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JEN BARRICK is an inspirational speaker who travels all over the country, with her mother Linda, sharing their miraculous story of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She suffered a traumatic brain injury over a decade ago when her family's van was struck head-on by a drunk driver going 80 miles per hour. Even though Jen still suffers from vision impairment and memory loss, she knows there is no limit to what God can accomplish through her life. She completed a diploma from the Institute of Biblical Studies at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Connect with Jen and Linda at hopeoutloud.com.
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DR. S. MICHAEL HARE never imagined a life looking for conflicts to resolve. Becoming a Christian at 19, he went to Bible college simply desiring to find out how to better serve God. However, following that path has led to over two decades of serving in the role of senior pastor in church turnaround ministries, 15 years of working as a church conflict consultant, and recently completing a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Dr. Hare also serves as a senior staff chaplain and ombudsman for Compassion with its nearly 4,000 employees ministering in 26 third world countries. He has served as an adjunct instructor in several universities and is currently teaching mediation courses in a doctoral program in Denver. Michael and his wife Colleen live in Colorado Springs, CO and have four children and six grandchildren who live in Africa, Germany, and the US.
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ROBERTSON McQUILKIN served as the third president of Columbia International University from 1968 to 1990 and currently serves as the president emeritus. He resigned from the presidency to care for his wife, Muriel, who had reached the stage of Alzheimer’s disease in which she needed full-time care. Prior to coming president of CIU, McQuilkin served as headmaster of Ben Lippen School, then for 12 years as a missionary in Japan. McQuilkin’s writings have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals. Among the books he has published are Understanding and Applying the Bible, Five Smooth Stones, Life in the Spirit, A Promise Kept, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, and The Great Omission. In 2003 McQuilkin married Deborah Jones Sink. Between them, Robertson and Deborah have nine children.
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BRIAN SANDERS is the founder of the Underground Network, an international coalition of churches united by the prophetic call to love the poor, reach the lost, and seek biblical justice. The Underground is a new form of church designed and empowered for mission. A serial entrepreneur, Brian has helped to start hundreds of missional enterprises, including churches, non-profits, and businesses all over the world. He holds a degree in communication from the University of Florida, a Masters Degree in Religious Studies from the University of South Florida, and a Masters Degree in Applied Theology from Spurgeon's College. Brian has lived in intentional community in the inner city for more than twenty years, embodying the ideas that drive him. He lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Monica and their six children.
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AMANDA CLEARY EASTEP is not related to Beverly Cleary, but wishes she were. She is, however, a children's author, and the Tree Street Kids is her middle grade series. Amanda knows kids because she's still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grownup authors. She lives and writes in the mountains of North Carolina but has spent most of her life in the suburbs of Chicago where her characters now live.
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BECKY BYRD obtained a Master's Degree in Historical Theology from Wheaton Graduate School in 2016. She has a BA in Bible and Theology from Moody Bible Institute and was trained as a Spiritual Director at North Park Seminary. Her ministry experience spans from youth ministry to small groups, discipleship and connection ministry. She currently works with Dr. John Trent at Moody Bible Institute. She is learning to be an advocate for her children with special needs and enjoys serving her local church. Becky has been married to her husband, Steve, for 19 years and has four children. In her spare time she enjoys connecting with people, reading, photography, writing and exploring the awesome city of Chicago. You can connect with her at www.moody.edu/chapman-chair or on her blog https://coffeehousetheo.tumblr.com.
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AARON MENIKOFF is the Senior Pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Before entering pastoral ministry, he served as a legislative assistant for the late United States Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He earned an M.Div. and a Ph.D. at Southern Seminary where he studied Christian social engagement during the Second Great Awakening. He is the author of Politics and Piety: Baptist Social Reform in America, 1770-1860 (Pickwick, 2014). Aaron has a heart for encouraging pastors. He organizes a yearly conference called Feed My Sheep, leads a monthly pastors fellowship in his area, and is Visiting Lecturer in Church History at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He is married to Deana and is the father of Rachel, Jonah, Natalie, and Tori.
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MICAH FRIES is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. Micah is married to Tracy and they have two daughters, Grace and Kessed, and a son, Haddon. Prior to serving at Brainerd, he worked for LifeWay Christian Resources, served as a Senior Pastor in Missouri, as an international church planter in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and as a Youth Director in Dothan, AL. He holds a Master of Divinity, a Bachelor of Arts, and is currently a Ph.D. student, studying North American Missiology. He is the author of a commentary on Haggai and Zephaniah in the Christ-Centered Commentary Series. Micah, along with Dr. Keith Whitfield, contributed and co-edited Islam and North America.
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CHRIS COURSEY is an ordained minister, pastoral counselor, published author, and international speaker. He and his wife, Jen, lead and design the THRIVE Training Program that uses brain-based exercises to train leaders, families, and communities in the 19 relational skills and the Immanuel Lifestyle. They are passionate about helping people acquire the skills to make relationships work. Chris and Jen have two boys, Matthew and Andrew.
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JEFF HAANEN (B.A., Valparaiso University; M.Div., Denver Seminary) is the Founder and Executive Director of Denver Institute for Faith & Work, an educational nonprofit that explores issues of faith, work, calling and culture. Jeff is a regular contributor to Christianity Today and has written numerous articles on finance, character, work, and calling. He is a nationally recognized voice on the intersection between faith and work.
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ERIC L. JOHNSON (PhD, Michigan State University) trained as an academic psychologist and is the Lawrence and Charlotte Hoover Professor of Pastoral Care at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of Foundations for Soul Care; coeditor of God Under Fire and Christianity and Psychology: Four Views; and associate editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology. He serves on the executive board at the Institute for Christian Psychology.
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DANIEL DARLING is an author, pastor, and leader. He was recently appointed as the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dan is a bestselling author of several books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words. He is the general editor, along with Trillia Newbell, of a small group study on racial reconciliation, The Church and the Racial Divide and is a contributor to The Worldview Study Bible. Dan is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He is a columnist for World Magazine, and a regular contributor to USA Today. His work is often featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition and his op-eds have appeared in The Washington Post, CNN, Washington Times, Time, Huffington Post, National Review, First Things, and other leading outlets. Publisher's Weekly called his writing style "substantive and punchy."Dan speaks and preaches around the country and is regularly interviewed on radio and television, including MSNBC's Morning Joe, CNN, and Fox. He is the host of a popular weekly podcast The Way Home where he interviews Christian leaders, politicians, and journalists. He holds a bachelor's degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Illinois and Tennessee. He and his wife Angela have four children.
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STEPHEN KELLOUGH BA, Miami University, Oxford, OH; ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; DMin, Covenant Theological Seminary, is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA. He served for fifteen years in parish ministry before being called as Chaplain of Wheaton College in 1989. He retired from this position after serving for twenty-five years. Steve and his wife, Linda, have one son, Jeffrey (wife-Sheralynn), and twin grandchildren, Luke and Brielynn.
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J. S. PARK, (BA Psychology, Univ. South Florida; MDiv, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a hospital chaplain, viral blogger, and teaching pastor. As an interfaith chaplain at a large hospital in Tampa, he provides grief counseling and assists with end-of-life care. He also serves as a community care chaplain at Metropolitan Ministries, one of the largest nonprofit charities on the east coast, which serves the homeless in Tampa. He loves to play the drums and guitar, and has a sixth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife, Juliette, a nurse practitioner.
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RYAN WHITAKER SMITH is an author and filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee. His film projects include the romantic drama Surprised by Oxford, based on the award winning memoir by Carolyn Weber, the Lionsgate documentary The Jesus Music, and a forthcoming adaptation of G. K. Chesterton's comic adventure The Ball and the Cross. He is coauthor, with Dan Wilt, of Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace, two collections of prayers inspired by the Psalms.
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KRISTIE ANYABWILE is the author of Literarily: How Understanding Bible Genres Transforms Bible Study, and editor of His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. She is a Bible teacher at Anacostia River Church, and serves organizations that equip women to study and teach the Bible, such as The Charles Simeon Trust and Bible Equipping. Kristie is also a founding member of The Pelican Project, a women’s theology organization. Her work can be found at The Front Porch, Christianity Today, She Reads Truth, Risen Motherhood, The Gospel Coalition, and Revive Our Hearts. She is a pastor’s wife and has been married over 30 years. She and Thabiti have 3 children and live in Washington, DC.
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