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.

Christiana Tsai

Cai Sujuan, also known in the West as Christiana Tsai, was born the 18th of 24 children in Nanjing, China. Sujuan grew up in a fortunate setting, but she was often sad and a very serious child—she even considered becoming a Buddhist nun. She was fascinated by the English language and was initially introduced to the Gospel at a missionary school. Soon after, though she was inclined to disbelieve, the message of Jesus Christ struck Sujuan’s heart and she became a Christian.Sujuan grew in love and faith, and upon graduation decided to return home to bring her family to Christ. In all, 55 members of her family eventually followed the Lord.Later in life, Sujuan contracted malaria and spent much of the rest of her life bedridden. But her ministry only grew! From her bedside, Sujuan was able to comfort lost and broken souls more effectively than she ever had before.After many decades of faithful service to the Lord, never losing her love for her homeland, Sujuan went to be with Jesus on August 25th, 1984.

Carl Trueman

CARL R. TRUEMAN studied at the Universities of Cambridge and Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Prior to emigrating to the United States, he was on faculty at the University of Nottingham and King's College, University of Aberdeen. He is currently Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary (PA). His scholarly publications focus on the development of Reformed Orthodoxy in sixteenth and seventeenth century Britain. He is also a Council Member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. His latest books are Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative (Presbyterian and Reformed) and, Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History (Crossway).

Erik Thoennes

DR. ERIK THOENNES (B.A., Central Connecticut State University, M.A., Wheaton College Graduate School, Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Professor and Chair of the Theology Department at Biola University and is a pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada, CA. He was voted Professor of the Year twice, and was awarded the Faculty Excellence Award by his colleagues at Biola University. He is the author of Life's Biggest Questions: What the Bible Says About the Things That Matter Most and Biblical and Theological Studies: A Student's Guide. Erik and his wife Donna have four children: Caroline, Paige, Samuel, and Isaac.

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.

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.

Geraldine Taylor

J. Brian Tucker

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.

Jeff Simmons

JEFF SIMMONS is the founding and senior pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, which he and his wife, Lisa, planted twenty years ago. The church has grown from 15 people meeting for a Bible study in an apartment clubhouse on Thursday nights to several thousand people and five campuses in Franklin, Nashville, Nolensville, Columbia, and Haywood Hills. Jeff is a follower of Jesus, husband, and father of three wonderful children. He serves alongside an amazing staff team at Rolling Hills and is the President of Justice and Mercy International doing mission work in the countries of Moldova and the Amazon jungle. Jeff is an author and speaker while overseeing the ministry work with over 80 full-time church staff, 55 international staff, 70 learning center teachers, and multi-million-dollar budgets. Jeff is passionate about God's work and longs to make a difference for the glory of God in His day and generation.

Joseph M. Stowell

DR. JOSEPH M. STOWELL has a distinguished career in higher education and church leadership. He has served as President of Moody Bible Institute and Cornerstone University and has had the honor of pastoring several churches in the Midwest. An internationally recognized conference speaker, Joe has written devotionals for Our Daily Bread and authored several books, including Strength for the Journey, The Trouble with Jesus, Simply Jesus, and Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders. He and his wife Martie enjoy the pleasure of three children and ten grandchildren.

Hazen Stevens

HAZEN STEVENS is one of the original leaders and vice chairman of OneRace Movement, an organization focused on gospel-centered racial reconciliation and biblical justice. Since the movement's inception in 2016, OneRace has been addressing the racial divide in the church and society through four key pillars: mobilizing catalytic prayer, building authentic relationships, equipping disciples, and partnering for justice. He has a passion for prayer and missions and for thirteen years has served on staff with a 24/7 house of prayer and as domestic director of a pioneer missions organization. He currently serves as the Executive Pastor of GateCity Church. He is married to his best friend Hannah and they reside with their four delightful children (Amarin 8, Chesed 5, Pearl 4, and Elisha 3) in metro-Atlanta.

Kendra Smiley

KENDRA 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.

Laurel Shaler

DR. LAUREL SHALER is a national certified counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, and licensed social worker. She is a professor at Liberty University in the Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies. Dr. Shaler is the author of Relational Reset: Unlearning the Habits That Hold You Back and Reclaiming Sanity: Hope and Healing for Trauma, Stress, and Overwhelming Life Events. Learn more and contact her about speaking at www.drlaurelshaler.com.