Meet Our Contributors
Suzanne Alexander lives with her husband and teenage sons,
splitting time between Maui and Wisconsin. She is on sabbatical
from her work as a physician and is writing her first novel.
Jane Ardelean is a grandmother and retired teacher. She spent
most of her teaching years in Dayton, Tennessee, and the
American School in Brasilia, Brazil.
Sandi Banks’s book, Anchors of Hope: Finding Peace Amidst
the Stormsof Life, offers hope to a hurting world. Other
published contributions include stories in Reader’s Digest, the
Cup of Comfort series, and the Kisses of Sunshine series. Sandi
has lived, traveled, and ministered in a variety of cultures on six
continents and has worked with Summit Ministries since 1989,
currently directing Adult Worldview conferences. Visit Sandi at
her Web site, www.anchorsofhope.com.
Tatyana Buksh lives with her family in Asheville, North
Carolina. Originally from Russia, she is a naturalized U.S.
citizen and is a member of Trinity Baptist Church.
Sharon E. Carrns uses every life experience to bring God glory
as a wife, mother, author, and part-time small groups director at
her church in west Michigan. She has written and taught training
programs for ministries and corporations in several states.
S. Truett Cathy is the founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A. Mr.
Cathy is largely driven by personal satisfaction and a sense of
obligation to the community and its young people. His
WinShape Centre® Foundation, founded in 1984, grew from
his desire to “shape winners” by helping young people succeed
in life through scholarships and other youth-support programs.
Visit his Web sites at: www.winshape.org and
www.chick-fil-a.com.
Virginia Chatman is a retired elementary school teacher. She
taught for thirty years in Dayton, Tennessee. She is a graduate
of Miami Bible College and Bryan College.
Jim Daly has been with Focus on the Family since 1989,
starting as an assistant to the chairman, and then as vice
president of three divisions: International, where he represented
Focus in seventy countries; Marketing; and Public Affairs. He
became a group vice president in 2003 and CEO in 2004. In
March 2005, Jim became the successor to Dr. James Dobson
as president and CEO. Jim is married to his wife, Jean, and
they have two young sons. He is also the author of Finding
Home.
Mary E. DeMuth loves to write truth from the inside out. Her
books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Building the
Christian Family You Never Had; Watching the Tree Limbs;
Wishing on Dandelions; and Authentic Parenting in a
Postmodern Culture. Mary lives in Texas with her husband,
Patrick, and their three children. They recently returned from
Southern France where they planted a church.
Ron DiCianni attended the American Academy of Art in
Chicago, and then embarked on a career in commercial
illustration. Quickly recognized as one of the nation’s most
talented illustrators, Ron’s client list was soon dominated by the
top companies in America. In 1989, he produced the painting
that started a revolution … Spiritual Warfare. What began with
one painting led into a whole market for Christian art products,
ranging from lithographs to books with a wide variety of
derivative products. For more information about Ron visit
www.TapestryProductions.com.
Carly W. Dixon lives in North Carolina with her husband,
Michael, and her two children, Blake and Natalie. Though a
speech pathologist by education, she devotes her days to being
a mom and to her ministry of helping women recognize God’s
faithfulness in their lives and learning to serve him faithfully.
For more information on Carly’s ministry, visit
www.faithfullministries.com.
Sherrie Eldridge is a speaker and author who is passionate
about
nurturing those touched by adoption. She is the author of the
highly acclaimed books Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish
Their Adoptive Parents Knew, Twenty Life-Transforming
Choices Adoptees Need to Make, and Forever
Fingerprints…An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children.
She is president of Jewel Among Jewels Adoption Network.
Visit her Web site at www.sherrieeldridge.com.
Dr. Edna Ellison is a humorist known as “America’s Christian
mentoring guru.” She’s given keynote speeches in London,
Frankfurt, Panama City, and many states in the United States,
including Hawaii and Alaska. To book her for a speaker or for
top-quality mentor training in your civic organization or church,
visit her Web site at www.ednaellison.com.
Barb Faust has one delightful daughter and a wonderful son-in-
law. Though she considers Colorado her home, she now lives in
California to be closer to her granddaughter.
Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president of Intel Corporation, is well
known in the technology industry and is currently running the
largest business group for the company. He is also an active
Christian spokesman in the area of work-life balance, having
written Balancing Your Family, Faith, and Work. He is
married with four children and is active in his church and
numerous ministries.
Vicky Haynes Gerald lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where
she works as a contract coordinator for an environmental lab
company.
Mary Gilzean lives in Sacramento, California. She enjoys
writing, scrapbooking, and spending time with her husband and
four children. Recently, she learned to sail on the San Francisco
Bay, and now looks forward to writing about her adventures at
sea.
Sandra Glahn, ThM, teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary,
where she is editor-in-chief of Kindred Spirit magazine. The
author of the Coffee Cup Bible Study series, Glahn has also
written a number of medical thrillers, including Informed
Consent.
Brandon Heath has been a respected songwriter in the
Nashville music community for years, collaborating with well-
known artists like Bebo Norman, Matt Wertz, and Dave
Barnes, to name a few. Heath’s debut album Don’t Get
Comfortable has already yielded two hit songs with “I’m Not
Who I Was” and “Our God Reigns,” which garnered a Dove
nomination for worship song of the year. Visit his Web sites at
www.brandonheath.net and www.reunionrecords.com.
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is a professor of English at Taylor
University Fort Wayne, where he directs the professional
writing major. He is the author of more than fifty books,
including Man to Man: Becoming the Believer God Called You
to Be.
Carlton Hughes is a Professor of Communication at Southeast
Kentucky Community and Technical College in Cumberland,
Kentucky and serves as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of
God. He has written VBS curriculum, numerous plays and
skits, and has been published in both Christian and secular
publications. He and his wife, Katherine, have two sons, Noah
and Ethan.
Joy Scarlatta Ieron has been a church organist and
keyboardist since age nine. A pastor’s daughter, she has worked
as an executive assistant, employment recruiter, piano teacher,
and most recently as publicist/booking agent for her daughter
Julie-Allyson Ieron’s conference ministry.
Diane Jones is a mother of four and grandmother of one who
lives in Colorado with her husband of thirty-one years. She is a
retired nurse and now works as an editor for a publishing firm.
She is excited about more opportunities to share her faith
wherever God places her.
Karen Kingsbury is America’s number one inspirational author,
with thirty-four Life-Changing Fiction™ titles and more than six
million copies of her books in print. Her novel Ever After won
the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association 2007 Book of
the Year award—the first time the prize has ever gone to a
novel. Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband,
Don, and their six children—three of whom are adopted from
Haiti. Visit her website at www.karenkingsbury.com.
Ann Kroeker is the author of The Contemplative Mom and has
contributed to such projects as Lee Strobel and Garry Poole’s
Experiencing the Passion of Jesus, Faith Under Fire DVD
series, and Poole’s Tough Questions series, and Seeker Small
Groups. As an author, wife, and mother of four, Ann
appreciates the power of words, still seeking to build people up
whenever possible. She no longer sprints, but often runs
(slowly) for fitness. Visit Ann at annekroeker.wordpress.com.
Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of seventeen books,
including the best-selling devotional A Moment a Day. Books
eighteen to twenty are scheduled for 2008–2009 release from
New Hope Publishers. Kathi, a popular speaker and Bible
teacher, lives in Homeland, California, with her husband, Al.
Visit her website at www.kathimacias.com.
Sue Moore is a teacher and speaker who writes Bible studies
and articles on living out faith in daily life. She lives in Iowa
with her husband. They have two adult children. For more
information, visit her Web site at www.suemooreonline.com.
Pat Neville works as a real estate/title agent/abstractor in
Beaver, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Michelle, have five
daughters and two sons. He laughingly refers to himself as a
“jack of all trades, master of none.”
Leon Overbay shares stories about growing up in the ’50s and
’60s in the Boones Creek community of rural east Tennessee.
He’s the vice president of Finance for a Christian distribution
company (STL Distributors) by day and a storyteller when the
opportunity arises. He is also a founding member of the
Jonesborough Storytellers Guild.
Diane Reilly has been happily married to her urologist husband,
Bob, for over forty years. They have four married children and
sixteen grandchildren. Involved in a number of ministries, they
take time out of busy schedules to do short-term mission work
in Kenya.
Jerilyn S. Robinson enlisted in the United States Air Force in
1969 and retired as a paralegal after twenty years. She and her
husband live in Green Valley, Arizona.
Susie Shellenberger is the editor of BRIO magazine and has
written forty-five books. She is also the cofounder of Closer:
Moms & Daughters—a one-day event for moms and their teen
daughters. For more information, go to
www.closermomsanddaughters.com.
Lisa Smith is a young lady with Down syndrome who has
taken the gift of signing and added to it her unashamed love for
the Lord, using her talent to touch the hearts of thousands. She
has joined Sandi Patty (and numerous other Christian song
artists) at concerts on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, at the
Bill Gaither Homecoming, and on the Dr. Phil show.
Vicki Smith resides in Texas with her husband. They have
three children and three beautiful grandchildren. Vicki has been
working in city government for twenty years, serving the last
sixteen years as the court administrator for the city of Plano.
They attend Denton Bible Church.
Stacie Ruth Stoelting and Bright Light Ministry share how to
have victory over tragedies. At fifteen, Stacie Ruth wrote Still
Holding Hands, depicting her grandparents’ romance, and
victory over Alzheimer’s. At twenty, she sang for President
Bush. Now she speaks, acts, sings, and writes books. Visit her
Web site at www.brightlightministry.com.
Aaron Swavely writes devotionals for the Upper Room. He
works full time as a courier in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He
and his wife, Amy, have been married for eighteen years and
have three children.
Ken Wales is a graduate of USC Cinema School, where he is an
adjunct professor. With credits on over fifty films including The
Tamarind Seed, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Island in the
Stream, and Wild Rovers, Wales was also the executive
producer of the beloved CBS series Christy. Most recently, he
produced the critically acclaimed feature film Amazing Grace,
the compelling story of William Wilberforce. Known for his
quest to further Christian values in Hollywood, Ken Wales is
also a sought-after speaker and author.
McNairWilson has lived his life in the visual and theatre arts —
and the church. As a Disney Imagineer he was on design teams
for five new Disney theme parks and numerous attractions and
resort experiences. He is a leading consultant in creative
problem solving and brainstorming, delivering keynote
addresses and workshops at professional conventions
worldwide. McNair’s most recent book is Raised in Captivity:
A Memoir of a Life Long Churchaholic. Visit his websites at
www.teawithmcnair.typepad.com and www.mcnairwilson.com.
Suzanne Alexander lives with her husband and teenage sons,
splitting time between Maui and Wisconsin. She is on sabbatical
from her work as a physician and is writing her first novel.
Jane Ardelean is a grandmother and retired teacher. She spent
most of her teaching years in Dayton, Tennessee, and the
American School in Brasilia, Brazil.
Sandi Banks’s book, Anchors of Hope: Finding Peace Amidst
the Stormsof Life, offers hope to a hurting world. Other
published contributions include stories in Reader’s Digest, the
Cup of Comfort series, and the Kisses of Sunshine series. Sandi
has lived, traveled, and ministered in a variety of cultures on six
continents and has worked with Summit Ministries since 1989,
currently directing Adult Worldview conferences. Visit Sandi at
her Web site, www.anchorsofhope.com.
Tatyana Buksh lives with her family in Asheville, North
Carolina. Originally from Russia, she is a naturalized U.S.
citizen and is a member of Trinity Baptist Church.
Sharon E. Carrns uses every life experience to bring God glory
as a wife, mother, author, and part-time small groups director at
her church in west Michigan. She has written and taught training
programs for ministries and corporations in several states.
S. Truett Cathy is the founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A. Mr.
Cathy is largely driven by personal satisfaction and a sense of
obligation to the community and its young people. His
WinShape Centre® Foundation, founded in 1984, grew from
his desire to “shape winners” by helping young people succeed
in life through scholarships and other youth-support programs.
Visit his Web sites at: www.winshape.org and
www.chick-fil-a.com.
Virginia Chatman is a retired elementary school teacher. She
taught for thirty years in Dayton, Tennessee. She is a graduate
of Miami Bible College and Bryan College.
Jim Daly has been with Focus on the Family since 1989,
starting as an assistant to the chairman, and then as vice
president of three divisions: International, where he represented
Focus in seventy countries; Marketing; and Public Affairs. He
became a group vice president in 2003 and CEO in 2004. In
March 2005, Jim became the successor to Dr. James Dobson
as president and CEO. Jim is married to his wife, Jean, and
they have two young sons. He is also the author of Finding
Home.
Mary E. DeMuth loves to write truth from the inside out. Her
books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Building the
Christian Family You Never Had; Watching the Tree Limbs;
Wishing on Dandelions; and Authentic Parenting in a
Postmodern Culture. Mary lives in Texas with her husband,
Patrick, and their three children. They recently returned from
Southern France where they planted a church.
Ron DiCianni attended the American Academy of Art in
Chicago, and then embarked on a career in commercial
illustration. Quickly recognized as one of the nation’s most
talented illustrators, Ron’s client list was soon dominated by the
top companies in America. In 1989, he produced the painting
that started a revolution … Spiritual Warfare. What began with
one painting led into a whole market for Christian art products,
ranging from lithographs to books with a wide variety of
derivative products. For more information about Ron visit
www.TapestryProductions.com.
Carly W. Dixon lives in North Carolina with her husband,
Michael, and her two children, Blake and Natalie. Though a
speech pathologist by education, she devotes her days to being
a mom and to her ministry of helping women recognize God’s
faithfulness in their lives and learning to serve him faithfully.
For more information on Carly’s ministry, visit
www.faithfullministries.com.
Sherrie Eldridge is a speaker and author who is passionate
about
nurturing those touched by adoption. She is the author of the
highly acclaimed books Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish
Their Adoptive Parents Knew, Twenty Life-Transforming
Choices Adoptees Need to Make, and Forever
Fingerprints…An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children.
She is president of Jewel Among Jewels Adoption Network.
Visit her Web site at www.sherrieeldridge.com.
Dr. Edna Ellison is a humorist known as “America’s Christian
mentoring guru.” She’s given keynote speeches in London,
Frankfurt, Panama City, and many states in the United States,
including Hawaii and Alaska. To book her for a speaker or for
top-quality mentor training in your civic organization or church,
visit her Web site at www.ednaellison.com.
Barb Faust has one delightful daughter and a wonderful son-in-
law. Though she considers Colorado her home, she now lives in
California to be closer to her granddaughter.
Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president of Intel Corporation, is well
known in the technology industry and is currently running the
largest business group for the company. He is also an active
Christian spokesman in the area of work-life balance, having
written Balancing Your Family, Faith, and Work. He is
married with four children and is active in his church and
numerous ministries.
Vicky Haynes Gerald lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where
she works as a contract coordinator for an environmental lab
company.
Mary Gilzean lives in Sacramento, California. She enjoys
writing, scrapbooking, and spending time with her husband and
four children. Recently, she learned to sail on the San Francisco
Bay, and now looks forward to writing about her adventures at
sea.
Sandra Glahn, ThM, teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary,
where she is editor-in-chief of Kindred Spirit magazine. The
author of the Coffee Cup Bible Study series, Glahn has also
written a number of medical thrillers, including Informed
Consent.
Brandon Heath has been a respected songwriter in the
Nashville music community for years, collaborating with well-
known artists like Bebo Norman, Matt Wertz, and Dave
Barnes, to name a few. Heath’s debut album Don’t Get
Comfortable has already yielded two hit songs with “I’m Not
Who I Was” and “Our God Reigns,” which garnered a Dove
nomination for worship song of the year. Visit his Web sites at
www.brandonheath.net and www.reunionrecords.com.
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is a professor of English at Taylor
University Fort Wayne, where he directs the professional
writing major. He is the author of more than fifty books,
including Man to Man: Becoming the Believer God Called You
to Be.
Carlton Hughes is a Professor of Communication at Southeast
Kentucky Community and Technical College in Cumberland,
Kentucky and serves as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of
God. He has written VBS curriculum, numerous plays and
skits, and has been published in both Christian and secular
publications. He and his wife, Katherine, have two sons, Noah
and Ethan.
Joy Scarlatta Ieron has been a church organist and
keyboardist since age nine. A pastor’s daughter, she has worked
as an executive assistant, employment recruiter, piano teacher,
and most recently as publicist/booking agent for her daughter
Julie-Allyson Ieron’s conference ministry.
Diane Jones is a mother of four and grandmother of one who
lives in Colorado with her husband of thirty-one years. She is a
retired nurse and now works as an editor for a publishing firm.
She is excited about more opportunities to share her faith
wherever God places her.
Karen Kingsbury is America’s number one inspirational author,
with thirty-four Life-Changing Fiction™ titles and more than six
million copies of her books in print. Her novel Ever After won
the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association 2007 Book of
the Year award—the first time the prize has ever gone to a
novel. Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband,
Don, and their six children—three of whom are adopted from
Haiti. Visit her website at www.karenkingsbury.com.
Ann Kroeker is the author of The Contemplative Mom and has
contributed to such projects as Lee Strobel and Garry Poole’s
Experiencing the Passion of Jesus, Faith Under Fire DVD
series, and Poole’s Tough Questions series, and Seeker Small
Groups. As an author, wife, and mother of four, Ann
appreciates the power of words, still seeking to build people up
whenever possible. She no longer sprints, but often runs
(slowly) for fitness. Visit Ann at annekroeker.wordpress.com.
Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of seventeen books,
including the best-selling devotional A Moment a Day. Books
eighteen to twenty are scheduled for 2008–2009 release from
New Hope Publishers. Kathi, a popular speaker and Bible
teacher, lives in Homeland, California, with her husband, Al.
Visit her website at www.kathimacias.com.
Sue Moore is a teacher and speaker who writes Bible studies
and articles on living out faith in daily life. She lives in Iowa
with her husband. They have two adult children. For more
information, visit her Web site at www.suemooreonline.com.
Pat Neville works as a real estate/title agent/abstractor in
Beaver, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Michelle, have five
daughters and two sons. He laughingly refers to himself as a
“jack of all trades, master of none.”
Leon Overbay shares stories about growing up in the ’50s and
’60s in the Boones Creek community of rural east Tennessee.
He’s the vice president of Finance for a Christian distribution
company (STL Distributors) by day and a storyteller when the
opportunity arises. He is also a founding member of the
Jonesborough Storytellers Guild.
Diane Reilly has been happily married to her urologist husband,
Bob, for over forty years. They have four married children and
sixteen grandchildren. Involved in a number of ministries, they
take time out of busy schedules to do short-term mission work
in Kenya.
Jerilyn S. Robinson enlisted in the United States Air Force in
1969 and retired as a paralegal after twenty years. She and her
husband live in Green Valley, Arizona.
Susie Shellenberger is the editor of BRIO magazine and has
written forty-five books. She is also the cofounder of Closer:
Moms & Daughters—a one-day event for moms and their teen
daughters. For more information, go to
www.closermomsanddaughters.com.
Lisa Smith is a young lady with Down syndrome who has
taken the gift of signing and added to it her unashamed love for
the Lord, using her talent to touch the hearts of thousands. She
has joined Sandi Patty (and numerous other Christian song
artists) at concerts on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, at the
Bill Gaither Homecoming, and on the Dr. Phil show.
Vicki Smith resides in Texas with her husband. They have
three children and three beautiful grandchildren. Vicki has been
working in city government for twenty years, serving the last
sixteen years as the court administrator for the city of Plano.
They attend Denton Bible Church.
Stacie Ruth Stoelting and Bright Light Ministry share how to
have victory over tragedies. At fifteen, Stacie Ruth wrote Still
Holding Hands, depicting her grandparents’ romance, and
victory over Alzheimer’s. At twenty, she sang for President
Bush. Now she speaks, acts, sings, and writes books. Visit her
Web site at www.brightlightministry.com.
Aaron Swavely writes devotionals for the Upper Room. He
works full time as a courier in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He
and his wife, Amy, have been married for eighteen years and
have three children.
Ken Wales is a graduate of USC Cinema School, where he is an
adjunct professor. With credits on over fifty films including The
Tamarind Seed, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Island in the
Stream, and Wild Rovers, Wales was also the executive
producer of the beloved CBS series Christy. Most recently, he
produced the critically acclaimed feature film Amazing Grace,
the compelling story of William Wilberforce. Known for his
quest to further Christian values in Hollywood, Ken Wales is
also a sought-after speaker and author.
McNairWilson has lived his life in the visual and theatre arts —
and the church. As a Disney Imagineer he was on design teams
for five new Disney theme parks and numerous attractions and
resort experiences. He is a leading consultant in creative
problem solving and brainstorming, delivering keynote
addresses and workshops at professional conventions
worldwide. McNair’s most recent book is Raised in Captivity:
A Memoir of a Life Long Churchaholic. Visit his websites at
www.teawithmcnair.typepad.com and www.mcnairwilson.com.
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