Finally . . . Leadership for the rest of us.

Most of us are not natural-born leaders. We had to figure it out the hard way-through ups and downs, and trial and error, as we stumbled our way toward hard-won lessons.

But guess what! You don't have to be a natural leader to become an extremely effective leader.

Insanely Practical Leadership equips you with 12 no-nonsense tools to master the art of leading yourself and others. Every chapter is a how to where you'll learn:

• How to grow you
• How to lead with character
• How to think like a leader
• How to make leadership decisions
• How to build influence
• How to lead people
• How to communicate with people
• How to lead through conflict

And so much more

Whether you're still trying to figure it out, you're on the road to leading well, or you're a seasoned leader looking for a tool to develop your team, Insanely Practical Leadership is the blueprint to help you take your next step. It moves way beyond theory and provides insanely practical tools and tactics to become a great leader.

When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

In the ministry world where unpredictability is the only certainty, church leaders face a unique challenge-navigating the upheaval precipitated by crises. From unforeseen scandals to disruptive emergencies, leaders must be equipped with grounded solutions to manage them with confidence and poise.

That is why Phil Cooke's Church on Trial is a must-read. An essential guide for maintaining integrity and preserving the good standing of your church in the face of a crisis, you will learn how to:

-Maintain and earn congregational trust and unity,

-Safeguard your church's reputation preemptively and proactively before it crashes and burns,

-Implement best practices for crisis prevention and recovery,

-Build relationships and collaborate with trusted legal advisors, and

-Gracefully handle negative media attention and publicity.

Crises do not have to break your church. Rather, your church can be built to weather the storms they bring.

A VITAL ROADMAP FOR FINANCIAL PEACE AND FREEDOM

Creating Your Own Economy delves into the crucial intersection of faith and finances, providing a balanced and biblical approach to prosperity. Dr. Dave Martin, through his extensive experience, has witnessed the confusion and pain financial distress can cause people. His book addresses the misconceptions of spirituality requiring poverty and the false theology equating God's favor with material excess, presenting a vision of prosperity that aligns with God's purposes.

This book is not merely a guide but a call to action, encouraging readers to embrace God's abundant provision and demonstrate His sovereignty over every aspect of their lives. Through practical strategies and real-life stories, Creating Your Own Economy offers hope for financial freedom and a roadmap for spiritual growth and impactful living.

What You Will Learn:

-Biblical Principles on Finances: Understand what the Bible truly says about money and how it aligns with God's purpose for your life.

-Renewing Your Mindset: Learn how to transform your thinking about prosperity and finances to reflect biblical truths.

-Practical Strategies for Financial Freedom: Discover actionable steps to experience God's blessings and achieve financial peace.

-Aligning Financial Blessings with Divine Purpose: Explore how financial blessings are linked to fulfilling your God-given destiny and extending His kingdom.

-Shifting Focus from Receiving to Giving: Embrace the critical reorientation from receiving to giving, aligning with the heart of the gospel.

Embark on a journey of faith, obedience, and true financial peace with Creating Your Own Economy and expect breakthroughs in every area of your life, filled with God's overwhelming goodness and provision.

Isn't it ironic that the voices we long to hear are often the ones we ignore?

We live in a world of voices: disparaging ones, encouraging ones, skeptical ones, and meaningful ones. As leaders are being pulled in every imaginable direction, learning to filter out the destructive voices, harness the constructive ones, and use the painful ones for purpose has never been more critical than it is right now.

Leadership architect and consultant Sam Chand offers a path forward in Voices-a timely guide for leaders whose hearing has been dulled from the deafening noise of conflicting voices.

You will learn how to:

-Fine-tune and sensitize your ears to pick up on the voices you have been ignoring,

-De-program your selective attention to negative voices,

-Sort out and discern between competing voices,

-Develop an effective screening system, and

-Become a voice for good.

Nothing can make or break you faster than a voice. What is the purpose of voices-yours and theirs?

It's my joy to distill some basics of what it looks like to lead - right where you are at, in a way that's authentic to you.

We live in a leadership paradox: In a time that needs leadership more than ever, people are more reluctant than ever to take on the responsibility of leadership. In addition, the average leader in our churches or faith-based organizations doesn't necessarily have the time or desire to pore through shelves of leadership material.

To Lead: A Practical Guide for Leaders in Churches and Faith-Based Organizations is Joel Milgate's contribution toward filling that gap.

Covering fifteen principles of what it means to lead yourself and to lead others, including practical application sections, this book will inspire and equip you to embrace God's call to lead, to lean into His wisdom and strength to do so, and to remain steadfast in the unfolding adventure of following Jesus into uncharted waters.

Put on your boxing gloves, and get ready for the fight of your life!

Do you feel like you can never get ahead? Maybe you feel like you can barely keep your head above water. For whatever reason you are dissatisfied with life, pastor and author Hope Carpenter has a word for you. God created you to win, and if you're not living up to your God-given potential, it's natural to feel defeated. You don't have to stay there, though!

In If You Don't Fight, Then You Won't Win, you'll learn how to:

Change your defeatist mindset.Master your feelings and emotions.Counter the enemy's strategies.Harness life's pressures, so they work for-not against-you.And much more.

Wherever you are in your life, Hope's practical but life-changing message will equip, empower, and motivate you and your team. Roll with laughter; get choked up with tears. Then, muster up enough strength, faith, and courage to fight for what is yours.

Your life is telling on your heart.

The study guide for Guarded by Melissa Graham equips you to take a deep, reflective dive into your God-given responsibility to protect your heart from distractions, fear, and burnout. Each chapter focuses on practical steps to help you prioritize your heart as the core of your spiritual and emotional well-being, offering prompts and exercises that reinforce the importance of guarding this sacred space.

Through this study guide, you will explore how to be discerning about whom you allow into your heart space, how to take ownership of your heart's condition, and how to shield yourself from the common invaders that can erode your spiritual health. Each section offers scripture-based reflections and discussion points to encourage a healthy, intentional approach to protecting your heart while still cultivating meaningful relationships.

By the end of the study, you will understand that guarding your heart is not just a defensive act but a proactive way to foster a deeper relationship with God. You will develop habits that not only protect your heart but also extend care to those closest to you, empowering others to experience the love of Christ.

Your life is telling on your heart.

We make a lot of room-maybe too much room-for things outside of our relationship with our Creator at the expense of a heart unfulfilled and tethered to fear, burnout, and suffering relationships. We open the gates of our hearts to everyone clamoring for our attention, to every activity, and to the barrage of distractions that draw us away from the heart of God.

In Guarded, author and Lead Pastor of The Avenue Church Melissa Graham sets the record straight on our God-mandated responsibility to fiercely protect and guard the vaults that house our most valuable treasure: our hearts. Guarded will help you to:

-Prioritize your heart as the center from which all things flow,

-Be selective with whom to welcome into your heart space,

-Take responsibility for the condition of your heart,

-Guard yourself against the most common heart invaders,

-Protect the hearts of those who occupy the greatest space in your heart, and

-Cultivate a healthy heart so that others may know Jesus.

No one can protect your heart but you!

The church is in decline for the first time in America's history. For many reasons, fewer people walk through church doors and make meaningful connections. The church has lost its steam. If you have questions regarding what to do about this, Chris Sonksen-pastor and founder of ChurchBoom, an organization dedicated to church growth-has some answers.

In his latest book, Traction, through the paradigm of a steam locomotive, you'll explore the importance of the following five facets affecting most churches today:

■ Engine: Growth Strategies

■ Fuel: Leadership and Finances

■ Tracks: Staying on Course

■ Conductor: The Essential Role of the Pastor

■ Cars: Alignment of Staff, Leaders, and the Congregation

If barriers have left you feeling stuck, let Traction bring you up to speed, so you can gain momentum and smash through them. Get on board. The kingdom of God is too important to let things slide!

Behind every decision lies an attitude.

The Five Hazardous Attitudes are Anti-authority, Invulnerability, Macho, Impulsivity, and Resignation. Aircraft accident investigators have found that at least one of these hazardous attitudes have played a role in almost every aircraft accident. But pilots are not the only people who

sometimes crash.

As a leader, Ricky has helped people who have crashed their career, business, marriage, or their life. The good news is each Hazardous Attitude has a corresponding antidote. Useful for everyone, not just pilots.

As a professional pilot, flight instructor, and a pastor, Ricky's passion is helping people identify Hazardous Attitudes and teaching them how to deploy the antidotes to overcome them. The book is written as a fable with compelling stories that are followed up with clear points of application. The Five Hazardous Attitudes is a must read for anyone wanting to be better as it relates to self-awareness and leadership.

Every leader serves another leader at some point in their life. The skills needed to lead well in that position aren't commonly discussed. And while it might seem like some have had to put their dreams on the back burner to help others fulfill theirs, Dr. Jermone Glenn believes that each seat at the leadership table is equally valuable, and it is only through mutual satisfaction that people find their leadership sweet spot.

In Take Your Seat: Discover Your Significance, follow the Genesis account of Joseph from the pit to the palace as you:

Recognize your vision.Share your gifts.Stand firm in the face of challenges.Safeguard your strengths and more.

God wants to do something extraordinary in your life, regardless of where He has placed you. Whichever seat you're sitting in, take it, and embrace it!

START. YOUR. ENGINES.

In the fast-paced world of ministry, every lead pastor dreams of seeing their church surge forward, fueled by purpose and passion. Just like a precision-engineered Formula 1 car hurtling down the track, your church has the potential to achieve remarkable speed and impact. In XLR8, lead pastor and author Michael Murphy harnesses the thrilling metaphors of F1 racing to lead you on an exhilarating journey toward accelerating your church's growth.

Rev Up Your Vision: Just as a racing team meticulously prepares their car for the track, XLR8 equips you with the tools to fine-tune your church's vision.Navigate the Curves: Uncover the secrets to navigating the twists and turns of leadership challenges, from managing growth spurts to tackling unexpected obstacles. Learn to steer your church with confidence, grace, and poise.Fuel Your Leadership: Dive into transformative leadership techniques that empower your team and congregation. Discover how to foster a culture of innovation, resilience, and collaboration that propels your church toward new horizons.Pit Stop Excellence: Even the fastest cars need pit stops for maintenance and optimization. XLR8 teaches you to identify moments when your church needs reflection and renewal.Race to Impact: Through real-life stories and actionable strategies, Michael Murphy reveals how your church can amplify its impact in the community.

Over 40% of pastors are considering leaving the ministry today. Most of us won't. Instead, we will work harder, determining that our overwhelming stress is an unavoidable part of pastoring. We will set unrealistic work expectations and live with unhealthy rhythms. And we will witness the gradual extermination of the peace that Jesus promised us.

If you're a pastor or ministry leader, you likely struggle with anxiety, sleeplessness, or compassion fatigue. Your body may show symptoms of physical distress, like weight gain, high blood pressure, or heart palpitations. You tell yourself that if you work harder, grow your church more, or tweak your schedule a little, you can eventually alleviate your stress.

But that's not how stress subsides or how God intended us to work. Death by Pastoring will help you identify and change the way you manage your stress by:

-Examining the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of stress

-Sharing personal stories and the hope that God promises

-Addressing workaholism, expectations, and stewardship

-Re-imagining the work of pastoring and being an intentional disciple

-Providing resources, assessments, and questions for reflection

God's will surfaces from deliberation in unity, Scripture-informed experience, and Holy Spirit guidance.

Leaders often rely too heavily on their limited intellect and logic in making God-honoring decisions. But, without exception, our intellect and logic are the problem, not the solution. Instead, consulting the One who is limitless when faced with important decisions will always bear better fruit. This is the heart of Deisensus-led decision-making!

In Deisensus Leadership, Dr. Ron Crum implores leaders to appoint the Holy Spirit as their Master Decision-Maker and join their teams in a united effort to seek direction from Above in all things. Pulling from the renowned Acts 15 passage as a model for Spirit-led decision-making, you will learn:

How leaders cannot afford to make poor decisions in the ever-changing landscape of leadership, Why Deisensus-led decision-making is far superior to human-driven decision-making, The inevitable drawbacks of other decision-making approaches, What Deisensus-led decision-making looks like in action, andResearch-based models and leadership postures that promote Deisensus leadership.

We will never outwit the Holy Spirit-wise decisions follow submission to the Wisest among us!

Whatever you need to finish the race, God has already provided.

Marathon runners are known for their endurance-they train, they master the habit of discipline, and they persevere through pain. Fortunately, even marathons end. If you have picked up this book, you are likely running a marathon of your own-the marathon of ministry leadership.

The Endurance Factor will transform you into a ministry athlete! In this book, Lead Pastor Greg Surratt and Pastor of Leadership Care Chip Judd of Seacoast Church provide ministry leaders with practical wisdom and hope to help them finish the race strong with a captivating double narrative. You will learn practical principles about how to:

-Fight for your spiritual well-being by embracing the discomfort of vulnerability

-Invest in your ministry without sacrificing your relationships

-Get painfully honest about your character flaws without losing sight of God's unfailing grace

-Build teams on the basis of God's enduring love to create a culture of resilience

Your primary ministry is to rest in God's love, the love that conditions the weary soul to win every race set before you!

The Gift Called Leadership is a rallying cry for those who feel the pull of Leadership deep within them. In a world where leadership often centers on titles and accolades, there exists a special breed of Leaders who answer a higher calling. They are not driven by monetary gain or personal glory, but by an innate sense of duty, a commitment to a cause larger than themselves.

Drawing on Barry E. Knight's own experiences as a Leadership coach and the stories of extraordinary Leaders, this book is a guide for those who embrace Leadership as a calling, empowering them to create lasting impact, foster meaningful connections, and inspire others to reach their full potential. Whether you're a seasoned Leader or stepping into Leadership for the first time, this book will guide you on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and profound Leadership.

Put on your boxing gloves, and get ready for the fight of your life!

Do you feel like you can never get ahead? Maybe you feel like you can barely keep your head above water. For whatever reason you are dissatisfied with life. Pastor and author Hope Carpenter has a word for you. God created you to win, and if you're not living up to your God-given potential, it's natural to feel defeated. You don't have to stay there, though!

In If You Don't Fight, Then You Won't Win, you'll learn how to:

-Change your defeatist mindset.

-Master your feelings and emotions.

-Counter the enemy's strategies.

-Harness life's pressures, so they work for-not against-you.

-And much more.

Wherever you are in your life, Hope's practical but life-changing message will equip, empower, and motivate you and your team. Roll with laughter; get choked up with tears. Then, muster up enough strength, faith, and courage to fight for what is yours.

Is your church prepared to weather the inevitable storms of ministry?

This companion study guide to Phil Cooke's Church on Trial equips church leaders with the tools and strategies to navigate crisis situations with integrity and effectiveness. Through engaging exercises and insightful discussion prompts, you'll learn how to:

Maintain and earn congregational trust and unity, Safeguard your church's reputation preemptively and proactively before it crashes and burns, Implement best practices for crisis prevention and recovery, Build relationships and collaborate with trusted legal advisors, andGracefully handle negative media attention and publicity.

Turn crisis into opportunity. Guide your church towards resilience and emerge stronger through any storm.

Finally...Leadership for the rest of us.

Most of us are not natural-born leaders. We had to figure it out the hard way-through ups and downs, and trial and error, as we stumbled our way toward hard-won lessons.

But guess what! You don't have to be a natural leader to become an extremely effective leader. The study guide for Insanely Practical Leadership equips you with a powerful pathway to master the art of leading yourself and others.

Each section of the guide unpacks one of the twelve essential keys, helping you understand how to apply them in real-world situations. Through reflection and actionable exercises, you'll learn how to grow, lead with character, manage your time, make leadership decisions, build influence, lead through conflict, and much more.

The study guide helps you translate your leadership intentions into practical action steps, and it's ideal for personal reflection or group study. With these practical tools, you'll inspire others to reach their potential while growing into a leader who models Jesus's servant heart.

Every now and then, a book comes along that can redefine your future and reshape your destiny. The Fifth Dimension is one of those books. -Chris Sonksen

You, like many others, have been born to dream God-size dreams; to envision something greater than what you have experienced. But dreaming is not enough. You must see those dreams to fulfillment! Yet, failures and setbacks often arise to obscure any sense of clarity toward their realization. What's more, the opposition you encounter along the way is enough to tempt you into heeding that maniacal voice that yells, Throw in the towel, already!

In The Fifth Dimension, high-impact leader Dr. Charles Olmeda paints a crystal-clear picture of what to expect and what it takes to experience the fulfillment of a God-size dream. He will help you discover the winding path toward the fullness of a God-size vision. You will learn:

• That the arduous terrain is not an adversary but a training ground for fulfillment.
• How to fight the voices that taunt, tempt, and betray you along the way.
• That dream fulfillment comes on the heels of investing in others' dreams before your own.
• That God-size dreams transcend personal ambition, and
• That fulfillment is only the beginning of a lifetime of greater success!

The greater the pain, the closer you are. Press on-the fulfillment of a God-size dream awaits you!