Tag Archives: Jill Hart

Top 10 Books From 2014

‘Tis the season for “best of 2014” lists, and here are  my picks for top 10 books I’ve read this year. (Goodreads tells me I read 64… ouch! And I know I didn’t record everything there.) Some were published in 2014, and some are older. These are in no particular order, and each one is best in its own category.

Non-fiction:

Fiction:

My stash of books to read is already intimidating, but how about sharing some of your picks from 2014? I can always add a few more…

Seeing The Leader Within

I’m thrilled to welcome Jill Hart to share a guest post with us today. Jill is the author of Do Life Different, which I reviewed earlier this week (click to read the review). Here’s your chance to sample Jill’s writing, maybe pick up a bit of wisdom, and get to know her a bit.

Jill Hart

Seeing The Leader Within
by Jill Hart

if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:8b NIV

I ran my website, www.CWAHM.com, for many years before I saw myself as a leader. In my mind, I was just a mommy blogger trying to work from home. After I’d been in business for nearly ten years, a good friend and mentor sat me down and challenged me to begin acting like a leader. She told me that women were looking to me not only for help in working from home, but for advice on parenting, spiritual growth, and other areas of life.

I tried to deny I was leader because the title scared me. It still does. When I think of a leader, I think of my pastor or government officials. Leadership comes with  responsibility, and I wasn’t sure I was willing to take that on. As I prayed about this idea of being a leader, God showed me He’d already put me a in a place of leadership. I could step into that role or step back into the comfort of a normal life.

Many of us don’t want to accept when God calls us into ministry or leadership. Realize, however, that you’re likely already a leader in some form. If you’re a mom, you’re a leader. If you help with the children at church, you’re a leader. If you’re a Christian, you’re a leader. People are watching you live and represent Christ. If you don’t believe me, ask God to show you who you might be leading.

Stepping out of our comfort zone can be scary and sometimes painful. Moving from an unintentional leader to an intentional (or diligent) leader may feel like a big jump, but the rewards are eternal.

Once you begin to see yourself as a leader, you will begin to act like a leader so you don’t end up incompetent. No one sets out to be a bad leader, but if you aren’t being intentional, then you’ve set yourself up for failure.

Lead your children. Lead at church. You may not know it, but people look up to you. Instead of sticking your head in the sand and telling yourself you could never be a leader, ask God what He has for you. Be willing to step forward and lead the people who look to you.

~~~

Do Life Different, by Jill HartJill Hart is a writer, speaker and coach, showing others how to follow the calling God has placed on their lives. She teaches her clients how to overcome the fear of getting started and helps them discover ways to find success. She is the author of the new devotional book, Do Life Different. Learn more about Jill at www.jillhart.com.

Link for book: http://bit.ly/do-life-different

Review: Do Life Different, by Jill Hart

Do Life Different, by Jill HartDo Life Different, by Jill Hart (Choose NOW Publishing, 2014)

Do Life Different is written for Christian work-at-home moms, and much of the content is also applicable to Christian moms whose at-home work is parenting and homemaking. The book’s subtitle is Inspiring Work-at-home Moms to Powerful Living in Work, Family and Faith.

As a writer, I count as working from home, and although my youngest child is a teen I find the household responsibilities themselves require more “parenting” than I seem able to give. This book addresses a strongly-felt need for me, so I bumped it to the top of my review pile, read it in one night, and will go back through it again at a more sedate pace.

Topics include overcoming fear and worry, making wise decisions, business as ministry, enjoying your work, and “is success okay?”.

Three insights are already making a difference for me:

  1. since God’s mercies are new every day, we can greet the morning with a hope-filled sense of starting over;
  2. we are each the best one for the job to which God called us (I count parenting in this as well as whatever business one might run);
  3. we are leaders, by definition as workers and as mothers—accepting this allows us to lead intentionally instead of wasting opportunities.

There are plenty more nuggets in this collection of 52 devotionals. Each entry offers a Bible verse, a one- to two-page insight, and a thought-provoking “Doing it different” question on how readers can apply the day’s lesson in their lives.

Each has a corresponding video devotional on the author’s website. [Note: if you’re reading the print version, or if you’re reading the ebook on a device that doesn’t support Flash videos, you can view the devotions on your computer. The web address is in the front of the book.]

There are free 6-week or 12-week study guides for women who want to work through the material as a group. To download the study guides, visit Choose NOW Publishing (scroll down to the cover images for the two study guides, then click the one you want).

Writer, speaker and coach Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Ministries, where you’ll find a wealth of resources on finding a job, starting or growing a business, balancing life, and knowing God better. To read a sample chapter of Do Life Different, visit Jill Hart or Choose Now Publishing. Or watch Jill’s video intro below:

[Review copy provided by the publisher.]