Mark Batterson has become on of my favorite authors. If he writes a book, I read it. I have to admit, out of all the books he has written, this is probably the one I was least looking forward to. Why? It was a book on prayer.

J. Oswald Sanders, in his book Spiritual Leadership, said, “If you want to humble any man, ask him about his prayer life.” That statement always challenges me because if any area of my walk with God is lacking, it’s my prayer life. I’ve never been a “great prayer”. However, it is an area that I am determined to grow in, so I read this book.

It was excellent. Mark really challenged me to recognize the importance and power of prayer. My biggest takeaway is that my prayer life is related to how I view God. If I really believe God is God, why wouldn’t I spend hours pouring out my heart to Him? Too often, I’ve prayed vague prayers and expected God to bless me as I pursue what’s in my heart in my own strength. I am done with living that way. After reading this book, I am determined to take advantage of the incredible gift of prayer. I hope you’ll read this book and do the same.

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Last Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at Champion Life Church. It was an honor and a privilege! I was wrapping up our “Grace Anatomy” series. Below is the podcast of the message along with my notes. I hope this message challenges you and helps you grow in your walk with God!

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This book was given to me by a mentor – I loved it! I really enjoy reading Rick Renner’s books. While this book is titled “Promotion – Ten Guidelines to Help You Achieve Your Long-Awaited Promotion”, it also serves as a great tool for scouting, recruiting, and hiring potential leaders. This book is basically a picture of what a Godly leader’s life should look like. I’m going to use this book on a consistent basis to evaluate my life, my leadership, and in evaluating our leaders in our ministry.

If you want to go into ministry, excel in your workplace as a Christian, or if you oversee anyone in any capacity, I’d make this book a must read for you! I hope you enjoy it!

Final Grade: 9.5/10      Buy it Here!

Here are some highlights:

• Jesus said when choosing someone for leadership, we are to consider the fruit in his life.

• Nothing should be done better than the way a Christian does it

• Any person who does just the required minimum should never be considered for leadership.

• You may be able to preach a good message, but if you can’t effectively communicate with your followers, you’ll never be able to build a church or an organization.

• Public ministry begins in a person’s private life

• Your influence is only as strong as your personal life

• Nothing is more powerful than a message backed up by a life

• If I am to be a good leader, I have to realize that my decisions affect many other people’s lives.

• If a person interrupts you, argues, and wants to defend himself, it’s usually a sign that he has a difficult time submitting to authority.

• Time is a great revealer of who people really are

• One of the marks of an upcoming leader is that they have already made themselves essential to the organization