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Redbud Writers
Redbud Writers Guild is an international community of Christian women who envision a vibrant and diverse movement of women who create in community and who influence culture and faith. Redbud members strive to change the world with words as we foster a safe sisterhood of creatives who thrive in a non-competitive, supportive community.
Ashley Hales is a writer, speaker, church planter’s wife and mother to 4. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her first book, Finding Holy in the Suburbs: Living Faithfully in the Land of Too Much, releases in October with InterVarsity Press. She’s written for Books & Culture, The Gospel Coalition, inTouch Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, (in)courage, and other places. Connect with Ashley at aahales.com, or on Instagram and Twitter.
Adriel Booker is an author, speaker, and advocate based in Sydney, Australia who believes storytelling, beauty, and the grace of God will change the world. She’s become a trusted voice in areas of motherhood and parenting, Christian spirituality, and global women’s issues. Adriel is also known for her work with the Love A Mama Collective—serving under-resourced women in developing nations through safe birth initiatives—as well as her years spent as a leadership coach and Bible teacher in YWAM, local churches, and conferences. Her latest book is Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss and she’s also released a free guide on how to journal through grief. Find Adriel across all social media platforms at @adrielbooker
Afton Rorvik has been a part of the publishing industry since 1987, editing a myriad of adult nonfiction books for the CBA market, while working with both first-time authors and best-selling authors. Her articles have appeared in Discipleship Journal, Guideposts, NAB Today, and Wheaton. Her book, Storm Sisters (Worthy Publishing), debuted in 2014.
Afton graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in literature as well as a teaching certificate in secondary education. She and her husband John are the parents of two adult children.
Alyson Pryor is a writer, speaker, Marriage and Family therapist, and mother of 5. She holds degrees in Psychology from both The University of Southern California and Fuller Theological Seminary. She most often covers topics at the intersection of faith and psychology including health, relationships, soul care, mentoring, parenting and crises of faith. Although she has a soft spot for MOPS, you can also find her speaking at conferences, retreats, church services and parenting seminars. She is currently writing a book about implementing the traditional Spiritual Disciplines in the modern family setting. Connect on Instagram @mypryorlife
Amanda Taylor lives and writes in Newnan Georgia just south of Atlanta. She makes her home with her husband and house of animals, college daughter and foster children. Amanda writes about life, faith and all the joy and mess that comes with that at TingleTaylor. She loves to share her messy stories in hopes that others will find joy, affirmation and hope in reading them. During the day she teaches art to 500+ wild elementary school children! You can find her writing over at SheLoves Magazine,The Mudroom and A Voice In The Noise. She welcomes everyone to join her life over at Instagram Twitter and Facebook
Dr. Amy F. Davis Abdallah loves walking the journey of authentic Christian life with others. She takes special interest in the development and needs of women of any ethnicity, age, vocation, or status, and just published her first book, The Book of Womanhood (Cascade, 2015). Amy passionately fulfills the roles of professor, wife, writer, speaker, mentor, mother, and whatever else life presents. In her free time, she enjoys exercise, photography, climbing mountains, travel, adventuring with her husband and son, learning languages, and the creative arts. Follow her on Facebook and on twitter @amyfdavisa
Amy is a writer, speaker, editor, and activist. She is passionate about men and women reclaiming their truest, best selves, rooted in Jesus, reflected in life together (Gen. 5: 1-2, Gal. 3:28). She is a contributor to Strengthening Families and Ending Abuse, Churches and Their Leaders Look to the Future (Wipf and Stock, 2013) including the chapters: “A Woman After God’s Own Heart, the Legacy of Catherine Clark Kroeger” and “Messiah Meets A Woman.” Amy writes for RELEVANT, Mutuality, PRISM, SheLoves.com, Shared Justice, and Catapult. As an editor of SheLoves.com, Amy founded the Stop the Silence Initiative (2014). The project provides a platform for stories of victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, calling for Christian communities to respond with the presence of Jesus. Amy completed a Master of Divinity (theology and women studies) from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. She serves on the board of Life Together International, empowering church leaders to build strong communities in Uganda and the US.
Angie Ryg is an international speaker who desires to encourage women to find joy in the little things and their beauty and worth in Christ. She’s a Bible teacher and storyteller, drawing women deeper into Scripture and applying God’s amazing rescue story into our everyday moments. She loves to connect with women at MOPS gatherings, conferences, retreats, and over her farm table with some refreshing sweet tea. She is the author of Clutter Free Simplicity, and writes for Family Matters, Whatever Girls, and Raising Generations Today. Married to her childhood sweetheart and mama to one princess and three princes, Angie desires to create a life where laughter and love co-exist with her many loads of laundry.
Ann lives and writes west of Chicago with her husband and daughter, where she teaches college writing courses. She has written for multiple publications and anthologies, including Today’s Christian Woman, (In)courage, Darling Magazine, and Relevant Magazine online. Ann is passionate about seeing others set ablaze with the love of Christ, and she writes and speaks to groups about freedom from comparison, freedom from fear, trusting God enough to rest, trusting God with material possessions, and the power of a Christ-centered marriage. She can be contacted for writing opportunities or speaking engagements through email at Ann.Swindell@gmail.com.
April Yamasaki is the lead pastor of a mid-size, multi-staff church, and the author of Sharing Faith Stories; Christ is For Us: A Lenten Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary; Spark: Igniting Your God-Given Creativity; Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for Personal Renewal; and other books on Christian living. Her main website is Writing and Other Acts of Faith, which features articles on practical spirituality like finding a healthy rhythm of work and rest, and how to pray on difficult days. Her second website is When You Work for the Church: the good, the bad, and the ugly, and how we can all do better, with a focus on improving employment practices in churches and other Christian organizations. Find her on Facebook or Twitter @SacredPauses. Websites:http://aprilyamasaki.com http://whenyouworkforthechurch.com
Arlisia Potter is a writer at heart; starting at a young age, her imagination has taken her through the journeys of poetry, short stories, and, in recent years, to her own blog, Lisi’s Place. She uses her writing to share God’s love, to encourage and inspire others, and to share her Christian journey. A native Floridian, she can be found on the beaches, or on a vacation whenever possible. Her work has been published on Black America Web and in various contributions at her church. Arlisia is a graduate of The University of Central Florida, in addition to the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. These days, you can find Arlisia working on her first novel. Connect on Twitter @LisiP31
Aubrey Sampson is the author of The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament (NavPress/Tyndale, 2015) and Overcomer: Breaking Down the Walls of Shame and Rebuilding Your Soul (Zondervan, 2015). She and her husband and three sons are church planters in the Chicago area, where Aubrey serves on the preaching team and leads discipleship and equipping. As a writer and speaker, Aubrey offers incredible perspective in the midst of trying experiences. She is also a regular contributor to Propel Women and is part of the Propel Cohort at Wheaton College. Find and follow Aubrey @aubsamp and www.aubreysampson.com.
BETH BRUNO, author of A VOICE BECOMING: A Yearlong Mother-Daughter Journey into Passionate, Purposed Living(Faithwords; January 2018) traded the Blue Ridge for the Rocky Mountains after two decades in mega cities. Upon graduating from Northwestern University in Chicago, she and her husband moved to Istanbul, where they led campus teams with Cru. Ten years later they moved to Seattle where Beth received an MA in International Community Development and launched a nonprofit aimed at preventing domestic minor sex trafficking. Beth regularly speaks and trains around the topics of trafficked youth and knowing your story, and writes for various publications including Relevant, Mudroom Blog, and Red Tent Living.
Lee Wolfe Blum was once an aspiring actress hoping to make it to Broadway, many twists and turns led her down a different path and now she helps women develop a hunger for life with her speaking, writing and work as a Mental Health Practitioner. Her first book, Table in the Darkness: A Healing Journey Through an Eating Disorder was published in 2013 by InterVarsity Press. Her second book is called Brave and was published by David C. Cook. When Lee isn’t speaking, writing or sharing her message of hope and encouragement, she is trying to manage the day-to-day life of the, “Frat house”, with three boys and one fun and supportive husband in Minnesota. www.leewolfeblum.com @BlumLee https://www.facebook.com/LeeBlumAuthor/?ref=bookmarks
Bobbie Schaeperkoetter
Bronwyn Lea is a South African who has found a home in Northern California, where she is an author, bible teacher, and heads up an online wisdom-for-women ministry resource called Propel Sophia. Find out more about her speaking, ministry, and forthcoming book on healthy relationships in the church on her website.
Carlene Hill Byron’s writing has appeared in marketing materials on 5 continents, as well as in US newspapers and magazines. For a dozen years, she served Christian nonprofits, including as editor of New England Church Life and The New England Christian. She lives with bipolar disorder, which means people call her “persevering” and “inspiring” just because she shows up. Find her at Carlene Byron, My House has History, Church and Mental Illness and Christian Purpose Blog.
Carolyn Miller Parr has a passion for peacemaking with families, churches, nonprofits, and businesses. A former judge, she now helps clients resolve problems without going to court. She co-authored husband Jerry’s memoir, “In The Secret Service” (Tyndale). A new book (working title: Love’s Way: How Families Can Live in Peace as Parents Age) is due out in January 2019. She’s a founding member of Joseph’s House (a hospice for homeless men), Mediators Beyond Borders, and The Servant Leadership School in DC. Writing has appeared in USA Today, Ready Magazine, Faith Happenings, Age in Place, and Redbud Post.
Carrie Morris is a writer, speaker, and psychotherapist living in California’s Wine Country with two plump dogs and one skinny cat. Most days are spent trying to figure out how to do the working professional, recently widowed, newly single mother life. But amidst these challenges, she sits back and watches God transform her experiences into something beautiful. She writes and speaks about living authentically and healing in the midst of crisis, transition, and grief. She’s working on a memoir of God’s persistent presence and what she learned about love, loss, and life when her husband went missing in the wilderness.
Catherine McNiel is a seeker who writes to open eyes to the creative and redemptive work of God in each moment. She is the author of “Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline” (NavPress 2017), and her writing has appeared in numerous books and articles. Catherine serves alongside her husband in a community-based ministry, while caring for three kids, two jobs, and one enormous garden. Connect with Catherine at catherinemcniel.com or on Twitter @catherinemcniel
Charity Singleton Craig is an author, novelist, journalist, essayist, or more simply … in all ways a writer. Through essays, articles, novels, and books, she tells stories of faith, hope, and love. She is the author My Year in Words: what I learned from choosing one word a week for one year and coauthor of On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life That Lasts. Her work is regularly published at In Touch Magazine and Edible Indy, and she’s also been published at Tweetspeak Poetry, Discipleship Journal, The Write Life, Grubstreet Daily, Curator Magazine, Christianity Today Women, and others. She previously served as a Content and Copy Editor at the High Calling. In 2013, Charity began leading writing workshops, and after the publication of On Being a Writer in 2014, she has regularly taught workshops and classes on the writing life and craft, both online and in person. In 2017, she was awarded an Arts in the Parks and Historic Places grant by the Indiana Arts Commission and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to lead a writing program at McCormick’s Creek State Park called “Writing in Place,” which resulted in a chapbook, which Charity contributed to and edited. Her forthcoming book of essays will be published in Spring 2018 through T.S. Poetry Press.
Christine Litavsky is the author of Glimpsing Grace in Ordinary Days (CrossLink, 2013) and loves speaking about how God reveals himself in everyday events. Her work has been featured in American Family Magazine, Glancer Magazine, and Christianbiblestudies.com. Aside from writing, her passion includes caring for and ministering to the elderly, especially those struggling with memory decline. Christine has been married for 24 years and is the mother of three children and two dogs.
Debbie Harris is a poet, counselor, performer, Bible student, and passionate follower of Jesus Christ. She is the author of two poetry books, Which Church Am I? and 365 Christ Centered Contemplative Poems: Exalting Jesus Christ Name Above All Names available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles as an e-book and as a paperback . She has been featured on various blogs such as Life Letter Café as a regular contributor and featured in Southern Writers Magazine several times. She is a member of Redbud Writers Guild, Author’s Guild, and a member of the American Academy of Poets. Her passion is to further the kingdom of Jesus Christ through Christian poetry. Please drop by and follow her on Twitter @debbieharris1 or join her on her daily blog.
Diane began writing as a teenager, after the tragic death of a young person she knew. At fourteen, her testimony was included in a religious publication. She wrote stories and creative non-fiction for publication, articles, and children’s stories for a local newspaper while at college. With years of mothering and homeschooling past her, Diane has time for more writing pursuits. With encouragement from her daughters she began writing a nature and photography blog in 2011. She is currently editing her first book.
Dorothy spends her days working as a writer, photographer, journalist, and pastor. She is passionate about leading others in reconciliation and transformation. Dorothy is a featured contributor for Today’s Christian Woman, Gifted for Leadership, and Start Marriage Right. Represented by Credo, Dorothy’s first book (on marriage, currently titled Beautiful Change) will be published by David C. Cook in January, 2017.
Elizabeth is a story-lover helping other women learn, live, and love in God’s story of grace. She blogs weekly about living the gospel in the nitty gritty of daily life, and is currently writing a devotional for people in a health crisis. She blogs, coaches, and teaches women as they seek to discover and live faith, hope and love in everyday life. She says, “I’m a full-time wife of my husband of 33 years, an empty nest mom of four young adults who thankfully visit often, and the constant companion of our 3-year-old golden-doodle, Rosie the wonder-dog.”
Emily Gibson
I’m a wife, mother, farmer and family physician, living the rural life in northwest Washington state. I’ve been chronicling life on the farm for over a decade, with an emphasis on raising our family in faithful stewardship to our God and to the land we call home for the time being. My Barnstorming blog reflects that covenant, through words and photography. My writing is a mix of stories, personal essays, memoir, poetry, reflections, and meditations, some of which have now been published in Country Magazine by Reiman Publications/Readers Digest, in addition to regular medical opinion essays onKevinMD.com and as a guest writer for Her.menuetics. I have a published essay in an anthology called The Jane Effect: Celebrating Jane Goodall, to be released February 2015, recounting my first meeting with Jane.
Gina Butz has served in full time Christian ministry for over 20 years. Most of those years were spent with her husband overseas, where their two children were born. During that time, God started her on a journey toward being wholehearted-a woman willing to own her story and share it with others. She is passionate about coming alongside others and helping them do the same. She has been blogging for over 10 years and has been published in several print magazines as well as online at places like The Mudroom, Velvet Ashes, and Connection. She also enjoys speaking at women’s events and retreats. She currently blogs at www.ginabutz.com and is writing a book on navigating transition well. She lives in Orlando, Florida, with her family, and works in Global Leadership for Cru. You can find her on twitter and instagram @gina_butz
Heather Walker Peterson, Ph.D., is a mother of two remarkably different daughters. She contributes to the Pray Channel of humanepursuits.com and can be found @languageNfaith on Twitter and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/CelticXianity/. Her pieces have been published at The Curator and Patheos.com. She’s drawn to write vulnerably about spiritual rhythms, motherhood, aesthetic experience, and hope-filled theology woven around a theme of grace.
Heather Creekmore spent decades on the treadmill–chasing beauty and perfecting her image. Now, through her writing and speaking, Heather’s passion is to help women find freedom from the pressure to achieve a certain look and help them find their true purpose in this life. Though Heather’s blog, Compared to Who? may break some grammar rules, it doesn’t hide the realities of poor body image, comparison, and eating disorder issues that so many women face. Heather holds a B.A. in Speech Communication and a M.A. in Public Policy and spent thirteen years running political campaigns and raising money for non-profit causes. She’s wife to Eric, to a Marine fighter pilot turned pastor-church planter, and mom to four young children whom she home schools (though she doesn’t own a single denim jumper!). Originally a black pants wearing East Coast girl, Heather and her family now reside in the land of big earrings and bejeweled denim–Dallas, Texas. Connect with Heather on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or through her blog. www.ComparedToWho.me
Currently living in Oaxaca’s Central Valley, Ilona has lived in various parts of Mexico with her family for the past 18 years as cross-cultural missionaries. A true polyglot, she speaks English, Spanish, Hungarian (her first language), and understands enough German to know what her in-laws are saying. Her articles have appeared in Gifted for Leadership, Tortilla Press, and Thrive! Magazine. An award-winning photographer, she brings both calling and creativity together at www.ikhadinger.com.
Janna Northrup loves to write about heartfelt issues of soul care and self care. She has worked in ministry in various capacities for most of her adult life. She has written for various blogs and a local magazine. Currently, she is busy writing a memoir. You can follow her on Twitter @jjnorthr
Jen Pollock Michel is the author of Teach Us to Want and Keeping Place. She writes widely for print and digital publications and travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats. Jen holds a B.A. in French from Wheaton College and an M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University. She is married to Ryan, and they have five school-age children. Their family attends Grace Toronto Church (Canada). You can follow Jen on Twitter @jenpmichel.
Jennie Cesario lives and writes in Long Island, New York, where she shares a home with her husband and their college-age twins. She enjoys exploring connections in life and literature and illumining both in the searchlight of faith. Although trained in journalism, her writerly personality tends toward an intimate voice and a lyrical style, and she returns repeatedly to themes of empathy, transcendence, and vulnerability in her work. She has recently been published at Ginosko Literary Journal and fathommag.com. Roam her blog archives and follow her on Twitter @jenniecesario
Jenny McGill (Ph.D., King’s College London) works in higher education and intercultural affairs, currently serving as a university dean and teaching courses on culture, mission, and research methods. A Fulbright award recipient, she writes nonfiction for various magazines and academic journals. Her books include Religious Identity and Cultural Negotiation, The Self Examined, and Walk with Me: Learning to Love and Follow Jesus. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
Jen Wise
Jen is happy to spend most days rotating between friends, family, writing, cooking, and her neighborhood yoga studio. She is currently in the process of publishing her first book, due January ‘19. Jen holds an MA in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She lives in Philadelphia’s Main Line neighborhoods with her husband, Jon, and their two sons, Ellington and Breckin. Connect with her on Twitter @jenlwise, Instagram @jenlwise, Facebook @restorationliving, and on her blog.
JoHannah Reardon
JoHannah Reardon managed Christianity Today’s Bible study site for eight years. Besides writing numerous novels, two family devotional guides, and an adult meditation, she has written content for the Couples’ Devotional Bible and the Everyday Matters Bible. For fun, she likes to read and write (and take long walks)! She also loves teasing her husband, annoying her children, and playing with her grandkids. She is married to Brad, who was a pastor for 27 years. He now trains pastors in developing countries and is her hero!
Judy Douglass is a writer, editor, speaker, encourager. She partners with her husband, Steve, to lead Campus Crusade for Christ globally. She writes at www.judydouglass.com. You can find her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JeedooDouglass) and follow her on Twitter @jeedoo417. Her most recent book is Letters to My Children: Secrets of Success (http://www.judydouglass.com/books-by-judy/)
Julia Roller is an author, editor, and speaker. Her books include Mom Seeks God, A Year with God (with Richard J. Foster), 25 Books Every Christian Should Read, A Year with Aslan, Connecting with God, Learning from Jesus, and Prayer and Worship. Julia has a master’s of journalism from the University of California Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and a master’s of theological studies from the Pacific School of Religion. She speaks often to moms’ groups about meeting God in the everyday. She lives in San Diego, CA with her husband, three children and miniature dachshund named Jane Austen. Connect with Julia on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JuliaLRoller, Twitter @julialroller, and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/juliaroller/.
Julie Kloster is a Christian freelance writer and speaker from Sycamore, Illinois who uses God’s Word, along with compassion and a warm sense of humor, to speak truth into the lives of her audiences. She has written Leaping the Wall: Practical Ways to Empower Faith During Difficult Times. She has also written a Bible study called The Eternal Truths of Narnia.
Kendra Dahl is a writer and photographer living in the San Diego area, where she’s slowly pursuing her Masters in Biblical Studies from Westminster Seminary California. Her work has been featured in CT Women, The Gospel Coalition, and Gospel Taboo, where she’s also an editor. Having experienced her own struggles with shame and feeling like an outsider within the church, Kendra is passionate about women’s discipleship in the local church and writes to invite women to the healing and freedom found in knowing Christ. She is married to an electrical engineer-turned seminary student and they have three children. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram as @kmdahl11, or at her blog.
Kim Findlay is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader. She is the author of Breathing in Ashes, a self-published memoir about the death of her youngest daughter. She has written curriculum for Big Idea, Inc. and David C. Cook. Her writing can also be found with Facets of Faith. Kim earned her B.S. in Special Education with a focus in Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Newly transplanted to the Boston, Massachusetts area, her blended family includes two kids by birth and three kids by choice. Kim blogs at www.abigumbrella.com and www.talesfromablender.net and you can follow her on Instagram at @abigumbrella7.
Kimberly believes our power to love the marginalized comes through learning to love the margins of our own soul. She speaks, writes, and is a spiritual director to this end: helping other connect to and experience the Love of God for themselves. Through her own story of stillbirth, trauma, crushing disappointments, and chronic illness she has come to know all of life has invitation to transformation. She has written for Christianity Today, smallgroups.com, Loyola Press, Herald Press, The Redbud Post, and The Mudroom. You can find her writing, inquire about spiritual direction, or ask her to speak at kimberlypenrodpelletier.com. Find her on IG: @kimberlypenrodpelletier or Facebook: facebook.com/kimberlypenrodpelletier.com
Katherine James has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University where she received the Felipe P. De Alba merit fellowship. She has studied at Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and has work published in the anthology, In the Arms of Words (Sherman Asher, 2005), St. Katherine Review, and other periodicals. Excerpts from her novel, Can You See Anything Now, which was a semi-finalist for the Doris Bakwin Prize, are forthcoming in the anthology, Between Midnight and Dawn, edited by Sarah Arthur (Paraclete Press). One of her short stories was recently chosen as a finalist for a Narrative Prize. Kate and her husband, Rick, have three grown children and are on staff with Cru, a ministry to college students. She blogs at northhillsdrive.com.
Kris Camealy
As a sequin-wearing, homeschooling mother of four, Kris is passionate about Jesus, people and words. Her heart beats to share the hard, but glorious truth about life in Christ. She’s been known to take gratuitous pictures of her culinary creations, causing mouths to water all across Instagram. Once upon a time, she ran 10 miles for Compassion International, a ministry for which she serves as an advocate. Kris is the author of, Come, Lord Jesus: The Weight of Waiting and Holey, Wholly, Holy: A Lenten Journey of Refinement, and the follow up, Companion Workbook. She has contributed to numerous other books, is the host of Refine {the retreat} and the founder and Executive editor of GraceTable.org . In her free time, she writes at kriscamealy.com
Leslie Verner is a goer who is learning how to stay. She traveled all over the world and lived in northwest China for five years before God U-turned her life and brought her back to the U.S. to get married to an audio book narrator in Chicago. Though she has a bachelors in education and a masters in intercultural studies from Wheaton College, her greatest feat these days is grocery shopping with three children, four and under. Before and after living in China, she taught in both public and private schools in the city of Chicago. She has written for The Mudroom, (In)courage, A Life Overseas, Velvet Ashes and You Are Here Stories and is an editor and regular contributor at SheLoves Magazine. She and her family currently live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where they are on the quest for the perfect cup of coffee and the most family-friendly hike. Leslie blogs regularly about faith, family, social justice and cross-cultural issues at www.scrapingraisins.com. Twitter:@leslie_verner | Facebook: Leslie Verner | Instagram: scraping_raisins | Pinterest: leslie verner
Lara Krupicka
LARA KRUPICKA is an internationally published parenting journalist and author. She is best known for her Bucket List Life Manifesto and her books, Family Bucket Lists and Bucket List Living For Moms. Lara’s work has been published in dozens of magazines and newspapers including The LA Times, San Diego Family, Family Australia Magazine, Calgary’s Child, and the Chicago Sun Times. She is the events editor for Suburban Family magazine and also serves on the executive board of the Redbud Writers Guild. Lara and her husband Mike are raising their three daughters in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Lauren McGuire has been a writer her whole life but mostly in her journal. In 2016, she began writing formally as a way to deal with the conflict she saw playing out across the cultural landscape. When a friend asked her to consider what eternity in heaven might be like, this became the stepping off point for her first fantasy novel which will seek publication later this year. She writes devotions for church, essays on life growing up in a military family, and is a trained facilitator for Restoring Your Heart curriculum. She lives in Georgia with her high school sweetheart, three children and two dogs. Connect with her on Facebook (lauren.mcguire.7) and Instagram (@lcmcguire), and her blog.
Leah D Everson (MDiv, Denver Seminary) is a Minnesota girl, a book addict, and a messy mama. She divides her time between encouraging new mothers in their walk with God and taking care of her own busy boys. Loved by Jesus, Leah is learning to rest in Him. Leah was the founding director/teacher of The Scum Study Center at Scum of the Earth Church in Denver, CO for five years. Leah blogs regularly at www.leaheverson.com and can be found on Twitter @leahdeverson.
Lesley Sebek Miller is a wife to Jonathan, and mom to Anna and Owen. She is based in Santa Barbara, California and spends her days juggling writing, laundry, and child chasing. She loves writing about motherhood, how to live authentically in a digital world, the intricacies of female friendship, and journeying through cancer. A Westmont College graduate, Lesley is currently working on her first book about supporting her husband through Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during the year they became parents. She blogs at www.lesleym.com, where you can also find a full list of her published essays.
Lindsey is a writer, speaker and enthusiastic (but terrible) dancer. A former pastor and teacher, these days Lindsey works, writes and raises her babies in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She blogs at http://www.songbirdandanerd.com where you can also see a full list of published essays, books available for purchase and her calendar of upcoming speaking and teaching events.
Lisa Deam, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer and speaker who uses art of the Christian past to illuminate modern faith. A former professor, Lisa has lectured widely on medieval art in the United States and Europe. Today she speaks on the spiritual lessons of the Middle Ages (and the ancient faith more generally). She leads spiritual formation workshops that help participants map out their personal journeys with Christ. Lisa’s first book, A World Transformed: Exploring the Spirituality of Medieval Maps, was published in 2015 by Cascade. One of her articles, “Stigm(at)a,” won an award of excellence from the Associated Church Press.
Liz loves to listen to stories, share truth, and write. She lives in the Silicon Valley of California with her handsome techie husband and two wild kiddos. She devours podcasts while folding laundry and considers blog writing a completely valid excuse to leave dishes for the next morning. She is in the process of becoming a Spiritual Director and daily discovers how freedom, love and calling shape the life of a Christ Follower.
Liz Charlotte Grant’s lyrical, raw voice beckons her readers to ask the toughest questions of faith and living. She studied creative writing (Wheaton College, 2009), and has published her nonfiction essays at Patheos, the Curator Magazine, On Faith, Mothers Always Write, Neutrons Protons, and Dappled Things (forthcoming), among others. She speaks about practical, on-the-ground faith issues to Jesus-loving church and MOPs groups. She’s currently editing a literary memoir in which she reckons with the healing power of God as she goes blind in one eye. Liz, her husband, and two wild children live in Denver. Follower her on Instagram and Facebook @LizCharlotteGrant and her website.
Linda is a fiction and creative nonfiction writer and works in publishing. Her creative nonfiction has been featured in several literary journals and she recently completed a novel, Try Again Farm. Linda earned her B.S. in Communications from Florida State University and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop. She is the mother of four grown sons and lives outside of Chicago in a mostly empty nest with her husband Bill. She blogs at http://lindamackillop.com
Lucinda Secrest McDowell, M.T.S., is passionate about embracing life through deep soul care as well as living courageously – ‘Helping You Choose a Life of Serenity & Strength.’ A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Furman University, McDowell is the author of 13 books, including the award-winning “Dwelling Places” and “Ordinary Graces.” Lucinda received Mt. Hermon “Writer of the Year” award; guest blogs for The Write Conversation, Blue Ridge Writers and (in)courage; and directs “reNEW – retreat for New England Writing.” She blogs weekly at EncouragingWords.net from “Sunnyside” cottage in Connecticut.
Maggie Wallem Rowe is a national speaker, dramatist and author who writes from Peace Ridge, her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The former Director of Women’s Ministries for Vision New England, Maggie has contributed to over ten books including numerous devotional Bibles for women. As the author of several original one-woman dramas, she has traveled extensively throughout the United States speaking at conferences and retreats. In 2014 Maggie received her Master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Wheaton Graduate School. Her greatest blessings are Mike, her husband and pastor of 42 years, their three adult children, two children-in-love and four grandchildren. Maggie is currently writing her first book, due from NavPress in the spring of 2020.
Mallory (Larsen) Redmond is a writer, a speaker, and a big time coffee drinker. She received her M.A. in Theology & Culture from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, while the native Chicagoan in her quickly fell for the mild winters of the Pacific Northwest. Nowadays, Mallory resides in Ohio with her new husband, Darren, and their new(er) dog, Roger. She blogs regularly, with the hope of finding places where we can connect and relate in our humanity. She writes on grace, relationships, faith, grief, and chocolate, among other rich topics. In addition to her blog, you can follow her on Facebook (Mallory ‘Larsen’ Redmond) and Twitter (@malloryjredmond).
Margaret Philbrick is an author, gardener and teacher who desires to plant seeds in hearts. Margaret has a B.A. in English Literature from Trinity University in San Antonio Tx.and a Masters in Teaching from National Louis University. She teaches writing and literature to children and teens at The Greenhouse School and H.S.U., both of which provide supplemental classical education to the home-school community. She is actively involved in the fulfillment of God’s vision at Church of the Resurrection and the Redbud Writers Guild where she serves on the board of both organizations. Her first book, Back to the Manger, is a holiday gift book she created with her mother, an oil painter. Her debut novel, A Minor, released to critical acclaim in 2014. You can find Margaret in her garden digging in the dirt or writing poetry and you can connect with her on-line via her website at: www.margaretphilbrick.com.
Margot Starbuck, speaker and award-winning author, is passionate about communicating to individuals that they have been made for life that really is life. A graduate of Westmont College and Princeton Seminary, Margot is the author of The Girl in the Orange Dress, Unsqueezed and Small Things With Great Love. In Durham, North Carolina, Margot lives with her husband and three children, by birth and adoption. She serves as a volunteer among friends with and without disabilities through Reality Ministries. Convinced that God is with us and for us, in the person of Jesus, Margot inspires audiences to live love in the world. Learn more about Margot’s literary consulting at wordmelon.com, or connect at MargotStarbuck.com or on facebook.
Melanie Weldon-Soiset loves languages. This native Georgian studied Spanish and Comparative Literature at The University of Georgia, as well as Mandarin in Hangzhou, China. Along with her husband Brian, Melanie lived in Hangzhou, then Shanghai, from 2011-2016. Melanie also loves paradoxes. Perhaps this craving to connect disparate things contributed to her calling to China, as well as to her desire to study theology. Melanie earned her M.Div. from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC in 2010. In Shanghai, she flexed her M.Div. muscles as the Teaching Pastor at a nondenominational church of 2000 immigrants from over 100 nations. Melanie is now back in DC, where she serves as the Fellowship Program Director at Sojourners. When Melanie isn’t writing ordination papers to become a UMC Deacon, she is writing poems or theological reflections, biking around the neighborhood, or finding God in the laundry, dishes, and other glimpses of everyday grace. Read more from Melanie at Medium: https://medium.com/@melanieweldonsoiset.
Melody L. Copenny is a poet, writer, and storyteller. An Atlanta native and Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate, she’s become a Floridian thriving in Orlando where she writes to be real, relevant, and reveal. She’s an editor, journalist, and communicator for Cru, an international non-profit organization, where she covers national and international stories of God’s work around the world. During 2019, she’s completing her last semester as a participant in the Cru Senior Leadership Initiative 7. She also serves as a cultural competency consultant in the organization with The Lenses Institute experience. She enjoys pursuing an intersection of creativity, theology and popular culture in her writing projects. In her down time she likes training for half marathons and learning Afro Fusion dances.
Michele Morin is a teacher, reader, writer, and gardener who blogs at Living Our Days. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for over 25 years, and their four children are growing up at an alarming rate. She is active in educational ministries with her local church and her writing has appeared at SheLoves Magazine, The Mudroom, (in)courage, and elsewhere. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy, finds joy in sitting around a table surrounded by women with open Bibles, and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Classically trained as a Certified Public Accountant, Michelle Henrichs is a second-career pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She loves Jesus and the Bible and seeks to help others do so as well. Pastor to Heritage Presbyterian Church, a real-estate free congregation that now worships in a senior living community, Michelle lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two teenage sons. Author of Prayers for the People: Scripturally Based Prayers for Worship, you can find out more about her on her blog.
Michelle Reyes spends her days as a writer, speaker, church pastor’s wife and momma of two littles. She sees herself as a bridge builder and is passionate about connecting people of different ethnicities and cultures together for God’s glory and the advancement of His Kingdom. Michelle holds a PhD in German. She’s a regular contributor for (in)courage and a guest columnist for Church Health Reader, and she’s written for Christianity Today Women, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Lifeway Ministry to Women, among other places. Connect with Michelle on on Facebook (@michelle.ami.reyes), Instagram (@michelleamireyes), Twitter (@dr_reyes2) and her blog.
Mary Yerkes is a writer, spiritual director, and mentor who lives in the Washington, DC area. She is passionate about equipping church and marketplace leaders and creating spiritually and emotionally healthy cultures among leaders and their communities. Mary writes for popular print and online magazines, including Gifted for Leadership, Conversations Journal: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, Focus on the Family, and Christian Coaching Magazine, to name a few. She covers such diverse topics as leadership, spiritual formation, women’s issues, life challenges, and more.
Nicole T. Walters is a writer who lives somewhere in the tension between wanderlust and rootedness. She currently makes her home in South Asia with her husband and two children but has left part of her heart in her Georgia home. She writes to help people create space to listen to God, learn from others, and lead lives that love at NicoleTWalters.com. She has authored essays in several books including Redbud’s own Everbloom. Her writing has appeared in places like CT Women, Relevant, Red Letter Christians, and (in)courage. She is a regular contributor at SheLoves Magazine, The Mudroom, and Ready Publication. You can follow Nicole on Twitter and Facebook..
Nilwona Nowlin is a redemptive artist, someone who believes in the power of the arts to bring about positive transformation in individuals and communities. She is particularly passionate about helping people discover/pursue their purpose, leadership development, and ministries of compassion, mercy, and justice such as community development, reconciliation, and intercultural development. Recent publications include “To Save Many Lives: Exploring Reconciliation Between Africans and African Americans through the Selling of Joseph,” for the Covenant Quarterly as well as devotionals for the Covenant Home Altar. She is also a regular contributor to for the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Commission on Biblical Gender Equality’s blog and the lmdj Voices blog of the ECC’s Love Mercy Do Justice mission priority. Nilwona earned a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago, an M.A. in Christian Formation and Certificate in Justice Ministry from North Park Theological Seminary and a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University. She blogs at thedreamerspeaks.com. You can follow Nilwona on Twitter @nilwona.
Noelle Kirchner is a TV host, minister, and writer who is also a mom of two young boys – as they wrestle on the floor, she enjoys wrestling with her manuscripts! Her parenting series, Chaos to Calm, is about transforming the chaos of family life into calm through faith, and it airs monthly on HomeTowne TV. Noelle’s written work has appeared on sites such as Huff Post Parents, the TODAY Show Parenting Team, Mamapedia, Crosswalk.com, and (in)courage. She currently serves at a church in New Jersey. You can connect with Noelle on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog.
Peggy Mindrebo embraces her calling to “bloom where she is planted.” Wistful Vista Farm is her home, and the place where work, play and worship intersect. She is a Spiritual Director and can be found riding horses, paddle boarding or just walking around her property with those whom she meets. Serving as a pastor at her church gives her many opportunities to speak and teach. Hospitality is her calling, and each week she prepares dinner for twenty at her barn,hosting a time of discussion and evening prayers.
Prasanta is a poet, writer, blogger, occasional artist, and aspiring author. She is passionate about making the way for diverse voices and understanding culture and background in the context of faith. She was born under an Asian sun, raised in the Appalachian foothills in the southern U.S., and currently digs out of snow piles in the upper Midwest. She holds an MBA, an MPH in Epidemiology, is a home schooling mom of three (with one in college and two still at home), and currently teaches and coaches team policy debate to high school students. She has been published at Tweetspeak Poetry and The High Calling/Patheos. You can follow her on her blog, Twitter @pathoftreasure, Instagram prasanta_v_writer, or Facebook page (Prasanta Verma, Writer).
Rhonda Franz is a city girl who is raising three lively boys in the rural woods of Arkansas with her pilot husband. Her essays have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and on the NBC Today Show Mom blog. A certified educator, she holds a B.A. in Curriculum and Instruction and an M.A. in Special Education and works as the Girl Friday for a regional blogging tribe. She contributes articles to several sites and small parenting magazines on parenthood, family, education, food, and managing home with an unpredictable work schedule. She and her husband are involved in local community ministries and children’s programs at their church. Twitter: @thecaptainmom Instagram: @rhondafranz
Richella Parham is a wife, mom, author, and speaker. She is a Ministry Team and Board member of Renovaré, a ministry that advocates, resources, and models Christian spiritual formation. The author of A Spiritual Formation Primer, Richella writes and speaks about the with-God life, sharing the ways her own journey has been shaped by experiences of suffering as well as joy. Richella and her husband Jack have been married for 30 years and have reared three wild and crazy boys into wonderful young men. Her blog, Imparting Grace, is a celebration of a life filled with the grace of God and the process of creating a home that reflects God’s grace. Connect with her also on Twitter: @richellaparham; Pinterest: Richella Parham; and Instagram: @richellaparham.
Ronne Rock
Ronne Rock weaves themes of transformative hope and grace-filled leadership into everything she shares on page and stage. An award-winning marketing and communications executive in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, she offers expertise about creative leadership with faith-based organizations. Ronne is a regular contributor to Orange, and her series, “The 25 Things I Wish I Could Tell My 25-Year Old Self” is featured at QARA, a digital publication that empowers 20-somethings to discover their True North. She now invests her time telling stories that change stories with Orphan Outreach, a global ministry dedicated to serving orphans and vulnerable children in Latin America, Russia, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Ronne also loves to share personal stories about life, love, leadership, and a little #kitchentherapy. Her words are published in Everbloom: Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives and For You, Love: The Prayer Journal that Invites You to Respond. She is currently penning a book about the leadership principles of women who believe restoration is a reality on earth as it is in heaven. When she’s not working in developing countries, you’ll find Ronne in the Texas Hill Country with her husband, Brad, and rescue mutt, Princess Wilhelmina Pearl. Their son and his family live in Arizona, which she has deemed is far too far away. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram. You’ll always find her at @RonneRock.
Sarah Quezada has a master’s in sociology and writes regularly at sarahquezada.com. She is the author of Love Undocumented: Risking Trust in a Fearful World. She and her husband Billy live in a bicultural household while raising two trilingual-ish kids.
Sarah loves words. She also loves people. And she loves weaving them together in honest and vulnerable ways that cut underneath the surface and break open the longings of the heart. She is a writer and dreamer whose words breathe vulnerability and hope into longing souls. She enjoys slowing down and listening to the heartbeats of this world, and believes that we are all desiring to be seen, known and loved. Sarah writes for numerous international organizations including Compassion International and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is the creative nonfiction editor of Barren Magazine, has a weekly column at ALTARWORK, and invites readers to sit with her awhile and connect on her website, Wake Us With Words.
Sarah Lindsay has a PhD in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and she spent four years teaching at a small Christian college in the south before relocating to the Chicagoland area, where she now lives with her husband and three young daughters. As she transitions out of academia, Sarah is finding new avenues for her writing. She loves encouraging and empowering women in the church, and she also loves using her training as a scholar of the middle ages to expose people to the rich historical background of Christianity. Sarah has written for Mutuality and Arise, and her blog. She is also on Twitter: @drlindsay
Sharla Fritz has been described as an amazing eye-opening speaker and author. Her books Soul Spa, Divine Design and Bless These Lips have given thousands of women the tools to dig into Scripture and experience a transformation of their attitudes and heart. With light-hearted stories and thought-provoking applications she makes Bible study fun and uplifting. Her articles have appeared at incourage.com, Today’s Christian Woman, Just Between Us, and Lutheran Women’s Quarterly. Sttitching her messages with humor and honesty, Sharla speaks to hundreds of women each year at retreats, luncheons, and mom’s groups. Sharla makes her home in the Chicago area where she is also a pastor’s wife, mother, grandmother, musician, and confirmed chocoholic. And if she isn’t sitting at her piano or computer, you might find her stalking fabulous fashion finds at the local resale shop.
Sharon is a speaker, author, and traveler. She serves as the Director of Missions at Centreville Presbyterian Church, connecting the local church with mission partners worldwide. Her forthcoming book, Mapping Church Missions (InterVarsity Press, September 2018) equips the church to do missions better. Sharon writes regularly for print and digital publications on missions and discipleship. She lives in Virginia with her husband and occasionally-visiting young adult children. Connect with Sharon on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or her website.
Sheila Wise Rowe holds a Masters degree in Counseling and has over twenty-five years experience as a gifted writer, teacher, speaker, artist, Spiritual Director, Life Coach and Counselor. Sheila is passionate about helping people heal and overcome past or current pain, obstacles and encouraging emerging and established leaders to go to the next level. Sheila has served in the USA, France and for over ten years as a missionary and lay pastor in Johannesburg, South Africa. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband Dr. Nicholas Rowe and is the mother of two college-age children. Sheila has written for The Redbud Post, Mudroom, READY! magazine and www.womensministrytools.com She is the co-author of, The Well of Life, a book which has helped impacted the lives of individuals, couples, and groups worldwide. Currently, she is writing a book about how Jesus heals and transforms the lives of those who have experienced trauma because of the color of their skin or their ethnic identity. She will soon launch The Cyrene Movement an online space for people of color to heal from racial trauma, realize their potential and reconcile communities. For more information: Visit: www.SheilaWiseRowe.com, www.TheCyreneMovement.com or www.Facebook.com/TheWellofLifeBook/ Email: sheilawiserowe@gmail.com
Shelly Wildman is the author of First Ask Why: Raising Kids to Love God Through Intentional Discipleship. She holds an M.A. in English Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and was a Visiting Instructor at Wheaton College for over 20 years—the same school where she met her husband as an undergrad. Shelly frequently speaks to parents’ and women’s groups and spends much of her free time mentoring young women. When she has time, she loves to cook, read, and travel. Shelly and her husband, Brian, live in Wheaton, IL and have three adult daughters. You can find Shelly at her website (www.shellywildman.com) or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Stephanie Reeves is a native Californian transplanted to Florida in 1991 when her job with Cru moved her and her husband, David, there. Now the mother of 3 humans, 1 dog, 2 cats, 2 birds and multiple fish, Stephanie is a freelance writer and copyediter. She spent nearly 30 years as a writer, editor and copy editor for Cru’s former magazine, Worldwide Challenge. Always looking for fodder for her blog, Stephanie spends time on social media and observing the world around her. Her deep desire is that her writing will draw people closer to Jesus. She has been published at FamilyLife.com and the Redbud Post.
Stephanie is a graduate of North Park Theological Seminary and an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church. She writes about sensing the voice of God and encountering the Holy Spirit in the midst of our everyday routines. Her pieces have appeared on Mudroomblog, The Mighty, Altarwork, Amnity Coalition, and Covenant Quarterly Forum. In addition, her passion for those affected by mental illness finds itself woven into some of her writing. Originally hailing from southwest Michigan, Stephanie lives in Mokena, Illinois with her husband and three teens. A speaker at various venues, she can be followed on her blog, Twitter @s2thomp and facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieThompsonspeakerAndBlogger/ .
Tammy Perlmutter writes about unabridged life, fragmented faith, and investing in the mess of it all and is the founder and curator of the collaborative blog The Mudroom. She co-founded Deeply Rooted, a local Chicago biannual worship event for women. She writes about her daughter and autism in her blog series Life Along the Spectrum. Tammy lives in intentional community with Jesus People USA (and 250 people!) in Chicago. She has an essay in the Soul Bare anthology coming out with Inter Varsity Press in August.
Taryn started life in a town with 75 people, three million chickens, several dogs, and two imaginary friends. She left that in her dust to live in two other countries and visit a host of others on six continents. (She’s holding at six, with no desire to add Antarctica to the mix.) She wrote her first book, We Wait You: Waiting on God in Eastern Europe, after a career as a single missionary, and will soon publish a young adult historical fiction series. She’s also written a few short stories for anthology books and numerous articles—-winning an Amy Writing Award for one of those. She and her husband live in a sleepy town in North Carolina. She recently obtained a Master’s degree in writing and now tutors writing at a small university while being an adjunct English instructor at a community college. She has come full circle, minus the imaginary friends, that is.
Tatyana Claytor is primarily a lover of story and truth. As an English teacher, she is surrounded by the stories of the ages, but as a lover of God, she is enveloped in the Story beyond all ages. Her desire is to know the Author of this story as clearly as possible that she might help others see God’s truth in their lives and His plan in their stories. She currently lives in Cocoa, Florida with her three story-loving children and her husband, a minister of Youth and Missions.
After writing nine co-authored historical and contemporary novels with best-selling author/husband, Jim, Terri added her award-winning interior designer’s eye to her world of fiction with her last contemporary trilogy—the Project Restoration Series—to which she came naturally, having survived the remodel, renovation, and restoration of three separate personal residences, along with those of her clients. She now has returned to her first love: writing historical fiction. Terri has been blessed with the opportunity to travel extensively internationally, and has relished visiting countless historical sites everywhere she goes. A graduate of the University of Illinois, she taught Interior Design at the college level for eight years, and directed women’s ministries at her church for six years. Terri is passionate about her Christian faith, women’s issues and hospitality. She is on the design team at The Re:new Project, a ministry to refugee women. 100% Italian, she enjoys all things from the culture of her heritage. She also enjoys photography, music, cooking and baking, and knitting. Terri is a recent empty-nester, and makes her home in Wheaton, Illinois, with her husband, miniature schnauzer, Sadie, and Siberian cat, Petey. A native Chicagoan, she loves exploring the beautiful city and is an avid fan of its sports teams.
Vina Mogg is a recent empty nester learning to repurpose and refeather her nest, a 1926 cottage on Puget Sound. After caring for her mother with Alzheimers the past 10 years, she is a caregiver advocate and member of the AlzAuthors writing group. Essays on this journey have been published on various sites and in the anthology, The Wonder Years, 40 Women Over 40 on Aging, Faith and Beauty. On seaglasslife.com, she writes stories of tumbled, broken, beautiful pieces of life as caregiver, mother of four, painter, and wife for 36 years, and is currently working on a memoir on family and caregiving life.