Speakers
Francine Rivers
Francine Rivers is the author of best-selling novels including Redeeming Love, Mark of the Lion, and A Lineage of Grace. Early in her writing career, Francine saw success in the general market, with her books being awarded or nominated for numerous awards and prizes. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life when she was a wife, mother of three, and established romance novelist. Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. This retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea is considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction. Redeeming Love continues to be one of the Christian Booksellers Association’s top-selling titles and has held a spot on the Christian best-seller list for nearly a decade. Francine and her husband, Rick, live in Northern California and enjoy spending time with their three grown children and four grandchildren. She uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and hopes that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.
www.francinerivers.com
Kathy Troccoli
Kathy Troccoli is an award-winning singer, songwriter, speaker, and author of numerous books, including the best-selling Falling in Love with Jesus series coauthored with Dee Brestin. She has garnered several accolades with record sales reaching 2 million. Kathy has enjoyed 17 number-one radio hits, 19 Dove Award nominations, two Dove Awards, and three Grammy nominations. She has 19 recordings to her credit, four of which she produced on her own label, “KT Records,” including her beloved worship CD “Draw Me Close.” In 2007, Kathy celebrated 25 years of music and ministry. She has allowed both successes and trials to shape her, equipping her for a multifaceted career. Kathy is intelligent, funny, and raw. She has come a long way since her musical debut, but her passion for sharing the Gospel and her life lessons through music has not waned a bit. Kathy continues to travel the world speaking and singing of God’s life and love.
www.troccoli.com
Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber, best-selling author of 18 books, including the popular Cedar Cove series; One Simple Act; and Mrs. Miracle, now a Hallmark Channel original movie, is one of today’s leading voices in women’s fiction. A regular on every major best-seller list with more than 100 million copies of her books in print, Debbie celebrated a new career milestone in September 2007, when the latest in her Cedar Cove series, 74 Seaside Avenue, scored number one on The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Bookscan best-seller lists. Her popularity is worldwide, with her books translated into 23 languages. Debbie is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life. She demonstrates an almost uncanny ability to see into the souls of women and to express their emotions, values, and concerns. When taking a break from her writing, knitting, and charity work, Debbie likes to throw herself into research for upcoming novels. Debbie and her husband, Wayne, are the proud parents of four and grandparents of eight. They live in Washington state and spend winters in Florida.
www.debbiemacomber.com
Sara Groves
A three-time Dove Award nominee, Sara Groves is a singer/songwriter, record producer, and author. Sara spent four years teaching high school in Minnesota before recording her first album, Past the Wishing, in 1998. Since then, she has released eight albums and appeared on several others. Her ninth and latest album, Fireflies & Songs, is said to be the songwriter’s album, exploring her life as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. Her personal approach to this album will surprise even her most attentive fans. Though her songwriting has long been ubiquitously described as extremely vulnerable, honest, intimate, and real, Sara exceeds all expectations with Fireflies & Songs. Sara is the first to confirm the album is the “most her” musically, and it proves the singer’s most candid recording to date.
www.saragroves.com
Marilynn Blackaby
Marilynn Blackaby and her husband, Henry, have been in the ministry for almost 50 years. They served as pioneer missionaries in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, while they raised their children. Henry went on to publish Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, which has sold 7 million copies and translated into more than 45 languages. After Henry’s resounding success, Marilynn decided to write a book specifically for women, Experiencing God around the Kitchen Table. Through her life and testimony, this book addresses major issues confronting women in today’s society and explains God’s faithfulness and plan for their lives. Her book helps women understand how God is faithful throughout their lives, no matter what struggles they face. Marilynn’s story demonstrates that developing a stronger relationship with the Lord will help women succeed as wives and mothers. Marilynn and Henry live in Rex, Georgia. They have five children, all of whom are serving in Christian ministry, and 14 grandchildren.
Karen Linamen
A motivational speaker, inspirational speaker, and author of humorous self-help books for women, Karen Linamen mixes up a potent blend of laugh-out-loud humor and sage advice. Her enthusiastic theme is “Yes. You can” and she preaches it passionately whether she’s talking about renewing joy, pursuing dreams, forgiving, making healthier choices, thriving through stress, or living and laughing more boldly than ever before. The Literary Guild has dubbed Karen Linamen “the queen of good humor and common sense,” while Publishers Weekly describes her writing as “funny, forthright, and unforgettable.” Whether addressing audiences from the page or the platform, Karen Linamen is entertaining, passionate, and transparent as she encourages people toward wellness in their relationships, emotions, bodies, and spirits. Karen has been featured on hundreds of radio and TV shows including, The 700 Club. A former editor with Focus on the Family, she has produced a TV show for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, served as contributing writer with Today’s Christian Woman magazine, and written a weekly humor column for the Women of Faith Web site. Karen lives with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
www.karenlinamen.com
Martha Pullen
Martha Pullen, entrepreneur and founder of Martha Pullen Company and Sew Beautiful magazine, didn’t invent heirloom sewing, but she and her talented staff can certainly take much of the credit for transforming this age-old art into a popular hobby. Her heirloom sewing business grew from a tiny shop in Huntsville, Alabama. Shortly after starting her own company, she founded the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion, which now attracts more than 600 women to Huntsville twice a year. Schools have been held in five different countries, and mini-schools have been held in 43 states. One of the projects of which Martha is most proud is Sew Beautiful, a magazine she founded and began publishing in 1987. Now, Sew Beautiful is the premier resource for heirloom sewing, providing helpful tools for stitchers of all skill levels. Martha and her husband, Joe Ross Pullen, have five children and 19 grandchildren. An active member of her church, she has volunteered with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board in Africa, Jamaica, and Brazil. A devoted Christian, Martha gives the credit for this business to God.
www.marthapullen.com
Suzanne Crocker
Suzanne Crocker is a gifted storyteller and Christian humorist. During the 10 years she and her husband, John, spent in West Africa, they saw God work in amazing ways as He carried them through two civil wars, bouts with typhoid and malaria, and many other near-death experiences. In these drastic situations God met their needs in miraculous ways and allowed them to not only survive, but to come through it with their senses of humor intact. In 2005 Suzanne finally decided to write Pig in a Taxi, a book detailing the humorous and dramatic stories from their years spent in Africa. The stories were written to encourage the average American Christian to minister for Christ right where they are and to pray more specifically for missionaries. After her book publication in 2006, Suzanne spoke on various radio stations around the United States and Europe while sharing what God has done for her. She came to the realization that God has given her a unique gift for retelling Bible stories in a relatable way for women of today.
www.suzannecrocker.com
Lael Melville
Lael Melville, Ph.D., is a gifted speaker who will encourage and motivate. Lael served as the devotional speaker at both the 2007 and 2009 Southern Lady Celebration events with overwhelming success. She will offer her insight, humor, and practical applications on how to approach life’s challenges. Lael is a psychologist, wife, and mother of three teenage sons, and she lives and serves in Plano, Texas.
