Author: lswrites

This author has written 194 articles
A Simply Beautiful Word

A Simply Beautiful Word

by Pam Farrel in Leading Hearts Magazine

WE ALL WANT A SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL LIFE, RIGHT?

In my book, 7 Simple Skills for Every Woman: Success in Keeping It All Together, I share about my “Word of the Year” process that I have been doing since I was a college student.

Every year — yes, 40 years of selecting a “Word of the Year” to focus my walk with God. And it is not just one word; it is the myriad of things God has laid upon my heart to weave the word through my life so its impact can be maximized throughout the year.

It is not just one word; it is the myriad of things God has laid upon my heart to weave the word through my life so its impact can be maximized throughout the year.

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LH Heart to Heart with Cynthia L. Simmons

LH Heart to Heart with Cynthia L. Simmons

Amber Weigand–Buckley, Leading Hearts Editor February Cover Girl Cynthia L. Simmons (CynthiaLSimmons.com) talks about how history became her ministry. Find out how her books Pursuing Gold and the companion curriculum. are helping homeschoolers discover the beauty of His-story in history.

To get this issue of Leading Hearts free text LEADINGHEARTS to 64600 or go to leadinghearts.com.

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When God Calls the Heart to Diligence

When God Calls the Heart to Diligence

The path to fulfilling God’s plans for our lives often isn’t easy, but the results are always worth it … if we’ll be diligent to our calling.

by MICHELLE S. COX in Leading Hearts Magazine

THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY DEFINES THE WORD DILIGENCE AS “STEADY, EARNEST, AND ENERGETIC EFFORT.”

I can’t think of a better word for the year than diligence — for us to put steady, earnest and energetic efforts into serving God.

For those of you who have seen Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart television series, you know that Elizabeth Thatcher experienced many moments when she had to decide whether or not she was going to be diligent.

This young woman traveled west in 1915 to become a schoolteacher.

Before she even arrived in Coal Valley (as it was called then), she was the victim of stagecoach robbers. When a bedraggled Elizabeth finally arrived, she was taken aback by the hardscrabble coal town, and she received anything but a warm welcome from the women there.

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The Gift in Your Present.

The Gift in Your Present.

by Amber Weigand-Buckley, editor in Leading Hearts magazine

I’VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR THE PAST WEEK WITH A VIDEO ON REPEAT. It was January 4, 2020, my father-in-law John Buckley’s last birthday. At 91 years of age, he was surrounded by my husband and daughter, his wife and friends as they sang “Happy Birthday” round the table. Glasses raised, smiles on faces.

Who would have known this would be the last time he would wear those paper crowns from those traditional British Christmas crackers or the last time he would ask Mum if she wanted cream on her cake?

No one knew it would be the last time we saw him blow out his candles. And right now it seems like one of the most precious moments in the world to me that I have caught on video.

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5 TOOLS TO SURVIVE THE STING OF CONFLICT

5 TOOLS TO SURVIVE THE STING OF CONFLICT

When confronted by the mean words/actions of others, yield immediately by praying three words: God help me.

by JANELL RARDON in Leading Hearts Magazine

STANDING IN AN OLD CORNFIELD WITH NOTHING BUT A SLEEVELESS BLOUSE AND JEANS TO PROTECT ME, THOUSANDS OF BEES BUZZED AROUND ME. “Should I be nervous?” I asked Greg, my novice beekeeping-pastor, who graciously invited me into his world of beekeeping.

Knowing I was working on a manuscript centered around the concept of spiritual unity, he wanted to show me a few things he had learned by observing his bees.“Oh, no,” he said. “Just stay out of their flight pattern. Move a little to the left and you’ll be fine.” “They have a flight pattern?” I gazed about. “Yeah, sure. See? You can see them coming in for a landing. Straight to the hive.” “Got it,” I said. “Let me get out of their way.”

He smiled. “As long as a bee doesn’t feel threatened, everything is OK.”

Greg’s words were the aha moment I’d been waiting for. “Wow, Greg,” I said. “You were right. Your little bees do have a lesson for me and my readers.”

It seems we are all OK until a threat enters our “perceived flight path,” i.e., our domain of home, work, family, relationships, ministry or leadership.

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Praying Into the Vision

Praying Into the Vision

by Linda Evans Shepherd in Leading Hearts Magazine

WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE TO FOLLOW AFTER GOD? Was it to raise your kids, teach the teenage class at church or read your Bible through in a year? All good pursuits, but have you ever dared to leave your comfort zone behind and dive headfirst into the unknown because you felt God put an idea before you?

When I was a young Christian, I made up my mind to always say yes to God.

Yes, I will serve you. Yes, I will go where you send me.

In those days I thought God was sending me to seminary to study how to become a youth director. So, after I was accepted into a fine seminary, I never dreamed I would face a roadblock.

When the seminary president wrote me, “Because you married an engineer and not one of our pastoral students, we are canceling your seminary enrollment.”

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5 Ways to Boost Your Confidence Today

5 Ways to Boost Your Confidence Today

Being confident is not the same as being conceited. Unlike conceit, self-confidence is independent of unhealthy comparisons with others.

DR. SAUNDRA DALTON-SMITH in Leading Hearts Magazine

YOU SHOULD LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF (MARK 12:31), BUT WHAT IF YOU HAVE NOT LEARNED HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF?

Self-worth is a needed asset for anyone who desires to love others well. It requires a biblical understanding of self-value as one who is created in the image of God. You must first be confident of your God-worth before you can fully grasp your self-worth. It also requires the ability to overcome the emotional and mental battlefield daily threatening to reveal all the ways you seemingly don’t measure up.

Everyone has setbacks. Even the best-laid plans can end up in ruins, but that does not mean it has to ruin your self-esteem. Disappointments are opportunities to repair, regroup and restart. Learning how to maintain a consistent level of confidence will help you be able to bounce back quickly when things don’t go as planned.

GET STARTED TODAY!

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Available Now—Leading Hearts February 2020 Issue—God’s Got a Word for YOU!

Available Now—Leading Hearts February 2020 Issue—God’s Got a Word for YOU!

What word has God been laying on your heart over and over this year? Is He prompting you to step out in faith, abide in His peace, trust Him for answers, maybe He needs you to focus on rest.

For this issue of Leading Hearts, we are tuning into those words so that you might better open your ears and heart to the message He wants you to hear.

You’ll also receive insight from conflict expert Janell Rardon on how to deal with the sting of relational conflict, 5 ways to boost your confidence with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Heartie Michelle S. Cox’s When God Calls the Heart to Perseverance perspective.

Cover Girl Cynthia L. Simmons Shares how she is using history to share His Message of Love and the Curriculum Companion to her novel, Pursing Gold. Teachers, Parents and Homeschoolers, you’ll want to check this out!

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Leading Lady #Lifehacks with Shae Wilbur

Leading Lady #Lifehacks with Shae Wilbur

In addition to being a CCM artist, Shae Wilbur is an on-camera beauty expert seen on shows like E! News, the Real, EXTRA and more! Each issue she is bringing the Leading Ladies of Leading Hearts top picks for looking and feeling your best! Here are her top picks for the Christmas 2019 issue:

SLAY THAT WINTER DRY FACE

On that moisturizing note, as soon as the temperatures start to drop, I break out my hydrating face masks. Glam glow has one of my favs — it’s the Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment Mask. I love it because I put it on right before bed, and don’t have to wash it off or anything. It just soaks into my skin overnight and I wake up with my skin feeling extra glowy and soft.

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