Christian Devotions SPEAK UP!

On this episode of Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! our host Marianne Jordon interviews Emily Fitchpatrick of Hope House about the serious problem of sex trafficking - modern day slavery for young girls and women. Emily is the founder and executive director of On Eagles Wings Hope House. OEW is a refuge for girls who are rescued from sex trafficking. OEW offers assistance to those still trapped, and restores those that have survived by offering hope, empowerment, and a brighter future. OEW focuses on prevention, outreach, aftercare, and empowerment. Listen and learn how you can invest in a life.

Michael Wolff is founder and director or Reconnections Ministries. Jesus’ Great Commission to us was to make disciples, yet for all of modern Christendom’s preaching, teaching, and activities the polls reveal we are failing the vast majority of men. Just as it was 2,000 years ago when Jesus came to earth, the temple worship religious model now fails God’s people. It is our mission to help the many men now languishing in pews across this land to awaken to the reality of a literal kingdom of heaven on earth and engage the great adventure of the Christian faith!

At Reconnections Ministries we seek the reawakening of Christian men because it was men God ordained to lead in their homes, their fellowships, and their communities. It is our passion and calling to help men find Jesus’ great adventure by following Him out of their temples and in to kingdom living in the marketplaces of life once again, and then beyond that to the establishment of true “Acts” church communities!

You can also find Mike at work with Marketplace Saints, a ministry dedicated to creating communities across the country that bring individuals, businesses, and ministries together in one place for work, for fellowship and for community.

This is a rebroadcast of an interview with Rob Cook, author and founder of 252 Underground. Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott McCausey and Rob talk about the troubled youth in our country.

Rob Cook has been working with teens for over thirteen years – meeting them on the street, lending a hand, buying a lunch, sharing his life and his faith. "I just want to do for others what someone did for me when I was a teen," says Rob. In 2006, Rob rented a building at 3 West Main Street in Lansdale, PA to create a place where teens could come, be accepted, hang out, hear good music, play games, meet some role models, and hear a story that changed the lives of millions. There have been many challenges, but the changed lives have been worth it!

Rob has been writing since he was about fifteen years old. He is well known for short stories that are thought provoking – teaching without preaching. He tackles real life topics that no one else wants to address. Rob's first published work, Regener8, is scheduled to be released in September of 2012 through Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Keep an eye out for Regener8. Check out Rob’s ministry at http://www.252underground.com/252/.

This is a rebroadcast of a previously recorded episode of Christian Devotions SPEAK UP!

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” The First Responders in your community do just that. They sacrifice comfort and safety to protect the lives of others, always waiting, and always wondering when they will find themselves answering the next call. Pat’s book, Answering the Call is a collection of inspirational stories based on his experiences as a street paramedic in Durham, North Carolina. Each unique story is written as a devotional with an insightful application section that offers the reader a glimpse into God's Word. Use it for your daily devotions, as a guide for your small group study, or simply to share Pat’s experiences and better understand the lives of paramedics and other first responders.

Pat is a writer, a photographer, a paramedic, a volunteer chaplain, and an instructor of Emergency Medical Science. His stories are true, based on real experiences from the streets of Durham, North Carolina where he served as a street paramedic for seventeen years.

This is a rebroadcast episode of Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! Join us this week as Zena Dell Lowe shares her faith and how it impacts her work in film.

Zena is a screenwriter, producer, and filmmaker based in Bozeman, Montana, and one of the owners of the Mission Ranch and Mission Ranch Lodge. As an actress, Zena worked successfully in Hollywood for over thirteen years in theatre, independent films, and national commercials.

In 2000, Zena transitioned to the writing and filmmaking side of the business when she attended the acclaimed Act One: Writing for Hollywood Program, which led to her first paid writing gig for the short film The Haunted Heart, for which she won a Silver and a Telly Award. Soon after, Zena was honored to become the Associate Director of Act One and began teaching at writers’ conferences around the country. In 2005, Zena moved back to Montana to help take over the family ranch after her mother’s untimely passing. Today, Zena helps run the family businesses, writes, produces, and directs full time. She also teaches classes on screenwriting and playwriting as an adjunct professor at Covenant College in Georgia, performs with the acclaimed Vigilante Theatre Company around Montana, and is the director of theatre arts at Journey Church in Bozeman.

Ron Benrey passed away on MAY 11, 2014. This broadcast is from a previously recorded episode of Christian Devotions Speak Up!

Ron Benrey was perfectly content in middle age with being sort-of Jewish. He saw Christianity as a collection of nonsensical teachings that most believers don't understand and can't explain. But on one ordinary August afternoon, God "flipped his switch"- without an invitation and without any warning. Almost instantaneously, everything Ron had heard about Christianity made perfect sense. Seconds later he knew that he'd become a Christian. Ron's efforts to learn how to write mystery fiction played a central role in his unexpected conversion to Christianity. Ron imagined writing himself into a novel and abruptly understood that the Incarnation was possible and how God could be a Trinity. The Day God Flipped My Switch tells the fascinating story of Ron's remarkable change of mind and heart-and the novel teaching approach that God used to convey the truth of Christianity to him. Whether you're a fellow late bloomer or you became a Christian much younger in life, Ron shows you how to use the same ways of thinking to build your faith and grow your understanding of Christianity.

Ron Benrey, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Christian Fiction, began his writing career as Electronics Editor of Popular Science Monthly. He is an experienced non-fiction writer who has written more than a thousand bylined magazine articles, eight published books, and scores of major speeches for the CEOs of Fortune-100 companies. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master's degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law. He’s a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Suzie Benforado was a missionary for over 25 years who spent most of her missionary time in Romania. This is a rebroadcast of an episode shortly before her passing.

"Before starting in this new ministry, I could have never imagined myself involved with a church planting effort. But now, I bit down the road, it seems to me that everything that I've ever done in my Christian life and as a missionary was preparing me for this time and this place. This is such an amazing feeling... knowing I am here for such a time as this."

Her journey has been marked by many amazing demonstrations of God's power-- healings, deliverances, and salvations.Join in and listen to how God is changing the world one soul at a time.

Esther has a strong passion for mental health. She manages events and workshops sharing her story to inspire and influence the upcoming generation. In a secular world where identity is based on societal standards, Esther reassures that everyone has a unique gift that shouldn’t be compromised despite the current circumstances. Using her life experiences, she shares stories of how her Faith strengthened the third year of university. She has had several interviews with different pod-casters including Premier Gospel Radio, The Authors Podcast, Keeping It Real Radio, and Power Xtra Radio. She has been invited to the Barclays Wealth Management to talk about the vision of Authentic Worth, as well as speaking at her previous University (of Kent) at the Kent Africa Summit in March 2019. She has two years of property management experience and is knowledgeable in fashion. Esther is looking to support new and aspiring authors in writing their first book, providing them a platform to share their story and turn it into purpose.

Joleen Steel is the curriculum specialist for Camping Stick Kids. She has a B.A. in elementary education. She taught public school for ten years before deciding to open her own music studio and homeschool her boys. Joleen is a pastor’s wife and grew up as a pastor’s kid. Her love for the good news of Jesus Christ flows out of her and into the Camping Stick Kids curriculum. Her easy style and creative approach to teaching will encourage your student to learn the Gospel story and be able to share the good news with their friends and family. Joleen would love to have you visit the camping stick kids website and blog at campingstickkids.org.

Del Duduit a life-long resident of the Southern Ohio area and an award-winning writer. As a sports writer, he won two Associated Press awards for columns. As a broadcaster and news director, he received an award from the Ohio News Network. In television, Del earned a sales award from The WB Network.

For the past several years, he’s been a pharmaceutical sales professional.  Del’s dabbled in the freelance arena and has many articles published in Sports Spectrum — a quarterly magazine dedicated to highlighting Christian athletes. He’s interviewed Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees and recently spent some time with Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals. Del is a contributing writer for OneChristianVoice.com, Sohiovoice.com, and also a guest blogger for Almost an Author, and have been published in The Sports Column as well as ToddStarnes.com and Clubhouse Magazine — a publication of Focus on the Family.

In addition, Del writes for PM Magazine, a quarterly publication that highlights the positive aspects of Southern Ohio, where he lives with wife Angie. They have raised two godly men who are both preachers, and Angie sings and plays piano at Rubyville Community Church.

Del’s new book Dugout Devotions releases in February, 2018. https://www.amazon.com/Dugout-Devotions-Inspirational-Stars-Faith/dp/156309133X