Voices of Courage

Vickie E. Griffin is a student of God's Word, whose grace gifts are that of giver, teacher, and exhorter. Her passion in life is to encourage fellow believers to fight the good fight of faith and never give up. At age fifty, Vickie earned a bachelor's degree in theology. She taught Bible college, served several years as worship leader in the local church and later as outreach director.

Dr. Patty is a hunka (adopted family member) of the Lakota-Sioux Rosebud Nation. Being adopted into a Native American tribe is an enormous honor and is done only when a person shows they can be trusted and have gained respect. Her work with the tribal nation includes serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Lakota Healing Way Center, a 501(c)-3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with trauma, addictions, homelessness, illness, and PTSD to rebalance themselves through indigenous Native American spirituality.Like many people, Dr. Patty came to her life calling early but then took a very long, circuitous path back to it later in her life. A fourth-generation Denver native, Dr. Patty lost her much-loved father at age 10 and confronted some of life’s biggest questions and challenges at a very tender age. Naturally creative, she later obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education and Psychology from Western State College in Gunnison, with the goal of becoming an art teacher. That career led to a short stint as a commercial designer, a role she still fills at Mile High Church. Later, she received a Masters of Art in Psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a second masters degree from Naropa University in Counseling and Thanatology (the study of death). Finally, she was bestowed an honorary doctorate degree from the Centers for Spiritual Living, a global community comprised of more than 400 spiritual communities, teaching chapters, study groups and other ministries in 30 countries. These communities teach a New Thought philosophy that offers spiritual tools to transform personal lives. She currently lives with her husband, Luke, and Newfoundland dog, Maggie Rose, in a happy home on top of a mountain.Dr. Patty Luckenbach is an Associate Minister at Mile High Church, one of the largest single location congregations in the country. The church and Dr. Patty’s work there emphasizes inter-faith engagement, environmental stewardship, and nonviolence and human dignity for all. She is also a certified practitioner and instructor of existential metapsychiatry, having served as a Research Associate at the former New York Institute of Metapsychiatry under the guidance and instruction of the renowned Dr. Thomas Hora, M.D. Furthermore, she has received extensive training from Dr. Alan Wolfelt at the Center for Loss & Life Transition, Stephen Levine, an American poet, author, and teacher best known for his work on death and dying, and Elise Hayes around grief and loss, death and dying, and living with HIV/AIDS.

Phil was raised in the rural town of Clovis, CA where he attended elementary, junior high, and high school. He attended California Baptist College in Riverside, CA before returning to Clovis and completing his college degree at Fresno State College. He was finishing his junior year when he had to declare a major. After seeing a lot of Biology students going on field trips in the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains, he decided a degree in Biology would be right for him. He wanted to teach Life Sciences in high school or become a Park Ranger with the National Park Service (NPS). There were many twists and turns in his career after college. He was hired as an intern in the Kings Canyon Unified School District teaching first fifth grade, then sixth grade. He was instrumental in developing an environmental education program for his sixth graders. He also worked seasonally as a Park Ranger with the NPS for seven summers and also worked weekends at Kings Canyon National Park for two years while teaching full time. After the war in Vietnam, there were so many veterans applying for full time park ranger positions that he was unable to break into the NPS full time. About that same time, the Corps of Engineers (COE) was beginning to hire park rangers and natural resource managers for their many lakes around the country. He was able to spend most of the rest of his career in the field of Resources Management in WA, OR, and ID. Along the way, he took on various teaching assignments with Walla Walla Community College and the University of Idaho. He helped develop and teach the COE’s first enforcement classes nationwide. Phil is retired now and living in Dallas, OR. He decided he wanted to share some of his life experiences with friends, relatives, and others who might be interested in the work he chose for his career.

Carol Scutt is a 72-year-old widow who lives in Lafollette, TN on Norris Lake. This is her first book. She has two children, seven grandchildren and lots of nieces and nephews. She is still grieving the loss of her beloved husband with whom she spent nearly 50 years. In the summer of 1967, two teenagers from completely opposite kinds of upbringing met in Columbia City, Indiana. They both worked at the local Kroger grocery store. She worked as a cashier, and he worked as a night stocker. She was sixteen, and he was seventeen. This infatuation grew into a love stronger than the worst storms and more passionate than the words of Shakespeare. The first storm they endured as newlyweds was Paul being drafted and sent to Vietnam for fourteen months. Their journey was one of commitment and determination. Their love for each other and for Christ drew them together during all the difficult times. A time did come when they nearly divorced. How they dealt with the hurt and heartache is an inspiring lesson. Paul was a brilliant businessman and ended his career as a senior vice president with Kroger. That journey wasn’t without its struggles. He made a vow to Carol in the first year of their marriage that he would see that she have everything she ever dreamed or imagined. He kept that vow even on the last day of his life.

Leland “Bud” Beamer M.D. is a native of Iowa where he attended Cornell College and the University of Iowa (Carver) School of Medicine. After serving his community of Madras, Oregon for 40 years as a surgeon and family physician, he became Chief Medical Officer in a state prison in Madras. His interest in the early childhood period was intensified while working with the adults in incarceration and understanding their early beginnings.