Is This the Worst of Times?

by Linda Evans Shepherd in Leading Hearts magazine

IF THE EARTH WERE HIT WITH A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC, WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?

You know these answers by heart: sickness, death, losing a loved one, job loss, not being able to pay bills or rent, having to work from home while homeschooling kids, or horrors — not being able to buy toilet paper!

All of this sounds pretty drastic, and yet, suddenly, very familiar. Yes, these are hard, unexpected times, and we never saw it coming.

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The Truth from 20 Seconds of Hand Washing

by Amber Weigand-Bucklein Leading Hearts Magazine

… “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.

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Robin Luftig: Find Healing Peace for Your Heart

Robin Luftig with Breanna Berry, LH Intern in Leading Hearts Magazine

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.

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Sheila Walsh: A Brave New Day

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.

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