Jim has been involved in family and youth ministry for over 25 years. He has served as a pastor, a youth pastor for a large youth group, and as the director of youth education for a multi-level Sunday school. He is a charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and has pursued graduate studies in theology at Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He has a passion for sharing deep truths in a clear, lively, provocative, and inspiring way.

Jim is the author of numerous books, and his newest release is Knowing the Unknowable God: How Faith Thrives on Divine Mystery. He has four books on parenting: The Paradox Principle of Parenting: Parent Your Child Like God Parents You; 1001 Ways to Connect with Your Kids; Proactive Parenting: The Only Approach That Really Works; and The Parenting of Champions. All are based on scriptural principles and his own experience as the father of four. His book on Christian living, Walking Through the Fire: Finding the Purpose of Pain in the Christian Life, is a deeply penetrating work that looks at the role of the major types of pain (and why God allows them) from a biblical perspective. Am I the One? Clues to Finding and Becoming a Person Worth Marrying is a unique book about character and relationships.

Jim has also written three books on leadership. The Passionate Organization: Igniting the Fire of Employee Commitment shows that passion is even more fundamental to success in the twenty-first century than the rational advances of the twentieth century. Fatal Illusions: Shredding a Dozen Unrealities That Can Keep Your Organization from Success helps readers expose and shred major illusions with significant power to harm themselves and their organizations. Balance of Power, which is based on the premise that both effective empowerment and the decisive use of authority are needed in organizations, discusses how, when, and with whom to share power.

Jim is the author of three novels: A Perfect Persecution, a piercing story about a noble warrior fighting for the sanctity of life; Noah: Voyage to a New Earth, biblical fiction about Noah overcoming the struggles and assaults of others to stand alone for God; and Weeping in Ramah, a futuristic look at American life.

In addition, Jim serves as president and CEO of a management consulting firm (Luman Consultants International, Inc.), where he has applied many of the same biblical and relational principles to the world of business, not-for-profit organizations, and government. He is an award-winning, senior faculty member of the American Management Association International, and is a member of the American Society for Training and Development. He is also a professor in the School of Professional Studies at Rockhurst University.

Jim has been honored with multiple listings in Who's Who in America (including the millennial edition), Who's Who in the World, and Who's Who in Finance and Industry.

Jim was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and now lives with his family in the Kansas City area. He enjoys reading, music, playing piano, traveling, hiking, and watching good movies with good friends.