Our 2013 speakers range from professional bloggers, to marketing experts, to Bible teachers, writers, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms.
Come glean wisdom from this amazing lineup.
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
STEPHANIE BRYANT
@inspiredbryant
Stephanie Bryant is the Creative Mastermind at S. Bryant Social Marketing. With years of Marketing, Business Development & Publishing experience in the corporate and non-profit world, Stephanie co-founded incourage.me. Stephanie is known for her lid-lifting creative thinking, Social Marketing campaigns, ability to gather creative influencers, brand strategy, staying on trend, creating tribes, and business coaching. Stephanie is a visionary that hopes to be truly inspired for such a time as this.
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.
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.
In the hijinks of her curly-headed, fairy-hearted daughter.
In the daily gift of a simple home and loving city community.
In the work of her hands and imagination to bring story to life on paper, screen, canvas, and plate.
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. She approaches each project with an ear for the story crying out to be told and uses color and cunning to communicate that story to the world.
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.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
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. Connect with Deidra at deidrariggs.com.
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
KRISTINA TANNER
@kjtanner
Kristina spent her teen years saying she couldn’t wait to get out of her tiny city only to find herself (10 years later) living around the corner from her grandparents in a cottage-esque house that’s quickly approaching its hundred year birthday. When she’s not cleaning said dwelling she’s wrangling and wrapping arms around lots of wee ones, padding about in her bare feet and devouring books like a triple layer fudge cake with delectable mousse frosting.
Spellbound by words and the tales woven by them, Kristina’s been playing with language since an early age both in print and through American sign language (in which she’s fluent). Kristina will choose water over milk, soda over coffee, and texting over email. You can get to know her and her quirks on her blog, redefining awesome.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
ERIN ULRICH
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. Erin and her husband Phil have established a reputation for quality design, professional client relationships, and personal commitment to each project. Her book, Self Publish: Moving from Idea to Product (co-authored with Teri Lynne Underwood), gives writers the tools they need to effectively plan their own self-published projects.
Erin lives in South Carolina with her husband Phil and their two daughters, and their home is usually a whirlwind of creative activity.
Twitter /// Facebook /// Website
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. She cooks and cleans and homeschools and gardens and crafts and reads and dabbles in bird-watching and star gazing. She’s obsessed with cowboy boots, banjos, monograms and cornbread, and is Southern to the core. Her faith journey has had similar 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. She admits that she hugs too freely, laughs too much and likes buttercream icing way more than one woman should! 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.
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.
33MILES
@33Miles
33Miles is a contemporary Christian band with country music influences from Franklin, Tennessee. For Chris Lockwood (guitar and vocals) and Jason Barton (lead vocals), it is the pursuit of a Christ-focus, heaven-minded life that fuels everything they do, especially their music. Their albums include 33 Miles, One Life, and a recently recorded acoustic EP entitled Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1.
