In Awe by Bruce

Jon moves from recognizing his own short-comings with helping others to gaining a passion to take his whole self out to others – strengths and weaknesses. Availing himself to all that he is, allows him to help others, but also receive from them. He’s turned this realization into a movement with the Open Table that empowers communities towards building honest, open relationships that bless all involved. 

Jon is a former senior advertising and marketing executive who is using his 30+ years of experience to develop and expand communities. He is showing them how to invest their whole self (experiences, talents, and skills) to improve the lives of others as well as their own lives through deeper, meaningful and reciprocal relationships. To do this he founded the Open Table and recently expanded it through the Community Convening.

www.theopentable.org

Using his special gift of humor, ability to be direct and loving, Bob challenges us to take a look at how we view Jesus. Giving us insight on the ways we have pigeon holed Jesus into someone who fits our personal or cultural perspective, he exposes pitfalls in perception and directs us to the true Biblical Jesus.

Bob is an Anglican Priest in the Phoenix, Arizona area where he lives with his wife Amy and 2 children. He holds a Masters degree in Divinity and has more than 20 years of ministry experience. He speaks at conferences and workshops about Dignity and works with Leadership and Teams to increase their ministry effectiveness.

He is the author of Not My Jesus – embracing our sacred role in a changing world, and Bob also enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You can check out more about Bob at his website:

https://www.bobfabey.com/

Using her grasp of biology, evolution and theology, Niamh helps us understand how the Christian version of man explains how we have become who we are and ties together the gaps left open by evolutionists. One of the key areas being the presence of evil in the world.

From age 14 on, Niamh was an atheist in her Catholic homeland of Ireland. Later as a primary teacher, she began work in the Catholic school system but found that she still had to teach a class on religion. The Church made changes that moved more towards stories about Jesus. This led her to a love for our Savior and she asked him into her life. She began her pursuit of Theology which culminated in her PhD in 2003. She lectures at Dublin City University on moral and systematic theology and recently released a book, Homo Lapsus: sin, evolution and the God who is Love. Her book shows how evolution supports Christianity’s view of human history.

Dr. Watson dives into the charismatic side of Christianity, often referred to as the 3rd wave. He gives us multiple examples of how the Spirit is at work around the world and confirming those experiences to the believers. He touches on Presence Based Worship and the expectations we should have coming into our times of worship.

Dr. Watson is Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as Associate Professor of the New Testament at United Theological Seminary.  He teaches New Testament Greek, Church Revival and courses in the Bible and disability.

He is married with 2 children and author of several books including Honor Among Christians. He has a heart for training dynamic leaders for the ministry of Christ and a burden for open, honest and respectful communication in our churches.

Shelli turns a devastating childhood disease into a passionate trust in God’s word and his promise of hope. She looks for ways to be thankful and in awe of Jesus, knowing that he will one day bring all things to a close, taking away all that hurt and pain. Shelli finds the awe in the sublime and as well as the ordinary, and her passion encourages us all to take that same path.

Shelli is someone who is filled with passion and joy. With a BA in Mathematics and a Masters in Educational Leadership Shelli has been a teacher and a principal at two Christian schools. Currently she serves as Principal at Hillcrest Christian Academy in Bethel Park, PA. 

But her passion for the Lord overflows and we are fortunate it does. She founded Hope & Passion Ministries which has allowed her to share her love with Jesus beyond the school room and community.  She teaches at churches, retreats, seminars and conferences using courses she has created, such as: Apologetics Activated! (a practical primer on apologetics) and The Heaven Event (a ½ day presentation on our eternal home).

Shelli is also a prolific writer having written 3 daily devotionals including Living in Awe!

Awe abounds in the Old Testament and as Jesus fulfills the Law, that heartbeat of God’s presence continues into the New Testament. Hear from Dr. Longman about what it was that drew him to God and the how that lead him to his wonderment of God in the Old Testament and a life of sharing that reverence with others.

Dr. Tremper Longman III (M.Div. Westminster Theological Seminary; M.Phil. and Ph.D. Yale University) recently retired after being the Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. He has written over 30 books (and is still actively writing) including commentaries on Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, and Nahum. His most recent book (with the psychologist Dan Allender) is God Loves Sex: An Honest Conversation about Sexual Desire and Holiness. As a Hebrew scholar, he is one of the main translators of the popular New Living Translation of the Bible and has served as a consultant on other popular translations of the Bible such as the Message and the Common Bible. He also serves as a mentor in the “Science for Seminaries” initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Tremper and Alice have three sons (Tremper IV, Timothy, and Andrew) and two granddaughters (Gabrielle and Mia).

The wonderment of Peter on the water. An attractive illustration of the dynamic faith we all deeply desire. Roz encourages us to make it real and know that that is to more the norm than the unusual for our Christian experience. Listen to his stories of how others have made this real and how you can too.

Roz is Dean of the Chapel, Director of the Pohly Leadership Center, and a professor at United Theological Seminary.  He is the founding pastor of Embrace Church in Lexington, Kentucky and Mosaic Church in Beavercreek, Ohio.  An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.  He leads a consulting group, Picardo Coaching, for church planters and pastors.

A personal experience that deepened a Pastor’s awe grows into an example of how God's infinitely great love touches what could seem to be just a tiny part of his creation.

David Griebner is a retired United Methodist pastor living in Charlotte, NC. For 39 years David served churches in Ohio, including Athens, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Columbus. He is the author of a book of original stories titled “The Carpenter and the Unbuilder.”

Nanette Kirsch

Explore with Nanette, and understand what could be one of the worst situations, being sexually abused by an authority. It doesn’t mean that God let it happen or that he is not there. In the midst of a horrible situation, Nanette helps us see that secrets destroy, but trusting in our loving God can build the hope we need.   

Nanette Kirsch’s passion for living out Ernest Hemingway’s directive to “write the truest sentence you know” led her to major in journalism at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and pursue a career in communications. Nanette is the owner and president of Big Rock Ideas, an outsourced inbound marketing company, where she helps companies discover and express the essence of their brand identities.

While writing is a large focus of her business, she began a blog, Faith Runner: Journeying to the heart of what is true, to share life lessons she’s learned walking with God as a wife for 25 years, mother of 4, businesswoman and Christian witness.

Ben Witherington lll

New Testament author, lecturer and professor Ben Witherington lll refers to himself as a whole brain Christian because he works to feed both the intellectual and emotional sides of his brain. He believes this allows for a balanced view of his worship of the Lord.

Website: 
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/

Ben Witherington III is an American New Testament scholar and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is also an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. Ben has written over fifty books including, The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were chosen as top biblical studies by Christianity Today. He has made many appearances on radio and television programs, and has been featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and other major networks.