J. Kevin Butcher
J. Kevin Butcher was a lead pastor for 35 years—the last 16 in urban Detroit. He is founder and executive director of Rooted Ministries, which comes alongside isolated, wounded, and discouraged pastors and their families to help them experience the deep love of God through abiding in Jesus. Kevin is the author of Free: Rescued from Shame-Based Religion, Released Into the Life-giving Love of Jesus and Choose and Choose Again: The Brave Act of Returning to God's Love. He is a graduate of Taylor University and Dallas Theological Seminary and has written numerous articles and shared the message of the Father's love around the world. Kevin is married to his best friend, Carla, and has three grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. https://rootedministries.co/about/

Laura Story
Push past the loss of your “normal” with bestselling author Laura Story and embrace the soaring freedom found in living secure in God’s love. Bible teacher Laura Story gets what it’s like to have plans altered and to surrender perceived security when faced with circumstances beyond our control. But she also understands the blessing of having a Father who loves you enough to take off the training wheels and place his beloved children in the best possible scenario for good and growth. Building on Laura’s previous two titles, When God Doesn’t Fix It and I Give Up, So Long, Normal guides us to leave behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so we can live strong and well, even when life takes an unwelcome turn. She says, “Jesus doesn’t just save us from hell in the next life; He saves us from our addiction to ‘normal’ lives this side of eternity. Our preference for cautious, ordinary lives is really rooted in a lack of faith and a failure to understand how much better His plan is than ours.” In her confessional, conversational style, Laura weaves her own personal stories with examples from Scripture of characters whose lives were upended by unexpected (and undesired) change. Leaving, loving, or losing our “normal” is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new adventure with God that will change us forever. http://laurastorymusic.com

Monday, September 13th, 2021

Paul Cardall
It’s a miracle the GMA Dove Award winning artist Paul Cardall is alive. Yet the gifts of music that he brings us add up to something even greater. His story is in fact a testament to the human spirit, to determination and humility, and above all to love, expressed through actions and art. Born with a profound disability, Cardall would undergo critical surgeries, the first one hours after his birth. Through and beyond his childhood he lived with essentially just half of his heart. Not surprisingly, he grew up fully aware of mortality, augmented by the shock of losing his closest friend in an auto/pedestrian accident when he was just 16. Grief and existential questions haunted him. If an album was a memoir, The Broken Miracle would be a soundtrack to the pianist and songwriter's life. Every year over a million children are born with some form of congenital heart defect that in most cases requires immediate surgery and a life long journey in and out of hospitals. Cardall took comfort in music as a teenager and since receiving a heart transplant in 2009, it's been his life's work to use music to help heal other hearts. The Broken Miracle is also a novel written by J.D. Netto based on the life of Paul Cardall. https://paulcardall.com/

Laura Story
Push past the loss of your “normal” with bestselling author Laura Story and embrace the soaring freedom found in living secure in God’s love. Bible teacher Laura Story gets what it’s like to have plans altered and to surrender perceived security when faced with circumstances beyond our control. But she also understands the blessing of having a Father who loves you enough to take off the training wheels and place his beloved children in the best possible scenario for good and growth. Building on Laura’s previous two titles, When God Doesn’t Fix It and I Give Up, So Long, Normal guides us to leave behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so we can live strong and well, even when life takes an unwelcome turn. She says, “Jesus doesn’t just save us from hell in the next life; He saves us from our addiction to ‘normal’ lives this side of eternity. Our preference for cautious, ordinary lives is really rooted in a lack of faith and a failure to understand how much better His plan is than ours.” In her confessional, conversational style, Laura weaves her own personal stories with examples from Scripture of characters whose lives were upended by unexpected (and undesired) change. Leaving, loving, or losing our “normal” is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new adventure with God that will change us forever. http://laurastorymusic.com

Tuesday, September 14th, 2021

Kidane Gedion
Pastor Kidane Gebremeskel Gedion says it was a great privilege to suffer for Jesus during the two-and-a-half years he spent in three different Eritrean prisons because of his evangelistic work. Being separated from his wife and children was much worse than the imprisonment itself. He explains why the Eritrean government continues to persecute followers of Christ in his East African nation, and what he has learned about God during the ordeal. http://vomcanada.com

Laura Story
Push past the loss of your “normal” with bestselling author Laura Story and embrace the soaring freedom found in living secure in God’s love. Bible teacher Laura Story gets what it’s like to have plans altered and to surrender perceived security when faced with circumstances beyond our control. But she also understands the blessing of having a Father who loves you enough to take off the training wheels and place his beloved children in the best possible scenario for good and growth. Building on Laura’s previous two titles, When God Doesn’t Fix It and I Give Up, So Long, Normal guides us to leave behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so we can live strong and well, even when life takes an unwelcome turn. She says, “Jesus doesn’t just save us from hell in the next life; He saves us from our addiction to ‘normal’ lives this side of eternity. Our preference for cautious, ordinary lives is really rooted in a lack of faith and a failure to understand how much better His plan is than ours.” In her confessional, conversational style, Laura weaves her own personal stories with examples from Scripture of characters whose lives were upended by unexpected (and undesired) change. Leaving, loving, or losing our “normal” is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new adventure with God that will change us forever. http://laurastorymusic.com

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

Laura Story
Push past the loss of your “normal” with bestselling author Laura Story and embrace the soaring freedom found in living secure in God’s love. Bible teacher Laura Story gets what it’s like to have plans altered and to surrender perceived security when faced with circumstances beyond our control. But she also understands the blessing of having a Father who loves you enough to take off the training wheels and place his beloved children in the best possible scenario for good and growth. Building on Laura’s previous two titles, When God Doesn’t Fix It and I Give Up, So Long, Normal guides us to leave behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so we can live strong and well, even when life takes an unwelcome turn. She says, “Jesus doesn’t just save us from hell in the next life; He saves us from our addiction to ‘normal’ lives this side of eternity. Our preference for cautious, ordinary lives is really rooted in a lack of faith and a failure to understand how much better His plan is than ours.” In her confessional, conversational style, Laura weaves her own personal stories with examples from Scripture of characters whose lives were upended by unexpected (and undesired) change. Leaving, loving, or losing our “normal” is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new adventure with God that will change us forever. http://laurastorymusic.com

Garth Jestley
The marketplace can be your mission field. Many of us, if we’re honest, tend to leave God at home when we go to work because we don’t feel comfortable sharing our faith in the secular marketplace. But what if God has called you to business? More Than Your Business Card confirms business leadership as a legitimate, important, and deeply fulfilling way to follow Jesus. Over the course of his business career, Garth Jestley has held many senior leadership positions in investment management, venture capital, corporate banking, international project financing, private debt placement, and investment banking. After serving as Vice President Project Financing at Bank of Montreal and Vice President of Citibank responsible for Corporate Banking in Eastern Canada, he joined Middlefield Group in 1985. Based in Toronto with offices in Calgary Alberta and London England, Middlefield provides investment services to individual and institutional investors across Canada and internationally. For many years, he served as CEO of the group’s core investment management business. After stepping back from his full-time duties at Middlefield in 2012, Garth assumed the role of Executive Director of LeaderImpact for several years. The mission of LeaderImpact is to help marketplace leaders across Canada and around the world explore the relevance of faith in God in their professional and personal lives. This involvement was a catalyst for his recently completed book More Than Your Business Card: a wake-up call for leaders desiring to follow Jesus in the marketplace. Garth is currently Vice Chairman of Middlefield Group and Special Advisor to the senior management team. He also serves on the national board of directors of Teen Challenge Canada based in London Ontario and the board of Catch The Fire Church in Toronto. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of Crossroads Christian Communications in Burlington Ontario. Garth and his wife Mary are involved in various church leadership roles, including ministering and speaking in Canada and around the world. They place a high priority on family and, in particular, enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. https://www.garthjestley.com/home-1

Thursday, September 16th, 2021

Joshua Montana
Joshua Montana is an Indigenous Consultant to the oil and gas industry. As a young boy he faced racism, but today he shares how his earlier experiences prepared him to lead in his current role. Josh has a huge heart, modest character, a brilliant mind for business, and he wants to inspire other Indigenous youth to know they can DO THIS if they work hard. You will love learning more about Josh and his inspiring story!

Friday, September 17th, 2021

Brenda Epperson-Moore
Brenda Epperson-Moore is an actress, singer, host, and writer who achieved early fame as Ashley Abbott, the lead character in CBS’s The Young and the Restless. Born in North Hollywood, California, she is the daughter of a famed musician and actor, Don Epperson, who suffered an untimely death when Brenda was six years old. Brenda takes her passion, talents, and her entertainment industry connections to outreach programs and organizations that touch the lives of the broken, battered, and abused. She is a contributing author to the book Blessedness of Brokenness (2012). Brenda joins us to share about her most recent book Rise Up! Uncover the Darkness, Move into the Light, and Experience a Life of Joy! It is a book about joy, a deep inner joy one can never achieve without God’s grace and mercy. By the time you’ve reached the end of this book, you will be able to identify what’s holding you back, and move forward to reach solutions in your life. You will build your faith, breaking chains, and the negative ideas you have about yourself will no longer have a stronghold over your life. Those thoughts and lies will be replaced with the powerful truth of who you are and joy will begin to rise up inside of you. You will receive practical tools and biblical principles that will ignite a new flame of hope in your life. Brenda is a sought-after speaker and sings nationwide using her international platform to encourage, empower, and remind us all that joy and the indomitable power of God is attainable for all of us. She is married to the love of her life and is raising three beautiful daughters. https://brendaepperson.com//a>