Hawaiian Islands Ministries :: Life In the Spirit

Conference Speakers

Anita Renfroe [www.anitarenfroe.com]
It's been a wild decade going from "stay-at-home-mom" to "YouTube comedic Phe-mom-enon" but Anita Renfroe doesn't mind. With her unique brand of estrogen flavored musical comedy and blend of sass, edge and slightly offbeat takes on All Things Female, audiences at her comedy concert tours, viewers of Good Morning America appearances and the YouTube masses who enjoyed her William Tell version of everything a Mom says would say that Anita just tells it like it is. Some would say she just says what everyone else is thinking, but won't say out loud.
"I'd rather people laugh because they relate to something I say than because I wrote a clever punchline, " Anita says. "All my stuff is about my life – it's real and it connects people - and that's a wonderful thing."

Anita Renfroe's brand new DVD "It's Probably Just My Thyroid" does just that – making people laugh with her off-the-wall insights and music, including her hilarious parody of Carrie Underwood's No. 1 smash hit "Before He Cheats" cleverly retitled "Before I Eat." Filmed in her hometown of Atlanta, GA before a sold out crowd, "It's Probably Just My Thyroid" releases April 29th, 2008.
Renfroe, who some have described as "this generation's Erma Bombeck" is a featured comedian on ABC's "Good Morning America" with 15 comedy segments scheduled to air in 2008.
In addition to "Good Morning America," Renfroe's talent has been embraced by such top media outlets as "Dr.Phil," CBS's "The Early Show," Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," XM Satellite Radio Network's "Oprah & Friends,"Inside Edition," and others. Currently, she is working on an ABC sitcom pilot, which will hopefully get picked up for the fall television line-up.
In 2007, Renfroe performed in front of more than 400,000 women during the Women of Faith's Amazing Freedom conferences. She toured in 2008 with Women of Faith and Infinite Grace. This year, 2009, she is going on tour this year all over the United States and making some appearances in Canada. She will also be on a couple legs of the Women of Faith tour.
Renfroe and her husband John live in Atlanta and have three children, Calvin, Austin and Elyse.

Jan Johnson [www.janjohnson.org]
I am a writer, speaker and spiritual director who holds degrees in Christian education and spirituality. I’ve enjoyed writing seventeen books, including Enjoying the Presence of God, When the Soul Listens, Savoring God’s Word, and many magazine articles. I’m also a frequent retreat and conference speaker.
Everything I write and speak about flows out of these three areas:
Spiritual formation: The key to getting rid of stubborn habits and ingrained character flaws – the tendency to criticize, complain and procrastinate -- is to build an interactive life with God. Instead of trying to be good, we connect with God in order to let God transform us into Christlikeness. As we do the connecting with God, God does the perfecting in us.
Partnering with God in caring for the voiceless: We can learn to offer cups of cold water to the thirsty, to whisper words of life to the unreached, to love all peoples the way God does, to set aside the pull of materialism and spend our resources on worthwhile purposes. Such a life flows from cherishing the compassionate lifestyle of Jesus and arranging our lives to love this world that God so loves.
Living with Purposeful Intentionality. Life today is characterized by too much activity with too little meaning, on glitz instead of substance. Focusing on how God is calling me to let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God prods me to partner with God in efforts that reconcile people to God, to others and even to themselves. This kind of life is exciting – interacting with God throughout all of life and hear God compel us, comfort us and nudge us along.
I spend most of my work days writing books, magazine articles, newspaper essays, and Bible studies in my office at my home in Simi Valley, California. Thankful for my degree in Christian education, I began writing Bible study curriculum about twenty years ago that would reach the teens in the inner-city neighborhood where my husband pastored and we lived. Gradually, I switched to writing for adults and then began writing articles and books. About ten years ago, I began speaking extensively and found that I was most called to situations in which I could teach several sessions in depth. About the same time, I also took classes to become a spiritual director. I now do these things with great joy.

Kathy Slamp [www.vesselministries.com]
Raised in a pastor's home, Kathy is also been a pastor's wife. Her speaking takes her coast to coast where she speaks to groups of all sizes and many different denominations. Her down-to-earth sincerity and sense of humor endear her to audiences wherever she goes. Kathy's spiritual depth and life experiences make her someone with whom people easily relate. She was selected to be in the 2007 Who's Who of American women and is featured in the book, Remarkable Women.
Kathy taught public school for many years at all levels (K--college) and served as a high school assistant principal. She is married to Dr. David A. Slamp, a pastor in Oregon. They have two grown children and two grandsons.
Through her speaking and writing, Kathy inspires and challenges her audiences to grasp the basic and vital Biblical concept: We are all chosen to carry this amazing treasure: Christ in you is the hope of glory. As Christians in this world, God chooses to use each and everyone of us as His vessels!