Author: lswrites

This author has written 205 articles
Read more about the article 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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Read more about the article 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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Read more about the article 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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Read more about the article 5 Ways You Can Leave a Legacy of Influence

5 Ways You Can Leave a Legacy of Influence

When you use Scripture as your plumb line and the five senses as your viewpoint, you will have something to say that others will want to hear.

by KAREN PORTER in Leading Hearts Magazine

WHEN I WAS ASKED THE QUESTION “WHO INFLUENCED YOU?” names ran through my mind and faces danced in my vision. My mom, who loved unconditionally. My dad, who demonstrated the joy of working hard and laughing riotously.

My husband, who remains calm in the craziest situations and speaks peace to our family.My dear friend Carole, who has never wavered in her faith even though she has faced more tragedy than most people. My daughter, who believes it can be done — no matter what it is. And friends and family who have inspired my life and who have laughed with and prayed for me.

But today I want to tell you about a special influencer — Florence Littauer (pictured below) — who trained more than 30,000 speakers and leaders, including me.

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Read more about the article 7 Reasons I Shouldn’t be a Missionary

7 Reasons I Shouldn’t be a Missionary

I never had the slightest interest in becoming a missionary. It looked too hard and too dirty, and I didn’t like the clothes.

by MELISSA HEILAND in Leading Hearts Magazine

WHEN I THINK OF MISSIONARIES, I THINK OF FEARLESS, RUGGED, SELFLESS PEOPLE, bravely going wherever God calls.

It’s funny because now, as an adult and a missionary, it’s very easy to see why I’m still not suited to missions.

1. I have no sense of direction.

I do not know the way to places I have gone to regularly for years. I get lost in buildings. My husband says I can’t find my way out of a paper bag. I rely on 7-year-olds to get me where I need to go. And yet, I lead mission teams around the world.

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Read more about the article Circle the Wagons

Circle the Wagons

Rhonda Rhea Donuts
By Rhonda Rhea in Leading Hearts magazine

COFFEE AND DONUTS. THEY GO TOGETHER LIKE LOVE AND MARRIAGE.

Someday I’d like to write a poem and I’d like to start it with the line, “Coffee and donuts, sittin’ in a tree.” I’m not sure where to go from there.

I get that far and all I know is that I want to be in that tree. I confess I’ve had a few too many donuts. Sad to say, the bough on that tree would be bending pretty low about now.

That’s why I decided to go on yet another diet recently. Also, sad to say, I’ve already fallen off the wagon. I’m thinking of putting up a sign that says,

“Please keep body inside the wagon at all times, and please stay seated until the wagon comes to a complete and final stop.”

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Read more about the article Sharpen Your Writing Skills and More

Sharpen Your Writing Skills and More

by KAREN WHITING in Leading Hearts magazine

I IMPROVE WHEN I LISTEN AND APPLY THE WISDOM OF OTHERS. This includes God, my peers, mentors, friends and loved ones.

It’s been especially important in my writing and speaking to let others help me sharpen my skills and keep me accountable in my walk. It’s putting “iron sharpens iron” into practice.

Schedule times to be together and set time limits. Come prepared with what you want to share or ask. Be ready to listen to each person’s needs.

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Why Your Marriage Needs a Mentor

Look around and see who holds hands, who acts kind to one another, who opens the door, who prays for one another or for other couples.

by PAM FARREL in Leading Hearts magazine

LIFE IS MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE SOME HELP FROM THOSE WHO ARE FURTHER ALONG THE
TRAIL.

Their wisdom and insight will prove to be invaluable in your own journey together. Mentoring is becoming even more important as much of the population today comes from homes that experienced some kind of fractured family.

You may have never lived with both a mother and a father. How are you supposed to know what an intact family looks like? Who is going to model for you how to work through conflict if your own parents decided to abandon their marriage?

How do you find a mentor?

Look for a couple who has the love that you’d like to have. We have experienced many mentors: Bill and Tina, who equipped us while we were dating and engaged; Tom and Barbara, a couple we lived with to save to go to seminary and who simply modeled the daily habits that build a long-lasting love; Jim and Sally Conway, professors and authors who equipped us to balance marriage and ministry.

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Read more about the article Stop Stabbing, Start Sharpening

Stop Stabbing, Start Sharpening

by Edie Melson in Leading Hearts magazine

IN SOCIAL MEDIA TERMS, IT’S A VOLATILE WORLD OUT THERE.

So often, what’s posted online seems more focused on stabbing and wounding than on encouraging and sharpening. Part of that is due to the medium.

Almost 100 percent of the time, online interaction lacks the warmth of a real-time, human connection. It’s an impersonal — anonymous — medium. While we may call those we connect with “friends,” many of them are just faceless names.

When we’re speaking online, it’s far too easy to be so focused on what we want to share that we forget the individual — hurting — hearts of those we’re communicating with.

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THE BIG QUESTION: Q: Did you ever have a crisis of faith?

by CYNTHIA L. SIMMONS| WWW.CLSIMMONS.COM in Leading Hearts Magazine

Q: Did you ever have a crisis of faith? How did you resolve it?

YES, AND I GREW UP IN A CHRISTIAN HOME. We attended church regularly, including special services several times a year with visiting ministers. At six, I realized my sin and confessed faith in Christ. When I entered ninth grade, my parents enrolled me in church school where I learned creationism.

However, during my teen years, misgivings clouded my mind. Guest pastors told the exact illustration as if it happened to them, and I labeled them dishonest. Plus, church leaders didn’t live up to their own standards.

Well-versed in Genesis, I longed to hear from evolutionists so I could compare the reasoning. While these thoughts churned, my cousin shared his own doubts.

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