WHENEVER I VISIT HOPE VALLEY (the set of Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” television show), I’m always struck by how different things were back in 1915 and in the years following (which is when the show is set).
The antique cook-stove in Elizabeth’s house, the stagecoach pulling into town, the lack of telephones and cars in the early seasons, and the absence of so many other modern conveniences are stark reminders of how things have changed through the years.
But even without all the must-have things we take for granted now, there were important life-lessons from back then, things that many of us have forgotten or ignored as we’ve rushed through our busy days.
The sense of community was one of Hope Valley’s riches.
I PRAY YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE STAYING SAFE during these unprecedented times by practicing physical distancing from others, extreme hygiene measures and doing the needed self-care to keep your immune system healthy.
This past week has been one of the longest periods of “down-time” I’ve had in months. After having six speaking events postponed in March/April, I find myself looking for ways to best use this time. The two types of R.E.S.T I have needed most are social rest and spiritual rest.
SOCIAL REST
I have come to dislike the term social distancing. During times of chaos, we need those people who are calming and life-giving in our lives.
Social rest isn’t about getting away from people, rather it’s about being restored and renewed by the energy and presence of positive individuals.
… “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “from his innermost being will follow rives of living water.” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive… John 7:37-39 NASB
In the early hours of the morning, my mouth was dry, so I turned to the side table, as usual, to take a drink from my water bottle. I took a long sip, then, naturally, headed to the bathroom. There I immediately proceeded with the up-to-the-elbows-20-seconds-of-Doxology hand sanitation. (Hopefully, we all have gotten that part down.)
However, this time, instead of focusing on the words of the Doxology, I was thinking about the water.
I was focused on the significance of our body’s makeup of 80 percent water. It’s the 80 percent that runs through the 20 percent of these skin and bones.
In fact, in Genesis 1, the Spirit of God moving across the water was the first stirring of life from the earth in Creation.
Think about it. It’s the movement of the water that sustains the 20% of skin and bones that are ripe for sickness and the breaking. But as much as we need fresh, pure water, we like to try to replace the 80 percent with inadequate substitutes: things that actually make us more dehydrated than if we would simply drink the water we need.
God knows, and He is with you right now, this present moment.
AFTER EXPERIENCING LIFE IN MANY DIFFERENT AND CHALLENGING WAYS, ROBIN LUFTIG WAS ABLE TO HEAL and solidify her faith by following a path she had never expected. Robin maneuvered her way through life, facing sharp turns and what seemed to have been dead-end roads. But, with God as her guide, she was able to simply “be still.”
By using her journey as a venue to reach people, God’s Best During Your Worst has not only solidified her faith but has also given her the opportunity to help others heal during their worst.
The Evangelical Press Association awarded Leading Hearts Magazine with a prestigious 2020 Award of Merit for Christian Ministry Digital Publication for the sixth year in a row.
Leading Hearts is a free e-magazine dedicated to Christian women who lead at home, work, church and in their community. As the official magazine of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), the magazine highlights article contributions from the top female authors and communicators in the Christian publishing world and gives tips and insight for personal and professional growth.
It is important for each of us to be followers of the Good Shepherd because who we follow will determine how we lead.
WHEN I WAS TOURING ISRAEL, THE GUIDE STOPPED NEAR A FIELD OF GRAZING SHEEP. HE SAID, “I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE A SECTION OF YOUR BIBLE COME ALIVE.”
COVID-19 has changed our lives. Is this the worst of times? If you need some reassurance and peace as well as a refocused purpose in this time of uncertainty, you…
HEART TO HEART WITH AMBER WEIGAND-BUCKLEY AND SHEILA WALSH
In this time we have to find fresh ways to still be who we are and do what God’s called us to do.
SHEILA WALSH IS AN AMAZING INDIVIDUAL WHO IS ALL ABOUT SHARING THE WORD OF GOD through worship with everyone around her. She does so through her many different callings as an author, speaker, television host and musician. In this interview, Sheila opens up to LH editor, Amber Weigand-Buckley, about the power of prayer, the meaning of bravery and how she was able to plant her feet on the ground to overcome an overwhelming darkness.
Q: I was thinking about the whole idea of Braveheart Worship being such a subpoena right now in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic. We can “do church” online, but many of us are used to corporate worship. Tell me about how you worship in this time.
Sheila: Well, on my iPhone I have a worship playlist of just some of the songs that the Lord has used to just speak to my life. I’ll be honest with you, Amber. Some days I don’t want to listen.
Yesterday, for whatever reason, was just a really hard day. All my engagements had been canceled for the next two or three months, and there are some things that felt overwhelming, but I’ve learned. I gave my life to Christ when I was 11 and I’m now 63. That’s 52 years of the goodness and faithfulness of God.
The psalmist David would speak to his own soul: “Come on, bless the Lord, O my soul.” It’s almost like he was instructing himself. So, I went out and I turned on my playlist. It took me until song number three before I could feel the weight lifting.
Jesus told us in John 16 that in this world, we will have trials and we will have troubles. Each one of us will walk through something.
This pandemic is unprecedented, but Jesus told us to take heart. No matter what’s happening, no matter what we hear each morning on the news, God is still on the throne. God is still sovereign. This did not surprise Him, and He has a plan in the middle of everything.
Considering that the world is in the panic of a pandemic, I’m want to share a prayer initially intended for a book called Praying Through Your Every Emotion, soon to release from Baker Revell. This book will be a dictionary of emotions complete with a mini-Bible study and accompanied by a paraphrased prayer to correspond with each of the 64 emotions I cover inside the book.
Here’s one I can share with you now, a prayer about the emotion ‘PANIC.’
What Would You Do if You were told you had 10 Days to Live?
“I also had to trust God, that my life coming to an end might be part of His plan,” said Robin Luftig, author of God’s Best During Your Worst, a new release from Bold Vision Books.
