Actress, Singer and Voiceover artist, Maria Howell is best known as the choir soloist from the movie “The Color Purple. ”“Art and spirituality are like singing and acting for me. Art is an expression of the spiritual side of me so as I grow with one, it helps the other. It’s a volleying back and forth like my singing and acting have been. I want both. As I learn more and I grow, I want to know more. As a sensitive artist, you want to know about life—you want to know what it means.” ~Maria Howell

Author Walter Lawrence grew up in Texas, where his father practiced veterinary medicine and his mother taught nursing. He and his sister were raised in a family that valued the origin and meaning of words.

He majored in English in college and later earned a Masters of Arts in Professional Writing. Walter has published numerous freelance magazine and newspaper articles, and both his poetry and short stories have won numerous awards.

Sharron Ragan is an entrepreneur, artist, business leader and visionary who literally throws herself into her work emotionally, physically and spiritually. She is an awarding winning artist and has commissioned work at several corporate offices including Coca-Cola, and private collections.

Stained glass artist Margery (Cunningham) Kellar grew up in Indiana and graduated from Ball State University with a BS in Art Education. After moving to Atlanta, she worked for the state of GA in Fulton County’s Adult Protective Services. Margery retired in 2011 and now has more time to create stained glass art.

Sunmoon Pie is an Atlanta-based Jewish music group, writing and performing a blend of spiritual and sometimes quirky songs that explore the human condition through the lens of Jewish & Kabbalistic themes—with a focus meditative Kirtan-style Hebrew chanting inspired by the Jewish liturgy. The artists of Sunmoon Pie say, “We take Jewish prayers and add melodies—hopefully adding a new spirit to these prayers that have been said by Jews around the world for centuries.”

During the past 30 years, Michael Belk’s photography has appeared in fashion publications including Vogue, Elle, GQ and Vanity Fair for clients that included Nautica, J.Crew and others.

Combining his gift for photography with a natural sense for sales and marketing savvy, Michael created a boutique fashion-advertising agency, Michael Belk & Company. He says his work has primarily been about doing something he loved while traveling the world, working with many great models and crews in the industry. Michael later owned a fine art photography gallery in Florida.

In 2008, Michael began a project to produce a collection of fine art photographs that would depict messages of Jesus and show His relevance in our modern world. Published in late 2009, Journeys with the Messiah, consists of 45 images and the “parable-like” messages they depict.

Currently living and working in Atlanta, Jeff Beach is a professional drummer who is quickly becoming a first call for live performance, recording sessions, and educational clinics all over the country. A graduate and former instructor of the Atlanta Institute of Music, Jeff has had the opportunity to share the stage with acts such as Maroon 5, Tonic, Ringo Starr, The Killers, George Thorogood, and many others.

Janine Hoefler is a painter, photographer, lecturer and teacher. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arcadia University and has taught art classes to both children and adults.Along with her career as a painter, Janine is an award-winning photographer and a speaker. She teaches individuals to take emotionally meaningful photos and how to bring families together with photography.

Seth Casteel is an award-winning photographer and New York Times Best Selling Author. His series of Underwater Dogs photographs have been seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world and have become one of the most famous series of images in the past decade.

Crystal Slagley is an award-winning cake concept artist. She holds fifteen certificates in a variety of cake decorating techniques, including a master’s certificate in sugarpaste, royal icing, and sugar flowers. Crystal is one of only ten people in the United States to have this exclusive certification. She shares her inspiration, creative process, and why she believes her cakes "represent joy" on this edition of Art As Worship on Empower Radio.