million best-seller Boundaries; Leadership Beyond Reason; and Handling Difficult People.For more than twenty years Dr. Townsend has engaged with audiences, organizations and leaders around the world, providing practical solutions to their problems. He is a co-host of the nationally-syndicated talk show New Life Live John is a visiting professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, and is Clinical Director of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is active on the Board of Directors of Mustard Seed Ranch www.mustardseedranchtn.org, a residential program for abused children. He, his wife, and their children reside in Newport Beach, CA. John’s passion is playing in a band which performs at southern California lounges and venues.
Read MoreJOHN C. WHITCOMB (A.B., Princeton University; B.D., Th.M., Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is a former President of the Board of Spanish World Gospel Missions Inc and also served as Professor of Theology and Old Testament at Grace Theological Seminary Winona Lake, Indiana for 49 years. He has lectured around the world and is the author of Daniel and Esther from the Everyday Bible Commentary series, among other titles.
Read MoreRICK OSBORNE is a bestselling, award-winning author of both parenting and children’s books. One of Rick’s main goals is to create resources that help families develop loving relationships and peaceful, happy homes. Among the many children’s books he’s written and coauthored are, ‘The Legend of the Christmas Tree,’ ‘The Legend of the Christmas Stocking,’ and the ‘101 Questions Kids Ask About God’ series. These have sold millions of copies and have been translated into many languages. Rick has coauthored books with Dr. John Trent, Josh McDowell, Larry Burkett, and Dr. Gary Chapman. He helped write and produce the booklet ‘The Most Important Story Ever Told’ which has had over 50 million copies distributed around the world. Find out more by visiting www.rick-osborne.com.
Read MoreANDREW MURRAY (1828-1917) was a church leader, evangelist, and missionary statesman. As a young man, Murray wanted to be a minister, but it was a career choice rather than an act of faith. Not until he had finished his general studies and begun his theological training in the Netherlands, did he experience a conversion of heart. Sixty years of ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, more than 200 books and tracts on Christian spirituality and ministry, extensive social work, and the founding of educational institutions were some of the outward signs of the inward grace that Murray experienced by continually casting himself on Christ. A few of his books include The True Vine, Absolute Surrender, The School of Obedience, Waiting on God, and The Prayer Life.
Read MoreJAMES FORD, JR. (Moody Bible Institute, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) has been the Senior Pastor at Christ Bible Church (formerly South Shore Baptist Church), located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, since 1982. He serves on several boards, including the Alumni Board of Moody Bible Institute, is President of Impact Ministries, and provides the messages for Impact Ministries’ radio broadcast, Treasured Truth for Troubling Times. Pastor Ford is a contributor to the book Heart for the City and is the author of When A Man Loves A Woman and Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. He and his wife, Leslie, have three children and six grandchildren, and live in Chicago, Illinois.
Read MoreALISTAIR BEGG (Trent University; London School of Theology; Westminster Seminary) was born in Scotland and spent the first 30 years of life in the United Kingdom. Since September of 1983, he has been the senior pastor at Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. He is the daily speaker on the national radio program Truth For Life which stems from his weekly Bible teaching at Parkside, and is the author of Made for His Pleasure, Lasting Love, and What Angels Wish They Knew. He and his wife, Susan, have three grown children.
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