David Zahl was born in New York City and brought up on the East Coast and in Europe, David graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2001. He then served for five years as a para-church youth minister in New England before starting Mockingbird Ministries in 2007, an organization devoted to connecting the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in fresh and down-to-earth ways. He remains its executive director today. David is also a licensed lay preacher in the Diocese of Virginia. He is the author of A Mess of Help: From the Crucified Soul of Rock N’ Roll, Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technlogy, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What To Do About It and co-author of Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints). His most recent book is Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). He and his wife Cate have three boys.

Rev. Chris Lee is a young vicar who has taken the internet by storm. With an ever growing online presence, Chris has over 170k followers on Instagram. He helps and inspires them every day with his 60-second sermons, full of bite-sized wisdom for busy people. Chris has over 350 million views on the videos he appears in on YouTube.

Chris’s new book, Know You Are Beloved: Press Pause, Breathe Deeply, and Be Known by God, seeks to refocus you on simple yet profound truths of the Christian faith. Each chapter ends with a place to breathe deeply and sit in silence, offering a welcome opportunity to calm your spirit and turn your gaze to God. The book will take you into a deeper place with your faith, more secure and more intimate.

Bryan Crum spent a decade as a hospice chaplain. His time at the bedside of dying people gave him a front-row view into how God designed us. He discovered that most people felt they never reached their full potential. Their longings and regrets led to incredible insights about what’s most often missed—the power of love. Filled with memorable stories and timeless takeaways, Neighbor, Love Yourself reveals how understanding our inner value changes the way we live on the outside. Before we can truly love our neighbors—or anyone else—we must learn to love ourselves as God intended. If you’ve doubted your design, felt unfulfilled, or are unaware of the divine features inside you, this book is like finding a lost owner’s manual to your inner workings—one that invites you to take joy in your pricelessness instead of wondering about your worth.

Kimberly is a professional helper and artist completing her doctorate in community care and counseling. She is a professor, writer, editor, and counselor. During her critical illness in 2021-2022, she began dreaming about The Way Back to Ourselves and founded it in August of 2022. She is an award-winning poet, and her writing has been published in Ekstasis, Fathom, Truly Co, Radix, Calla Press, Humana Obscura, The Dewdrop, and many others. Her debut poetry collection, Of Wings & Dirt, which is inspired by her health journey, infertility, and miraculous motherhood, will come out in April 2024 with Wipf & Stock. She is also at work on her next poetry collection, a devotional, a nonfiction book on suffering and healing, and a nonfiction work about parenting and leading this new generation toward wholeness, which is the research and passion project that inspired this community. It, too, is titled The Way Back to Ourselves.

You can find Kimberly on Instagram @thewayback2ourselves and on Substack at thewayback2ourselves.substack.com. She writes about faith, suffering, mental health, community, the writer’s life, and more—all with the call to give authentic hope and encouragement to those who are trying to find their way back, too.

Ashlee Eiland is a thought leader, writer, and Bible teacher who exists to join in God's redemptive work here on Earth. Her work has one purpose: to help humanity build bridges back to the truth of who God is and between one another in whole and healing relationships. Ashlee formerly served as Co-Lead Pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in West Michigan. She and her husband live in Grand Rapids with their three kids.

Say Good is a timely, thought-provoking book that contains practical insights, empowering action steps, and a solid framework for using your voice with purpose and impact. Embark on a transformative journey of honing both your words and your heart—for good.

There's no escaping it: everyone experiences seasons of pain and despair. In 2019, when Amber Haines resigned from her position as church curate and walked out the church doors for the last time, she entered her own season of pain and despair. That season taught her--and her husband, Seth Haines--that the journey toward hope starts with recognizing "the deep down things." In The Deep Down Things, Amber and Seth point to a simple truth: even in the darkest times, there are tangible signs of hope all around us. The authors demonstrate how tasting, touching, feeling, holding, and participating in these tangible acts of hope picks us up, builds our strength, and moves us into beauty, even in times of despair. They invite readers to participate with those signs of hope and thereby experience the divine love of God, even in the struggle of their everyday lives. A lifeline for those who desperately need it, this book helps readers overcome despair, find hope, and spread that hope to an aching world.

Sergeant Mark Tappan and his K9 companion, Mattis, have a highly engaged and devoted fan base of over five million social media followers. 

This down-to-earth duo never anticipated winning A&E’s Top Dog, fulfilling countless on-going media requests, and interacting with an ever-increasing social media fan base. 

Although, it’s Mark and Mattis’ special bond and likeability as a team that has their audience clamoring for more.

K9 Mattis is one of the most decorated police K9s of all time with over 200 arrests and over 2 million in cash seized and even has a Purple Heart. 

Justin is an author, speaker, and pastor and has dedicated his life to helping people experience life change through the power of authenticity. He co-founded RefineUs Ministries, where he shares his personal story with honesty and transparency, inspiring others to find the courage to do the same.

Justin is the co-author of the bestselling book, Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn't Good Enough, which he wrote alongside his wife, Trisha.

He is a sought-after speaker for numerous conferences, churches, and leadership events, inspiring audiences with a message of hope and transformation through the grace of Jesus.

Justin loves to spend time with his family. He enjoys playing basketball, indulging in the Great Wall of Chocolate at PF Chang's, and taking long walks on the beach with his wife and kids. Justin and Trisha live in Indianapolis, IN, and have five kids.