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HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (1832-1911) was born in Philadelphia to a Quaker family. Her life expressed the joy that is found in complete surrender to the Lord. The secret to a happy life, according to Whitall Smith, is to trust implicitly in the promises of the Bible. Her goal was not to impress the scholar, but to elevate the simple man or woman who longed for a more consecrated way of living. Deeply practical, her writings deal directly with the day-to-day struggles of ordinary people. She is author of The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life and The God of All Comfort.
Read MoreCOLIN 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.
Read MoreKEN R. CANFIELD, Ph.D. (B.A., Friends University; M.C.S., University of British Columbia; Ph.D., Kansas State University) is founder of the National Center for Fathering, and served as NCF's president and CEO from 1990 through 2005. In January 2008, he accepted an appointment as Executive Director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University. He is the author of The Heart of a Father and numerous other books including the award-winning 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers. Ken and his wife, Dee, have been married over 30 years and have five children and three grandchildren.
Read MoreASHLEIGH SLATER is also the author of the book Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage and Braving Sorrow: The Transformative Power of Faith and Community When Life is Hard. With over twenty years of writing experience and a master's degree in communication, she loves to combine the power of a good story with practical application to encourage and inspire readers. She and her husband Ted married in 2002 and have four daughters.
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 MoreDR. JASON ALLEN is the fifth and youngest president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary. He has served as pastor and interim pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Alabama and Kentucky over the past fifteen years. He currently serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries, including his own website www.jasonkallen.com, where he writes on various topics including higher education, theology, preaching, and cultural and local church issues. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: Anne-Marie, Caroline, William, Alden, and Elizabeth.
Read MoreDM FREED, M.Ed. is a former elementary teacher and has been employed for the last 18 years as a school counselor with Central Valley School District. He holds an Elementary Education Degree from Boise State University and two Masters Degrees in education from Whitworth University. His school and district have been recognized with numerous awards by Washington State for “Outstanding Educational Excellence”. D.M. believes that a student’s academic success hinges on the positive relationships they build with other students, their family and school faculty. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family at the lake and playing golf.
Read MoreMARK JOBE is the president of Moody Bible Institute and host of Moody Radio's Bold Steps. He is the author of Unstuck: Out of Your Cave into Your Call. He is also the founding pastor of New Life Community Church, a Chicago-based ministry with 27 locations throughout Chicago. Mark has a master's degree from Moody Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University. He and his wife, Dee, have three adult children.
Read MoreFELICIA MIDDLEBROOKS (B.A., Purdue University) is one of the top media personalities in Chicago, anchoring the award-winning Morning Drive program on CBS Radio/WBBM Newsradio 780. She is the first woman and first African American to co-anchor Morning Drive. She is co-author of Called: "Hello, My Name is Mrs. Jefferson, I Understand Your Plane is Being Hijacked?" She also contributed to Our Voices. Felicia lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Read MoreTOMMY SHELTON grew up joyfully as the son of a pastor in North Carolina and is thrilled that God called him to follow in his father’s shepherding footsteps. He loves his wife and six children. He also loves to preach the Bible, pray over people, and build things. Tommy is the pastor of Live Oaks Bible Church in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Read MoreCHARLES and JANET MORRIS At the turn of the new millennium Charles and Janet Morris packed up and moved to California, leaving behind the dream home they built at the base of Pikes Peak in the Colorado Rockies. They had been asking the Lord to use their communication skills in a front line way for the kingdom when the phone rang and Charles was called to become the fourth speaker on an 80-year-old Christian radio program based in Los Angeles. Charles had journalistic experience on radio, TV, and with UPI, but no file drawer full of sermons. So with a background in Bible teaching and leading women’s retreats, Janet joined her husband in helping write the daily messages. HAVEN Today airs on 600 stations with 500,000 listeners. Together Charles and Janet have co-authored two other books, Jesus in the Midst of Success and Saving a Life. Their prayer is that Living a Life that's All About Jesus will convey the same life-changing message Charles shares on the radio and that daily changes their own lives … “it’s all about Jesus”. Charles and Janet have three children and three grandchildren.
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