Christian Devotions SPEAK UP!

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey interviews Canadian musician Colin Bernard.

“When I first heard Colin’s voice I was just blown away. Then when I got to meet him and work with him, I was even more blown away; not only by his gift, but more importantly by his humility and genuine love for Jesus. I believe this record will deeply touch the hearts of those who hear it!”—Producer Ed Cash

Influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, U2, and Radiohead, Colin has managed to maintain a distinct sound with profound lyrics and melodies that make memories. Hailing from Atlantic Canada, the French Canadian has lived in the nation’s capital since 2001. He co-writes with his brother, Joel Bernard, and the soft tones and harmony vocals can be attributed to his wife, Monica Bernard.

The three have worked on several mini projects in the past few years and have recently released their first album, Hold On which was recorded and produced by Ed and Scott Cash at Anchor Productions in Franklin, Tennessee.

Devotion to God runs deep in the Paris family. Twila’a great-grandparents were itinerant preachers in Arkansas and Oklahoma who held outdoor revival meetings and established churches, and she recounted this experience in Seventy Years Ago, a song on her Beyond a Dream album. Musical talent permeates the Paris family, as her grandmother wrote songs distributed at revivals. Her father, Oren Paris, is a minister as well as an accomplished musician and songwriter.

Twila sang at church before she was old enough to attend school. She began developing her instrumental talent at the age of six when she started taking piano lessons. By the time she was performing in her high school choir, Twila was determined to become a choir teacher. She began to consider songwriting after attending a Christian discipleship school, where she decided that music would be the perfect way to express her feelings about God. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, Twila toured extensively as she opened for the Imperials. After receiving her first #1 hit, she began headlining her own concert tours with such notable opening artists as Wayne Watson, Clay Crosse, Phil Kaeggy, Avalon, Aaron Jeoffrey, and Fernando Ortega. She was featured in the Young Messiah tour and co-hosted with Steven Curtis Chapman. In the 2000s, she continues to tour but not as extensively. In 2011-2012, Twila participated in the Christian Classics tour with Steve Green, Wayne Watson, and Michael Card. Her latest CD, God Shed His Grace, focuses on songs emphasizing our country and its foundation on Christ.

SPECIAL GUEST: Best Selling Author Mary Ellis talks about her book, "An Amish Family Reunion".

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey talks about the importance of gathering as a family with Trent and Michelle Howell and the method they use to do so.

Like many families, there are plenty of activities that keep the Howells busy. After a hectic day, including work and school, the evening agenda includes church, sports, Boy Scouts, and everything else that keeps the engine running. Using this formula, the opportunities to gather as a family become difficult and sparse, hence the Howells have embraced board games. Now, instead of working around everyone’s schedule to meet at the dinner table, the Howell family gathering has become a priority.

Discover ways you can make family time become a priority instead of a hindrance and be introduced to The Board Game Family. You can discover more about them and some new fun and family games at http://theboardgamefamily.com.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey chats with conference speaker and author Israel Wayne.

Israel Wayne is a homeschooled graduate who is leading his generation in defending the Christian faith and developing a biblical worldview. He is the author of the book Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview. Israelis a regular columnist for Home School Digest and Brush Arbor Quarterly, published by Wisdom’s Gate (www.WisdomsGate.org), where he currently serves as the Marketing Director. He is also the site editor for www.ChristianWorldview.net. 

Israelis a popular conference speaker and a frequent guest on national radio programs discussing home education and cultural issues from a biblical perspective. Israel’s family began home educating in 1978 and has been featured in national and international publications including TIME Magazine, The Arizona Republic, The Boston Globe, and TheWall Street Journal. Israel has been featured as the keynote speaker at various state homeschool conferences, with up to 5,000 in attendance. 

Israeland his wife Brook were joined in marriage without dating and share their testimony of God’s faithfulness on an audio book titled, What God Has Joined Together. Israel and Brook, also a homeschool graduate, are home educating their five young children, and Brook is a regular columnist for An Encouraging Word magazine.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey discusses the story of Dave Moore’s prodigal son and an adventure that brought him to Christ.

Dave is married with three sons. He’s a chaplain, an armor bearer, and works in a food ministry to the hungry. You can find Dave visiting hospitals, jails, nursing homes, and prisons to pray with the sick and the hurting people of this world. 

Dave’s book, A Father’s Love, will keep you riveted on a five-day journey to find his lost son and a calling from God. You can discover more about Dave and his book at www.thefatherslovebook.com.

Since moving to America in 1987, Australian Ken Ham—president and founder of Answers in Genesis-U.S., the highly acclaimed Creation Museum (over one million visitors in less than three years), and visionary behind the construction of a full-size Noah’s Ark—has become one of the most in-demand Christian conference speakers and talk show guests.

A biblical apologist, Ken gives numerous faith-building talks to tens of thousands of children and adults each year on such topics as the reliability of the Bible, how compromise over biblical authority has undermined society and even the church, witnessing more effectively, dinosaurs, “races,” etc. Ken co-founded Answers in Genesis in 1994 with the purpose of upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse.

In 1979, after a career managing and/or consulting on sixteen congressional and senatorial campaigns, with their exacting research and demanding strategic planning, Britt Beemer founded America’s Research Group ARG, a full-service consumer behavior research and strategic marketing firm. Recognized nationally as a premier marketing strategist, Britt Beemer has gained wide acclaim for his work on how, when, and why consumers select their products and services. His knowledge of consumer preferences increases monthly as ARG conducts thousands of additional shopper interviews.

These two gentlemen authored two controversial books, Already Gone and Already Compromised. These writings explore why our kids fall away from the faith and potential ways to fix this epidemic. You won’t want to miss the beneficial information in this spirit-filled episode.

September 11 widow Jennifer Sands is quickly gaining a reputation as one of today’s most dynamic Christian authors and speakers. In her second book, A Teachable Faith, Jennifer uses her own daily experiences to illustrate how to gain knowledge of God through life’s challenges, as she shares what God has taught her through them in a lighthearted, entertaining style. Endorsed by Steve Saint, son of late missionary Nate Saint, and best-selling author Janette Oke, A Teachable Faith offers an influential message of perseverance and faith in God regardless of life’s circumstances. Readers of A Teachable Faith come away with wisdom, direction, and inspiration to strengthen their own relationship with Christ. Jennifer’s first book, the critically acclaimed A Tempered Faith (2003, The Olive Press), endorsed by Joni Eareckson Tada and Philip Yancey, detailed Jennifer’s emotional and spiritual journey in the first year after the terrorist attacks. Together, the two books track her four-year post-9-1-1 transformation from tragedy to victory.

Jennifer is also passionate about speaking to local, national, and international audiences on overcoming life’s struggles through trust in Christ, and her testimony has touched thousands of people with its powerful message of faith and hope. She’s received extensive national media coverage, including live appearances on CNN Headline News, CNN Radio, Fox National News, Janet Parshall’s America, Talk America Radio, and other broadcast outlets, including print articles in nationwide publications.  You can discover more about her at www.jennifersands.com.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey talks prayer with author and theologian John Snyder.

John Snyder is a pastor, author, and conference speaker. He has taught New Testament Studies at New College Berkeley in California and has pastored and planted churches in California, New York, Switzerland, and Hawaii.

John received his Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of religion from Vanguard University, Costa Mesa, California. An avid athlete, he competed in track and field, and also served as Student Body President of the college. John received his Master of Theology and Master of Divinity degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. He received his Doctor of Theology degree magna cum laude in New Testament Studies from the University of Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with acclaimed professors Bo Reicke, Markus Barth, Martin Schmidt, and Jan Milic Lochman. He studied German at the Goethe-Institut in Germany.

John Snyder’s new book, Your 100 Day Prayer, is now available from Thomas Nelson Publishing on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, and other major retailers. It’s also available for download as an e-book for your Kindles, iPads, mobile phones, and other readers.

James McDonald, husband to Stacy, father of ten (three married), and grandfather of two, serves as pastor of Providence Church. A graduate of the University of Idaho (BSME), James is on a lifelong quest to complete his Master of Divinity and is currently enrolled at The North American Reformed Seminary. A man who has worn many hats, James has served as a design engineer, operations planner, global marketing director, and a publisher, but his true love is preaching God’s Word and ministering to God’s people. He enjoys strong coffee and what some consider to be odd food – from anything Cajun to shark, crawfish, sushi, elk, ostrich. . . the list goes on and on. Thankfully, his wife Stacy is a wonderful cook, who could make cardboard taste like bruschetta.

Stacy is a pastor’s wife, mother, grandma, conference speaker, co-author of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, and author of Raising Maidens of Virtue. While traveling with her family, she has had the privilege of encouraging women all over the globe on issues pertaining to marriage, homemaking, feminism, chastity, and feminine deportment.

James and his family moved to Central Illinois in 2006 from Southeast Texas, where he served as pastor of Crown and Covenant Presbyterian Church. The McDonald family lives on two acres of heaven in the middle of (“Nowhere”) Illinois. They spend their spare time raising a few chickens, adventuring in the woods and corn fields, and reading good books.

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey discusses how to defend our faith with Ray Comfort and Emeal Zwayne of Living Waters Ministry.

Ray Comfort is the Founder/President/CEO of Living Waters Publications. After relocating from New Zealand to Southern California in the late 1980s, Ray introduced a long line of pastors and churches to a biblical teaching which he called Hell's Best Kept Secret. The positive and enthusiastic response that followed took Ray’s Living Waters Publications ministry to a whole new level. From humble beginnings, LWP has become an internationally recognized ministry, reaching the lost and equipping Christians with every necessary resource to fulfill the great commission. Ray Comfort is the co-host (with Kirk Cameron) of the award-winning television program, "The Way of the Master," which airs in 70 countries around the world. Ray is a best-selling author of more than 60 books. He and his wife Sue live in Southern California and have three grown children. 

Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne is the Executive Vice President of Living Waters Publications. After his radical conversion to Christ in 1991, he enrolled at Biola University as a biblical studies and theology major. Having received his pastoral ordination in 1995, he served for almost six years as a full-time associate pastor and vice Ppresident of his church's board. His teachings have extended to people of different age groups throughout America and other parts of the world. He has been the featured speaker at various conferences, churches, and learning institutions. E.Z. resides in Southern California with his wife Rachel and their five children.