Ben Sawyer · Book 1
When Faith Feels Hard
A story of a faithful God
When Faith Feels Hard is a story of a faithful God who is willing and able to do great things — leading to lives shaped by His goodness in the most difficult of circumstances.
Who's really in charge?
You’re exhausted. Not simply because you’re carrying too much… but because you’ve been searching for something no amount of success can provide. The burden you’re carrying was never yours. And neither is the throne.
PRAISE-Connect clarifies the steps the Lord walked me through — a guided journey of surrender, restoration, and transformation.
About PRAISE-Connect
From striving to surrender.
Built on Ben Sawyer's lived experience and his books. PRAISE-Connect is a guided journey from control to connection — six relational movements that quietly surface what's been running the show and gently return you to surrendered authority. So leadership flows from peace, not pressure.
Learn moreThe Honest Diagnosis
You haven't rejected God.
You've negotiated with Him.
Sundays you let Him in. Monday through Saturday you run your own life.
It looks like discipline. It feels like responsibility. It is quietly burning you down.
It's survival faith. But there is a way back.
The Pathway
The PRAISE Pathway
One way home.
PRAISE-Connect is the way back — a guided relational journey built on Ben Sawyer's books. Six honest steps that lead you from striving to leading your work, marriage, and prayer life from connection.
STEP 1
PRAYER
Restoration
Clear the space. Come honestly before God.
STEP 2
RECONCILIATION
Through Christ
Receive the Gospel again as a present relationship.
STEP 3
ALIGNMENT
Under His Lordship
Surrender control. Let the Holy Spirit lead.
STEP 4
IDENTITY
In Christ
Receive who God says you are.
STEP 5
SONG
Worship Response
Let love rise in response through worship.
STEP 6
ENGAGEMENT
Ambassadors
Live restoration forward in family, work, church.
What the pathway dismantles
It looks like discipline.
Every leader carries something on his shoulder. You cannot see it at first. It whispers quietly — protect yourself, stay in control, make sure you remain the one in charge.
The voice sounds practical. Responsible, even. Helpful. Necessary.
It isn't. It's the control-self — the Lizard. It runs every striving, every fear, every burnout. The pathway begins where you stop trying to manage it.
Listen: How to identify the Lizard in your own leadership.
A 90-second audio from Ben Sawyer · Kill the Lizard
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For every leader
Ways to engage.
Choose your entry point. Walk the pathway, read the books, watch the series, or listen to the podcast.
The Podcast
Weekly conversations on the pathway and the people walking it.
Coming soonThe Books
The Leader Dialog series.
Five books. One journey from control to connection. The first two are available. Trilogy is coming soon.
Ben Sawyer · Book 2
Kill the Lizard
The Surrender that Renews the World
Grounded in Scripture and written for real life, Kill the Lizard offers a clear pathway of surrender that will renew your faith and lead you into the identity God created you to live.
Fall 2026 · Book 3 of 3
Ben Sawyer · Books 3–5
The Trilogy — Who's Really in Charge?
The Architecture · The Character · The Loyalty
The wilderness deepens. Join the inner circle for early manuscript access and private podcast briefings on the upcoming trilogy.
Join the inner circle
When you're ready
You've done the work.
Why does it still feel quiet?
You've achieved. You've prayed. You've shown up Sundays. None of it is the problem. The throne is. You're still seated on it. And it was never yours.
Until you surrender it, nothing changes.
Ben · Ask me about it
“Whatever's on your shoulders right now — you don't have to carry it alone here. If something is sitting on you, I'd be glad to hear it.”
Scripture
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6
This isn't a motivational poster. It's the hardest tactical shift a leader will ever make. Your own understanding is exactly what got you stuck in the wilderness.