There Is Always A Way with Dr. Jay Strack

John C. Lennox (PhD, DPhil, DSc) is Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford (Emeritus), Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science, and Pastoral Advisor at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He is author of God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? on the interface between science, philosophy, and theology. He lectures extensively in North America and in Eastern and Western Europe on mathematics, the philosophy of science, and the intellectual defense of Christianity, and he has publicly debated New Atheists Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. John is married to Sally; they have three grown children and ten grandchildren and live near Oxford.2084book.com

Dr. Ronnie Floyd was elected as president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention on April 2, 2019.Floyd has deep experience in Southern Baptist leadership, having served two terms as SBC president (2014–2015 and 2015–2016), as chairman of the Great Commission Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention (2009–2010), and on the SBC Executive Committee (1988–1998).As a member of the Executive Committee, Floyd was on the Committee’s presidential search committee (1991–1992), the Program and Structure Study Committee of the SBC (1993-1995), and was chairman of the board (1995–1997). During this time, he was also elected as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference (1997).He also served as general editor of LifeWay Christian Resources’ Bible Studies for Life curriculum (2013–2017); chief mobilization strategist with the North American Mission Board (2012–2015); and was on the board of trustees, GuideStone Financial Resources (2001–2009).Floyd was pastor of five churches over a span of 43 years, the last 32 of which were as Senior Pastor of Cross Church, a multi-campus church in Northwest Arkansas (1986–2019). His experience, wisdom, and passion for God make him a powerful proclaimer of God’s Word and inspiring leader. He has spoken at numerous SBC Pastors’ Conferences, state evangelism conferences, and state conventions and has pledged to lead the Executive Committee “with a pastor’s heart.”In 2017 Dr. Floyd was named the president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a position he held for two years. The National Day of Prayer Task Force mobilizes unified public prayer for America throughout the year, leading to the National Day of Prayer observance which is held annually on the first Thursday of May. Dr. Floyd continued serving as Senior Pastor at Cross Church while in this role. He was on the Family Research Council board of directors from 2016–2019, serving until he resigned to accept his position with the SBC Executive Committee.During Floyd’s 32-year ministry in Northwest Arkansas, the church baptized more than 25,500 people. In 2001, First Baptist Church of Springdale became a multi-campus ministry with the beginning of The Church at Pinnacle Hills. In 2010, the church changed its name to Cross Church and expanded to three campuses in Northwest Arkansas—Springdale, Rogers, and Fayetteville—and a campus in Neosho, Missouri, by the time Floyd accepted his current position.Read more at www.ronniefloyd.com

In the premier episode of “There Is Always a Way” podcast with Dr. Jay Strack, Dr. Jay speaks with world renown scholar Dr. John Lennox about Coronavirus global pandemic. Dr. Lennox is no stranger to the SLU family. This exclusive interview is insightful. Get Dr. Lennox’s book on Amazon. Where is God in a Coronavirus World? Our Guest Today: JC Lennox MA MMath MA(Bioethics) DPhil PhD DSc Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science Green Templeton College Associate Fellow of the Said Business School

Most leaders live with UNHOLY HURRY. The guest for today's Podcast wrote “That kind of unholy hurry may make me look busy, but too often it keeps me from actually being fruitful in the ways Jesus wants me to be. Jesus modeled grace-paced leadership. To learn from him, we begin not with leading but with following.” Alan Fadling (M. Div., Fuller Theological Seminary) is President and Founder of Unhurried Living, Inc. in Mission Viejo, CA, inspiring people to rest deeper, live fuller and lead better. He speaks and consults internationally, as well as nationally with organizations such as Saddleback Church, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Cru, Halftime Institute, Apprentice Institute and Open Doors International. He is the award-winning author of An Unhurried Life (IVP 2013), honored with a Christianity Today Award of Merit in spirituality, and An Unhurried Leader (IVP 2017). He is a trained spiritual director. He lives in Mission Viejo, California with his wife, Gem, and their family.

Mike’s passion is helping students see the call of God on their life for the Gospel. Mike has been an innovator in Student Ministry for over 30 years. Throughout his ministry, he has used his spiritual gifts to preach and teach students through his personal mission statement: “We exist to Reach unbelieving and uncommitted students to Grow and deepen them in their faith and to Send them out to impact their world for Jesus Christ.” Mike’s ability to lead has given him the reputation as one of the top youth pastors in the country. He has served as President of the Metro Youth Pastors Association on two occasions and has been a featured speaker with the Song of Solomon conferences, youth camps, and various student events. Mike and his wife, Kookie currently live in the United Kingdom in Stockton-on-Tees. They have four children: Thad, Shelby, Hannah, and Hayden. Mike currently serves as the Centre Director for Tees Valley Youth For Christ and as the Pastor of The Vine Church Teesside. Mike and Kookie have lived in the Northeast of England since September 2011. You can follow Mike on Twitter: @mikestaylor @ukusaministries You can follow Mike on Instagram: @ukusaministries Connect with Jay: • Twitter • Instagram Brought to you by Student Leadership University #SLUlead

Justin serves as the Executive Director of a non- profit organization called CARE for AIDS. He founded this organization in 2007 as a junior at Vanderbilt University. He graduated from Vanderbilt in 2009 with degrees in Economics and Human and Organizational Development. CARE for AIDS was started through a unique partnership with two Kenyan leaders as a response to lack of holistic care and overall marginalization of the HIV-population. By empowering this generation of Kenyan parents to live longer, healthier, more productive lives, they are preventing thousands of orphans from being created each year. Justin has been married to Lindsay, his college sweetheart, for four years now. They live in Atlanta, GA with their dog, Jackson. They love traveling and have visited Antarctica, Rwanda, and Croatia in the last few years. Justin completed SLU 101 – 401 (Rome) as a student and has also come back and volunteered for several years on our SLU summer staff, serving at SLU 101, 201, and 401. Connect with Jay: • Twitter • Instagram Brought to you by Student Leadership University #SLUlead

Jordan Easley is the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Cleveland TN and former lead pastor of Englewood Baptist Church. Jordan served alongside David Landrith as Teaching Pastor/Multi-site Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN.  Before serving at Long Hollow, Jordan had the privilege of serving at several other leading churches in the SBC: Second Baptist Houston, TX (Ed Young) First Baptist Atlanta, GA (Charles Stanley) Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX (Jack Graham) God moved in a mighty way during Jordan’s season at Englewood: Over 800 people were baptized Over 1,700 people joined the church and were assimilated into small groups They launched 2 new multisite campuses that now average roughly 1,000 additional people in worship each week. They supported the launch of 6 new church plants across America They saw their budget increase from $5.1 million to $7.1 million. They dramatically increased their CP giving and mission involvement They reduced their church debt from $3.2 million to less that $800k. In addition, Jordan is an author for Lifeway.  In 2013, B&H published his first book, “Life Change.” His second book, “Resuscitating Evangelism,” is scheduled to be released in January of 2020.  Jordan received his Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Baptist University and then attended Seminary at both Southwestern Baptist Theological and Luther Rice.  Jordan is currently continuing his education at Union University, where he is concluding a Masters degree in Christian Ministries.

Dr. Alex Himaya is a follower of Jesus, husband, father, pastor, speaker, author, visionary, and leader. He is the founding and Senior Pastor of theChurchat, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Under Alex’s leadership, attendance of theChurchat has increased significantly since its founding in 2003. Rather than establishing one mega building in a central location, Alex maximized the reach of the church by implementing a multi-site strategy with campuses across the Tulsa metro area. Inspired by his Egyptian heritage and commitment to further God’s plan for Gospel transformation in Egypt, Alex expanded the reach of theChurchat to international heights by establishing a ministry for permanent and long-term mission teams in Egypt. Alex is currently involved in church planting efforts both locally and internationally through theChurchat and various strategic partnerships. He has founded an international orphan care ministry called Adopt(ed), which is helping churches and families find their niche in orphan care around the world. In addition to his role as a strategic leader, Alex has been blessed with the unique ability to connect with individuals on a personal and spiritual level. One of Alex’s greatest passions is to effectively present the same relevant message—the good news of Jesus Christ—using fresh and innovative methods. Alex participates in speaking engagements nearly 200 times each year in order to share the Gospel with people across Tulsa, America, and the world. Alex received his bachelor’s degree from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and his master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He completed his doctorate in Church Growth and Evangelism in May 2002. Alex and his wife, Meredith have four children—Katherine, Eli, Benjamin, and Lemley.

Dr. Jeffrey Alan Lovingood was saved, baptized and called to serve the Lord while at First Baptist Church Cleveland, TN. Having been in ministry since the age of 18, in every church where Jeff has served, he has led the way in reaching beyond church culture and engaging the community. The churches he has served over the past 36 years are: Intern, First Baptist Church. Cleveland, TN; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Royce, TX. (While attending seminary); Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Ruston, LA; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Cleveland, TN; Youth Minister, Idlewild Baptist Church. Tampa, FL; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church Concord. Knoxville, TN; Senior Associate Pastor for Spiritual Development, Long Hollow Baptist Church, Hendersonville, TN. 2002 – 2014. Under Jeff’s leadership, Long Holllow was consistently recognized for being in the top churches for children, student and adult baptisms; the church has grown from a little over a 1,000 members to a multi-site church with 5 campuses and a membership of 12,000 averaging 7,000 weekly attendance in attendance for all campuses. Jeff currently serves as Senior Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Cleveland, TN. (June 2015 to present) – First Baptist Cleveland is the 6th largest church in Tennessee with an attendance of approximately 3,500. Jeff’s education, awards, and achievements include: High school graduate, Bradley High School; All-State football player, Bradley High School; BA, Carson Newman College; played football and baseball while at Carson Newman College; was a part of three National Championship football teams while at Carson Newman College; Masters of Arts in Religious Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Doctorate of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Served as President of the Metro Youth Minister’s Conference (The youth pastors associated with this conference represent 25,000+ students and 300,000+ church members.); currently a Trustee at Carson Newman University; received the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for Student Ministry; Adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Author of Make it Last, Proven Principles for Effective Student Ministry; and Chaplain of the University of Tennessee football team under Coach Phil Fulmer Jeff was born in 1963 in Detroit, MI. He has been married to Rachel Tollett Lovingood for 30 years. Rachel is an author and speaker. They have 3 children: Trevor, is married to Erica and they have a 2yr old daughter Londyn Willow and a 5 month old son, Leo. Trever is the Campus Pastor at is Bridgepoint Downtown Campus. Kelsey, who has her PA license, and is married to Luke Harper, the Student Pastor at Cross Church Fayetteville Campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Luke and Kelsey have a 2 month old girl named Layla. Riley, their third child, is attending the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship.

7 Family Ministry Essentials will energize and equip you with the practical steps, inspirational stories, and biblical foundation you need as you lead those in your ministry. CONNECT WITH MEGAN FATE MARSHMAN CONNECT WITH DR. MICHELLE ANTHONY GET THE BOOK

Greg Stier has a reputation for knowing and relating to today’s teens in unique and effective ways. Because of his 25+ years in youth ministry, Stier is widely viewed as an authority on teen issues and adolescent spirituality. Over the course of the last 20 years, Stier has spoken to over 1,000,000 teens in major venues across the nation and heard countless stories of their struggles and triumphs. Stier’s commitment to mobilizing teenagers to reach their generation for Christ is rooted in the transforming power of the gospel. Raised in a violent, inner-city family of body-builders, he never had a dad and never felt like he measured up because his biceps weren’t big enough! But one by one, he saw his tough, urban family of “thugs” come to know Christ. And that ignited a passion in Stier to see all lost people come to know Jesus. Living just minutes away from the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in the Denver area, the tragedy triggered a pivotal turning point in Stier’s career. Following those events, he resigned a pastorate at a church in Arvada, Colorado, to pursue Dare 2 Share (D2S) full-time. Since then, Stier and the ministry of D2S have impacted the lives of hundreds of thousand teenagers across the country, motivating and equipping them to relationally reach out to those who don’t know Jesus with the gospel message of hope. Stier is well-known for his ability to inspire teenagers to action by communicating Biblical truth through amazing true-life stories and side-splitting humor. This ability to connect with teens has made him a nationally known and sought-after speaker and author who speaks to the heart of teen issues and helps teens find their significance in God. As a dynamic communicator, Stier has had the privilege of appearing on several national television and radio shows.

In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary. Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan for them. What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but also successes in starting new churches in a place where many people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from Syria, including Kurds, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk, determining to stay unless God told them to leave. In 2016, they were arrested. Though the State eventually released Norine, who remained in Turkey, Andrew was imprisoned. Accused of being a spy and being among the plotters of the attempted coup, he became a political pawn whose story soon became known around the world. God's Hostage is the incredible true story of his imprisonment, his brokenness, and his eventual freedom.

Donna Gaines is a Pastor’s wife, Bible teacher, author of four books, and editor of A Daily Women’s Devotional. She is a disciple maker who fervently desires to see the lives of women transformed as they encounter God through His Word and prayer. Embracing God’s missional calling on her life, Donna mobilizes women to practically live out their faith through both inner city and international efforts. She is the Founder and President of the Board for ARISE2Read, a nonprofit that focuses on literacy in the inner city. She is the mother of four and “Nonna” to 11 grand children. Donna enjoys Memphis Barbecue, Alabama football and anything you can douse with salsa. donnagaines.org