Linda Joyce Heaner grew up in a Christian family, loving Jesus and gladly serving Him. During college, she began writing music to express her faith. She and a roommate sang in coffeehouses and youth rallies throughout the Midwest, and made a recording of original music, God is Faithful. Linda graduated from Concordia University (Seward, NE) with a B.S. in Education and later became certified as a Director of Christian Education (DCE).

Linda served as a DCE at St. Michael Lutheran Church (Bloomington, MN) for six years. She discovered her gift of teaching, wrote Bible studies, introduced contemporary worship to the church, composed The Servant’s Praise Service, and supervised all the education and youth programs of the church. She encouraged and helped people of all ages grow in their relationship with God.

Crisis

In 1988, after nearly ten years of marriage, a major crisis propelled Linda and her three young children into a life they hadn’t planned on. “I questioned everything. Why was this happening? Did God really care about us? Why wasn’t He helping us?” During a difficult time when Linda felt hopeless and helpless, God answered her questions, but not in the way she expected. He said, “Linda, don’t look at your circumstances or at the people around you. Look at Me. I am your Abiding Hope.” That moment marked a turning point in Linda’s life. She began to recognize God’s loving care for her family. Her fears and doubts decreased as she discovered new depths in God’s faithfulness. “Life is unpredictable,” Linda says, “but one thing is absolutely sure: Jesus is our Hope. In every situation, we can cling to Him. He is our Abiding Hope.”

Linda’s top priority during these years has been raising her three children and teaching them to trust God. “It’s an honor and privilege to be a mother and invest in my children’s lives. This is my place of greatest influence. No other task is so fulfilling.” God opened doors for Linda to write, speak, and teach that complemented her primary commitment to her children. She completed a correspondence writing course, and then began writing for Group Publishing. She started speaking and teaching at area churches. “I used to prefer being behind-the-scenes, but now I have something to say. I want everyone to know that God is absolutely dependable!” Linda returned to school for a degree in Ministerial Training and was also trained as a Stephen Minister. Linda is a CLASS graduate (Christian Leaders, Authors, and Speakers Seminar). God also opened the door for Linda to home educate her children. She homeschooled them for a decade.

Current Activities

Linda continues to speak and teach in varied settings. She leads support groups for single moms and for home educators. She has written articles for Focus on the Family and Homeschooling Today magazines. She currently writes articles for www.crosswalk.com. Linda’s first book, God, I Need Help, was published in 2005.

Linda raised her children on stories of Christian missionaries. “I loved reading out loud to them and discovering together how God came through in impossible situations long ago. He’s the same God today!” Linda encourages her children to serve God wholeheartedly, wherever He leads them. They have served God on mission trips to the Ukraine, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, and China. Linda is excited to go on her first overseas mission trip this spring.

Through her speaking, teaching, singing, and writing, Linda equips and encourages people from all walks of life to depend fully on a fully dependable God. Linda and her adult children live in Minnesota and continue to celebrate God’s incredible faithfulness.