Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year—Christmas Day. At the age of sixteen he was arrested and then sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola.  Locked up for 27 summers, he was miraculously released and then, in a remarkable twist, invited to become head chaplain for the entire prison system in the State of Mississippi.

Daniel Ritchie was born without arms and spent the majority of his life being told that he was a hopeless mistake and woefully insufficient to lead a full life.  But, God used a preacher to share with Daniel just how much God loved him.  The preacher explained that he was not a mistake, but rather “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139) and it was there, at the age of 15, that Daniel accepted Christ as his Lord & Savior.

Born and raised in Vivian, Louisiana, Phil Robertson came from a large family with 7 children and little money. Because of the location of his family home in a rural setting near Shreveport, and the aforementioned scarcity of money, hunting became an important part of his formative years. Never satisfied with the duck calls on the market, Phil began to experiment with making a call that would produce the exact sound of a duck. A duck call for duck killers, not for, as Phil described, “world champion-style duck callers.” Phil stated, “No duck would even place in a duck calling contest.” In 1972, Phil Robertson gave up a coaching career for his love of duck hunting when he whittled a better duck call than any on the market, the first Duck Commander call. His first year, Robertson sold $8,000 worth of duck calls and his wife, Kay, somehow managed to feed four boys on that salary. The same year, he received a patent for this call and in 1973, formed the Duck Commander Company.

Jase travels with his wife, Missy, to various hunting expeditions and speaking engagements all across the country. He is a very talented and entertaining speaker who touches the lives of many through his stories of hunting experiences, knowledge of ducks, and witty anecdotes about life – along with the hope he has found through his Savior, Jesus Christ.

Raised in a Jewish home in New Jersey, Rabbi  "Times Roman";">Jason Sobel dedicated much of his life to finding truth. After years of seeking and studying, he encountered the Lord and found his true destiny as a Jewish follower of Jesus (Yeshua). Suddenly, all the traditions Rabbi Jason grew up with took on new depth and meaning as God connected ancient wisdom with the teachings of the Messiah.

Dr. Wess Stafford is President Emeritus of Compassion International, one of the world’s largest Christian child development organizations, partnering with more than 60 denominations and 7,000 local churches to serve nearly 2 million children in 26 countries. Wess is an internationally recognized advocate for children in poverty, speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

While growing up in San Jacinto, CA, Jeremy’s only goal in life was to leave home and join the Marine Corps. This dream was finally realized with an active duty commission in 1999. While in the Marine Corps, God was working in Jeremy’s life to turn his heart toward full-time ministry. Just one month after returning from Iraq, Jeremy became a staff member of his home church at Coastline Baptist in Oceanside, CA. After serving in the role of senior pastor for nearly seven years, the door leading to a full-time position with the Mighty Oaks Foundation opened.

baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A.J. Swoboda (PhD, Birmingham) is assistant professor of Bible, theology and World Christianity at Bushnell University and lead mentor for the Doctor of Ministry Program at Fuller Theological Seminary on the Holy Spirit and Leadership. He is the author of many books, including After Doubt (Brazos). He lives, works, and raises chickens in Eugene, Oregon.