Three Spiritual Covid Rules
Marlene Houk Relentless and repetitive, COVID rules firmly announce their power, extending into our new year. Signs are everywhere for the three rules: Wear a mask.Wash your hands.Wait 6 feet…
When God Calls the Heart Back to Him
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.
(more…)Edie Melson: Why You Shouldn’t Get Caught Up in Your Social Media Numbers
by Edie Melson in Leading Hearts Magazine
One of the most significant issues we have is a tendency to approach online reach with a have-to-do, legalistic mindset. Truthfully, because successful social media is all about relationship building, it works best when we treat it as an exercise in faith.
When we get caught up in numbers and percentages, we lose our way.
Instead, we must remember that those we interact with are not numbers; they’re people.
(more…)If we begin to judge our effectiveness, the worth of what we have to say, by numbers, we’ve lost our way.
Are You Living Exposed?
by Dr. Susan B. Mead in Leading Hearts magazine
YES, EXPOSED. EMBARRASSED. EXTREMELY VULNERABLE. Has something happened, shattering the world around you, shaming you as your life is exposed for all to see? Do you feel humiliation as others freely comment on your misfortune, both publicly and privately?
Yeah, me too. I lost a son to drugs and alcohol. I did not lose him in a way that others would call honorable — serving his country — or in a way that others would say was unpreventable — to some horrid disease. Yet I lost him, and I know what it feels like to grieve over a lost child.
(more…)I was heartbroken and ashamed. Rearing children to adulthood, addiction-free, and having them proclaim Jesus as Lord defined successful mothering to me. And I’d failed. Miserably. I felt exposed. Why?