Our Contributors
CLR is more than just a ministry endeavor for the contributors on this site; it’s an overflow of who we are and how we live. Each person is actively pursuing God to know Him relationally and is passionate about making disciples. Each contributor believes in the power of the Holy Spirit, is grounded in the Gospel, and is committed to the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture. It is our goal and our prayer that these resources equip believers with simple truths for the abundant life.
Paul Gotthardt, B.A., M.Div, Ph.D
Contributor and Managing Editor
For 18 years, Paul was the founding and lead pastor of Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the summer of 2021, he became the senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. He received a B.A. in world religions from the University of Georgia, a M.Div. in biblical languages from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D in Christian counseling from Adonai University. In the past 20 years, he has been a part of planting twenty churches in the U.S. Paul has worked extensively as a counselor. In addition to numerous discipleship resources, he has published three books including Eight Questions and the God Who’s Asking, Christ Is All You Need, and 1 Samuel. Paul has been married to Brea Bell for 25 years, and they have two daughters (Shana and Kaylee).
Bracy Ball, B.A.
Contributor and Content Editor
Bracy was raised in Cushing, Oklahoma, graduated from Evangel College in 1966 as a math and history major, and later studied Greek and Hebrew at Talbot Seminary. Bracy ministered four decades in pastoral positions in five churches. During that time, he also served ten years as vice president of operations for the Biblical Counseling Foundation (BCF) headed by Dr. John Broger, a 20th century biblical counseling pioneer. Bracy is one of the authors of Self-Confrontation, a BCF discipleship manual used throughout the world. He taught discipleship and biblical counseling seminars in the USA, Europe, and Africa and was chosen as a delegate to the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism in Manila, Philippines, in 1991. Now over 70 years of age, Bracy is the president of WordTruth.org with ongoing writing responsibilities. He and his wife Raylene were married in 1971 and have two children and seven grandchildren.
Nicole Lauffer, B.A.
Contributor
Nicole is a stay-at-home mom with a passion for theology, discipleship, and writing. She began editing in 2003 at Cornell University as an editor for her college newspaper in Ithaca, New York. Around the same time, she began discipling women in small group settings. Since graduating from Cornell in 2006 with a B.A. in government, Nicole has worked as a copywriter and editor in the advertising and non-profit sectors and also in human resources as a recruiter and corporate trainer. In 2008, she married her high school sweetheart, and they have three wonderful children. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she continues to write and edit.
Maylene Battjes, B.A., M.A.
Contributor
A self-proclaimed English nerd to the core, few things make Maylene as giddy as proper use of possessives and plurals, or her three young children using metaphors and similes in their everyday speaking and writing. When her husband, Jason, brings home flowers, it’s nice and all, but when he writes her a love note with compound/complex sentences, her heart goes pitter patter. Maylene was a double major in English Literature and Biblical Studies at Hope International University and earned her M.A. in Education from Azusa Pacific University. In addition to teaching middle school English for nine years, the Lord has opened doors for her to travel to Africa to teach English courses. She feels humbled and so very thankful for the ways God allows her to be a part of His kingdom work.
Phil Maruncic, B.A., MBA., Ph.D.
Contributor
Phil was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Windsor where he received a B.A. in Communications Studies followed by an MBA from the University of Detroit, a Jesuit school. After a number of years, Phil completed a Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling from the International Theological Seminary. Phil has served and taught extensively within the local church. On a more personal level, Phil works in the gaming industry, enjoys riding his Indian motorcycle, and belongs to a Christian Motorcycle Club that ministers to the motorcycle community. He’s been blessed with 4 beautiful daughters, 2 great son-in-law’s, 1 future son-in-law in training and 4 adorable grandchildren.