Christian Devotions Speak Up!

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott shares the Salvation Army work and writing passions of Michele McKnight Baker. Michele McKnight Baker’s commercially published nonfiction book (Sandpaper Sisters: Addicts Turned Community Builders, Miracles Do Happen!) drew endorsements by Alma (Mrs. Colin) Powell, Tony Campolo (best-selling author on social justice issues), and Mary Pipher (author of Raising Ophelia). Recently, Michele has won awards in the Salvation Army’s national writers’ contest in both nonfiction and fiction, an excerpt from Soldier’s Heart garnering the fiction prize. Writing has always figured in Michele’s career, beginning as a journalist. No, earlier than that: as a fidgety grade schooler, shortest and second oldest in her class. She’s enjoyed building a successful marketing and business performance consulting firm, while earning a Ph.D. (Union Institute and University; undergraduate: Smith College) and teaching masters and undergraduate business courses. She considers it

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott chats with Youtube Phenom Matt Whitman . Matt was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado before moving to Chicago where he graduated from Trinity College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He met his wife Camilla on his first day of college in his first class. They’ve got three kids together and now live in the mountains of beautiful western Wyoming where Matt works as the Senior Pastor of the Lander Evangelical Free Church. Matt’s a teach-straight-through-books-of-the-Bible kind of guy and uses his appreciation of history, humor, culture, and narrative to help people understand God’s Word. In addition to church and family, Matt spends a lot of time filmmaking. He writes, acts, directs and also hosts a YouTube program called The Ten Minute Bible Hour in which he teaches books of the Bible in a tight, informative, and funny format. This program is also highlighted on the popular Christian network Theology Mix (www.theologymix.com). Matt is the edit

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott chats with Youtube Phenom Matt Whitman . Matt was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado before moving to Chicago where he graduated from Trinity College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He met his wife Camilla on his first day of college in his first class. They’ve got three kids together and now live in the mountains of beautiful western Wyoming where Matt works as the Senior Pastor of the Lander Evangelical Free Church. Matt’s a teach-straight-through-books-of-the-Bible kind of guy and uses his appreciation of history, humor, culture, and narrative to help people understand God’s Word. In addition to church and family, Matt spends a lot of time filmmaking. He writes, acts, directs and also hosts a YouTube program called The Ten Minute Bible Hour in which he teaches books of the Bible in a tight, informative, and funny format. This program is also highlighted on the popular Christian network Theology Mix (www.theologymix.com). Matt is the edit

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey talks music with Christian performing legend, Twila Paris. Devotion to God runs deep in the Paris family. Twila’s great-grandparents were itinerant preachers in Arkansas and Oklahoma who held outdoor revival meetings and established churches, and she recounted this experience in Seventy Years Ago, a song on her Beyond a Dream album. Musical talent permeates the Paris family, as her grandmother wrote songs distributed at revivals. Her father, Oren Paris, is a minister as well as an accomplished musician and songwriter.   Twila sang at church before she was old enough to attend school. She began developing her instrumental talent at the age of six when she started taking piano lessons. By the time she was performing in her high school choir, Twila was determined to become a choir teacher. She began to consider songwriting after attending a Christian discipleship school, where she decided that music would be the perfect way to express her

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott McCausey talks music with Christian performing legend, Twila Paris. Devotion to God runs deep in the Paris family. Twila’s great-grandparents were itinerant preachers in Arkansas and Oklahoma who held outdoor revival meetings and established churches, and she recounted this experience in Seventy Years Ago, a song on her Beyond a Dream album. Musical talent permeates the Paris family, as her grandmother wrote songs distributed at revivals. Her father, Oren Paris, is a minister as well as an accomplished musician and songwriter. Twila sang at church before she was old enough to attend school. She began developing her instrumental talent at the age of six when she started taking piano lessons. By the time she was performing in her high school choir, Twila was determined to become a choir teacher. She began to consider songwriting after attending a Christian discipleship school, where she decided that music would be the perfect way to express her fee

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott talks with country music journalist, Deborah Evans Price. Deborah Evans Price has covered country, gospel, and rock music for Billboard magazine since 1994. She also contributes regularly to AOL's The Boot, Country Weekly, Gospel Music Channel.com, CMA Close Up, FIRST, and other publications. A noted country and Christian music historian, she's authored The CMA Awards Vault and A History of the Country Music Association Awards published by Whitman Publishing, as well as a historical retrospective on Word Records—Word: Six Decades of Hits. She has interviewed countless artists, including Willie Nelson, Amy Grant, Third Day, Don Henley, Bon Jovi, Chris Rice, Charlie Daniels, Kirk Franklin, 3 Doors Down, Sarah Brightman, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Smokey Robinson, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sandra Bullock, and Robert Duvall. Deborah has recently authored Country Faith Christmas which will feature Christmas

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott talks with country music journalist, Deborah Evans Price. Deborah Evans Price has covered country, gospel, and rock music for Billboard magazine since 1994. She also contributes regularly to AOL's The Boot, Country Weekly, Gospel Music Channel.com, CMA Close Up, FIRST, and other publications. A noted country and Christian music historian, she's authored The CMA Awards Vault and A History of the Country Music Association Awards published by Whitman Publishing, as well as a historical retrospective on Word Records—Word: Six Decades of Hits. She has interviewed countless artists, including Willie Nelson, Amy Grant, Third Day, Don Henley, Bon Jovi, Chris Rice, Charlie Daniels, Kirk Franklin, 3 Doors Down, Sarah Brightman, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Smokey Robinson, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sandra Bullock, and Robert Duvall. Deborah has recently authored Country Faith Christmas which will feature Christmas

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott discusses kicking the drug addiction with author Jenny Reese Clark. Jenny Reese Clark is a living testimony of what true faith in Jesus Christ can bring.  As a multiple felon of various drug charges, including Unlawful Manufacturing of Methamphetamines, Jenny is no stranger to breaking the rules and suffering the consequences. In April of 2010, Jenny’s life hit an all-time low as she turned her back on the home burning behind her. As a result of a chemical interaction, the clandestine laboratory that she brought secretly into her sister’s home, exploded. As she took off, shoeless, she ran as far as she could to escape the consequences. With her sister’s pet dead inside and her relationships destroyed through her own betrayals, Jenny woke up as a Jane Doe on a ventilator in an ICU twenty-four hours later—knowing there was no way to come back from such destruction. It wasn’t until Jenny went to prison on a fifteen year sentence and lost every relati

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! as Scott discusses kicking the drug addiction with author Jenny Reese Clark. Jenny Reese Clark is a living testimony of what true faith in Jesus Christ can bring.  As a multiple felon of various drug charges, including Unlawful Manufacturing of Methamphetamines, Jenny is no stranger to breaking the rules and suffering the consequences. In April of 2010, Jenny’s life hit an all-time low as she turned her back on the home burning behind her. As a result of a chemical interaction, the clandestine laboratory that she brought secretly into her sister’s home, exploded. As she took off, shoeless, she ran as far as she could to escape the consequences. With her sister’s pet dead inside and her relationships destroyed through her own betrayals, Jenny woke up as a Jane Doe on a ventilator in an ICU twenty-four hours later—knowing there was no way to come back from such destruction. It wasn’t until Jenny went to prison on a fifteen year sentence and lost every relati

Join us this week on Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! when Scott talks playoff baseball and Jesus with former Los Angeles Angels player Terry Evans. Terry Evans was born and raised in Dublin, GA, where he continued to live until he graduated from Trinity Christian School in 2000. He went on to attend Middle Georgia College for two years before being drafted and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. After five minor league seasons, Terry made his first big league appearance in 2007 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He played in parts of three Major League seasons with the Angels and eleven full seasons in the minor leagues with St. Louis, Anaheim, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Terry retired after the 2012 season with the Kansas City Royals organization and came on staff with UPI full time October 1st of 2012. Terry is the chaplain for the Atlanta Braves and currently resides on the north side of Atlanta, in Woodstock, where he leads Bible studies for current and former players around the A