“Doing Good”
Inspirations Vol. 1

Bryan Wilkerson has served as Senior Pastor at Grace Chapel since September of 2000, having previously served for 16 years as Senior Pastor at Shelter Rock Church in Manhasset, New York.

Bryan is a graduate of Wheaton College and Denver Seminary. Additionally, he holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Bryan is a frequent contributor to Preaching Today and The Leadership Journal and enjoys speaking at Camp of the Woods and other conferences.

Bryan’s life mission statement is “to lead as many people as possible to a joyful and growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.” He is passionate about communicating God’s truth with clarity, warmth, and relevance to our daily lives. He enjoys the challenges of leading a large, vibrant church, and of working with a gifted, dedicated staff.

When he isn’t in meetings or preparing messages, Bryan can be found running or biking the back roads and trails of New England.

He and his wife, Karen, live in Bedford and have enjoyed 29 years of marriage. They have four children.

“Spiritual Disciplines: From Legalism to Liberty”
Inspirations Vol. 1

Dr. Steve Harper is vice president of the Asbury Theological Seminary, Florida campus and professor of Spiritual Formation.

He received a B.A. from McMurry University, 1966; a M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, 1973; and a Ph.D. from Duke University, 1981.

Dr. Harper served as professor of Spiritual Formation at Asbury Seminary from 1980 to 1992. From 1992 to 1996, he and his wife, Jeannie, launched and developed a ministry to ministers called Shepherd’s Care, where they served until 1996, when The Upper Room in Nashville invited Steve to become the founding director of The Pathways Initiative, a ministry to spiritual leaders. He served with The Upper Room from 1996 to 1998 when he was invited back to Asbury Seminary to become founding vice president and dean of the Florida campus.

Dr. Harper has served as a youth pastor, evangelist, pastor and professor from 1966 to the present. He was an elder in the Northwest Texas Conference, United Methodist Church from 1972 to 2004 and then transferred to the Florida Annual Conference.

He is a member of the Theta Phi Honor Society and the 2004 recipient of the Francis Asbury Award (GBHEM). He has authored 12 books and co-authored six others. His latest book is Talking in the Dark, Praying When Life Doesn’t Make Sense.

Dr. Harper and his wife, Jeannie, reside in Winter Springs, Fla. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.

“Finding The Missing Peace”
Inspirations, Vol. 1

Christian author and speaker Doug Batchelor has experienced great extremes. His journey from anti-social, drug-using hermit to soul-winning evangelist has helped shape him into an engaging, popular speaker whom audiences all over the world can identify with and understand clearly even on the most complex Bible topics.

Today he is the senior pastor of the Sacramento Central Church in Sacramento, California and the president of the international media ministry Amazing Facts. He hosts the weekly television program Central Study Hour and the Bible Answers Live radio program, which broadcasts live every Sunday. He can also be seen weekly on Amazing Facts Presents and heard Monday through Friday on the Wonders in the Word radio program.

But as the teenage son of aviation tycoon and philanthropist George Batchelor and show business mother Ruth Batchelor, even though young Doug Batchelor had everything money could buy — he couldn’t find true peace and happiness. A troubled youth, he fought at school, entertained suicidal fantasies, and eventually ran away from home by the time he was just 15 years old.

Disgusted with his life and convinced it had no real meaning, Doug was determined to experience the humanistic lifestyle with reckless abandon. He turned to drugs, committed crimes, and spent time in jail, while also living on high adventure from stormy seas to blistering deserts. But years later, a remote cave high in the mountains above Palm Springs became his home. And even though his father owned a yacht, a jet, and a Rolls-Royce, Doug found himself scavenging for food in garbage bins.

The happiness Doug searched for continued to elude him for years — until the day he found a dust-covered Bible someone left in his cave. What happened next can only be described as a miracle! As he read, he believed in and accepted Christ as his Savior! You can read about his remarkable conversion story in the best-selling book The Richest Caveman.

Today, Pastor Doug Batchelor is an energetic speaker of vision and deep spirituality, with an unusual ability to communicate not only to church-oriented people, but also the secular-minded. His spontaneous, lively humor and down-to-earth approach to living the Christian life engages and reaches hearts in a way that few others are able.

As president of Amazing Facts, he can be seen on national cable networks and heard on more than 125 radio stations across the United States. He is also becoming increasingly popular around the world by those who see him on international satellite and cable stations.

Doug and his wife Karen have five children. Currently living in Sacramento, his hobbies include guitar, scuba diving, and racquetball. Like his father, he is also an aviation enthusiast and pilot. His other books include To See the King, How to Survive and Thrive in Church, and The Truth About Mary Magdalene, The Woman at Jesus’ Feet.

“When Heaven Is Silent”
Inspirations Vol. 1

Michael has served as Senior Pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia since 1989. The church has 3,000 members and has averaged one hundred baptisms each year.

Thousands have joined the church from Albany and 29 surrounding communities. The church has changed from a neighborhood church to a regional, multi-ethnic congregation with members from eleven nations. Sherwood has three campuses covering 130-plus acres—the main church campus, the lower school campus and the upper school campus. An 82-acre Sports Park is currently being developed with tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, equestrian center, fishing pond, pavilion and other facilities to reach the community through sports and recreation.

“Path to Truth,” the weekly broadcast of Sherwood’s services, is seen in over ninety markets around the country and is also available on the web and via podcast at www.sherwoodbaptist.net.

In 2003, Michael began a conference focused on revival and the victorious Christian life. ReFRESH™ is held annually in Albany, Georgia, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Pastors from all over the country have attended these conferences.

Michael frequently contributes to his blog and you can find more information about his ReFRESH™ book series at www.michaelcattbooks.com. Michael is the editor of www.2ProphetU.com, a resource website developed with Warren Wiersbe designed to encourage pastors and lay leaders. Because of his heart for pastors and churches, he is a frequent speaker at conferences around the country.

Michael is also the editor of two websites established to maintain awareness of the ministries of Vance Havner and Ron Dunn.

This ministry of Sherwood began with a conversation between Michael and Alex Kendrick on a back lot tour of Disney World. That conversation birthed a very “out of the box” church outreach.

Michael’s goal is to change the world from Albany, Georgia. While that may seem like a radical, even ridiculous, statement from a pastor in Southwest Georgia, it has, in fact, become a reality through Sherwood Pictures. Michael has served as the Executive Producer of Flywheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof, as well as several music and video projects.

In order to help churches use movies as a resource, Michael, along with Stephen Kendrick, has worked with Provident Films, Outreach and LifeWay Resources to develop Bible studies in conjunction with Facing the Giants and Fireproof.

Michael has been interviewed by magazines and newspapers including Christianity Today, Leadership Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution and other print media. He has appeared on Dr. Phil, The Fox News Channel, CNN Headline News, The Glenn Beck Show, Janet Parshall’s America, American Family Radio, The 700 Club, TBN and Richard Land Live!.

Sherwood Pictures, has been featured in over 400 articles and features including The Drudge Report, Baptist Press, AP Radio, American Family Radio, Focus on the Family, Good Morning America, Agape Press, Christianity Today, CNS News, National Public Radio, Purpose Driven Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Laura Ingraham Show, The Michael Reagan Show and The Conservative Voice.

Michael is the author of six books, including the best selling Fireproof Your Life and Prepare for Rain. Fireproof Your Life was the fastest selling book in the history of CLC Publications. Most recently, he has released the three-part ReFRESH™ book series with Broadman & Holman, including The Power of Desperation (released May 2009), The Power of Persistence (released September 2009), and The Power of Surrender (to be released in March 2010). He has also co-authored the Love Dare Curriculum. Michael is the author of numerous articles and a contributor to several collections of sermons and a book on evangelism. A prolific writer, Michael wrote a weekly column, “From the Cluttered Desk,” for many years which was read by thousands of believers and leaders around the country.

Michael served as the President of the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference, representing over 42,000 churches. He has spoken at conferences, colleges, seminaries, rallies, camps, NBA and college chapel services, well as The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. He was also honored to be the sole Southern Baptist representative at a small group meeting with President George W. Bush in the oval office in 2002.

Michael has served the Southern Baptist Convention as an IMB Trustee, President of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Preaching Conference and as Vice President of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

He is currently a Regent at the University of Mobile. He has served as a Life Coach for other ministers under John Maxwell’s ministry. He is the recipient of The Martin Luther King Award, The MLK Unity Award and a Georgia Senate Resolution in recognition of his work in the community and in racial reconciliation.

Michael’s life verse: “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

Michael’s vision statement: “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.”

Michael holds degrees from Mississippi College, Luther Rice Bible College and Seminary and Trinity Seminary.

FAMILY: Michael and his wife Terri have been married since 1974. They are the proud parents of two grown daughters, Erin and Hayley.

“Second Chance God”
Inspirations Vol. 1

James Merritt is the Senior Pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Deluth, Georgia. He was born and raised in Oakwood, Georgia and surrendered his life to Christ as a 9-year-old boy. At age 21, he committed to full-time Christian ministry, and went on to pastor five churches.

He has preached around the world to hundreds of thousands of people through television and radio.

As a popular Bible teacher and respected voice of the Christian faith, James has been interviewed by media outlets including 60 Minutes, The New York Times, ABC World News Tonight, Time Magazine, and Hannity and Colmes. Each week, Merritt’s messages are broadcast in all 50 states and 122 countries around the world through Touching Lives, a television and media ministry.

From 2000-2002, Dr. Merritt served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention, the world’s largest Protestant denomination, as well as serving in other key denominational positions.

Dr. Merritt earned his bachelor degree from Stetson University and his Master of Divinity degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has published several books including Friends, Foes and Fools and How to Be a Winner and Influence Anybody with Broadman and Holman publishers. His heart for pastors has also resulted in PastorsEdge.com, a ministry resource and PastorsEdge Mentoring Conferences.

James and his wife, Teresa, have been married for more than 30 years. They have three sons and one grandson.

“The Eucharist”
Inspirations Vol. 1

Cardinal Justin Rigali is the Archbishop of Philadelphia, Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born in Los Angeles on April 19, 1935, one of seven children born to Henry Alphonsus Rigali and Frances Irene White. He was ordained a priest by Cardinal James
Francis McIntyre in the Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles on April 25, 1961.

In October 1961, he began graduate studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from which he obtained a doctorate in 1964.

From 1964 to 1966, he followed the course of studies at the Pontifical
Ecclesiastical Academy, while serving in the English-language section of the Secretariat of State of the Vatican.

From September 1966 to February 1970, he served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Madagascar, which also was the Apostolic Delegation for the islands of Mauritus and La Reunión. During this time in July 1967, he was named a Papal Chamberlain (Monsignor) to His Holiness Pope Paul VI.

In February 1970, Monsignor Rigali became the director of the
English-language section of the Vatican Secretariat of State, and the
English-language translator for Pope Paul VI. Monsignor Rigali served as a professor at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome from 1972-1973. He also accompanied Pope John Paul II on a number of international pastoral visits, including the Holy Father’s first two major journeys to the United States in 1979 and 1987. The 1979 trip included a visit to Philadelphia.

On April 19, 1980 he was named a Prelate of Honor of His Holiness. He became a magistral chaplain in the Knights of Malta on October 25, 1984. On October 13, 1986, he became a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

On June 8, 1985, he was named President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and Titular Archbishop of Bolsena. Pope John Paul II ordained him to the episcopacy on September 14, 1985 in the Cathedral of Albano.

From 1985 to 1990, he served as President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. On December 21, 1989, he was named Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and on January 2, 1990 he became the Secretary of the College of Cardinals.

On January 25, 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed him the eighth Bishop and seventh Archbishop of St. Louis. He was formally installed on March 15, 1994. In January 1999, he hosted the Pastoral Visit of Pope John Paul II to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the only such visit to a single diocese in the United States during the pontificate.

On July 15, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Archbishop Rigali as the
twelfth Bishop and eighth Archbishop of Philadelphia. On October 7, 2003, he was installed as Archbishop of Philadelphia in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Two weeks after his installation, he was formally created a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on October 21, 2003.

The successor of Saint John Neumann, the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia
(1852-1860) and the first canonized male American saint, Cardinal Rigali is the spiritual leader of almost 1.5 million Catholics in the City of
Philadelphia and the surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery.

“Gideon”
Inspiration Vol. 1

Pastor Derik Hines is the Teaching Pastor at Community Church of Joy where he directs the Missions Ministry and oversees various other ministries.

Derik has been married to his bride Deborah for almost 28 years. They have been blessed with five daughters, three sons-in-law and two grandsons. In his free time he enjoys spending time with family, taking walks with God, working out, reading, frequenting coffee bars and looking for ways to share God’s love.

His passion is to “Live like Jesus, Love like Jesus and to Leave what Jesus left behind”.

As a teacher, his passion is to help others do the same.

“Go For The Gold”
Inspirations Vol. 1

The Reverend Dr. William H. Willimon has been a Bishop of The United Methodist Church since 2004. He leads the 157,000 Methodists and 792 pastors in North Alabama. For twenty years he was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

Dr. Willimon is a graduate of Wofford College (B.A., 1968), Yale Divinity School (M.Div., 1971) and Emory University (S.T.D., 1973). He has served as pastor of churches in Georgia and South Carolina. For four years, beginning in 1976, he served as Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke Divinity School, teaching courses in liturgics and homiletics and served as Director of the Ministerial Course of Study School at Duke, and Presiding Minister in the Divinity School Chapel.

When he returned to the parish ministry in 1980, he was Visiting Associate Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke for three years. He has been awarded honorary degrees from a dozen colleges and universities including Wofford College, Lehigh University, Colgate University, Birmingham-Southern College, and Moravian Theological Seminary. In 1992, he was named as the first Distinguished Alumnus of Yale Divinity School. He also serves on the faculties of Birmingham-Southern College as Visiting Distinguished Professor and as Visiting Research Professor at Duke Univeristy Divinity School.

He is the author of sixty books. His Worship as Pastoral Care was selected as one of the ten most useful books for pastors in 1979 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. Over a million copies of his books have been sold. In 1996, an international survey conducted by Baylor University named him one of the Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English-speaking world.

His articles have appeared in many publications including The Christian Ministry, Quarterly Review, Liturgy, Worship and Christianity Today. He is Editor-at-Large for The Christian Century. He has served as Editor and Expositor (with his wife, Patricia) for Abingdon’s International Lesson Annual. He has written curriculum materials and video for youth, young adults, and adults. His Pulpit Resource is used each week by over eight thousand pastors in the USA, Canada, and Australia. A 2005 study by the Pulpit and Pew Research Center found that Bishop Willimon is the second most widely read author by mainline Protestant pastors.

Bishop Willimon has given lectures and taught courses at many pastors’ schools and at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. These include the Belden Lectures at Harvard as well as lectureships at Princeton, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine, and Oxford. In 1998, he served on the theological faculty of the University of Bonn, Germany and in 1991, he was Distinguished Guest Professor at the University of Muenster, Germany. His books have been translated into eight languages.

He has served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, Wofford College; chairperson of the University Council Committee for the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale; and on the Board of Overseers for Memorial Church, Harvard University, and the Boards of Emory, Birmingham-Southern, and Huntingdon Colleges. He serves on the editorial boards of The Christian Century, The Christian Ministry, Preaching, The Wittenburg Door, and Leadership.

“Finding Righteousness”
Inspirations Vol. 1

Dr. J. Michael Feazell is the Vice President of Grace Communion International. Grace Communion International is a Christian denomination with more than 47,000 members worshiping in about 900 congregations in almost 100 nations and territories.

Founded in 1934 by Herbert W. Armstrong as the Radio Church of God, and later known as the Worldwide Church of God, it was a seventh-day Sabbatarian, prophecy-based ministry until the death of Armstrong in 1986. After Armstrong’s death, the church shed Armstrong’s aberrant doctrines and firmly embraced the biblical touchstone of salvation by grace through faith.

Grace Communion International has been a member of the National Association of Evangelicals since 1997.

Books about the church’s transformation include Transformed by Truth (Multnomah, 1997) by Joseph Tkach, and The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God (Zondervan, 2001) by J. Michael Feazell.
Dr. Feazell earned his M.A., M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.

He and his wife, Victoria, have three children and they live in Hemet, California.

Inspirations Vol. 1, Chapter 1: “Chase The Lion”

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. NCC was recognized as one of the Most Innovative and Most Influential Churches in America by Outreach Magazine in 2008.

As one church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations. Approximately 70% of NCCers are single twenty-somethings. The vision of NCC is to meet in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the DC area.

NCC also owns and operates the largest coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. In 2008, “Ebenezer’s” was recognized as the #1 coffeehouse in the metro DC area by AOL CityGuide. Mark has two Masters Degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of a best-selling book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. His latest release is Wild Goose Chase. He is a daily blogger at www.markbatterson.com. Mark is married to Lora and they live on Capitol Hill with their children Parker, Summer, and Josiah.