ChurchLeaders

"Standing in the pulpit is nothing to play with," says former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry. "The devil will put a choke hold on you. He will strangle you if you're not equipped. I learned that early when I got into ministry."

"I thought a mom who used drugs when she was pregnant must not love her child," says Christina Dent, "[but then] I saw this mother who loved her son just as much as I loved my three sons, this fierce love, this desperate desire to do the right thing."

Both Matt and Laurie Krieg are primarily attracted to women. Yet God has used their "impossible marriage" to display the power and beauty of his love for us.

"No matter who is in the White House," says Kathy Branzell, "no matter the health concern, no matter what’s going on in the world, we can pray, ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'"

"We need to root out toxicity by being Christ-like," says Scot McKnight, "by listening and by responding in a way that takes into consideration who that person is and what their story is."

It's hard to pastor Christians in the age of outrage. In a time of bitter arguments and divisiveness, Ed Stetzer offers leaders a thoughtful way to approach the hot-button issues of the day.

"Somebody who is a very good negotiator can tell you exactly what they do when they negotiate," says Steve Cunningham. "Similarly, if we are living out [Jesus’] commands, we can tell you exactly how to do it."