Standing up for Jesus Christ is not easy. Resisting temptation is not easy. God never promised an easy road for true Christians. After all, it was not “easy” for the Father to offer His beloved Son Jesus to be crucified for our sins. It was love!

We covered chapter one in a previous lesson on having a shepherd’s heart. Here is chapter two. It teaches us the greatest quality of true leadership—having a servant’s heart.

At the 10th annual JOY Breakfast, Connie Carey shared her story of how she embraced hope in the midst of loss and despair and encouraged us to replace the if onlys with truth, strength and hope.

He started out a simple and humble man whom God chose to use and bless. Practice these important points and never forget them. You’ll see why...

When people study the life of Israel’s first monarch, King Saul, they usually consider his life only a negative example to be avoided. Not so. King Saul, like most spiritual leaders, started off on the right path.

For many years, Cari Bousfield did not take to heart what the Bible said about her. After years of struggling, she is beginning to realize her value as a daughter of the King.

Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of a time for everything. When you look over your life, how do you see this play out?

Letting one word grab you and guide your steps through the year is one way to stretch, grow and honor God - and maybe even reflect His Light.

Shelter. That’s the word that perfectly demonstrates where I need to be right now, this year, in my life.

Resilience is a quality I’ve lacked my entire life, but in God I can withstand change, uncertainty, and chaos.

I want to share with you the first and most important step you must take if you are going to succeed in 2015.

Instead of a long list of resolutions, choose one word as your yearly focus for personal change, growth and clarity.

Our JOY Bloggers were quite the group of prolific writers in 2014, churning out 42 posts. Here we recap the most popular articles from each of them.

When change brings loss and disappointment, and inspiration is hard to be found, remember that God is constant and the source of eternal hope.

We all sow seeds of leadership every single day, whether we envision ourselves as leaders or not. Every single decision we make in a day, whether nonchalant or heartfelt, has the power to mold our very character and exert an impact on those surrounding us.

What does it mean to make God famous? When we strive to make God famous we proclaim His goodness, grace and mercy to all the world. People sense, see and feel God's Spirit dwelling within us, and they want that same power, peace, joy and forgiveness for their lives.

Whenever a person has been selected to serve in any capacity it is most important to be able to serve with the spirit of excellence and most of all with the spirit of the leader, whether its in the Church, marketplace, government, arts, economy, or any other sector of life, you are called to fulfill that mandate.

Our daily minutes and hours are to be wisely redeemed for something worthwhile. When we ask the right questions of our time, we learn to make choices that help us live wisely. Good questions help us pause and prayerfully reflect on how we not only spend our time but redeem our time.

JOY International is looking to bring on a few more bloggers. Whether you'd like to be a guest blogger, or sign on for a three-month commitment, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

What does the word hope mean to you? One definition I have seen for hope is Having Only Positive Expectations. When we put our hope in God, we can always trust that events will turn out for the best. Chances are they may not turn out how we want them to, but the all-knowing God, who knows what is best for us, will have such events turn out according to His will - His will, not ours! When we have H.O.P.E. in God, we are truly Having Only Positive Expectations.

Take some time to reflect on what it is that leaves you wanting to be a better person. Nurture those things and thank God for them. As you learn to appreciate the special things God has given you, you will learn to be inspired by God in your everyday life.

God has a plan for women in 2011. He wants us to live a blessed life! There is a blessing recorded in Numbers 6:24-26 that gives us the key to living a blessed life. This is God's idea, coming out of His loving and good heart.

Paul could trust Timothy in the ministry because he had seen these qualities in Timothy's life. Similarly, every leader should allow the Lord to so change his heart and spirit that he, too, would exemplify the same qualities. The leader is encouraged to develop even more of Timothy's character qualities from II Timothy 2, in which Timothy is figuratively describes in the following terms: son, teacher, soldier, athlete, farmer, farmer, workman, vessel, man, seeker and servant.

Leadership equipping is important to the success of JOY. On February 6, 2010, JOY held a Leadership Tea for a time of connection and training. The new organizational chart, ministry profiles, and the seven benefits of serving in JOY were all presented.

Serving God requires that we walk as leaders, grow as leaders and serve as leaders. Here are some leadership basics as taught by Jesus in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-9):