Allume would like to thank the 2013 speakers for sharing their wisdom and pouring into us.
Your 2013 Keynotes
ANN VOSKAMP
@annvoskamp
Ann Voskamp is a farmer’s wife, the home-educating mama to a half-dozen exuberant kids, and the author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, a New York Times 60 week bestseller and translated into more than a dozen languages.
Named by Christianity Today as one of 50 women most shaping culture and the church today, she’s a writer for DaySpring, a speaker with Women of Faith, and, with her family, partners with Compassion International as a global advocate for needy children.
Featured on the TODAY Show, in WORLD Magazine, and Focus on the Family magazine, Ann loses library books, usually has a sink full of soaking pots, and sees empty laundry baskets rarer than a blue moon. Her blog, one of the Top 10 Christian blogs on the web, has become a daily well for the weary and soul-thirsty: www.aholyexperience.com.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
MELANIE SHANKLE
@BigMama
Melanie Shankle lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, Perry, and daughter, Caroline. She graduated from Texas A&M in 1994 while possibly on scholastic probation. Melanie began blogging in July 2006 when she started her blog, Big Mama. She’s also a regular contributor to The Pioneer Woman blog and Homelife magazine. In her spare time she like to shop good sales, watch too much television and laugh at things that are sometimes inappropriate. Her first book, Sparkly Green Earrings, will be released in February 2013.
BIANCA JUAREZ OLTHOFF
@biancaolthoff
Bianca Juarez Olthoff is a writer and teacher in love with two men: Jesus and her husband Matt. She spends her week working as Chief Storyteller for The A21 Campaign, an anti-human trafficking organization, but loves having dance parties in the living room with her two step-children or cooking for friends.
Passionate about God’s word, she teaches around the globe and blogs about life, love, and the pursuit of Jesus. Whether discussing topics about justice or pop culture, Bianca has spent over 10 years dedicated to mobilizing God’s people to action inside and outside of the Church.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
SARAH MAE
@sarahmae
Sarah Mae has a past that would be her present if it weren’t for Jesus; His wild saving grace and gentle leading keep her in awe. Sarah Mae is the author of several eBooks, the co-author of the recently released, Desperate-Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe (written with Sally Clarkson), and the co-founder of the national Christian women’s social media conference, Allume. Sarah Mae spends her days home-making, home-educating, writing, reading, and drinking salted caramel mochas. Her family embraces life in the beautiful Amish country-side of Pennsylvania. She blogs at SarahMae.com.
JENNIE ALLEN
@jennieallen
Jennie is a Bible teacher from Austin, Texas. She serves alongside her husband Zac, a pastor at Austin Stone Community Church. They have four children including their youngest who was recently adopted from Rwanda. Jennie graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters in Biblical Studies. She has two DVD bible studies entitled, Stuck: The Places we get Stuck and the God who sets us Free and recently released, Chase: Chasing After the Heart of God as well as her first trade book, Anything.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
JEFF SHINABARGER
@shinabarger
Jeff Shinabarger is a social entrepreneur, experience designer, co-founder of the Q event, and creative director at Catalyst. He is also the founder of GiftCardGiver.com and Plywood People, an innovative community addressing social needs through creative projects. And author of the forth-coming book More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity. He and his family living Atlanta, Georgia.
LOGAN WOLFRAM
@lifefordessert
Logan is a regular gal with a desire to see the things of our extraordinary God manifest here on earth. Wife to Jeremy, and mother to 2 spirited boys, Logan believes that true discipleship begins with a hospitable heart. She strives to find redemption in brokenness, fun amongst the mundane, and beauty in the midst of chaos. Sometimes she succeeds, and sometimes she doesn’t.
God recently dropped her at the helm of the Allume Conference, and most days she pinches herself over the opportunity to serve such a phenomenal community of women. Her passion for people drives her to encourage, teach, and enable others to fulfill their God given callings & destinies. She regularly and candidly chews on bits of truth and life at her blog LifeForDessert.com.
Session Speakers
AMY ANDREWS
@amylynnandrews
Amy is blown away by the mind-bending reality that in brokenness or victory, devastation or delight, God never wastes a single thing for His glory. She sees blogging as an excellent way to proclaim that glory, as well as a means to ease the financial burdens of ourselves and others. So after blogging for many years, she began teaching others how to blog at BloggingWithAmy.com. You can also read about her no-nonsense time management system in her ebook Tell Your Time, or visit her online home at AmyLynnAndrews.com.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
JOEL N CLARK
@joelnclark
Joel N. Clark is the author of Awake and co-founder and President of Switchvert, an Ideas/ Film Production House co-located in Washington DC and Johannesburg, South Africa (www.switchvert.com). For more than ten years, Clark worked as a youth pastor in Jackson, Mississippi and Johannesburg, South Africa. He has never thought of himself as a preacher, but as a storyteller.
Since he was a child, Clark has been captivated by storytelling — and his journey influenced by a deep desire to witness and tell stories that challenge paradigms. A captivating raconteur, Clark has written and directed documentaries, films, commercials and short stories covering the topics of Child Slavery in Haiti, to an Antarctic sitcom. Convinced that all great stories lead toward God, whether speaking, writing or filming, Clark weaves a beautiful mosaic he hopes will draw the audience into deeper intimacy with his or her creator. Clark lives with his wife of six years, Megan, and their newborn daughter, Juno, in Washington DC.
NASREEN FYNEWEVER
@nfynewever
Nasreen is an educator by training and by passion. Adopted from Bangladesh, raised in Michigan, and living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nasreen draws on each chapter as she speaks and writes of her life story. She raises 3 little boys with her husband of 10 years and they call their life an adventure.
Nasreen has recently shared the stage with David Kinnaman (President of Barna Group) in his You Lost Me LIVE tour, produced Jumping Tandem: The Retreat with host Deidra Riggs, and been an active part of Holley Gerth’s God-sized Dreams Team.
She falls hard for those who have stories to share, dreams to believe, and Kingdom work to do. As one who chases hope, with you, she blogs at nasreenfynewever.com.
HOLLEY GERTH
@holleygerth
Holley Gerth is a best-selling writer, certified life coach and speaker. She is cofounder of (in)courage, an online destination for women, which received more than one million page views in its first six months. She also reaches out to readers through her popular blog at www.holleygerth.com and through a partnership with DaySpring. Holley lives in the South with her husband, Mark.
EMILY & RYAN JONES
With four kids, a new puppy and a business, life is full and often chaotic, but perfectly suited to their strengths {he’s a goal-setting visionary; she’s a creative doer}. Together, they have grown their company from a little stationery business into a lifestyle blog with a shop of art prints, monthly printables and a new blog class.
The biggest hope for Jones Design Company is that it reflects God’s goodness – whether through a post about faith, the beauty of a well designed home or simple DIY projects. They love what they do and delight in encouraging and inspiring others. Come hang out at www.jonesdesigncompany.com.
ANDREA LEVENDUSKY
@theorganicbird
Andrea Levendusky sees art everywhere, waiting just at the edge of her everyday vision. Andrea makes her nest in Rochester, New York, where she balances the very tall hats of single mom, worship leader, and busy entrepreneur. Her design studio – The Organic Bird – brings beauty to business branding, purpose to packaging, and whimsy to website development.
At the core of her own story is a tale of brokenness and Gospel redemption she’s still working to tell. Readers of The Organic Bird Blog find pieces of Andrea’s story sprinkled among original music, prints, and daily happenings of a candle-hoarding, word-loving, mountain-hugging, world-traveling, beauty-chasing, hope-clinging girl with a dream or two still up her sleeve.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
SARAH MARKLEY
@sarahmarkley
Sarah Markley is the mother of two daughters and a wife to an amazing husband of seventeen years. She’s been writing all her life but has been blogging for the last six and a half. She writes regularly for A Deeper Church and is a staff writer for {in}courage.me. Sarah loves extravagant grace, second chances and knows firsthand what it’s like living in a post-crisis marriage. She is currently working on her first book and is represented by the Don Jacobson Agency. Besides Blackflower and Co Chai tea steeped in almond milk, she loves listening to your story.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
SEPTEMBER MCCARTHY
@septemberanne
September lives a life of perpetual motion, loving the man that has protected her heart for 23 years, and raising 10 children to be more like their personal Savior.
September has a heart for encouraging women in motherhood, and has been able to share this with discipleships, speaking, and writing. While homeschooling and keeping her home, she has written an e-book to the heart of women, titled Hula Hoop Girl. Her journey through loss has taught her to be sensitive to the pain in other’s lives.
September writes at One September Day, and is a contributing writer for MODsquad, Allume and Mom Heart. Connect with September on Facebook and Twitter @septemberanne.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
DAVID MOLNAR
@davidmolnar
David Molnar is a husband, new daddy and a music & advertising photographer. His work has been seen on American Idol, in People Magazine, Real Simple Magazine and more. He has photographed platinum selling album covers and his clients include Dolby, Sony, EMI, March of Dimes & Atlantic Records. David travels the world photographing, speaking, teaching and telling cheesy dad jokes while wearing a blue v-neck from H&M. He also serves on the board of directors for KnowThinkAct.com, a non-profit committed empowering local leaders who are working to end extreme poverty in their own communities in Uganda in Kenya.
ERIKA MORRISON
@erikalifeartist
Share a cup of tea with Erika Morrison and you’ll likely find your chi balanced, your heart stirred, and the earth beneath you thrust heavenward. She’s a Spirit-led, poet-hearted, story-telling Life Artist. She’s wife to Austin, Momma to three handsome hooligans, and soul sister to a vibrant community of Christ-followers in New Haven, Connecticut. A compulsive creative, Erika gathers the stories and symbols of the seemingly mundane and weaves them with great panache into the deeper story of love she sees in the life of Jesus, and from life with Jesus. Readers of The Life Artist will find pieces of this story scribbled and shared online in the hopes that they, too, will live this Life as a precious, fine art.
LAURA PARKER
@lauraparkerblog
With years of international living in three different countries, Laura is no stranger to a life of transition. A wife who sends her husband into brothels to look for children, she is well-acquainted with the mess that comes with trying to follow the way of Jesus.
Laura currently helps run an anti-trafficking organization, The Exodus Road, which primarily focuses on fueling undercover investigations and rescues. As the Director of Communications there, she leads a team of bloggers which tells stories of slavery. She co-founded and edits a collective blog for international humanitarian workers, A Life Overseas and has been published with Compassion International. Laura blogs at her site, LauraParkerBlog.
Website // Twitter // Facebook
DEIDRA RIGGS
@deidrariggs
Deidra is an East Coast girl, living in the American Midwest where she’s living the dream God had in mind for her (which, oddly enough, is way better than the dream she had for herself). She loves Jesus, and she loves the Body of Christ in all of its dusty beauty. She also loves Motown, disco, and the Detroit Lions.
A believer in the unmatched power of story, Deidra seeks to connect people to one another and to God through words. She believes in the value of every person’s story and works hard to make sure we each find our place at the table, and grace to speak the words in our hearts.
Deidra serves as Managing Editor for TheHighCalling.org and writes for DaySpring at incourage.me. She is fervently committed to the idea that God wants to change the world through you — yes, you! She lives in a (mostly) empty nest with “H”, her husband of twenty-seven years.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
NESTER & CHAD SMITH @thenester
The Nester, who writes anonymously, is a home stager, redesigner and design school drop-out. She and her husband and their three boys have moved 14 times in 16 years of marriage and they are currently content to be renting. Nester’s favorite place to be is home and you can usually catch her there moving furniture. In her spare time she writes a blog called Nesting Place {which she considers her second home}, occasionally speaks about blogging and imperfect decorating, and tweets as @thenester.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
JOY THIGPEN
@joythigpen
Joy speaks in a language of line, texture, color, flavor, smell, sound, and shape. A wife and mother to four who is chased by beauty and driven to extend it, Joy is a creative director and stylist based in Atlanta, GA, who specializes in creating moments that transcend their utility and make people feel alive. She travels around the world to create one-of-a-kind weddings, editorial content, interiors, and anything else that seems fun, teaching workshops for professional and aspiring creative directors, stylists, and photographers along the way. She has finally embraced that she is sensitive in every sense of the word.
Website /// Twitter /// Instagram /// Pinterest
ERIN ULRICH
@erinulrich
Erin’s heart for helping others achieve their goals is the foundation of her successful business, Design by Insight. Using her ability to ask the right questions, Erin captures the message of a project and translates that into a great design. Listed by StudioPress as a Genesis Recommended Developer, Erin and her husband Phil have established a reputation for quality WordPress site design, professional client relationships, and personal commitment to each project.
Erin lives in South Carolina with her husband Phil and their two daughters, and their home is usually a whirlwind of creative activity. Erin and Phil are current working hard to finish the second book in their children’s chapter book series, The Growly Books.
EDIE WADSWORTH
@lifeingrace
After leaving her career as a family physician in 2006, Edie has found her sweet spot, her life’s work, at home. Like her favorite Greek hero, Odysseus, her homecoming has been full of joys and trials and plenty of hard work—as she has seeks to live a full, authentic and creative life with her family. Her faith journey has had twists and turns as she has struggled through legalism and mysticism to finally find her true home in the orthodox christian faith, where the grace of God in Christ, has become her life’s manifesto. She documents her faith journey, her insatiable appetite for classic literature, her love for C.S. Lewis, her obsession with art and design, and her Southern chic decorating style on her blog, life{in}grace. Her home was recently featured in January’s issue of Better Homes and Gardens, after her family rebuilt their home and life following a devastating house fire. She writes with wit, passion, and honesty, and hopes to inspire women to love and care for their homes and families, despite the often despairing hardships that life often brings. Her first ebook, 31 Days to a Heart of Hospitality, is being released this month.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
AMANDA WHITE
@oohamanda
Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of two who blogs at ohAmanda.com and is the author of Truth in the Tinsel. In her former life, Amanda was a Children’s Pastor — overseeing, organizing and developing ministry for kids in nursery through middle school, but now that she is a mom, her “skills” are used up on her kids!
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
LISA WHITTLE
@lisarwhittle
Author and speaker, Lisa Whittle, is a bold thinker who is leading out in honest conversations in the church. Her bottom line approach appeals to both believers and non-believers alike, as she speaks to audiences across the nation about pursuing God and living well.
The first solo female author to originally launch under the bestselling Barnabooks label, Lisa’s most recent book, {w}hole, joins her two others: The 7 Hardest Things God Asks a Woman to Do and Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women. Her written work has been featured in Neue, RELEVANT, Catalyst, Women of Faith, (in)courage, Deeper Story, Churchleaders.com, and MichaelHyatt.com, among others.
Lisa has done master’s work in Marriage and Family Counseling, though these days she uses it mostly on her husband and 3 kids. Lisa’s other passions include her blog community, home decorating, and the furry dog who sleeps faithfully at her feet, Maggie. She loves conversations that dip below the surface, uniqueness in people, and her Jesus who makes all things well.
Sponsored Workshop Speakers
PHIL VISCHER
In 1990, Phil Vischer created VeggieTales, an animated video series crafted to teach Christian values to kids in a delightfully different way. More than 60 million VeggieTales videos have been sold around the world. These days, Phil continues pursue innovative new ways to integrate faith and storytelling through his creative company, Jellyfish Labs. His latest projects include a 13-DVD series called Buck Denver Asks…What’s in the Bible? which walks families all the way through the Bible, and JellyTelly, an interactive, online network that provides faith-based daily programming for families. In addition, Phil hosts a light-hearted weekly podcast called The Phil Vischer Show, in which he discusses pop culture, media, theology and Christian life.
THOMAS SLUBERSKI
Thomas has served as Gospel for Asia Web Director since 2004. While music is his passion he knows his call is to serve India. He is a Communications/Media graduate of SUNY Fredonia, with further studies in Multimedia Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology.After hearing Christ’s call, he experienced God’s life-changing power on an India mission trip in 1999. During this period he continued as a Web Developer/Designer in the business community in Rochester, NY. Shortly after his India trip, Thomas and his wife Sara personally met KP Yohannan, confirming their call. They and their two children are supporting the missionaries on the field, serving at Gospel for Asia in Dallas, TX.
DON JACOBSON
Don Jacobson has worked in Christian publishing over 30 years. As President of Multnomah Publishers, he worked with many bestselling authors, selling over 100,000,000 books.
After selling Multnomah to Random House in 2006, he founded the literary agency, D.C. Jacobson & Associates, and continues to work closely with authors, together dreaming about books that can change the world.
Don recently created, “When God Makes Lemonade”, (Thomas Nelson 07/13) and a collaborative project with K-LOVE, entitled “It’s a God Thing: When Miracles Happen to Everyday People,” will be released by Thomas Nelson later this year.
Don and his wife Brenda live in Portland, Oregon.
LISA-JO BAKER
@lisajobaker
Lisa-Jo is the Social Media Manager for Dayspring, the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark, the Community Manager for their website (in)courage, and the visionary behind their (in) real life conference that combines a webcast and global meetups that connected over 6,000 women from 24 countries this year. Lisa-Jo has blogged for Compassion International from Guatemala, is convinced that social media can change the world for good, and shares her every day life lived in between countries and kids at LisaJoBaker.com.
JENNI BURKE
@jenni_burke
Jenni chased her obsession for books and Jesus into the Christian publishing industry in 2004 and has been a literary agent with D.C. Jacobson & Associates since 2006. She loves her work and thinks the snarky agent stereotype is so overdone.
Her Top 5 StrengthsFinder strengths are Futuristic, Input, Focus, Empathy & Positivity—meaning she gets a thrill out of helping her authors envision and achieve their publishing goals, and is a friend along the way.
Her client list includes bloggers extraordinaire Tsh Oxenreider, Bianca Juarez Olthoff, Nish Weiseth, Jessica Turner, Amber C Haines, Jamie Martin and Alli Worthington.
Jenni lives with her husband and son in a 1920s Oregon farmhouse.
Mike Rusch
@MikeRusch
Mike Rusch is the Chief Operating Officer at Pure Charity, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people to create tangible, measurable results through discovering, sharing, and funding projects around the world. Mike serves on the Board of Directors for Help One Now to work with vulnerable children in Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Uganda as well as serving on the board of the Kidmia Foundation which is dedicated to restoring Ethiopian orphans through in-country adoptions. Mike is a husband of 17 years, father of 4, a lover of a great story, and in need of a tremendous amount of grace.
PureCharity.com/Mike /// Twitter.com/MikeRusch /// Facebook /// MikeRusch.org
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Musical Guests
DAVID WALKER
@davidwalkerworship
Hailing from Greenville SC, David Walker is a worship artist and pastor. His songs are worship driven anthems that rally the people of God around the heart of God. He longs to see people, wherever they are in their journey connect with the kindness and love of God toward them. In Psalm 22:3 it says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, this has great implications to the Church when we begin to understand it, and David’s desire is to equip and bring people corporately into their purpose through worship and praise.
After trying to conceive a child for four years David and his wife Lauren saw the Father do a creative miracle in their lives to give them a beautiful baby boy. Doctors and specialists told David that him and Lauren would be unable to have children unless a miracle happened….. because God still performs miracles…it happened. Through the course of that faith journey David began to write and express his heart to the Lord through music and song. He found that the best place to write from was the season he was in. Not trying to impress anyone or gather up a hit for the radio charts, most of his songs stem from an authentic and honest place of worship.
Through that journey David and Lauren now have two little ones, Levi (3) and Zoe (2). Before worship artist, David is a father and a husband which longs to be on mission with his family. Their primary goal is to see singers of songs become leaders of worship through the Word and Spirit of God. Discipleship is the main focus for them and their desire is to see others step into the routine of their life to be equipped and sent out for the Kingdom of God.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
BLAKE YODER
After coming to know Jesus at the age of 16, Blake Yoder has been leading worship for the last 5 years. He is currently a junior at Furman University in Greenville, SC where he attends and leads worship part-time at City Church in Simpsonville, SC. Blake believes that the heart of a worship leader is to unite the Father with his children in an intimate encounter that produces life change. His dream is to see the Church become fully captivated and fascinated by the person of Jesus.
ANTHONY EVANS
@AnthonyEvansJr
Anthony Evans has been leading worship and performing around the globe for over a decade. Having performed with the likes of Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, FFH, Natalie Grant, and David Phelps, he leads worship and performs over 100 times per year.
Anthony’s latest worship album, “Home”, delivers a refreshing mixture of worship unlike any of his previous work. His two previous albums “Undisguised,” (released in January 2010) and “The Bridge,” also received rave reviews; with “The Bridge” being the #1 downloaded Christian album on iTunes during its release. Two of Anthony’s music videos have been in the #1 spot on The Gospel Music Channel for over five weeks each. Most recently Anthony decided to take a chance a do something “outside of the box”. His adventurous spirit landed him a spot on “Team Christina Aguilera” on Season 2 of the NBC hit show “The Voice” His “battle round” on the show got over 2 Million views in 2 weeks and was called a “A battle of the Ages” by The Voice producers.
Franklin Graham says it best; “What makes Anthony’s music incredible is his voice. What makes his ministry incredible is his heart. What makes his message incredible is his walk with the Lord.”
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
Tyrus Morgan
Tyrus Morgan has flourished as both a solo artist/worship leader and songwriter for other artists. His new album “Straight Line” features the new radio single “Song to the Savior” released on Curb Records. Morgan says, “This song is truly a call to worship right where you are in your life and know that God loves you and redeems you. My daughter’s name is Mahelet which means “gift to God”. That’s what this song is when I sing it as a small token of my appreciation and response through worship for God saving me.” Morgan began writing for other artists in 2007 when Mark Miller, frontman for GRAMMY award-winning country group Sawyer Brown, recorded “Covered In Love” as the theme song for Project Linus, a national non-profit organization. Morgan has also had a top 20 Christian radio hit “The Same God” with the band Newsong as well as the current Newsong single, “Who Loved You First”, which was featured on the USA Today web-site. He has also had songs in the award-winning documentary “Somewhere Between” and recently in the movie “The Perfect Summer”.
Website: www.tyrusmorgan.com