About the Author

D. Michelle Stokes
D. Michelle Stokes

Ministry, intentional leadership, and kingdom education are the areas closest to Dr. Dee Stokes's heart. Dr. Stokes spent 18 years as a basketball coach before her desires and dreams shifted and led her to retire from coaching to work in ministry full time. Her desire to be the best in her field as a coach was replaced with the call to ministry.

Dr. Stokes worked at such institutions as the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Texas A&M University, Winthrop University, and the University of Nebraska as an assistant coach. Stokes was head coach at East Carolina University, Winston-Salem State University, and Southeastern University.

She was also an Assistant Professor of Education at Southeastern. She has been a Pre-K through 8th grade school administrator and currently adjuncts at Ohio University and Belhaven University in their online programs all while serving as the President/CEO of Dee Stokes Ministries, Inc.

Dr. Stokes holds the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, and an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UNC Charlotte as well as a Masters of Public Administration from DeVry University. Her research interests include emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, transformational leadership, and burnout. Because of her research in these areas, Dr. Stokes travels globally preaching and presenting cultural intelligence and leadership workshops. Dr. Stokes also does life coaching, and if interested, please contact her via her website.

Beside her 2010 book Experiencing Grace: One woman's year long journey with God after the death of her mother, which is under her pen name of D. Michelle Stokes, she wrote a story for the 2009 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inside Basketball book entitled "Sideline MVP." Recently Dr. Stokes has written a brochure titled "21st Century Leadership" highlighting her research and the need for corporate succession planning. In May 2014, Dr. Stokes's dissertation was published in book form. The book is titled Cultural Intelligence, Transformational Leadership, and Burnout: The 21st Century Leader's Playbook for Understanding the Relationship Between CQ, TL, and Burnout.

Pastor Dee currently serves as Connections and Formation Pastor at Unity UMC in Thomasville, NC, is also a member of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference's (NHCLC) Faith and Education Coalition and Leadership Advisory Council (www.faithandeducation.com), and a member of the United States National Prayer Council. Always a lifelong learner, Dr. Stokes loves studying Theology, and has done so at Asbury Theological Seminary and Global University.

About the Books

Experiencing Grace

Experiencing Grace Summary

In the course of a year, D. Michelle Stokes lost her mother, a close friend and finally her job as a head college basketball coach. Throughout the many setbacks, she managed to detail her experiences and create this book. Her hope is that everyone who reads it understands that true grace can only be achieved through facing your challenges with unyielding faith. Filled with insightful anecdotes and real life experiences, Ms. Stokes is a witness that God's grace can sustain you through anything, and she wants her readers to EXPERIENCE GRACE so that they may weather life's storms.

Break the Box Volume 1 and Volume 2

Break the Box Volume 1 Summary

Break The Box: A Message of Hope and Inspiration is a devotional like no other. It is uniquely organized to give you a word of the day to meditate on, the devotional itself, questions to contemplate, and a prayer for each day all in a two- volume set. The two-volume format (39 days and 27 days) covers all 66 books of the Bible in an easy to read format. The book(s) have a three-fold purpose: 1) to empower those who preach the Word of God to get started with a bit of exegesis; 2) to give the casual reader inspiration each day as they learn about God's Word; and 3) while reading God's Word, to become closer to The Lord and to be inspired and help the reader along their journey.

Break the Box Volume 2 Summary

The two-volume set is meant to be read consecutively in any order...i.e. you can read volume one first then volume two or vice versa. It is the author's hope and prayer that this two-volume set blesses your life and you find hope, inspiration, and enrichment in seeking The Lord and reading His Word!

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