Marit Welker: Why You Shouldn't Chase Your Prodigal Child

Debra Mcninch: A 5-Step Prayer Battle Plan for Parents of Prodigal Children

Debra McNinch is a wife, mom, speaker, first-time author, and the founder of the BATTLECRY Prayer Movement—a growing community of parents who are praying their prodigal children back home to Jesus. She loves photography, working on her photo farm, and sharing life with Steve, her husband of 34 years, two sweet puppies: Poppy the Berne Doodle and Dodger the Miniature Schnauzer. She is also the faithful feeder of Butters, the neighborhood stray cat. Debra’s favorite things are Jesus, coffee, cupcakes, and glitter (in that order!). She collects vintage junk, anything sparkly, and more Sharpies than one person needs. She takes pride in learning a new skill each year and gets through life by leaning on God’s Word—and a little humor. She especially loves when the two collide. Born and raised in Winfield, Kansas, home to Bluegrass and Burger Station, Debra has moved nine times to six different states. Each move brought her closer to God and connected her with lifelong friends. In Fall 2024, Debra released her first book with CrossRiver Media, sharing her family’s story and how it led to a powerful prayer movement for prodigals. She writes and speaks to encourage parents to keep praying and keep believing—because prodigals are coming home. https://www.debramcninch.com/ [https://www.debramcninch.com/]

Jody Hill: The Secret Superpower Every Parent Needs to Raise Confident Kids

Jody Hill is a bestselling author, speaker, parenting educator, and self-deemed parent sidekick. Jody Hill helps parents become the loudest and most positive voice in their child’s life by harnessing the power of their everyday words. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Parent’s Secret Superpower, which teaches parents how everyday language shapes identity, builds confidence, and raises resilient, capable kids. Free Superpower Strategy & Top Confidence Boosters & Busters: https://podcast.itsjodyhill.com [https://podcast.itsjodyhill.com/] Find Jody on Instagram: instagram.com/jodyhillparenting [https://instagram.com/jodyhillparenting]

Michael Cooper: The True Healing Power of Listening as a Corporate Chaplain

I am the adopted son of George and Mary Cooper, who was fortunate to be raised in a stable and loving home during my formative years of life. My parents also adopted my middle sister, Michelle, as in infant when I was about three years old. Since my mother was told that she would never have children of her own my parents thought their family was complete. A little over a year later my youngest sister, Tina, was born. Our father was a man who demonstrated and sought to instill a strong work ethic in each of our lives. During my high school years, it became clear to me that God had something for my life that was different than what I had planned. It was through the guidance and encouragement of my pastor and other trusted leaders that I surrendered to a call to ministry and following high school began my studies at a Baptist University in my home state. It was during my senior year of high school that I began dating the woman who has been my wife for the past 38 years. Debbie and I are blessed with two daughters. The oldest, Savannah, is married and living with her husband in Hagerstown. Our youngest Olivia, is at home with us while she is working a part-time job and attending the University of Maryland’s global campus. While I have been fortunate to serve in ministry for the past 38 years, I rediscovered chaplaincy and served as a chaplain intern at Frederick Health as I was enrolled in their CPE program. In 2021 I became a board-certified chaplain through CPSP and over the last few years have been prayerfully seeking the opportunity to expand the ministry that God has given me through chaplaincy. Some of the struggles and challenges that our family has faced over the past few decades has prepared me for the joys and difficulties of walking with people through their own lives. It is my hope that I can continue to engage and journey with others as they seek to discover their path in life.

Douglas Schofield: Why We Must Ask the Right Questions About Human Suffering

I was brought up in a Christian home, the youngest of four children until I was 14 when my parents had another child. She was born with multiple medical issues and spent the first 17 months of her life in hospital. Physically weak, unable to speak or walk, she had a delightful personality. She died at 4 when my parents took their first weekend away after she came home. God spared them being present for that trauma. I came to faith early in my pre-teens. My church was small but loving and committed to its youth. Our leaders, especially pastors, were biblically educated and committed to teaching the Scriptures, rather than their own opinions. Several of them were important mentors to me in my teens, twenties, and thirties. My parents’ generation made room for us in the church. The put up with our noise, our music, our overconfidence because they cared about our spiritual growth. Even with these advantages my faith was challenged by the Creation and Evolution debate, to the point that I refused to read the Old Testament for much of my teen years. Fortunately, I had a strong experience of Christ’s love and forgiveness, as well as a dynamic peer group in the Church. Only when I began to teach and found myself teaching Evolution in an Ancient History course, was I forced to confront the issue. Research lead to the development of a teaching unit on ‘Comparative Origins’ that I taught in a public school for the next 20 years. That also sparked my interest in apologetics. I remained active in leadership in the church, married a Christian girl between degrees at university, enjoy largely Christian friends and neighbours, traveled, built a house and began a family. Plus, I loved my career - teaching high school history students in a small school in rural Nova Scotia, Canada. After a 33-year career in education, I was able to focus more time on the historical evidence for Christianity and have written several books on the subject; ‘Examining Jesus: Lessons on the Historical Evidence for Jesus’, ‘Faith Building Evidence’ and ‘Frustrated with Faith’. Recently I have been writing short eBooks and creating related digital products, like tools for Christian parents to enhance family devotions and how to apply apologetics to teens tough faith question. Also, after my career in teaching and school administration ended, Kathleen and I began an apartment rental business at a local university. We thought it would allow us to travel - which it did, and help out our adult children - which we did, but I think God knew we would need extra financial resources when our oldest son had a traumatic vehicle accident in Thailand, where he had just gone to teach. That accident and the resulting multiple physical injuries and his traumatic brain injury (TBI) has defined much of our lives for the last 13 years. My writing was partly a bit of a release from the difficulty of dealing with his situation and partly a way I could minister to others and still be home. The first 5 years were hard for all of us, but God has allowed him to heal more than we ever anticipated. He still needs a lot of support, but he is back substitute teaching and that is a small miracle. Links website: www.faithbuildingevidence.com [http://www.faithbuildingevidence.com/] LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-schofield-63748b291/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-schofield-63748b291/] Personal FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009471635555 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009471635555] FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/FBEMinistries/ [https://www.facebook.com/FBEMinistries/]

Dr. James Torkildson: The Miraculous "God Visit" That Saved a 10-Year-Old

Dr. James Torkildson (known by many as "Dr. T") is a Clinical Psychologist, Speaker, Author, Professor, Podcast Host and Faith Leader with over 40 years of experience serving various behavioral health organizations, and faith communities. He is a seasoned Behavioral Health Professional and a cultural voice rooted in Scripture with decades of clinical and spiritual leadership. His work weaves human behavior, faith, and cultural awareness into tools that help people live anchored, intentional, and spiritually awake lives. The journey for Dr. T began on a cold winter evening in Mannheim Germany with a life changing encounter with the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings! You can read about this in 'AWAKEN' by Dr. James Torkildson. drtconsulting.org