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REBECCA MCLAUGHLIN holds a PhD in Renaissance Literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. Her first book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion, was named book of the year by Christianity Today. Her subsequent books include Exploring the Earliest Gospel, The Secular Creed: Engaging 5 Contemporary Claims, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, and Is Christmas Unbelievable?: Four Questions Everyone Should Ask about the World’s Most Famous Story. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband, three children, and church family.
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 MoreSARAH J. HAUSER is a writer and speaker living in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and four kids. She shares biblical truth to nourish the soul—and the occasional recipe to nourish the body. She loves cooking but rarely follows a recipe exactly, and you can almost always find her with a cup of coffee in hand. Sarah completed her BA and MA at Wheaton College. She's a member of the Redbud Writers Guild and has written for Coffee + Crumbs, Risen Motherhood, The Rabbit Room, The Gospel Coalition, (in)courage, and more. Find her at sarahjhauser.com, on Instagram (@sarah.j.hauser), or check out her monthly newsletter at sarahjhauser.com/subscribe.com.
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 MoreRYAN DOBSON is the founder of KOR ministries and the author of four books, incuding Be Intolerant. Through his podcasts, speaking engagements, and books, Dobson seeks to call Christians deeper into the ultimate adventure of following Christ.
Read MoreFREDA MCKISSIC BUSH, M.D., is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and a partner in private practice with East Lakeland OB-GYN Associates in Jackson, Mississippi. She currently serves as Medical Director of the Center for Pregnancy Choices Metro Jackson and the Henry M. Johnson Women's Resource Crisis Pregnancy Center. Freda spends much of her time speaking on sexuality and social behavior education. Her passion is to help women "raise a standard" to become who they were created to be. To that end, she teaches and encourages a lifestyle of abstinence until marriage and fidelity within marriage. She co-authored her first book, Hooked, with Dr. Joe S. McIlhaney, in 2008.
Read MoreMIKE HANDLER serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Awana. Prior to Awana, Mike was a pastor, a church planter as well as the principle of a creative agency. Mike is a coauthor of Resilient and the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum. Now in the Nashville area, Mike and his family are originally from Chicagoland and miss the food there.
Read MorePATRICIA ST. JOHN (1919-1993) was a nurse, missionary and author. She earned a nursing degree at St. Thomas' Hospital in London in 1946. In the early 1950s she moved to Tangier, Morocco where she served as a missionary nurse for 27 years. Throughout her life, she travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, as the settings of her novels reflect. In 1977, she returned to England, where she cared for elderly relatives and ministered from her home to youths, single parents, and the elderly. Patricia authored numerous books, including Treasures of the Snow, The Tanglewoods' Secret, The Secret at Pheasant Cottage, and Star of Light.
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 MoreHERBERT M. WOLF (Wheaton College, Dallas Theological Seminary, Brandeis University) was a well loved and respected professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. A translator for the Old Testament section of the New International Version, Dr. Wolf is the author of a number of books including Haggai and Malachi, in the Everyman's Bible Commentary Series, An Introduction to the Old Testament Pentateuch, and Interpreting Isaiah as well as numerous journal, magazine, and encyclopedia articles.
Read MoreDR. ERIC MASON is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife, Yvette, have four children. After more than two decades of gospel ministry, Dr. Mason has become known for his passion to see the glory of Jesus Christ robustly and relevantly engaged in broken cities with the comprehensive gospel. He helps coach and train families to plant churches locally, nationally, and internationally. He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context, and is the author of three books, Manhood Restored, Beat God to the Punch, and Unleashed. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a BS in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctoral degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Read MoreCAROLYN McCULLEY is the author of Radical Womanhood and Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? She is also a contributor to the book, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ from John Piper, and to Focus on the Family's Boundless webzine. For ten years, she served as the media specialist for Sovereign Grace Ministries in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Currently, she is a blogger (Radical Womanhood), a frequent women's ministry speaker, and a filmmaker with the documentary company, Citygate Films. She lives in Maryland, where she is a member of Covenant Life Church.
Read MoreBRANDON CLEMENTS is pastor at Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, South Carolina. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Kristi, for nine years and they have three children: Sully, Jeremiah, and Isla. Brandon currently blogs at www.DearBibleBelt.com and has previously published a novel, Every Bush is Burning.
Read MoreKARA DURBIN has enjoyed continually serving in various roles of children's ministries. She has a degree in elementary education from Texas A&M University and homeschools her children part time. Kara's inspiration for the book was her mother, who blessed her life by parenting her with Scripture. When thinking about how to best parent her own children, Kara looked for a reference book that would have Scriptures to use for specific parenting moments. Not finding one, she began work on Parenting with Scripture. Kara and her husband and two children make their home near Dallas, Texas.
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