In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Addison Bevere, COO of Messenger International and author of "Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection". Their discussion covers diverse topics such as leadership, the importance of reading and learning from different sources, prayer, and the impact of the voice of the accuser in today's world. This episode emphasizes the significance of leadership grounded in faith and listening to God's voice. BEST QUOTES “So much of prayer invites us into a form of silence where we discover that the silence is actually a language of God’s. And it's not a form of rejection. It's an invitation to a fresh way of engaging with God's voice and understanding how God has worked with us.” – Addison Bevere “Something about silence drives us to better understand God and our world and ourselves and how it all comes together.” – Addison Bevere “I thought that peace was having all the answers. I didn't realize that peace was being in tune with the one who is the answer.” – Addison Bevere “God doesn't deliver us from a thing. If he knows that that thing will ultimately deliver us to Him.” – Addison Bevere “Joy is an important tenant of the kingdom of God. You are sacrificing your joy because you are trying to sustain something that is not yours to sustain.” – Addison Bevere “When we make prayer about us moving our mouths, we actually make prayer about us and not about God.” – Addison Bevere “Shalom does not mean peace. We use it as peace and peace is certainly a part of shalom. But what Shalom literally means is integration. It means the pieces coming together to make a whole. And because the pieces are coming together to make a whole, Shalom communicates peace, joy, and wellness. What is fractured and fragmented is coming together and becoming whole.” – Addison Bevere RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection by Addison Bevere How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White, Jr. Addison Bevere