Phil Shappard

PHIL SHAPPARD served at the Moody Bible Institute as Moody Radio's National Operations Manager before retiring at the beginning of 2020. Starting as a part-time announcer at Moody's station WDLM in 1981 he came to Chicago in 1983 and joined the Moody Radio Network staff full-time in 1984. He studied at Toccoa Falls College and later graduated with a B.S. in Business Management from Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, IL. Phil and his wife, Nora, have three grown children and nine grandchildren, and make their home in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Owen Strachan

OWEN STRACHAN is Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the Director for the Center on Public Theology at MBTS. He holds a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, an MDiv from Southern Seminary, and an AB from Bowdoin College. Strachan has published fourteen books and writes regularly for The Gospel Coalition, the Christian Post, and Thoughtlife, his Patheos blog. He is married and is the father of three children. Strachan hosts the City of God podcast available at https://cpt.mbts.edu.

Paul Smith

PAUL SMITH (Wheaton College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Theological Seminary) has served as senior pastor of West Side Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Washington for more than 18 years and has also been active in renewal ministries with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Paul is the author of several books, including Enjoying God Forever and God’s Plan for Our Good. He and his wife, Careen, have one son and three daughters.

Nathan Stone

The late NATHAN J. STONE was a member of the faculty of Moody Bible Institute for several years and a teacher for the radio program Radio School of the Bible. He is the author of Names of God, Answering Your Questions, 100 Basic Bible Questions Answered, and Holy to the Lord: Studies in Leviticus.

David C. Thompson M.D.

DAVID THOMPSON was born in the U.S. but grew up in Cambodia where his parents worked for 16 years. When he was 14 he and his father tried unsuccessfully to save a Cambodian man who was seriously injured when a truck and a bus collided. God used the incident to plant in David's young heart a desire to become a doctor and help people who had limited access to healthcare. David graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1973 with a M.D. degree and eventually completed five years of residency in general surgery in southern California. In 1977 he and his wife Rebecca moved to Gabon, Africa and for the next 34 years built a 150-bed full-service hospital to provide medical services to Gabon's least served provinces. In 1966, Dr. Thompson helped establish the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), an organization that trains African surgeons at Christian hospitals throughout the continent. Since 2014, Dr. Thompson has been working as a volunteer to train Egyptian surgeons at Harpur Memorial Hospital.

Rita A. Schulte, LPC

RITA A. SCHULTE is a licensed professional counselor who specializes in the treatment of mental health disorders. In 2011, she created Heartline Radio, a broadcast show that addresses cutting-edge mental health issues and provides content to educate and equip listeners in how mental health affects our culture. Rita is frequent contributor to many publications and is the author of Shattered: Finding Hope and Healing through the Losses of Life; Imposter: Gain Confidence, Eradicate Shame and Become Who God Made You to Be, and Think This Not That: Rewiring Your Brain to Eliminate Toxic Thinking. She speaks around the country on mental health-related issues. She received her B.S. in psychology and her master's degree in counseling from Liberty University. Rita is no stranger to loss and suffering. In 2013, she lost her beloved husband to suicide and her world was decimated. She speaks candidly about this loss at her national workshops in the hope of helping others heal. Rita makes her home in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Juli Slattery

DR. JULI SLATTERY is the president and co-founder of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry dedicated to reclaiming God's design for sexuality. She is the host of the weekly podcast, "Java with Juli". She has authored or co-authored twelve books including Passion Pursuit, Rethinking Sexuality, and Twenty-Five Questions You're Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. Juli is a member of the board of trustees of Moody Bible Institute. She and her husband, Mike, have three grown sons and live in Akron, Ohio.

Isabel Tom

ISABEL TOM is an author and speaker passionate about serving the older adult population. Between growing up in an intergenerational household and working in the field of aging, Isabel has over 35 years of experience with older adults. Her grandparents, who lived until 98 and 102, had a profound impact on her life. Professionally, she has over 13 years experience working at reputable healthcare organizations. She holds an MPH from the University of Maryland, College-Park. She has been married to her husband, Kevin, for ten years and they have three little ones who keep life fun. Check out her blog at www.isabeltom.com to learn more.

Helen L. Taylor

HELEN LOUISA TAYLOR (1850–1929) was the daughter of a silk manufacturer in Derby, England. She excelled in her studies as the only girl in an all-boys school. Later she wrote for magazines and published several books, including Little Christian's Pilgrimage: The Story of the Pilgrim's Progress Simply Told (1889) and Christiana, The Story of the Pilgrim's Progress Second Part (1902). Many years ago Moody Publishers purchased the rights to both books, updated them, and created the bestselling Little Pilgrim’s Progress series.

James Thomas

JAMES H. THOMAS (1890–1973) was a Bible teacher, pastor, and John Bunyan scholar. Born in Maury City, Tennessee, Thomas graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and earned a ThD from Central Baptist Seminary, Kansas City. After discovering the Phillips New Testament in Modern English, Thomas wanted to take a similar approach with an updated version of John Bunyan’s most famous book. The resulting work, Pilgrim’s Progress in Today’s English, is the bestselling modern version of Bunyan’s classic.

Joe Thorn

JOE THORN is the founding and Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, IL. He is the author of Note to Self: the Discipline of Preaching to Yourself and Experiencing the Trinity: The Grace of God for the People of God, and has contributed articles to Tabletalk Magazine, the ESV Men's Devotion Bible, The ESV Story Bible, and The Mission of God Study Bible.

Howard Taylor

DR. FREDERICK HOWARD TAYLOR (1862-1946) was a British missionary to China and the son, James Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission. He completed his diploma at the Royal London Hospital in 1888 Howard and his wife, Geraldine, wrote several books about his father’s ministry and their own experiences in China.

Jessica Thompson

JESSICA THOMPSON is an author of several books including Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Christ and frequent conference speaker. She is part of the podcast Front Porch with the Fitzes, and is the director of church life at RISEN Church in San Diego, California.

J. Brian Tucker

Ed Young

ED YOUNG has been the pastor of 32,000-member Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, since 1978 and is also a trustee of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Houston Baptist University. A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ed is the author of many books including The Ten Commandments of Marriage and The Ten Commandments of Parenting, and ministers through the international television and radio broadcasts of Winning Walk. He and his wife, Jo Beth, have three adult sons and seven grandchildren and reside in Houston.

Todd Wilson

TODD WILSON is the founder of Familyman Ministries and is a writer, speaker, dad, and former pastor. Todd is author of Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom, The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, and Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe. His articles have appeared in various magazines, including Christian Parenting Today, Men of Integrity, and Stand Firm. Todd and his wife Debbie, along with their seven children, spend several months of the year traveling the country encouraging moms and dads. When they’re not traveling, they reside in Milford, Indiana.