MARIETTA - Dr. Ike Reighard, pastor of Piedmont Church near the intersection of Piedmont and Canton roads in Marietta, never thought he'd be the one encouraging his mentor, famed motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. However, that is what happened 14 years ago after Ziglar lost a daughter.

Reighard lost both his first wife and first child years ago during childbirth. So in 1995, when Ziglar lost an adult daughter to a lung disease, Zigler came to his longtime friend for advice in his grief.

"Suddenly, our roles were reversed. It was me being more of the mentor to him to help, along with his wife, him to just navigate those dark days," Reighard recalled.

The losses only strengthened the two men's relationship with each other and with Christ. They've co-authored a new book, "Daily Insights," which offers daily motivationals and Scriptures for everyday living. It's published by Tyndale House Publishers.

"It's daily insights about living everyday," said Reighard, 59. "There's a Scripture everyday that we have and a quote everyday. The quotes are by all kinds of different people from all different walks of life. There's a lot that I do with Zig's quotes because Zig is just famous the world over."

Ziglar, 83, has written 29 books and appeared on national TV shows. Since 1970, he has been a full-time motivational speaker and traveled around the world, incorporating Christian values in his seminars.

"There is no better way to start your day than with God's truth and the good, positive common sense found in 'Daily Insights,'" Ziglar said. "I am proud to have teamed up with Ike on this book, as he has been a longtime friend and mentor to me."

Reighard recalled reading Ziglar's 1975 best-seller, "See You at the Top," as a young man. The Atlanta native said it changed his life and motivated him to become the first in his family to graduate from college and eventually go into the ministry.

In 1985, as a guest speaker at a megachurch in Dallas, where Ziglar lives, Reighard first met the man he had admired for so long. Their friendship grew and soon, Ziglar began asking Reighard about the meaning behind Bible Scriptures that he wanted to incorporate into his seminars.

Those same types of lessons are shared with readers in "Daily Insights," Reighard said.

"This is more for people that may say, 'I don't really understand my Bible, but I want to be able to learn the word of God,'" he said. "This is a good way to do it because it's almost done in a soundbite way. I tried as best I could to be able to match up whatever the Scripture was that day with the quote that day."

Reighard said he is a fan of daily devotionals and that the new book comes at a perfect time with the new year right around the corner.

The first lesson on Jan. 1 in the book was inspired by Philippians 3:13-14. A portion of that lesson reads as follows: "We should reach forward to fulfill the vision God has for us. Paul encourages us to uncover and embrace a God-sized cause, one that has a positive impact on people and expands His Kingdom. We have causes like that at work, in our neighborhoods, and at home, as well as at church. As you begin this New Year, focus on Paul's 'one thing.'"