Christian Devotions SPEAK UP!

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! for the All-Star game special with guest Tony Graffanino.

Tony Graffanino was born in New York on Long Island and grew up in East Islip. He graduated from high school in 1990 and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. Tony made it to the big leagues with the Braves in 1996. He played in parts of 13 Major League seasons, 11 full seasons with Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, Boston, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. Tony has been involved with UPI outreaches and Bible studies since his Atlanta days.

Tony came on staff with UPI full time on July 1st of 2011 and moved his family to Arizona. He currently resides on the northwest side of Phoenix, in Peoria, and leads Bible studies for current and former players in the Peoria, Glendale, and Scottsdale areas. Tony also does UPI international trips in Italy, Germany, Mexico, and soon to the Dominican Republic. He assists Brian Hommel in ministering to the tremendous amount of players, current and former, who call Phoenix home, or to those who have Spring Training, Extended Spring, Summer League, Instructional League, and/or Fall League in Phoenix.

Tony is married to Nicole (1995) and they have two sons, A.J. and Nick.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott chats about feeding the hungry and clothing the needy with Pastor Russ McCoy.

Pastor Russ is affectionately known by the locals in St. Johns, MI, as a man of God and provider to the needy. Yet, his life was not always that of a humanitarian. As a troubled youth, he found himself serving in Okinawa during the Vietnam War. His first marriage lasted only five years as he fathered two children.

In 1993, his life was forever changed as he accepted the Lord, went to seminary, and became an Assembly of God Minister. He’s been married to Adele for forty-one years, serving the Lord and being an entrepreneur.

In 2010, Russ started The Basic Needs Center.  He and Adele have served over 1500 client families with food and clothing. God has provided everything needed through community support, local businesses, and a 100 percent volunteer staff.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott chats about feeding the hungry and clothing the needy with Pastor Russ McCoy.

Pastor Russ is affectionately known by the locals in St. Johns, MI, as a man of God and provider to the needy. Yet, his life was not always that of a humanitarian. As a troubled youth, he found himself serving in Okinawa during the Vietnam War. His first marriage lasted only five years as he fathered two children.

In 1993, his life was forever changed as he accepted the Lord, went to seminary, and became an Assembly of God Minister. He’s been married to Adele for forty-one years, serving the Lord and being an entrepreneur.

In 2010, Russ started The Basic Needs Center.  He and Adele have served over 1500 client families with food and clothing. God has provided everything needed through community support, local businesses, and a 100 percent volunteer staff.

A Vanderbilt University professor, Debra Coleman Jeter has published fiction and nonfiction in popular magazines, including Working Woman, New Woman, Self, Home Life, Savvy, Christian Woman, and American Baby. Her story, Recovery, won first prize in a Christian women’s short story competition, and her nonfiction book Pshaw, It’s Me Grandson: Tales of a Young Actor was a finalist in the 2007 USA Book News Awards. She is a co-writer of the screenplay for Jess + Moss, a feature film which premiered in 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival, screened at nearly forty film festivals around the world, and captured several international awards. She lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with her husband, where she’s releasing her newest book, The Ticket.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! where Scott will be joined by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a board certified internal medicine physician. She shares with audiences nationwide on the topics of eliminating limiting emotions, finding grace in difficult places, and experiencing personal renewal by drawing near to God. Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women's Day, Redbook, and First for Women magazine. She is the founder of I Choose My Best Life. Her other books include award-winning Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves and most recently from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, Come Empty.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! where Scott will be joined by savvy writers Saundra Dalton-Smith and Debra Coleman Jeter.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a board certified internal medicine physician. She shares with audiences nationwide on the topics of eliminating limiting emotions, finding grace in difficult places, and experiencing personal renewal by drawing near to God. Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women's Day, Redbook, and First for Women magazine. She is the founder of I Choose My Best Life. Her other books include award-winning Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves and most recently from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, Come Empty.

A Vanderbilt University professor, Debra Coleman Jeter has published fiction and nonfiction in popular magazines, including Working Woman, New Woman, Self, Home Life, Savvy, Christian Woman, and American Baby. Her story, Recovery, won first prize in a Christian women’s short story competition, and her nonfiction book Pshaw, It’s Me Grandson: Tales of a Young Actor was a finalist in the 2007 USA Book News Awards. She is a co-writer of the screenplay for Jess + Moss, a feature film which premiered in 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival, screened at nearly forty film festivals around the world, and captured several international awards. She lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with her husband, where she’s releasing her newest book, The Ticket.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! where Scott interviewed the group Undone at a LIVE concert on Memorial Day.

Ricky and April Burke were married in January of 1998. With music in their blood, they began to lead worship at Faith Tabernacle Worship Center in Medon, TN, and from that moment, God sparked a fire unlike anything they’d ever known.

Their son Kevin, who is an autistic savant, began playing the piano in 2009 for the worship team at the age of fourteen. Terry Montgomery, drummer, joined them in 2011.

In October 2012, God called Pastor Ricky and April to open a sister campus called Faith Church in Lexington, TN. Bobby Hughes, bass player,  began to play at their monthly Sunday Night Ignite services in 2014 and in early 2015, they were introduced to John Couch, lead guitar, by way of a mutual friend, Andy K. Avery. The band was complete.

Worship is where the deepest part of you seeks out the deepest part of Him, where you come into the throne room of grace face down, broken, and undone. That is the place where He can start to unravel you and make you new again—hence the name of the group Undone.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! where Scott interviewed the group Undone at a LIVE concert on Memorial Day.

Ricky and April Burke were married in January of 1998. With music in their blood, they began to lead worship at Faith Tabernacle Worship Center in Medon, TN, and from that moment, God sparked a fire unlike anything they’d ever known.

Their son Kevin, who is an autistic savant, began playing the piano in 2009 for the worship team at the age of fourteen. Terry Montgomery, drummer, joined them in 2011.

In October 2012, God called Pastor Ricky and April to open a sister campus called Faith Church in Lexington, TN. Bobby Hughes, bass player,  began to play at their monthly Sunday Night Ignite services in 2014 and in early 2015, they were introduced to John Couch, lead guitar, by way of a mutual friend, Andy K. Avery. The band was complete.

Worship is where the deepest part of you seeks out the deepest part of Him, where you come into the throne room of grace face down, broken, and undone. That is the place where He can start to unravel you and make you new again—hence the name of the group Undone.

A veteran attendee of Writers Advance conferences, Mary is an experienced photographer, seeking to capture memories that bring smiles. A 2013 graduate of Christian Communicators Conference, Mary speaks about her own experiences with abuse, leading her to begin her Be A Voice 4 Kids ministry.  She recently shared at the Chosen Chicks for Christ Conference and local church events, with the latest being the guest speaker “What's I Your Purse?” banquet at Faith Temple Baptist Church. With much prayer she followed through with the calling of becoming trained as a facilitator of Stewards of Children through Darkness to Light to help prevent child sexual abuse. She loves to share the Love of the Lord and brings hope to those who hunger for only what can be found through Jesus Christ. Find Mary on her face book page at Be A Voice 4 Kids or at www.writeblessings.com or  www.beavoice4kids.vpweb.com.

Kimberly Pickens is a preschool teacher at her home church daycare. She has written two stories that are featured in Christmas Moments and Spoken Moments. Her story, Molly's Promised Land, won an honorable mention from The ACFW First Five Pages Contest. She is a member of a writing and critique group, Crosses and Pens. She is also a member of NACFW and the ACFW. Kimberly likes spending time at home with her husband and best friend of over twenty-five years. They have a daughter and a son. Besides writing, Kimberly's passion is her faith in God, her family, and helping children achieve academic success. She has recently started her own enrichment program in preschools to help children develop a positive attitude early-on in math and science. Her program is called Math that Counts. It is Kimberly's heart's cry to bring glory and honor to God Almighty by using the talents He has blessed her with, to advance the kingdom of heaven through her writing.