The Church Has Left The Building

This past weekend our church (Northview Christian Life - www.nvcl.org)left the building as part of our 6-week series of Life on Loan! Instead of weekend services, our Life Groups took the church out into the community to take part in several service projects. Each small group was assigned a project and had a 4 hour block of time to serve. Before we headed out to our project, we met at the Church for a time of Worship and Prayer.

Our Life Group (we need a name by the way) was tasked with exterior work for the 50th Habitat for Humanity home in Hamilton County. This included siding installation, roof and gutter work, as well as several other projects to prepare for the finish of the exterior of the home.

We were blessed to be a part of this project and our group grew very close together as a result. It was neat to see how everyone jumped in from the get-go and put their 100% passion toward working on this home. I was amazed at how fast the time went and how much fun I had with the group. It was really cool to see the different personalities that we have come to know as a group come together for the greater good of serving Christ and our Community.

After the 4 hours of service, we were invited back to Northview for a Cook-Out. We were able to talk with other groups about their service projects and how God used them in our community. I have no doubt that this piece of the Spiritual Growth campaign will be very memorable for all involved. I also know that this past weekend is just the "Tip of the Iceberg" and that we will be challenging one another to make this a regular part of who we are and what we do as the Church.

Here are a few pictures of our time together. Enjoy and God Bless!

Jeff


Here I am on a ladder attempting to make the siding fit:

Here I am acting like I'm working letting Jason do the sawing:

Here I am with hammer in tow hanging with our Worship Pastor Matthew Bays:

Catching Up...

Well, as I suspected, there would be weeks & months that would go by without a Blog Post. Mrs Beth Liller pointed that out to me last night at Church and so I thought it was time to Catch Everyone Up on Our Life. In this post, I am going to focus on the 3 F's in my life this time of year.

Family-

We are all doing great. Recently got back from vacation at Disney & Ft. Myers Beach. Had a great time with the family at Mickeyland! It was neat to see Caroline come out of her shell. The first ride was Soarin' at Epcot. Caroline freaked, but after that, all Rides and Rollercoasters were Game On! I didn't realize how short Sophie was for a 3 1/2 year old - almost every ride had a minimum of 44". Of course, Sophie was like 43". She couldn't get on many of the FUN rides, but she had a blast nonetheless. Isabelle was a trooper all weekend. She went on several rides and really enjoyed "It's a Small World" at Magic Kingdom. September was a great time to go because the lines were short (had to take Caroline out of Kindergarten for the week) and the weather was beautiful (very hot and humid though).

Faith-

We are really enjoying the 6 Week Spiritual Growth Campaign at Northview Christian Life (our church home). We are studying the book Living a Life on Loan: Finding Grace at the Intersections. We are in a 6-week small group to discuss the book and encouraging each other to take action in our personal spiritual growth which in turn will filter down and out into our communities. My sister Dena was able to give part of her testimony last week. She shared about her friend Susan Moulder who accepted Christ in August 2007 and was murdered by her fiance in October 2007 (3 weeks before their wedding). Today marks the 1-Year anniversary of her death and Dena was able to share Susan's story with her friends/family (250 people total) at a Memorial Run/Walk they had over the weekend. Very Powerful! At this weekend's church services, my brother and sister-in-law were able to share their Cardboard Testimony. If you haven't seen this, go to You Tube and search "Cardboard Testimonies". It is a great way to see who people were apart from the Love & Grace of God, and who they are now and how God is writing the ending to their stories. I love seeing God at work in those I love and how is using their stories to reach others that are hurting!

From a personal perspective, I am humbled everyday at God's Amazing Grace and Love. I am amazed that he wants to spread the gospel and his kingdom through cracked pots like mine. I have been spending a lot of time with God through Life on Loan, Prayer, Bible Reading, Podcasts (Rob Bell, James McDonald), Worship, Service. I am trying to be intentional with sharing my faith in a real/practical way with my friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and praying for God to open my eyes to the Intersections. My life and mission is becoming clearer with each and every day and all I want to do is be centered on His Will. Thank You Jesus for this season in my life and for your Agape Love!



Fall-

This is the best time of the year! Summer was great and we had a fabulous time with the kids, but there is nothing better than Fall - Homcecomings, Allergies are gone, the grass won't need mowed for long, college and nfl football, baseball playoffs, Bonfires, Carmel Football games, Midnight Madness, sweatshirts, warm drinks, Cigars, dark mornings, Pumpkins, Hot Apple Cider, Mom's Apple Cobbler, Thanksgiving, Friends Homes, Elections, Survivor. Let the fun begin!





Love you all. Hope to hang out soon!

Jeff

R.I.P. Oliver Wyatt Lube (Click here to visit his Website)

Friends,

Our next door neighbors Mike and Carey Lube lost their 7 month old son this past Tuesday to multiple medical conditions. Oliver battled hard for his short life and will be remembered as a "Warrior" to all that had the blessing of meeting him.

Please pray for Mike and Carey and their three children: Kimmee, Bennie, and Meredith as they try and move through the loss of Oliver. I have attached a link to Oliver's website through Caring Bridge where you can see photos, journal entries, and sign the guestbook.

R.I.P. Oliver Wyatt Lube - We will see you someday soon!

Britney

I stumbled across a new song on I Tunes this morning that will be released by Bebo Norman called "Britney". I was really moved by the tenderness and sincerity of Bebo on this song. Said the singer, "'Britney' is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It's about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what's beautiful and what will give them life. It's an apology for those lies. But more than that, it's an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in." Enjoy...

Pictures from Branson - Enjoy!

July 4th in Branson, MO

The Shepherd Family spent the 4th of July Holiday in Branson, MO celebrating our Grandparent's 60th Wedding Anniversary. If you haven't been to Branson, you aren't missing much. It is a Mini-Vegas without the Gambling. The town is know for Food and Entertainment - mostly a Country Western feel. While it is a neat place, a Long Weekend is more than enough to experience the Traffic, the Hillbillies, and the Booze!

So, we have a HUGE family and there were a Total of 42 people who made the trip from Indiana, California, Florida, Virginia, and Connecticut. We always have a great time when we are all together and we try and plan trips every other year. 2 years ago we went boating down in Kentucky Lake and 2010 talks have us either on the water in Michigan or downtown Nashville.

As you can probably imagine, the "D" word tends to rear its ugly head when you put so many family member together - DRAMA! It all started when we arrived on Thursday, July 3rd and the Resort had Overbooked Rooms for the Holiday weekend. My grandparents in their loving way got really ticked off at the Front Desk Attendant after he made some smart remarks about the overbooking. It went something like this:

Attendant: "Sorry folks, the rooms you had booked have been taken by other people. We have accidentally overbooked this weekend"
Grandma: "Excuse me, we have had this trip booked for 6 months and have family traveling in from all over the country. You better make accomodations fast or you are writing me a check for $10,000"
Attendant: "Mam, there is nothing I can do until my Manager gets here to settle the situation:
Grandpa: "Until your manager gets here? That is ridiculous! This is the biggest bunch of BS I have ever heard in my life"
Attendant: "Sir, please watch your language"
Grandpa: "Watch my language. Well you little SOB, what would you say if someone told you that the reservations you had suddenly weren't good"
Attendant: "Sir, I said watch your language or I am calling Resort Security"
Grandma: "Well what would you do if someone told YOU that your rooms were taken"
Attendant: "Mam, I'd just be happy to have a roof over my head"
Grandpa: "You little S*&$, if you don't shut your mouth I'm going to punch you out right here in the lobby"
Attendant: "Security, I have just been threatened verbally and the gentlemen said he was going to punch me"
Grandma: "This is ridiculous. Crap Bill!"
Grandpa: "SHI Edith, this is the damndest thing I have ever seen. Let them get security up here"
Security: "Sir, please step away from the desk and follow me"...."You have just verbally threatened one of our employees and we may have to escort you off this resort and cancel all of your reservations"
Grandma/Grandpa: "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry. Our emotions got the better of us. We love our family and didn't want to ruin their Holiday.
Security: "If you don't settle down, we will take you down to the Police Station and this family trip will be over"
Grandma/Grandpa: "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry. We apologize and will wait patiently while this is all sorted out"

Long story short, we were able to stay on the grounds and they eventually got the room situation figured out. Looking back, that was absolutely hilarious!

That night, we had a Family BBQ with some great entertainment. After a long day of travel and some family DRAMA, we decided to call it a night. Friday was spent sunbathing at the pool before we headed to one of the most popular Dinner Shows in Branson - Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. We had an awesome night and the food and entertainment was first class. When we returned back from the show, we spent the night letting off Fireworks (not even close to the Lillers) and telling jokes and stories of Shepherd Family Vacations of past. It was so much fun and there is so much love in our family! Saturday we woke up and had a blind drawing for the Co-Ed Shuffleboard Tournament. It was double-elimination and took over 3 hours to complete. The entire family is very competitive and we had a fantastic time. Betty and her partner ended up making it to the Championship game where they were defeated 21-14....Bummer :( Saturday night, we attended the American Bandstand Dinner Theatre and watched a couple of very old Legend Singers entertain the night away. First up was Paul Revere and the Raiders and that was followed by Bill Medley. Mr. Medley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Righteous Brothers. He wrote and sang the Dirty Dancing Theme Song, and the Ghost Theme Song. He recognized my Grandparent's during his performance for their Anniversary and brought the house down with cheers from the Shepherd Camp.

Sunday came quick and we packed up and headed back to Carmel, Indiana. The weekend was a complete blessing and it is getting tougher each year to get us all together. It really made me reflect on how special friends and family are in our lives. I am thankful for each one of them and cherish the special relationships and bonds we all share.

I will be putting some pictures up on here soon as soon as Betty downloads them off the camera. Love you all!

Vacation in Hilton Head Island

Hello to my fellow bloggers. It has been a few weeks since my last post and I have a great excuse - we were on Vacation! Betty and I loaded up our 3 girls in the Family Truckster for a 10-day vacation to Hilton Head Island. We had an awesome time! Here are some of the great times we captured during the trip. Enjoy!

Good Tunes

I LOVE music! My I-pod spins about 5,000 songs and I love every genre. From Country, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, Contemporary Christian. You name it, there is a good chance it's in my I Tunes Library. I can't tell you how long it took me to download them all a few years ago - Very Painful Indeed!

I have been listening mainly to Contemporary Christian now since 2000. I love the positive messages and it gives me an easy way to memorize scripture. For some reason, I remember lyrics, but not usually what I read. I also enjoy the fact that these songs typically only use 3-5 chords per song. And the majority of those chords are very easy to play on the Acoustic. Strum patterns and rhythm? That's a different story!

So, here are a few of my favorite tunes currently. I am trying to learn them on the Acoustic (Larrivee of course) but am struggling. Here are the songs and the subsequent problems:

Aaron Shust - Watch Over Me
- Can't find the chords on-line.

Brandon Heath - Not Who I Used To Be
- Too much fingerpicking. I am a strummer!

Meredith Andrews - You're Not Alone
- I have trouble hitting the high notes :) & I can't find the chords on-line.

Which means I will continue to play and fine-tune some of my favorites.

Matt Redman - Never Let Go, The Heart of Worship
Third Day - God Of Wonders
Chris Tomlin - Variety of Songs
Bebo Norman - Variety of Songs

I really enjoy playing and singing these songs. My girls really love Never Let Go and God of Wonders. Good Family Time :)

Here are the acoustic versions of the 3 songs I really love right now. Enjoy!

DJ Jazzy Jeff

Back Home Again!

I must admit, I was tempted this week to go Blogless. There were a lot of justifications that ran through my mind until I noticed a couple of "comments" on my Blog Page - yes people actually read this crap. Well, only the Bays Beauties - Matthew and my girl Hez. Have I told you how much I love them!? I really feel bad that I haven't had the time to pick up the phone and call them. But enough of the guilt and back to the Blog.

I was in Upstate New York this week doing a Co-Travel. You may be asking yourself what in the world that is. Well, as a Division Manager with multiple reps that report to me, I have the pleasure of leaving the comforts of my home and family and traveling to various places across the Midwest and the Northeast. My division is the Great Lakes and the states with reps include: Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and the New England States. This week I was in Upstate New York and had appointments at various hospitals in the Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo areas.

The nice thing about these Co-Travels is that I get to "coach" my reps on sales tactics and execution. I get to see them in action with Doctors/Nurses and support their efforts. We get to observe surgical procedures, detail products, and negotiate. It is all a lot of fun and keeps the blood pumping. I also get to invest in them as people. I get to influence their lives in a positive way by my lifestyle, conduct, optimism, positive attitude, and winning spirit. It really is a cool thing to work closely with so many people and share in their lives both personally and professionally.

The difficult thing about these Co-Travels is staying on my diet. Yes I started dieting 2 weeks ago. I have to get into a bathing suit at the end of this month in Hilton Head, SC. We are going with friends from Cleveland, OH that we met a few years back in Hilton Head. They are an awesome couple with 2 gorgeous daughters. Oh, and yes, they are also good looking individuals if I do say so myself. I think they are coming up on 40 and they put me to shame as far as being in shape. That's a bunch of crap if you ask me. If I even look at a greasy burger or a bag of chips, those calories make their way to my mid-section. So back to my original thought, the difficulties also include eating dinners solo, staying in hotels, ironing suits and shirts, lugging around bags, did I say staying on my diet?

So I got home last night to my beautiful family and treated them to dinner and ice cream. We enjoyed some sushi and salad at Kona Grill, and Dipped cones at Dairy Queen. How sweet it is to be Back Home Again!

I will be in the office (home) all of next week and I promise to add a couple of more Blogs at that time. If you would, please continue to pray for the following situations and people that mean so much in my life:

1. Work - Life Balance
2. Bays Family - Wee
3. Joe Babcock - Health
4. My Diet

Jeff

Is there a Cure for Allergies?

Why Me? Some of you may be asking the same question this time of year regarding Seasonal Allergies. The site of Golf Courses, Parks, Dogs & Cats, Flowers, Flowering Trees, Cut Grass, Mulch, Pollen Falling is really not so beautiful to some. In fact, it is enough reason to grab a tissue, get comfortable, and escape to an Air Conditioned Safe Haven - preferrably my bed. I really hate that I look forward to colder days and rain which eliminate all of the beautiful "poison" outside that makes me miserable. Why can't I enjoy a round of golf without coming home and crashing for a day. Why can't I mow the yard without breaking out into hives for a day. Why can't I sit on the patio and smell the flowers and foliage without wanting to cut my head off. Why can't I visit friends with Cats without having my throat collapse and my eyes explode? Why, Why, Why???

I have yet to find any medicine over my short life that will counteract Seasonal Allergies. From Claritin, to Allegra, to you name it, they don't work for me. It is an awful feeling to have your nose running uncontrollably, scratching your eyes out because they itch so bad, having your chest fill up with nastiness due to drainage, and an itch in the throat that is more annoying than Hollywood Dating.

While we continue to seek cures for HIV, Autism, and Cancer, do you think our scientific leaders could possibly find a cure for Allergies? They really do stink. Thank goodness they are not life threatening, but from April - September, there are many days when I would rather be dead. It is that bad....

Achoo, Jeff

The Shack

Wow, The Shack captivated my time and attention from the first page. I finished the book in just 2 nights of reading - about 5 hours total. I couldn't put it down!

Let me just say that I will be a better person - husband, father, son, brother, friend - now that I have read this book. I won't spoil the fun for all of you who are thinking of picking this up, but let me be the next person to highly recommend it.

The Trinity is ALIVE and WELL in and amongst us all, and I experienced HIM in a fresh way over the past 2 nights. This is a book that I will dig back into as I try and understand the deeper meanings of Love & Relationships.

Enjoy The Shack, Jeff

Yoga - Licious

When I think of Yoga, there are a lot of thoughts that run through my mind. I think of having to be flexible (which I am not), I think of the smell of incense (which I'm allergic to), and I think of lean muscles (which I don't have). So as you can see, mentally I never thought that I could Yoga. Wow, was I wrong!

Last night, Betty and I (with the invite from friends) decided to attend a Yoga class for couples. We went over to Pathways to Wellness off of 146th & Hazeldell Rd in Noblestucky. We attended this class with our friends Mike & Valerie Sullivan and our family Derek & Maggie Webster. There were 10 couples in total.

We entered the Yoga studio and were immediately greeted by the owner Eric. Can I just say, what an awesome guy. His personality and friendliness lit up the room and we felt at home in an instant. We worked our way into the Yoga room and were greeted by other couples (male/female, female/female) who were laid out on their mats stretching for the 1 hour session to come. The mood was light, and the ambience was different.

Light music was playing in the background and the smell of Incense laced the room. Then our instructor (Eric) and his wife (Amy) began the session by sitting Indian style, closing their eyes, and breathing a soft harmonious breath. Betty and I looked around at the seriousness of the Yoga - ites in the room and chuckled. This was no joke, and We had no clue what we were in for.

So we decided to free ourselves of our pride, discomfort, and nervous anticipation. We began to imitate the instructors and tried like heck to follow their every move. We got into various poses that almost stretched my skin completely off of my body. From the Down Dog, to the Warrior Pose, to the Airplane, we were giving these Yoga - ites a run for their money. We improved with each and every pose and actually enjoyed the positions. I felt some sweat on my brow and knew that this Yoga business was no joke!

After the class, a few of the couples stayed at the studio (including all of us) and enjoyed some Wine, Fruit, Crackers, and Cheese. We had the opportunity to get to know the owners and some of the Yoga- ites. They are fascinating people and their desire to improve the Wellness in the lives of others is contagious (that is until we went to Bar Louie and feasted on Shrimp Po' Boys, Tater Tots, and Dos Equis Lager - hey 1 hour of wellness was good enough for a Friday night without the Kids).

The couples Yoga class is the first Friday of every month. Unfortunately for Bet and me, we will be out of town during the next classes in June & July. I can promise you that we will be on the list for August and I may even practice some of the poses we learned before the next class.

We had an awesome time. It was an opportunity for us to get away from work, the kids, you know - Life. We were with friends/family, we were improving our Wellness, and we were able to do something different. So, so cool! The last pose we were in was the same that we started the class with - Indian Style ( I am assuming their is a Yoga Word for that). We joined hands with our partners, made a funky shape with our partners fingers, and broke out into a harmonious deep bass booming OHME. It lasted about 30 seconds and nearly cracked me up to the point of snorting. It was Yoga - Licious!

Namaste, Jeff

Beauty of Simplicity

So I was reminded this week how Beautiful Simplicity really is. I was in Chicago from Sunday-Thursday for work. It was a great week that offered a great time: Music, Company, Food, Life in the Fast Lane, Smiles, Hard-Work. It also was a tough week that offered some challenges: Away from Home, Hotel Beds, Devotionless, Expensive Meals, Cab Rides, Dry Cleaning, Business Meetings, Late to Bed - Early to Rise.

It was the gentle nudge I needed of how much FUN life is when it's lived in Simplicity. What that means to me in real terms is being around my family, spending time with my kids, eating at home, working in my office, working in scrubs, taking the kids to school, going to Dunkin Donuts, surfing the web, crunching numbers for work, talking and strategizing with my sales team, thinking creatively, surfing the web, etc...

One of my favorite songs was done on this exact topic. It was written by the group Telecast and it goes like this:
__________
It's the beauty of simplicity / that brings me down to my knees
I'll praise You for eternity / and lord I love You Because You / You first loved me
It's the beauty of simplicity / that fills me with eternity I've tasted Your divinity/ and lord I love You Because You / You first loved me

Chorus: And all Gods people say: We, we love You / we love You Lord / we love You
And we, we love You / we love you Lord / we love You We love You

It's the beauty of simplicity / that brings me down to my knees
I'll praise You for eternity / and lord I love You Because You / You first loved me

Bridge: You gave Yourself away / just that I could stay You took my place in death / and rose that I could say That You are Holy / and You alone deserve my praise
__________

I love you Lord and thank you for the simplicity that is found and encouraged in You Alone!

Jeff

Living in a Bloggers Paradise

Well, I have officially taken the plunge. Not sure why, given my schedule is just a little full each and every day. From 10 hours of work, 3 kids, a beautiful wife, a Hard Body that takes some time to sculpt, at least 8 hours of sleep, and some reading time (every now and then I turn on the subtitles), time isn't really something I have a lot of.

OK, OK, OK, that was a lame excuse to what I'm really trying to say. Translation = I am not the most creative person when it comes to writing. Not bad, but not great. I also have found myself commiting to something for a few weeks and then falling off the bandwagon. So we will see where this Blogging takes me. I am hopeful that it will be a nice release and a way for others to see the "real" me. The person behind the work, the family, the church, the extra-curricular, you know the Inward me.

Welcome to my Blog and thanks for tuning into my journey of life!

Jeff