Do you think of yourself as a leader? Whether you are a parent, grandparent, pastor, coach, teacher, student, or friend, you exert influence on those around you. Leadership is not a position on a flowchart; leadership is influence.

One of the greatest threats to our usefulness for God is the lie that our lives don’t make a difference, that what we do has no eternal significance, that there is no reason to extend ourselves to invest in others.

But one person can make a difference! A couple of years ago, the Lord led me to write a small book entitled Leaders Who Make a Difference that examines the lives of three leaders in the pages of Scripture—Joshua, Nehemiah, and Joseph. Through their testimonies, we see how God used nine specific traits in their lives to make an incredible difference for Him.

For a limited time, Striving Together Publications has made Leaders Who Make a Difference free for both Kindle and iBooks. (more…)

Most of us never really unwrap the significance of the poignant Christmas season.

It’s been on my heart for several years to write a Christmas themed minibook with spiritual encouragement from the Christmas story, as well as a clear Gospel presentation that can be used as a witnessing tool. As we enter this season, I’m thankful to be able to introduce to you Christmas is a Gift: Unwrap the Significance of the Season. This new minibook is now available through Striving Together Publications, and I pray it will bless your life and help you share the Gospel with someone this Christmas.

The message of this book is simple: Christmas is a gift that we can continually unwrap all year long! Through Christmas, we are offered salvation. Through Christmas, we can know God’s peace and experience His joy. Through Christmas, we can have songs in the night and a promise of hope for the future. Through Christmas, we have Emmanuel—God with us—all year long. (more…)

The next six weeks are some of the busiest on the calendar. Between now and Christmas, life can easily swallow us up in a whirlwind of holiday preparation and activity. Yet, these busy weeks also hold some of the most sacred moments of the entire year…if we will intentionally look for them.

Thanksgiving, in particular, is easily passed over without us really pausing to give God thanks. Below are five simple suggestions that have helped me use this holiday to draw closer to the Lord through the month of November. (more…)

Today we remember veterans—men and women who have given of themselves for our freedom. And I’m thankful for every one of them—from the minutemen of the war for independence to the heroic Americans serving today in the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq.

I never had the privilege of serving in our nation’s armed forces. God called me to preach as a young teenager, and I’ve given my life to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Yet, I am acutely aware—today especially—that the liberty I enjoy to preach the Gospel was paid for by untold ranks of courageous soldiers. (more…)

Have you ever thought of your trial as a stewardship from God? It is. And when stewarded properly, God will use your trial to give you some of His greatest gifts.

God has given us an incredible, amazing resource with which to steward our trials. It’s called grace.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—2 Corinthians 12:9

If we will receive the grace which God offers during difficult seasons, we can steward our trials in a way that results in unimaginable blessings.

So how do we steward our trial with the grace of God?

1. Trust God’s ways.

Faith trusts God, even when it can’t trace Him. Anyone can trust when we see how circumstances are working together for good. But when we can’t see, when it looks as if nothing good could come of our circumstances, this is when true faith is developed. (more…)