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EDWARD MCKENDREE BOUNDS (1835-1913) was born in Missouri. He studied deeply in the Scriptures and was greatly inspired by the writings of John Wesley. At the age of 24, he felt called to be a preacher and became a Methodist Pastor around the time of the American Civil War. At the age of 58, and for the next nineteen years (until he went home to be with the Lord at age 77), he began to write books. It is said that he prayed daily, from 4 A.M. to 7 A.M., before he would begin work on his writings. Bounds is author of many books, including Purpose in Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer, and The Reality of Prayer.
Read MoreLEAH BODEN is wife to Dave and mother to four children. With over two decades of experience in church leadership, she has also devoted herself to youth, children's, and family work within the church and for the local education authority. Leah is a respected speaker, podcast host, and coach who passionately shares the transformative beauty of the Charlotte Mason approach to childhood, motherhood, and education. She is the author of Modern Miss Mason and lives with her family in the West Midlands, England.
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 MoreJOHN GOODRICH (BA, Moody Bible Institute; MDiv, ThM, Talbot School of Theology; Ph.D., University of Durham) is the dean and professor at Compass Bible Institute in Southern California. John's teaching and writing focus on the literature, context, and theology of the New Testament, with a particular interest in the interpretation of the Pauline epistles. He also is deeply committed to the church and to training people to be active in ministry. He has been married to Christin since 2005 and together they enjoy following UCLA football and spending time with their son, Justin.
Read MoreDON W. HILLIS served as a missionary to India under The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) from 1937 to 1953. In 1960 he became associate director of the mission at TEAM's international headquarters, heading the Publications Department. Dr. Hillis moved to Florida in 1974 when he became TEAM's Southeastern Representative. He is now an honorary representative for TEAM. Don is author or co-author of a number of books including Answers to Youth Hang-ups, and God, You and That Man with Three Goats: Divine Providence.
Read MoreGWYNNE JOHNSON (M.A., Dallas Theological Seminary), a popular conference and retreat speaker, demonstrates in her writing strong communication skills and extensive practical ministry to women. She is the author of So You’re Moving, Women Mentoring Women: Ways to Start, Maintain, and Expand a Biblical Women's Ministry, and contributed to More Than Conquerors. Gwynne lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Don. They have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Read MoreA graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, CRICKETT KEETH is the author of several women’s Bible studies, including On Bended Knee, Before the Throne, The Gift of Rest, and Sumatra with the Seven Churches (coauthored with Sandra Glahn). Crickett has served in ministry to women for decades on staff with Cru and large churches in Dallas and Memphis (Women’s Ministry Director). She teaches at her church in Memphis and at women’s conferences and retreats nationwide. Crickett has a heart for coming alongside other women’s ministry leaders, and her life purpose is to encourage others to passionately pursue Jesus Christ. Find free resources to encourage you in your walk with God at www.crickettkeeth.com.
Read MoreANDREW MONTONERA is the great-grandson of Cornelius Stam, younger brother to John Stam. He holds a BA in communication from Trinity International University and resides in suburban Chicago.
Read MoreJOE S. MCILHANEY JR., M.D., is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist. In 2001, Dr. McIlhaney was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He also serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. McIlhaney has co-authored over six books including Hooked: The Brain Science on How Casual Sex Affects Human Development, and 1001 Health-Care Questions Women Ask. Dr. McIlhaney resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Marion.
Read MoreJOY MCCLAIN Through song writing, publishing (over 150 short stories, Bible studies and articles), teaching, counseling and public speaking Joy passionately helps women understand their redemptive position in Christ. Joy has a unique call, marrying what women desire to express to words that give them a voice in which to do so. Married for 26 years, 20 of which involved a battle against her husband Mark's alcoholism, she and Mark have four children and live in Greenwood, Indiana. To learn more, visit joy-apassionatepursuit.blogspot.com.
Read MoreCHARLES LEACH was born in England on March 1, 1847 and started from humble beginnings, having to begin work at the age of eight. He worked hard and eventually went to Ranmoor Theological College. In 1873 he took up a pastorate in Sheffield, and for the next thirty years, preached, ministered, and lectured all around England. He also took several trips to the Middle East and the United States. While he was successful in his professional life, he was not as fortunate in his personal life as only two of his six children were alive at his death. In 1908 he joined the Liberal Party to run for Parliament. Although initially thought to be a weak candidate, he won his seat in 1910. While in Parliament he introduced several bills and was fairly influential. Because of this and his ministry background he was named Chaplain to the Armed Forces at outset of World War I. After this, he began to step back from public life because of physical and mental deterioration. He died in England on November 24, 1919 at the age of seventy-two.
Read MoreSTAN GUTHRIE is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine. His most recent book, All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, was released by Baker. He is author of Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Read MoreRENAUT VAN DER RIET loves to go zip-lining with his eight kids through the adventure course they built together. He walks quickly. He talks with his hands and arms. And if you find him at home, you're likely to see him tilling soil because Brooke, his wife of 25 years, loves gardening. In 2002, Renault founded Mosaic Church in Winter Garden, FL. It has become a nationwide pacemaker for fostering and adoption and a model for trauma care. He is also the founder of Axum Coffee Company, named after the Ethiopian city from which he and Brooke adopted four of their children. Renault is developing The ReStory, a project aimed at providing Gospel clarity to followers of Christ and inviting them to consider how their lives might be different if they dared to believe Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."
Read MoreSTEPHAN BAUMAN is the President and CEO of World Relief, an international relief and development organization partnering with the global Church to serve more than five million vulnerable people each year. World Relief is also the founder and convener of The Justice Conference. Stephan's pursuit of justice led him to transition from a successful career in the Fortune 100 sector to Africa where he directed relief and development programs for nearly a decade before returning to the United States to lead World Relief's global operations. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Wheaton College, and the University of Wisconsin. He is a poet, an author, an ordained minister and a strategist. He considers his African friends his most important teachers, and his wife, Belinda, his most important mentor. Stephan, Belinda, and their two sons, Joshua and Caleb, live near Washington, D.C.
Read MoreRuth Presswood Hutchins In 1970, to fulfill the request of Rev. J.C. Pollock, an author from England, Ruth Presswood Hutchins wrote at considerable length about the life and ministry of Ernest Presswood. At that time, a conviction came upon her that she had a story to be told, a story that had taken her 20 years to forget. She began to pray about the matter. The task seemed too great. It took her 20 years to remember, research, organize and write No Sacrifice Too Great. It is the story of her life, especially the years in the Netherlands East Indies as the wife of the pioneer missionary, William Ernest Presswood. Those years included internment by the Japanese during World War II and the tragedy of its aftermath.
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