Debbie Diesing Blank
BIBLE TEACHER AND CONFERENCE SPEAKER
Debbie is a popular Bible teacher and speaker who has a passion for sharing the Word of God with a practial and applicable approach. Her enthusiasm is contagious, imparting to people a desire to study the Word for themselves and to practice it, resulting is a joyful relationship with God. In addition to her classes and seminars, she is an author who hosts a weekly international radio program on Bible Prophecy and teaches/hosts tours to the lands of the Bible. She and her husband, Bob, are co-founders of Living Word Ministries. They have two adult sons and reside in Omaha, Nebraska.
TESTIMONY
Growing up in Omaha in a strong Catholic family and attending Catholic schools, Debbie heard and learned about Jesus Christ. It was at age 24, however, when she realized that while she had a knowledge of Jesus, she had not developed a relationship with Him as Lord and Master of her life. By faith Debbie gave her life totally and wholly to Jesus Christ and confessed Him as Lord (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 10:9,10; Titus 3:5). Her life, passion, purpose, and focus since that day has been "to walk in a manner worthy of Him, to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9,10).
EDUCATION
Debbie graduated summa cum laude from Grace University, Omaha, Nebraska, with a Bachelor of Science Degree with majors in Bible and Management and Organizational Leadership.
MINISTRY
Debbie has dedicated her life and ministry to her Lord, her family and friends and her community. She has used her spiritual gift of adminstration by serving on the Board of Directors of twenty-five civic organizations and ministries and hundreds of committees, along with providing financial services to ministries and family owned businesses for over three decades. She assists other ministries in establishing their organizational and tax exempt status and consults with them in managing their organizations.
Debbie has ministered through her spiritual gift of teaching to children, youth and adults. She is a certified Precept Upon Precept Bible Teacher, having taught weekly for seventeen years, and a certified Evangelical Training Association Instructor. She teaches "The History of Israel" at Metro Community College, weekly and some monthly Bible studies and hosts a weekly international radio program generally focusing on Bible prophecy.
Debbie is passionate about discipleship, working one-on-one with women to help them draw closer to Jesus Christ. She has been an active particpant in issues concerning our culture such as sanctiifty of human life, curbing predatory gambling and support of traditional marriage, speaking out boldly on the Biblical perspecitive of these issues.
Debbie and her family are strong supporters of the nation and people of Israel. They first visited Israel as a family in 1996 and fell in love with the people and the prophetic significance of the land. Debbie has returned four times, hosting tours and teaching at the Biblical sites. In addition, Debbie has led tours to Greece, Turkey, Italy, Austria and Germany.
An active member of Westside Church since 1982, Debbie has served on several committees including the Pastor Search Committee, Funding Committee and Women's Ministry, has taught such groups as children's and women's Sunday School classes, weekly women's Bible studies, Singles Conferences, and Christian Life University, and has ministered in postions such as AWANA Spark's Director and Women of the Word Director.
Bob and Debbie have two grown sons, Bob, Jr., and Dan.
Robert Ralph Blank
MEN'S MINISTRY LEADER AND BUSINESS/FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
Bob is a multi-talented business man with a heart to reach and disciple other men. He has developed and led numerous area ministries including Promise Keepers Nebraska. He and his wife, Debbie, have two grown sons and reside in Omaha, NE.
TESTIMONY
Growing up in Omaha with a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, Bob was exposed to a potpouri of religious information. God used his wife to show him that Jesus Christ could change his life. From this new knowledge of Christ, Bob confessed Him as Lord and gave his life totally and wholly to Jesus Christ on December 12, 1977 (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 10:9,10; Titus 3:5). His desire in life since then has been to have a more intimate relationship with Christ every day.
EDUCATION
Bob attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His special emphasis of study was business and criminal justice. Bob has attended numerous business seminars relating to franchising, finances, business practices, and restaurant development.
PROFESSION
Bob has an expansive area of business expertise and opportunities. He is currently the President of Cabana Coffee in Omaha, NE. He was the founder and operator of the WC FRANK restaurants, franchsing over 120 units in 12 states. He has owned and operated several other businesses including a commerical cleaning company, two pizza restaurants, a video arcade, equipment company, and a small advertising company. He has served as the President of his family owned motion picture theatre chain and as the Vice-President of the Cornhusker Bank of Omaha.
MINISTRY
Bob has a passion for men and men's ministry. He has served as the Chairman and on the Board of Directors of Promise Keepers, Nebraska, organized large men's conferences both through his church and through Promise Keepers, conducted Point Man training, spoken at various events and churches throughout Nebraska and Iowa, and assisted churches and ministries in establishing their men's ministries.
Bob strongly believes in the sanctiy of human life so has commited himself to service in that area through Nebraskan's United for Life as member of the Board for eleven years and President for two years, as Host/teacher on“Talking About Life”, a 5 minute Monday through Friday radio program on KCRO Radio, as Host of the thirty minute radio show "Looking at Life", and as a member of the Board of Directors of Nebraska Right to LIfe. He was President of the Nebraska chapter of the Republican National Coalition for Life, and joined the local and state Republican Central Committees as a pro-life representative
Bob and Debbie served as Chairmen of the Greater Omaha Leadership Prayer Breakfast and as the Douglas County Chairmen for National Day of Prayer. Bob is an active deacon at Westside Church in Omaha, Nebraska, having served in several minstry areas of the church and taught several classes dealing with financial freedom.
Lori L. Brown
MUSIC TEACHER AND YOUTH CHOIR DIRECTOR
Lori is a gifted and talented singer, teacher, and Choir Director whose passion for the Lord is evidenced in her life and in her worship talents. She has used her administrative gifts and her musical talents to serve children, youth, and adults in a variety of areas. She and her husband, Nate, have four young children and reside in Omaha, Nebraska.
EDUCATION
Lori graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1994 with a Bachelor of Music Education. She has received her Nebraska Teaching Certificate and is certified to teach K-12 Vocal Music and Instrumental Music.
PROFESSION
Lori has served as a Vocal Music and Instrumental Music teacher in Lincoln and Omaha schools in Nebraska, grades 6-12. She currently teaches private voice lessons to ages 7 through adult which includes all aspects of vocal instruction including diction, musical terminology, correct breathing and vocal techniques. She organizes and assists in music selection and preparation for Christmas and spring studio recitals.
MINISTRY
Lori served as the Westside Church Youth Choir Director in Omaha, Nebraska for 10 years. She developed a comprehensive youth worship ministry with a focus on training students in the areas of music, drama, dance, media (sound, lighting, video, set design, costumes) and discipleship (Bible study, care teams) which grew from 30 to 125 students and involved an adult leadership team of 30. Lori planned and organized community-wide outreach Easter Pageants at Westside Church from 2001 through 2004 including selecting music, rehearsing and coordinating all musical and non-musical areas.
Lori arranged all aspects of two mission trips to New York City including musical presentations and hands-on ministry. She was responsible for making all contacts, planning complete tour schedule, coordinating all ministry activities and organizing presentations in both indoor and outdoor venues with a travel budget in excess of $75,000 for tours of up to 97 people.
She has led local and regional ministry tours and has attended training conferences with 20-30 students designed to develop musical technique and facilitate spiritual growth.
Lori served as the Worship Director for Women of the Word Bible Study for seven years and ministered to children as Choir Director in both Omaha and Lincoln.
In addition, Lori ministered as the Adult Choir Director at Wallula Christian Church in Leavenworth, Kansas, leading a 6 to 8 person worship team and a 30 member choir, assisting in the selection of music, developing and implementing lessons on correct breathing, sight singing, musical terminology and diction.
Lori and her husband, Nate, have four children.
Arthur L. Lindsay
AUTHOR AND PUBLIC SPEAKER
Arthur L. Lindsay is active as a public speaker, having spoken in ten countries on four continents. He is a former missionary in
MINISTRY
Though he has many interests, his primary focus is on his own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Therefore, he steadily studies and memorizes the Word of God. Second to that, he loves to share with men in one-on-one discipleship training. Additionally he has been involved in prison ministry for more than fifty years.
Art has been a resident of
PUBLICATIONS
He is the author of ten previous books. Four of them are biographies: I Can: Coach Ron Brown’s Search for Success; Not Even a Thread: When a rapist repents …God; One Final Pass: the Brook Berringer story; and I Can 2. There have been three previous histories: It Takes a Home: Commemorating 90 years of service of People’s City Mission; Most Unusual Packages, the story of Bethphage; and A Tree Grows in Lincoln, the story of Christ Temple Church. Art has also written two books on ethics for the insurance industry: Don’t Punt and Cover All the Bases; and a novel, Three Wings Against the Monkey.