Loni McGackin: Making a Wild Phone Call to a Prison Just to Step Out on Faith

Karen Prior: Using a Sand Hourglass to Disconnect in a Crazy Modern World

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., is the 2025-26 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary. She is a reader, writer, and speaker., she is the author of You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos 2025); The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos 2023); On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos 2018); Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist (Thomas Nelson 2014); and Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (T. S. Poetry Press 2012). She is co-editor of Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues (Zondervan 2019) and has contributed to numerous other books. She is a contributing writer at The Dispatch and has a monthly column for Religion News Service. Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, Think Christian, The Gospel Coalition, and various other places. She hosted the podcast Jane and Jesus. She is a research fellow at Comment and a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum. She and her husband live on a 100-year-old homestead in central Virginia with dogs, chickens, and lots of books. karenswallowprior.com [http://karenswallowprior.com/]

Loni McGackin: Making a Wild Phone Call to a Prison Just to Step Out on Faith

Born and raised on St. Croix, Virgin Islands 🇻🇮 Mom to one amazing son, Elijah, who is now 20 and learning how to be an auto mechanic Masters degree in holistic nutrition Certified personal trainer for ten years Now working as a nationally registered EMT in Seattle, WA I gave my life to Jesus in the fall of 2022 in a small country town of Louisiana where I was living at the time. It happened spontaneously and organically while getting ready for the day. But God had been knocking on my door for a looooong time before that. I finally answered His call and God has turned my world upside down in the best ways. This part below is not part of my bio but just a little more backstory for your information. After I gave my life to Jesus, I immediately stopped practicing and teaching yoga. I threw away all books, clothing, items associated with yoga and new age practices. God cleaned up my language and I stopped swearing like a sailor. I started reading the Bible and found an amazing church where I got baptized in March 2023. In July 2024, I drove cross country by myself to Washington state to follow the Lord’s command and pursue women’s ministry. On day two of my new life in WA, God showed me three times that He wanted me to volunteer at a women’s prison. From there, things happened quickly and I started as a volunteer with Prison Fellowship, a Christian organization dedicated to sharing the gospel with the incarcerated and helping their families. Life sure was a roller coaster the first year and a half here in WA, and I started to question if I had heard God incorrectly. I lost my job, housing, had very little money, and was all alone. But God provided for me every step of the way and just when I was about to give in and give up to my doubts and fears (my mom suggested I move back home to St. Croix for a bit), God stepped in to show that He wanted me to stay here in WA and changed all of my circumstances swiftly. I found a wonderful job at a private ambulance company in Seattle and have been working there since July, sharing the gospel and praying with patients and coworkers. I moved into a temporary home with a lovely couple until I could get back on feet and then earned enough money to find my own place in Seattle. God has been too gracious; He is far better to me than I deserve. And now, I have the opportunity to share to a wider audience all the amazing things He has done and continues to do. And it’s all because of who God is, His goodness and love.

Heather Justice: Why Setting Boundaries Does Not Make You a Mean Person

Heather is a published author, speaker, Host of Between the Now and the Next Podcast, and survivor of abuse. She is passionate about encouraging women to set healthy, Godly boundaries and ushering them into understanding and owning their identity in Christ! She wants all women to know that they are loved and highly favored by our Heavenly Father! She resides in Florida with her two "dog"ters Zoey and Gia.You can connect with her on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/heathernjustice/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@heathernjustice]. and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/hnjustice]. You can watch her podcast, Between the Now and the Next on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hnjustice] and you may purchase her book on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4czCJAE].

Sr. Sarah Waterman: Finding Life in the Silence and Staying Focused on God

Sister Sarah-Marie Waterman, O.Carm is a religious sister with the Corpus Christi Carmelite Sisters and joined the Congregation in January 2007. Sr. Sarah has a deep love for the rich history of the Carmelite Order, especially since the Order is unique in not having a founder but was founded out of a group of pilgrim hermits in Mount Carmel, Palestine. Sr. Sarah (as she is best known) made her perpetual profession (lifelong commitment) as a Carmelite sister in November 2018. She is originally from Piparo and considers herself a thorough country girl with a strong family connection with parang. She is the second of 3 children born to her parents Peter and Judy. She loves outdoor activities especially hiking and has a great love for food a trait inherited from her large family and their many many family cook out in Piparo. Her famous words “People who love to eat are the best people.” Sr. Sarah loves being a Religious Sister and has a deep passion for vocation ministry, having ministered in Special Education specifically Computer Literacy. She has been involved in parish ministry from First Communion to Confirmation and ministering to youths via talks and retreats and currently working with formation for young adults interested in the religious life. She has done Mission work in Guyana and presently ministers at the Christ Child Convalescent Home, Principal of Corpus Christi College, which involves Mt. Carmel Kindergarten and Montessori as well as Mt. Carmel Day Care and Nursery in Diego Martin. Sr. Sarah is energized by service, a hallmark of her Congregation. She has completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership with the University of Dayton and presently pursuing her Diploma in Educational Administration at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. My ultimate goal in life is doing whatever God asks of me.

Chasity Henderson: Living in a Truck for 3 Years to Pursue a Modern "Paul Experience"

Chasity Latrice is a Bible teacher and the voice behind Free His Gospel, a platform dedicated to exposing the lies that have been spoken to the body of Christ. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, she is committed to faithfully teaching the Word of God without compromise or added tradition. Chasity is a firm believer in teaching the text and is passionate about calling the body of Christ back to a clear, Scripture-centered understanding. She emphasizes discernment and challenges teachings that go beyond what is written. She has devoted her life fully to the Lord, living in celibacy and pursuing a life of obedience and service as she continues to teach, speak, and engage audiences through various platforms. Chasity Henderson Speaker & Content Creator Email: bookingchasity@email.com [bookingchasity@email.com] https://www.facebook.com/iamchasitylatrice [https://www.facebook.com/iamchasitylatrice]