Longfellow captured the tragedy of the Civil War through his words. You can almost hear the cannons firing and see the smoke filling the air. He found a confident hope amid the chaos of a horrific war and personal grief.

I understand concepts like compassion, grace, love, and justice because my parents model them. And I wonder how I would know these things about God if I didn’t have a godly father.

In the book of Nehemiah, I found seven essential skills that today’s Christian leaders can use as stones on which to build their own strategy for leadership.

Raising my disabled son has transformed my life—its meaning, purpose, ministry, focus, as well as my faith. Central to my perspective is Christ’s view of us, without labels, classifications, judgments, and human-made rules.