Mac Brunson

MAC BRUNSON (D.Min., M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida and also serves as Chancellor of Criswell College. Mac co-authored The New Guidebook for Pastors, and is the author of The God You've Been Searching For and The Miracle You’ve Been Searching For. A well-known speaker and experienced minister, Mac was appointed president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference in 2003. He and his wife, Debbie, are the parents of three children.

Ray E. Baughman

RAY BAUGHMAN (1925-1999) (B.A., Dallas Bible College; Ed.D., Luther Rice Seminary) taught for thirty years on the faculty of Dallas Bible College and ten years on the faculty of Southeastern Bible College. He was an ordained Baptist minister who also pastored four independent churches. He is author of a number of books including The Abundant Life, The Kingdom of God Visualized, and Creative Bible Study Methods. Ray and his wife, Lucy, were married for just over 50 years and had three children.

Shelly Beach

SHELLY BEACH has invested her life in the field of communication as an educator, administrator, writer, and writing consultant for the past thirty years. Her writing has been published in both the secular and religious markets in a wide variety of genres including poetry, short stories, feature articles, and interviews. Shelly speaks at writers’ conference, seminars, retreats, schools, and women’s conferences through the Midwest. In the editorial field, Shelly has also served as managing editor of specialty Bibles for Zondervan and was a contributing feature writer for the Stewardship Bible (Crossway Books).Shelly is a graduate of Oakland University and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. She and her husband Dan reside in Rockford, Michigan, where they attend Blythefield Hills Church. They have two adult children who reside in Iowa and Washington State.

Calvin Becker

CALVIN W. BECKER (B.B.A., University of Wisconsin; Pastor's Course, Moody Bible Institute; M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, formerly Gordon Divinity School) recently retired from the Student Employment Service in the Student Service Department of Moody Bible Institute. Previously he was assistant director of advertising and promotion for Moody's Correspondence School. He and his wife, Phylis, have four sons: Dean, Bryce, Bryan, and David.

Alice Brawand

ALICE BRAWAND (B.A., Mars Hill College; M.A., Azusa Pacific University) has served for thirty-one years with Wycliffe Bible Translators, eleven of them in counseling missionaries and pastors from Wycliffe's International Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Alice contributed to the book Secrets of Your Family Tree: Healing for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families. Alice and her husband, John, have three children, all of whom were raised in Guatemala, where the Brawands served.

Dave Breese

DAVE BREESE (1926-2002) was a graduate of Judson College and Northern Baptist Seminary and also served as president of Christian Destiny Ministries and World Prophetic Ministry. He was an evangelist, author, lecturer, and university speaker who ministered in more than sixty countries. In addition to a widespread broadcast ministry, Dr. Breese wrote several books, including Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave, Satan’s Ten Most Believable Lies, Living for Eternity, and His Infernal Majesty.

Thomas A'Kempis

THOMAS A’KEMPIS (1380-1471) was a Dutch priest, monk, and writer born in Kempen, Germany. He attended a school near Deventer in Holland. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. The most famous of his works, by far, is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature.

Robert L. Alden

ROBERT L. ALDEN (A.B., Barrington College; B.D., Westminister Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) was professor of Old Testament at Denver Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary. He taught a wide range of courses related to Old Testament studies and traveled extensively in Israel.

Ralph Alexander

RALPH H. ALEXANDER (B.A., Rice University; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) was professor of Hebrew Scripture and chairman of the Division of Bible Studies at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon. He did graduate work at Hebrew University and specialized in Hebrew and archaeology.

Robert C. Anderson

ROBERT C. ANDERSON served for 15 years as professor of pastoral theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and as senior pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. He also served as adjunct professor of pastoral theology at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary at the Pacific Northwest Campus. Robert is the author of Circles of Influence: Expanding Your Leadership Capabilities in the Church and The Practical Pastor: A Practical Guide to the Ministry. Robert resides in Brush Prairie, Washington.

Lin Johnson

LIN 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.

Valerie Bell

STEVE and VALERIE BELL have been married and in ministry together for over 30 years. Steve is currently an executive vice-president of the Willow Creek Association. Valerie travels widely as a conference speaker, making frequent guest appearances on radio and television. Valerie is the author of seven books, and co-author with her husband of three books: Made to be Loved and Faith-Shaped Kids, and Real Survivors. Steve and Valerie live in Wheaton, Illinois; they have two grown sons.

James S. Bell, Jr.

JAMES STUART BELL is the owner of Whitestone Communications, a literary development agency. James has past editorial leadership experience with a number of publishers. He has received inside and cover credit for over one hundred print and audio volumes which he has compiled. He currently lives in West Chicago with his wife, Margaret.

Robert H Belton

Dianna Benson

JERRY and DIANNA BENSON both grew up in Utah where Dianna was a member of a Mormon Church for 17 years, before becoming a Christian. They are active in Challenge Ministries, a non-profit organization which they began in 1983. They continue to speak in churches, helping others to understand Mormonism and how to best witness to those involved in this religion. Together, they authored How to Witness to a Mormon.

Jerry Benson

JERRY and DIANNA BENSON both grew up in Utah where Dianna was a member of a Mormon Church for 17 years, before becoming a Christian. They are active in Challenge Ministries, a non-profit organization which they began in 1983. They continue to speak in churches, helping others to understand Mormonism and how to best witness to those involved in this religion. Together, they authored How to Witness to a Mormon.