About the Author
Bill Crowder joined the Our Daily Bread Ministries staff
in 2001 after more than 20 years in the pastorate stretching from
West Virginia to southern California to west Michigan. Over the
years, Bill has spent much of his time in a Bible-conference
ministry around the world, serving ODBM offices and their outreach
to their local communities.
Bill is a contributing writer for the Our Daily Bread devotional
and has written many Bible study booklets for ODBM's Discovery
Series. He has also published a number of books with Our Daily
Bread Publishing, including Wisdom for Our Worries. Bill also
serves as cohost on Discover the Word, a podcast and daily radio
program heard nationwide.
Now semiretired, Bill and his wife, Marlene, live in North
Carolina. They have been married for over 45 years and have five
adult children and a growing legion of grandchildren. To relax,
Bill enjoys playing golf whenever possible, and following sports,
especially the English Premier League's Liverpool Football
Club.
Our Daily Bread is distributed around the world and is
translated into more than 50 languages. Each month, millions of
readers turn to the pages of this beloved devotional for
inspiration, comfort, peace, and hope. Visit odb.org for more
information.
Dave Branon retired in 2021 after a 40-year career as a writer
and editor with Our Daily Bread Ministries. With more than 1,200
articles so far, Dave continues to write for the Our Daily Bread
devotional. He has also written 20 books, which include Beyond the
Valley: Finding Hope in Life's Losses and Lands of the Bible Today.
He and his wife, Sue, have four children and eight grandchildren,
and live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
James Banks (D.Min, Gordon-Conwell) makes his home in Durham, North
Carolina, with his wife, Cari, where James is the founding pastor
of Peace Church. James's adventure with writing started in 4th
grade when his teacher discovered it was a great way to keep him
out of trouble! He loves to encourage others to draw close to God
through heartfelt prayer and fresh insight from Scripture. James's
books have been translated into many languages and have touched the
lives of over half a million people. They include Prayers for
Prodigals, Praying the Prayers of the Bible, Prayers for Your
Children, Peace Through Prayer, Hope Lies Ahead (which he co-wrote
with his son Geoffrey), and others. You can find teaching from
James through Our Daily Bread University's popular Prayer Basics
series and the Praying with Jesus DVD. James is featured weekly on
the Encouraging Prayer radio broadcast and podcast and is a
much-loved speaker for churches and retreats. You can find out more
about what James is up to lately by visiting JamesBanks.org.
Julie Ackerman Link was a popular author with Our Daily Bread
readers, and her insightful and inspiring articles have touched
millions of lives around the world. Julie worked in publishing and
started her career at Zondervan, where she served as managing
editor of devotional and self-help books. She authored Above All,
Love. After a lengthy battle with cancer, Julie went to be with the
Lord in April 2015.
Xochitl (So-Cheel) E. Dixon, Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her
writer, is a disabled Mexican author and speaker who is passionate
about spiritual growth, discipleship, and prayer. Serving Jesus
with her beautifully diverse family and service dog, Callie,
Xochitl contributed to Tyndale's NLT Go Bible for Kids and is the
author of Waiting for God: Trusting Him for the Answers to Every
Prayer, Sacred Strides: Walking in the Power and Presence of the
Holy Spirit, What Color is God's Love?, Wonderfully, Marvelously
Brown, and the 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist, Different
Like Me. Connect with Xochitl at www.xedixon.com.
As a "third-culture kid" (parents from one culture who raised him
in another), Tim Gustafson attended eight different schools in his
first nine years of schooling, plus a "semester at sea" that
comprised first grade. His adoptive parents were missionaries who
traveled several times by ship. The penchant for traveling didn't
stop with adulthood, and it's served him well as he continues his
career as a writer and editor. A military veteran of three
deployments, Tim and his wife, Leisa, have eight children--seven of
whom are boys--and a granddaughter.