In order to help pastors and other Christian leaders to lovingly lead God’s flock to Jesus Christ and into God’s mission, Scott Thomas and Tom Wood clarify a process of coaching and shepherding that is rooted in the patterns of the Good Shepherd himself, a process in which leaders stir up the gifts, passion, and calling upon others’ lives. This book addresses the needs of the leader, his or her sinful tendencies, and church leadership issues. It directs the leader to the person and work of Jesus. It provides a system to intentionally shepherd leaders to glorify God in their personal, spiritual, and missional lives. Many ministry leaders serving in churches find themselves overwhelmed, disillusioned, and depressed by the enormous and challenging task of leading and ministering in a congregation. As a result, the ministry suffers, the leaders suffer, and the result is often an unhealthy church existent with little or no Gospel influence. These leaders need someone to shepherd their soul so that they can lead others to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We suggest that coaching for the church leader looks less like corporate consulting or humanistic psychology and more like biblical-shepherding. We suggest that every church leader needs a Gospel Coach to come alongside with words of truth, wisdom and experience to encourage, admonish, comfort and help—words drawn from Scripture and godly wisdom, grounded in the gracious saving work of Jesus Christ, and presented in the context of a trusting relationship. Gospel Coaching is an intentional relationship to skillfully care for others with four ancient shepherding principles: 1) Know the sheep, 2) Feed the sheep, 3) Lead the sheep, and 4) Protect the sheep. A Gospel Coach both inquires about the personal, spiritual, and missional aspects of a ministry leader’s life in a loving yet focused manner, and also probes the church leader for compulsive unbelief or selfish motivation, or disobedience and sin, and leads the ministry leader back to the Gospel, through belief, repentance and obedience. Churches that desire to be rich in a Gospel application toward their city, their relationships with one another, their communication and worship, as well as their service, will benefit to a greater degree by having their leaders being coached by a Gospel-centered leader.

The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

Embrace the Unique Way God Designed You Perhaps you’re bothered by bright lights or you struggle to tune out background noise. Maybe you’re quick to notice the details others miss or you need more time to process events. You may feel emotions deeply and hear, “You’re just too sensitive.” But what if you learned you’re not “too sensitive”? What if your sensitivity is part of your design and comes with corresponding strengths? One in five people are HSPs—Highly Sensitive Persons—with the genetic trait of sensory sensitivity. As an HSP, you are not fragile or frail. You can be a strong friend in relationships, strong partner in business, and strong member of your community. Sensitive and Strong is your guide to navigating the HSP journey of exploration and growth. It will help you… discover you’re different, not defective understand your genetic disposition to an over-abundance of stimuli see how your sensitivities correlate to key strengths respond to stressful situations with confidence and calm harness your strengths to serve others Release the worry that you’re “too high maintenance” or just plain “too much” and embrace the many ways you can be both sensitive and strong.

Today, coaching is recognized to be one of the most effective human resource development processes available, and it is becoming increasingly popular in organizations of all sizes. Faced with historically low levels of employee engagement (as little as 13% according to Gallup’s latest survey), business leaders see coaching as key to unlocking the human talent, creativity, and innovation that is hiding in plain sight in their workplaces. And rather than bring in external coaches for this purpose, they want to integrate coaching into their company culture—a 2015 study by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI) found that 81% of organizations surveyed planned to train managers/leaders in coaching skills. The Master Coach is written for these leaders, and is perfectly positioned to become the definitive book on the topic. Drawing on the wealth of experience that has made Gregg Thompson and Bluepoint Leadership Development the choice of numerous Fortune 100 companies, it illuminates the essence of what it takes to be a great coach. The Master Coach will appeal to leaders at all organization levels, showing them how to make a significant shift in their attitudes, values and behaviors and become more coach-like in all of their daily interactions and conversations. The Master Coach is based on the simple but profound 3Cs Coaching Model. This proven approach asserts that to master the art of coaching one must have an exemplary Character that invites the trust of others, be able to form rapid Connections with others at deeply personal level, and have the ability to initiate and guide intense, attitude-changing Conversations. At every step, Thompson reminds readers that coaching is not merely about what the coach says or does; it is about who he or she is.

How Christian couples can understand their personality types—and build a more powerful bond of love. He doesn't listen to me . . . I don't understand her . . . Why do we keep having the same fight? If you’ve ever felt baffled by the person you married, join Enneagram Coach Beth McCord and her husband, Pastor Jeff McCord, as they pull back the curtain to reveal why you and your spouse behave in different ways. Applying the Enneagram through the lens of the gospel, they provide practical steps, insights, and tools to better understand yourself and each other. This book will help you: Answer the question, “Why do they do that?” Stop committing “assumicide” about each other’s motives and dramatically improve your communication Relate to your spouse in ways they actually understand Awaken a tired marriage that feels like it’s on cruise control Defuse conflict before it starts, especially the same old “dance” Enjoy your spouse again, even if you’ve loved each other for years! Whether you’re preparing for marriage or celebrating a fiftieth anniversary, Becoming Us will revolutionize the way you understand yourself and your spouse, and transform your marriage into the powerful, loving, and satisfying relationship that God intended. “An insightful resource for those who want to understand themselves, their spouse, and their marriage through the lens of faith and the tool of the Enneagram.” —Ian Morgan Cron, Enneagram expert and author of The Road Back to You

Jill's story is not unique. Having endured childhood abuse, broken relationships and personal failures, Jill found herself stuck in a cycle of shame, fear and rejection. Her own personal pursuit of freedom led her to study with various inner-healing ministries, and she went on to become an accredited life coach with the International Coach Federation. Jill's love for people and her passion to see God set them free led her to create The Freedom Coach Model. This 12 week program was developed to help people meet with God through Jill's Freedom Coaching practice. Her clients encouraged her to create a guide with the tools they used while meeting with her so they could continue their journeys with God between sessions. The book, Freedom Coach Model, blends ministry activations with coaching questions. With over 20 different topics, the prayers in this book will lead you to have a powerful encounter with a loving God so you can have radical freedom in your life.