Matt Behrens has written devotional books for CTA. Two in particular stand out for him: He's Listening: Prayers for Dads was a fun challenge to think through as he's in the early stages of fatherhood with his own kids. He's also enjoyed working on the Advent devotional for 2020: A Child, A Son, A Savior combines Scripture, reflection and action steps into a daily rhythm of joyful anticipation.
For relaxation, Matt's hobbies include biking (mountain and road), hiking (he's planning to go up Half Dome soon), and hanging out with friends. He and his wife, Sherrah, have 2 children, James and Lucy, and live in the Bay Area of California. The Behrens family's mission is to discover the fun and adventure in following Jesus together, and they love to invite others along on the journey.
Jessica Bordeleau is an author, speaker, and media producer. After earning a BA in Elementary Education from Concordia University, Wisconsin, and a MA in Systematic Theology from Concordia Seminary, St Louis, she spend 15 years directing Christian education at churches, camps, and national training events. She currently coordinates a national leadership training ministry called LCMS Lutheran Youth Fellowship and cohosts Speaking of Jesus a weekly podcast available on iTunes.
Jessica lives in St. Louis with her husband and three young children. She enjoys hiking, singing, classic films, and dark chocolate. She loves Jesus and wants to share it!
Jane L. Fryar has created, written, and edited products for CTA for nearly 20 years, both on staff and as a freelancer. She also currently teaches online courses in leadership for graduate programs in both business and education. In her spare time, she gardens, bakes bread, and enjoys gym time, especially weightlifting. A lifelong Christian, she welcomes the blessing of sharing the eternal, unshakable truths of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection in writing and in person.
Timothy Koch is a fifth-generation church worker who was born and raised thirty miles north of Minneapolis. He has served the church as a pastor since 2011 and currently serves a congregation in Milbank, SD. Throughout his ministry, Tim has developed a deep appreciation for rural ministry and has had the opportunity to write and speak about such things to multiple audiences. He also has a specialized interest in New Testament Textual Criticism--it was the subject of his master's thesis--and has often volunteered with manuscript collating and indexing endeavors over the years.
Tim is married to Emily, and together, they have four children. Tim's hobbies include archery and fishing.
After a satisfying career in education, Gail now enjoys traveling with her husband to assist on church building projects around the country. When at home, Gail loves spending time with grandchildren, reading, and gardening. She also likes home remodeling projects and furniture restoration and repurposing. Gail feels blessed to contribute to CTA's ongoing mission and ministry through her freelance writing, and she sees her work as an ongoing opportunity for personal spiritual growth.
Julia Schumacher Martin has worked for CTA from 2010 to 2014 in the product development and editorial departments. As a freelance author, she writes devotional and activity-based materials for women, youth, and children's ministry. She particularly enjoys opportunities to collaborate with her best friend and fellow CTA author, Kristin Schultz!
Growing up in a missionary family called to Southern Africa, Julia was raised to see the world as an accessible and fascinating place: she has lived on four different continents. She now lives in Switzerland with her husband, beautiful daughters, and dangerously overfed cat, Brie. When not reading, singing with the church choir, or changing diapers, Julia is a city host and tour guide for Viking Cruises.
John Rasmussen has written devotionals for CTA. He enjoys reading, running, hunting, and spending time outdoors. His wife, Kelly, teaches online history and theology classes, and together they have three children--William, Joshua, and Brianna.
Jane Robinson is the digital marketing director for CTA--Christ to All. Jane has experience in Christian education, children's choirs, and product development. She enjoys meeting new friends in ministry and spending time with her husband, Paul, and their three adult children.
David Schmitt has written men's devotional books, sermons, and journals for CTA. Because his calling as a pastor and professor keeps him involved with books, he intentionally seeks out a more active life. He enjoys hiking, biking, running, weight training, racquetball, and now (during COVID-19) tennis. He muses that he should be more engaged in home repair and lawn maintenance, but "there is only so much time!"
He reflects: "During the past few years, I've felt like our world is changing more rapidly than ever. Part of me wants to try to keep up. But part of me, the better part, has begun to slow down. I have found myself cultivating deeper relationships with people and developing an interest in imagination, beauty, and the arts. The relationships keep me grounded in the common life that God has given us to share and the imagination has helped me remember a different world, a different way of life, the working of God that guides my way in this world."
Matthew Schultz cowrote the CTA book Real-Life Encouragement for Families with his wife, Kristin Schultz, and has been a guest speaker discussing pastoral leadership for a number of CTA's Mentoring Moments.
He loves to travel; the adventure of exploring new places and seeing new things is always exciting. He enjoys riding his motorcycle, cooking, and working out. His wife says he's a professional "putterer": taking care of the yard, gardening, and making upgrades to his man cave. Ultimately, though, his greatest hobby is helping churches be everything they can be. He and Kristin have two children, Micah and Ella, and a beloved pit bull, Beau.
A. Trevor Sutton
A. Trevor Sutton is a Lutheran pastor in Lansing, Michigan, and PhD student at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Trevor is a prolific writer for the church, having published books, articles, sermons, Bible studies, and devotional books with various Christian publishers. He often speaks at conferences and retreats. Trevor lives in Lansing, Michigan, with his wife and their two daughters. He enjoys running, hiking, fly-fishing, and impromptu dance parties in the living room. Learn more at his website or follow him on Twitter.
Cherie Werner teaches Kindergarten in Battle Creek, Nebraska. She has written several different children's books for both Christmas and Easter. She has written a few Christmas programs, activity books, blog articles for the website, and poems on the backside of bookmarks as well. She enjoys walking with friends and teaching children about Jesus in school, Sunday school, and VBS.
Tim Wesemann founded Foolish Words, a writing and speaking ministry, in 2000 after serving as a Lutheran pastor for eleven years. A best-selling author with more than 2.7 million copies of his work in print, Tim has written more than 50 books and devotionals for children and adults. He began working with CTA as a freelancer in 2001.
Tim has served as speaker at a variety of events and venues and has entertained many groups as a humorist/comedian, an actor, and screenwriter. He works part-time as a Busch Stadium tour guide and Cardinals Hall of Fame/Museum guide.
Tim and his wife, Chiara, have three grown children (along with a son-in-law and two daughters-in-law), a 12-year-old at home, and six grandchildren.
