“The Bubble of Protection” By Cindy Gebhard ** (a close friend of Shelley Reed) The Army provides meetings to help families prepare for deployment, including the Soldier and Family Readiness Group. Gaining this knowledge can make you FEEL prepared for the unknown, but TRULY BEING READY is quite a different story!! During my husband’s deployment as a First Sergeant […]
The Power of a Prayer… Read More »
“An Unworthy Pilgrim confronted with the Majesty of Her God” A Reflection on Psalm 86 By Shelley M. Reed I woke up having a ping pong match in my mind. Anxiety because of my to-do list. Worry for my children. My heart heavy for friends and family battling intense burdens. I dragged myself out of bed, sat at my
An Unworthy Pilgrim Read More »
“The Ultimate Bog Rider” By Shelley M. Reed The retelling of a story told by John Elmore I was recently listening to the Worship Initiative, a podcast originated by the Christian music artists, Shane and Shane. They had a guest speaker, John Elmore, on the show, who is a well-known pastor/author in the Christian community. He told a
Out of the miry bog… Read More »
“A Perpetuating Prayer” By Shelley M. Reed Our last home was what many would consider the perfect home. It was located in a quiet cul-de-sac not far from the Erie Canal which featured waterfront views, biking trails, and quaint shops. The yard was a bit larger than most but not so big that it was impossible to
The Pollen of Prayer… Read More »
“The Posture of a Deer” By Shelley M. Reed I know this may sound a bit strange, but when I start a new journal, I look for the perfect one. Maybe because something crazy happened with a journal I chose a couple years ago. We were in NY at the time, and I was wrestling with God
“My Psalm 23 Place” By Shelley M. Reed When living in NY for 2 years, back in 2022, I found this park about a mile away from our house that I would often visit to just walk and think. It wasn’t really extravagant. Just simple and quiet. The perfect, temporary respite when life became a bit “unglued”. In the
The Lord is my Shepherd… Read More »
“Mommy Charlotte“ By Shelley M. Reed and Marissa Cina DEDICATED TO MY MOM, Today on her birthday…November 22, 2025 I hate spiders. I am therefore shocked to report that I have fallen in love with one. My son found her perched on her towering but stunning web anchored to our wooden privacy fence. She is
The Crack By Shelley M. Reed NY winters are the worst! We had spent almost 20 years in the balmy south during my husband’s military career, and now we were back in the frigid north. Everyone who lives here is familiar with the “dreaded lake effect snow” (the term my Texan husband coined to describe its miserable
What does it mean to have an undivided heart? Read More »
A Slime Trail or a Silver Lining? By Shelley M. Reed Have you ever heard the expression, “Look for the silver lining!” I am fairly sure that all of us have encountered that saying sometime in our lives. You are trudging through life and find yourself in a struggle, and you try to preach encouragement
Never thought snails could be so interesting! Read More »
Freshwater Fish of North America (Based on Matthew 4:18-23) By Shelley M. Reed My son and I enjoy putting puzzles together. It is one way we bond. “Freshwater Fish of North America”. Not the most interesting topic, but always the topic of conversation with my father, who constantly lives, breathes, and chatters fishing. The result is me,
