One thing I really love about the Bible is that no matter how much we read it, no matter how familiar a passage is to us, there is always something new to be learned. A dear familiar passage can all of a sudden be placed in a new light, and something else revealed that we…
Category Archives: Gathering At the Well
Giving Him Thanks
What do you do in preparation for Thanksgiving? I know most of us follow an Advent calendar or some other fun thing during December, but what about thanks, eucharisteo, during November? Remembering the Pilgrim’s and the history of our nation, is a good thing…but isn’t it really God we should be thanks-giving to? Be thankful…
The Blessing of Shared Grief
“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” Psalms 56:8 (ESV) It is a blessing to not cry alone. I have been overwhelmed by those who have cried with me and prayed for me during this season of grief. Even more so, those who…
The Eternal Impact of a Short Life
October 19, 2012 40 Weeks. The small words, written in pencil on my calendar, remind me that today was a very special day that I was looking forward to…a day that was not to be. I might have been repacking my birth kit for the third time–just to make sure that everything was there. Feeling…
Writing a Family Vision/Mission Statement
Do you have a family vision and/or mission statement? Why do we want to write one? My husband and I have been talking a lot lately about living intentionally. Life has a way of rushing by. There’s always one more dish to wash, one more meal to cook, one more errand to run, one more…
The Purple-Faced Pharisee and the Freedom to Actually Believe in Something
It’s been open season on Pharisees lately. They make good sport, and you don’t even need a license. All it takes is a scathing anecdote about a time someone who has a larger subset of convictions than you do behaved badly. This is often offered as proof of the pernicious legalism of a given belief….
Treasures in Heaven
When I was a little girl, my treasures were things. I personified everything, clung to everything, to the point that my mother had to sneak into my room to throw away the gum wrappers I’d saved so I wouldn’t “hurt their feelings.” Long after my play had been replaced by homeschool drama club and dance…
Jen Shepherd 
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