The Winter 2026 Conference Edition of Leading Hearts Magazine is packed with stories of faith, courage, and transformation from women on the front lines of Christian leadership. Cover feature Debra Elrod shares how a four-word sticky note prayer set her on a journey to discover spiritual DNA that is now transforming leaders and churches worldwide. Plus: a pastor who found freedom on her most fearful morning, a professor who walked away from her dream job and never looked back, a mother who started over with five dollars and four kids, and so much more. With practical wisdom, honest confessions, and stories that will stir your soul, this issue reminds us that God is still in the business of transforming lives — one testimony at a time
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Cover Feature
p. 6 — Unstuck: How One Woman’s Sticky Note Prayer Unlocked Spiritual DNA — Debra Elrod had the American Dream — and lost it. What she found instead changed everything.
Faith & Life
p. 5 — From the Publisher: Stories Shared. Lives Transformed. — Linda Evans Shepherd on the extraordinary power of testimony in God’s kingdom.
p. 5 — From the Editor: Shutting Up Your Inner Eeyore — When people encounter your words, do they feel sunshine — or did they just walk into a complaint convention?
p. 8 — Lament: A Battle Cry for Hope — Angela Mackey discovers lament isn’t about giving up — it’s about fighting back with faith.
p. 14 — When Fear and Faith Collide: The Freedom Only God Can Give — Pastor Jenn Dafoe-Turner on the morning God spoke louder than fear.
p. 17 — Grand Messages — Lori Wildenberg on the five things your loved ones desperately need to hear from you.
p. 23 — Piecrust on the Ceiling — Janet K. Johnson’s moment of rage, grief, and the unexpected discovery waiting on the ceiling.
p. 28 — Why Praying God’s Word Changes Everything (Even You) — Linda Evans Shepherd on the breakthrough that transformed her prayer life.
Featured Stories
p. 11 — Five Dollars, Four Kids, and No Plan B — Katie Hornor on the day God became the only voice that mattered.
p. 12 — I Said “No” to the Corner Office — Dr. Gladys Childs walked away from her dream job. Here’s why it was the best decision she ever made.
p. 18 — Pro-Life — But Are We … Really? — Maureen Miller’s honest confession about the moment that changed her worldview forever.
p. 20 — Let God Define You! — Michelle Medlock Adams on the stranger who spoke words that unlocked her calling.
Practical Wisdom
p. 24 — Sacred Lessons from a Divine Rule-Breaker — Amber Weigand-Buckley on breaking the rules to reach the one — and why good trouble matters.
p. 27 — Reduce Me to Love: A Simple Prayer That Transformed My Ministry — Victoria Chapin on ministry built not on platforms but on loving His people.
p. 33 — When Pickleball Became a Lifeline (But Jesus Remained My Savior) — Jackie Freeman on how God plants seeds long before the storm arrives.
p. 35 — Home Front Heroines — Karen Whiting on the Revolutionary War women who turned hospitality into warfare.
p. 36 — The Storyteller’s Calling — Terrie Hellard-Brown on planting seeds for eternity through the stories we tell.
