tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70026472026-05-29T12:13:54.807-04:00Devotions, Reviews, Writing Tips, and Random Rambling by Donna J. Shepherd. Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-86307991113827789152026-05-28T15:48:20.563-04:002026-05-28T15:48:20.563-04:00

 This book is one of the more unusual books I've reviewed as it combines New Testament Bible stories with graphic novels. As a picture book author, I appreciate the artwork and colorful illustrations. I'm not a big fan of paraphrased scriptures, but as long as this book is balanced with other translations, it would be a good way to get kids interested in the life and times of the early

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-8248390138065019272026-02-16T13:58:00.000-05:002026-02-16T13:58:10.603-05:00

  Every morning, as soon as my eyes open and I'm fully awake, I thank God for another day and ask Him to watch over my family and myself. Psalm 37:23 NLT says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”On the way to my daughter's house one afternoon, I stopped for a red light. I'm cautious at this particular intersection as the road declines, and

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-32188550260649957912025-12-20T10:54:00.002-05:002025-12-20T10:54:48.072-05:00

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-43306225010329414812025-12-04T10:29:00.002-05:002025-12-04T10:29:31.521-05:00

In John 6, we read that the disciples had gotten into the boat and started across the sea, and here comes Jesus. Can you imagine? He's walking across water like it's a street of gold - what he's used to walking on, you know. Jesus gets into the boat and verse 21 says, "Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." They are in

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-5173196770447215532024-07-08T00:01:00.026-04:002024-09-26T19:47:12.335-04:00

Recently I underwent a rather extensive surgery on my shoulder that resulted in a protracted and difficult time of rehabilitation. I took that pic in the surgeon's office. I was happy until I found out I had to wear the sling for a few more weeks! I’ve learned a lot – from ways you can prepare before your surgery to discovering many items to purchase and ways to make your recovery a bit

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-55290780096914838222024-04-19T18:10:00.004-04:002024-04-19T18:10:45.078-04:00

I have sisters of my own, but I also consider my good friends as sisters. That's one reason to love this series. I've read every book and enjoyed the characters, their growth, their questions about life and relationships, their struggles and joys. Evelyn had my heart from the beginning. Each chapter has a scripture, but the spirituality is woven throughout and not the least bit overbearing or

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-66302087102102633202023-09-10T22:35:00.007-04:002023-09-10T22:44:41.807-04:00

I consider myself so blessed to have received this beautiful Bible. The presentation for the NKJV Premier Collection Bible is elegant. It comes in a black embossed box and upon opening, the Bible is swathed in thick black paper with a seal. All of these extra touches make this Bible perfect for gift giving. What good would that do without a beautiful Bible inside though? The goatskin leather

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-85753773182624389112023-06-21T15:51:00.001-04:002023-06-21T16:02:09.915-04:00

Dr. Frank Charles Thomas initiated the research for the Thompson Study System in 1890. Suffice it to say that you would be hard-pressed to find another Bible that has so many resources packed within the covers and it makes for a hefty book with 8,000 topical listing and 100,000 marginal references. Instructions for using the chain method are in the front of this new and updated version of the

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-69046261291846517532023-01-08T16:08:00.002-05:002023-05-24T12:44:15.264-04:00

My husband and I usually go out to eat after church, but today he wanted to rush right home to watch a game. Since I don't know the first thing about football, I decided to go eat by myself. I drove around a bit before deciding on a place. I was almost through my meal when the thought crossed my mind. and I almost said aloud, Lord, wouldn't it be something if someone paid for my meal

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-14736270377439360362021-05-11T13:48:00.006-04:002021-05-11T13:49:32.349-04:00

What a fun book! When life gets so busy you don't have time to come up with ways to show your loved ones how much they mean to you, this book's contents might come to your rescue. Some ideas are simple, while some require more time and money, but there are 101 from which to choose, so you're sure to find a few ways that will work for you. I appreciated the Bible verses and the focus on godly

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-39688964677080265532021-04-24T15:56:00.003-04:002021-04-24T15:56:50.795-04:00

Rain from HeavenOh, Lord,I long to drink of Your healing rain.My soul lies battered and parchedfrom the drynessof an arid earth that drains lifefrom me.I raise my face toward You –my mouth and spiritopenready to receive a cleansing,a restoration,only You can pour out.As a sparrow, helpless and hungrywaits for sustenance from her mother,I wait in expectationfor You to fill meto overflowing.I cry

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-52462361013557828432021-03-09T22:17:00.000-05:002021-04-17T22:18:32.725-04:00

The NIV Verse Mapping Bible is a Bible with what is referred to as a mapping journey, and is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into Scripture. First, select a scripture and note the key words and phrases. Then do what I find most important, read that verse in context and look for the action and write a summary of what you’ve learned. This Bible is formatted with wide columns and lines on

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-1108360768442372002021-02-09T14:32:00.001-05:002023-05-24T12:47:17.898-04:00

“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:9 February is the month of love. A lot of people think Hallmark thought up Valentine’s Day, but few know how it really originated. One legend says Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided single men

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-30077576235155501682020-03-19T22:57:00.004-04:002021-02-22T15:57:09.413-05:00

Do I want a Bible that's pretty or one that full of helpful articles, commentary, and a concordance? Why not a Bible that's all those things? That's what you find with The Jesus Bible Artist Edition. Jesus is featured prominently from Genesis to Revelation with an introduction to each book that highlights His story. The fact that some of my favorite authors wrote essays for the Bible is a huge

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-74024167627480040672020-01-14T18:53:00.002-05:002020-01-14T18:55:04.315-05:00

AllAuthor /* CLIENT-SPECIFIC STYLES */ body, table, td, a{-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;} table, td{mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt;} /* RESET STYLES */ img{border: 0; height: auto; line-height: 100%; outline: none; display:block; max-width:100%;} .img-circle{

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-75261374716464115762019-12-21T15:39:00.003-05:002023-05-24T12:52:26.874-04:00

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! – 1 Corinthians 9:15 For many Christmases, I decorated a tree for every room – even the bathrooms. I had a tree with kitchen items, one with intricate, old-fashioned ornaments, another with all the ornaments my children made, and a teeny tiny tree in the bathroom with miniature ornaments. The trees were of all shapes and sizes and colors

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-44748237300425311512019-11-08T19:18:00.002-05:002019-11-08T19:18:58.387-05:00

I remember it clearly. In fifth grade, I asked my history teacher why our class didn’t include the events in the Bible in our World History class. After all, Jesus Christ’s life and teachings affected the entire world – and still do. In the front of the Life Application Study Bible, I finally have a chart that is a Chronology of Bible Events and World Events. As a visual learner, this is

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-74845584876384220642019-09-30T23:56:00.002-04:002019-09-30T23:56:50.719-04:00

The New International Version (NIV) text is the most widely read modern-English Bible translation, but this one is different. It has 7,000 – yes, you read that right, 7,000 questions and answers concerning some of the common and some of the most perplexing parts of the Bible. I turned to Psalm 23 to get an idea of the questions and answers. There were three - how does God guide us?, how

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-22006861215521326462019-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:002019-09-30T23:46:21.842-04:00

The NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids had me excited with the word 'illustrated.' I am a visual learner as are many children, so the idea of having a full-size, Genesis-to-Revelation, almost 'grownup' Bible with visual aids will appeal to children from about 4-8 years of age. The single columns make for easy reading, although the font is small for my older eyes, but then again -

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-82987837483048783662017-11-06T04:00:00.000-05:002017-10-10T10:56:32.662-04:00

A Thanksgiving poem - for fun! Ideal Meal The Thanksgiving turkey Tasted like jerky With lumpy potatoes And sour tomatoes The dressing too sodden and moist. The rolls didn’t rise And Mama’s sweet pies Were bitter to taste Gooey as paste But in spite of it all, we rejoiced. We thanked God above For His bountiful love For freedom to meet And for food to eat Taking time to tell God how we

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-71953384583682178012017-03-28T15:27:00.000-04:002017-03-28T15:27:07.717-04:00

 I watch this every year. Beautiful reminder.

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-57107737468473444442015-12-03T10:04:00.000-05:002015-12-03T10:09:58.459-05:00

I love these lyrics that so beautifully capture the beauty of the Holy Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Be blessed and Merry CHRISTmas.  

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-668436158314014572015-07-22T05:13:00.001-04:002023-05-24T12:50:12.004-04:00

Better than It Was Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.   - Colossians3:23-24 (ESV)  Today I listened to a recording on NewLife.com about procrastination. The two counselors giving advice had a good deal to say about

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-1111032532642316872015-05-07T08:07:00.000-04:002018-02-16T10:46:33.103-05:00

I wrote a poem called Mom's Retreat and I'm certain I'm not the only mother who's ever escaped to this special place. To read it on CWAHM.com, click HERE and leave a comment there or here on this blog. Thanks! Happy Mother's Day. - Donna *************

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002647.post-1111385823074788942015-03-24T11:07:00.000-04:002015-03-24T11:07:58.266-04:00

Today I listened to Mark 15. I have Audio Bible bookmarked and love to listen to the Bible while I work. One verse caught my attention: "And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.” – Mark 15:3 Jesus stood before Pilate while the chief priests accused Him of perverting the nation, rousing troublemakers, creating riots and dissension. In addition, they charged

Donna J. Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16101584349756490950noreply@blogger.com5