Steve is a natural leader, from serving as a youth pastor in his college years, to joining the U.S. Army and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, to serving for a decade in both the Oklahoma State Senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives after returning to civilian life. Prior to serving as JAARS president, Steve served as executive pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. There he provided counsel to the lead pastor, oversaw the staff of the 1,250-member church, and implemented churchwide ministries.

Steve’s faith journey began when he became a Christ follower at age 13. He believes that sensing the call to preach in high school and the call to military service are aspects of his faith journey that give him a strong, personal understanding of the power of Scripture in one’s own language. Steve and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 35 years and have five adult children, three of whom are siblings they adopted from a Hungarian orphanage.

When U.S. forces exterminated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 1, 2011, the world witnessed a brilliantly fruitful example of history repeating itself; less than a decade earlier, the capture of Saddam Hussein, a triumph of military strategy in and of itself, opened the door for the more recent and essential victory in the War on Terror.

At the center of the six-month manhunt were Lt. Col. Steve Russell and his men of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. With his extensive journal notes, combat reports, and painstaking research, Russell has preserved the story as only someone who lived the experience can do. His narrative chronicles the daily successes and dead ends, and describes, blow-by-blow, the actual raids that netted Saddam, culminating in the electrifying quote heard around the globe, “We Got Him!”

Bishop Joseph L. Coffey, son of the late Dr. William F. X Coffey, M.D., and Roseanita Schubert Coffey, was born in Rochester, MN, on May 31, 1960. He is the fifth of nine children and the proud uncle of 46 nieces and nephews and 12 great nieces and nephews. He was raised in Philadelphia and is a life-long fan of all the Philly sports teams.

Bishop Coffey graduated from La Salle University in 1982 with a double major in English/French which included a year of study at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. After college, Bishop Coffey worked as a grade school teacher, a ski instructor in Switzerland, and in the automobile industry in Germany and Belgium for five years.

Heeding a call to the priesthood, he attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree (MDiv) and was ordained in 1996 by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua. He earned a Master of Arts (MA) in Moral Theology, also from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2000.

While still in seminary, Father Coffey was given permission by Cardinal Bevilacqua to enter the U.S. Navy Chaplain Candidate Program in May of 1992 with the rank of Ensign. He stayed in the Navy Reserve for the next nine years.

Following ordination in 1996, Bishop Coffey was assigned as an Associate Pastor to St. Katherine of Siena parish in Philadelphia, PA. After five years in parish ministry, he was given permission by Cardinal Bevilacqua for full-time active duty as a Navy Chaplain in September of 2001.

Bishop Coffey’s duty assignments have included: Combat Assault Battalion, Okinawa, Japan; Division Officer and Command Chaplain on board USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73), homeported in Norfolk, VA, with a 6 month deployment to the Arabian Gulf; Command Chaplain at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, NJ; Marine Air Group 39, Camp Pendleton, CA, an assignment that included a seven- month month deployment to Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Provence, Afghanistan; U.S. Navy Recruiting Command, St. Louis, MO; Command Chaplain on USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76), home ported in Yokosuka, Japan, with a six-month deployment to the South Pacific Ocean; and his final assignment as Assistant Chief of Staff for Religious Ministry, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA.

Bishop Coffey’s military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal with 2 gold stars, the Navy Achievement Medal with 2 gold stars, the Navy Sea Service Medal, the National Defense Medal, the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the NATO Service Medal, 3 Battle E Ribbons.

Voddie Baucham wears many hats. He is a husband, father, former pastor, author, professor, conference speaker, and church planter. He currently serves as Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia.

Voddie makes the Bible clear and demonstrates the relevance of God’s word to everyday life. However, he does so without compromising the centrality of Christ and the gospel. Those who hear him preach find themselves both challenged and encouraged.

Voddie’s area of emphasis is Cultural Apologetics. Whether teaching on classical apologetic issues like the validity and historicity of the Bible, or the resurrection of Christ; or teaching on biblical manhood/womanhood, marriage and family, he helps ordinary people understand the significance of thinking and living biblically in every area of life.

It is impossible to understand Voddie’s approach to the Bible without first understanding the path he has walked. Raised in a non-Christian, single-parent home, Voddie did not hear the gospel until he was in college. His journey to faith was a very unusual and intellectual one. Consequently, he understands what it means to be a sceptic, and knows what its like to try to figure out the Christian life without relying on the traditions of men. As a result, he speaks to “outsiders” in ways few Bible teachers can.

Dr. Baucham holds degrees from Houston Baptist University (BA in Christianity/BA in Sociology), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Div.), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.), an honorary degree from Southern California Seminary (D.D.), and additional post-graduate study at the University of Oxford, England (Regent’s Park College).

Voddie and his wife Bridget have been married since 1989. They have nine children: Jasmine, Trey (Voddie III), Elijah, Asher, Judah, Micah, Safya, Amos and Simeon. The Baucham’s are committed home-educators.

Away from the pulpit and classroom, Voddie is also a voice actor, lending his voice to films like George Washington Carver: An Uncommon Way, and the 2017 national theatrical release, Genesis: Paradice Lost, and an accomplished Martial Artist. He took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2012 as an avenue of self-defence training, personal fitness, and outreach. However, he began competing and found both a passion and a talent. He has won numerous tournaments and titles, including winning the 2014 Pan American Championship in his division.

James C. Denison, Ph.D., is a subject matter expert on cultural and contemporary issues. In 2009, he founded the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, a nonsectarian "think tank" designed to equip Christians spiritually and intellectually to change their culture for the Kingdom. Each weekday, Dr. Denison's Cultural Commentary provides biblical perspective on the day's new for over 115,000 subscribers in 203 countries. Coupled with his responsibilities at the Forum, Dr. Denison also serves as the Resident Scholar of Ethics for the Baylor Scott & White health system.

Prior to founding DFTC, Dr. Denison was pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church, a 10,000-member congregation in Dallas, Texas. He also pastored churches in Midland and Mansfield, Texas, and in Atlanta, Georgia. He taught philosophy and theology for 25 years with four seminaries and currently teaches Ph.D. seminars for Dallas Baptist University.

To subscribe to his daily email, click here.

On June 27, 2003, Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.) was elected the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He began working in the Senate on July 7, 2003. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Chaplain Black served in the U.S. Navy for over twenty-seven years, ending his distinguished career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains. The Senate elected its first chaplain in 1789.

Commissioned as a Navy Chaplain in 1976, Chaplain Black’s first duty station was the Fleet Religious Support Activity in Norfolk, Virginia. Subsequent assignments include Naval Support Activity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland; First Marine Aircraft Wing, Okinawa, Japan; Naval Training Center, San Diego, California; USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA 3) Long Beach, California; Naval Chaplains School Advanced Course, Newport, Rhode Island; Marine Aircraft Group THIRTY-ONE, Beaufort, South Carolina; Assistant Staff Chaplain, Chief of Naval Education and Training, Pensacola, Florida; and Fleet Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia.

As Rear Admiral, his personal decorations included the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two medals), Meritorious Service Medals (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals (two awards), and numerous unit awards, campaign, and service medals.

Chaplain Black is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and an alumnus of Oakwood College, Andrews University, North Carolina Central University, Eastern Baptist Seminary, Salve Regina University, and United States International University. In addition to earning Master of Arts degrees in Divinity, Counseling, and Management, he has received a Doctorate degree in Ministry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology.

Chaplain Black has been selected for many outstanding achievements. Of particular note, he was chosen from 127 nominees for the 1995 NAACP Renowned Service Award for his contribution to equal opportunity and civil rights. He also received the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award from The Morehouse School of Religion.  In 2004, the Old Dominion University chapter of the NAACP conferred on him the Image Award, "Reaffirming the Dream -- Realizing the Vision" for military excellence.

Chaplain Barry C. Black is married to the former Brenda Pearsall of St. Petersburg, Florida. They have three sons: Barry II, Brendan, and Bradford.

Kenneth Boa is engaged in a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking.  He holds a B.S. from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England.

Dr. Boa is the President of Reflections Ministries, an organization that seeks to encourage, teach, and equip people to know Christ, follow Him, become progressively conformed to His image, and reproduce His life in others.  He is also President of Trinity House Publishers, a publishing company that is dedicated to the creation of tools that will help people manifest eternal values in a temporal arena by drawing them to intimacy with God and a better understanding of the culture in which they live.

Recent publications by Dr. Boa include Conformed to His Image; 20 Compelling Evidences that God Exists; Face to Face; Augustine to Freud; Faith Has its Reasons; Handbook to Leadership; God, I Don’t Understand, and A Taste of the Classics. He is a contributing editor toThe Open Bibleand the consulting editor of theZondervan NASB Study Bible. 

Kenneth Boa also writes a free monthly teaching letter called Reflections.  If you would like to be on the mailing list, visit KenBoa.org or call (800) DRAW NEAR (800-372-9632). 

Reese Kauffman is the President of Child Evangelism Fellowship, an international, Bible-centered organization that is the largest evangelistic outreach to children in the world.  CEF has shared the gospel with over 220 million children in the last 80 years.  The organization is composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.  

Reese became President of CEF in 1989 and under his leadership CEF has grown from reaching 1 million boys and girls per year in less than 100 nations to millions of children around the world.  CEF has over 2,900 missionaries overseas, approximately 2,200 of whom are nationals. In the USA and Canada 700 full-time workers and an estimated 40,000 volunteers serve the ministry.

God has given Reese a passion for global evangelism and discipleship among children and his goal is to establish the culture of CEF and keep the ministry on point for future generations. Reese and his wife Linda have three grown children and live on Sanibel Island in Florida.

Pastor Fred Luter, Jr., the first African American President of the Southern Baptist Convention, is the Senior Pastor at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana.    

Fred Luter, Jr. began his ministerial journey on what he refers to as his “Damascus Road Experience.”  In 1977, a motorcycle accident seriously injured his body but ultimately saved his soul.  As a result of the accident, he made a conscious decision to surrender his life entirely to Christ.  Every Saturday, on the street corner of Galvez and Caffin Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward, Luter would preach the gospel to all who wanted to hear.   

In 1983, God elevated Luter and equipped him to preach his first sermon at the Law Street Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Years later, while preaching at the Greater Liberty Baptist Church, Luter learned of the opening at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and applied for the pastoral position.

In September of 1986, the small but faithful 65 members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church elected Fred Luter, Jr. as their pastor. This young street preacher from the Lower Ninth Ward was humbled and honored to serve this church as his first pastorate. This first time pastor committed himself to encourage the people by preaching, teaching, and living the Word of God. Dedicated to saving the family, Pastor Luter purposely sought unique ways to draw men to the church.  His belief has always been that if you save the man, the man would save his family.  The blessings in the next few years were truly the hand and grace of God upon his life.

By 1989, Pastor Luter had grown FABC to over 300 members.  By 1994, the church could no longer accommodate the crowd in their current building and Pastor Luter challenged his congregation to increase their tithes and offerings to build a larger sanctuary.  In March of 1997, God rewarded their faithfulness and Pastor Luter moved his growing membership into a 2,500 seat sanctuary.  By 2005, prior to Hurricane Katrina, Pastor Luter grew FABC to over 7,000 members.  Currently, FABC is still growing and Pastor Luter has a vision to build a 4,500 seat sanctuary through its Capital Campaign “Committed to Changing More Lives.”

Pastor Luter says Franklin Avenue’s mission statement is simple: To spiritually impact our families, neighborhoods, city and state by Exalting the Savior, Equipping the saints and Evangelizing the sinners.  Pastor Luter's strategy for congregational growth is embedded in his concept he calls "FRANgelism"—the acronym "FRAN" standing for friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors where he encourages his congregation to invite one of them to come to church with you.  

Pastor Luter’s passion for the people of God, commitment to his family and his love for God’s word led him to be unanimously elected as President of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest protestant organization in America, in June 2012.  Many have referred to him as a man after God’s own heart that is known for his humility and powerful, lively preaching style.  One of Pastor Luter’s famous sayings at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church is “It’s Not About the Pastor, It’s All About the Master” and that saying he has taken with him to the SBC.  When asked to say a few words after being elected, his response was simply “To God Be the Glory for the Things He Has Done.”  On June 11, 2013 Pastor Luter was unanimously elected for the Second time as President of the Southern Baptist Convention.  “All he could do was point toward heaven and thank God again, “To God Be The Glory for the Things He Has Done in His Life for a Second Time.”

Pastor Fred Luter, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 11, 1956.  He has been married to his “Prime Rib” Elizabeth Luter for 32 years.  They are the proud parents of one daughter Kimberly Luter- Terrell, one son Fred “Chip” Luter, III, son-in-law, Howard Terrell, daughter-in-law Jasmine Luter and grandparents of one grandson, Fred Luter, IVand one granddaughter, Zoe Grace Luter.

James C. Denison, Ph.D., is a subject matter expert on cultural and contemporary issues. In 2009, he founded the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, a nonsectarian "think tank" designed to equip Christians spiritually and intellectually to change their culture for the Kingdom.  Each weekday, Dr. Denison's Cultural Commentary provides biblical perspective on the day's new for over 115,000 subscribers in 203 countries. Coupled with his responsibilities at the Forum, Dr. Denison also serves as the Resident Scholar of Ethics for the Baylor Scott & White health system.

Prior to founding DFTC, Dr. Denison was pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church, a 10,000-member congregation in Dallas, Texas. He also pastored churches in Midland and Mansfield, Texas, and in Atlanta, Georgia. He taught philosophy and theology for 25 years with four seminaries and currently teaches Ph.D. seminars for Dallas Baptist University. 

To subscribe to his daily email, click here. 

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Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is the host of the number one rated weekend hit HUCKABEE on the Fox News Channel and Cumulus Media Networks’ syndicated radio program, The Mike Huckabee Show, heard on more than 175 stations. He’s also heard three times daily across the nation on The Huckabee Report syndicated on almost 600 stations, and has been the fastest growing new program on the Cumulus Media Network in recent years.

He is the author of 9 books, the most recent being "A Simple Government." This is his fourth book that has been on the New York Times Best Seller list joining "Do the Right Thing," "A Simple Christmas" and "Can't Wait Till Christmas." After his campaign for the Republican nomination for President in 2008, in which he finished second to John McCain, he formed HuckPac to assist Conservative Republicans running for office nationwide and has amassed a volunteer team with thousands of activists in all 50 states.

For more information visit www.mikehuckabee.com.

Bobby Bowden is known as much for his affable charm as he is for his championship teams. Having coached young men in seven decades, he became the second – winingest coach in major college football history.  Bowden guided Florida State University to more than 300 victories, two national championships, twelve Atlantic Coach Conference titles finishing in the top five in the country in 14 straight seasons, and led the Seminoles to Bowl Games in 28 consecutive seasons during his 34-year tenure. 

The patriarch of college football’s most famous coaching family, Bowden remains heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; annually awarding The National Bobby Bowden Award to a student-athlete for achievement on and off the field, including his conduct as a faith model in the community.  Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.  He and his wife of 61 years, Ann, live in Tallahassee, Florida.

Pilot Steve Scheibner was originally scheduled to fly American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade center on September 11, 2001.  

See more of his story, In My Seat.

Dave Dravecky’s story is one of hope, courage and perseverance in the midst of dark and overwhelming uncertainty. In 1988 Dave was at the top of his game and life. Not only did he have a wonderful family but he was reaching his all-star peak playing the game of his childhood dreams. His 5-1 opening day victory over the Dodgers was overshadowed later that fall by the discovery of cancer and the removal of half of the deltoid muscle in his pitching arm. For baseball fans worldwide Dave Dravecky etched his name into history on August 10, 1989. Defying all odds, after battling cancer in his pitching arm, Dave came back to pitch once again in the Major Leagues. People were on their feet cheering and anticipating the game while he stretched and warmed up. He became an inspiration not only to cancer fighters, but to all who needed hope that day.

Dave Dravecky’s story is one of hope, courage and perseverance in the midst of dark and overwhelming uncertainty. In 1988 Dave was at the top of his game and life. Not only did he have a wonderful family but he was reaching his all-star peak playing the game of his childhood dreams. His 5-1 opening day victory over the Dodgers was overshadowed later that fall by the discovery of cancer and the removal of half of the deltoid muscle in his pitching arm. For baseball fans worldwide Dave Dravecky etched his name into history on August 10, 1989. Defying all odds, after battling cancer in his pitching arm, Dave came back to pitch once again in the Major Leagues. People were on their feet cheering and anticipating the game while he stretched and warmed up. He became an inspiration not only to cancer fighters, but to all who needed hope that day.

For more information visit Dave's web site.

Carey Casey is Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering, joining the Center in March, 2006. Through his work across the country, Casey has earned a reputation as a dynamic communicator, especially on the topic of men being good fathers. He’s known as a compassionate ambassador, particularly within the American sports community. He is also author of the book, Championship Fathering (2009). 

Visit www.fathers.com for more information. 

Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War II where both his parents and grandparents were medical missionaries – his grandfather having had the privilege of treating the Empress Dowager, the Last Emperor and the Imperial family. A survivor of the terrible Henan famine of 1943, in which five million died in three months, including his two brothers, Os was a witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949 and the beginning of the reign of terror under Mao Tse Tung. He was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford.

Os has written or edited thirty books on a wide range of themes, including The American Hour, Time for Truth, The Call, Invitation to the Classics, Long Journey Home, Unspeakable, and A Case for Civility. His latest book is A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future, published by InterVarsity Press in August, 2012.

For more information on Os Guiness, osguinness.com.