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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

When Bad News Comes!

In my reading this morning, I was impressed with a hymn, and a reading from my little book called God Calling. My daughter had some bad news yesterday, so I was thinking of her, and realized again, that EVERY event that happens to us is cause for more trust and more confidence in our good and loving Father. Here's the hymn:

Safe in the Shadow of the Lord beneath His hand and pow'r,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him, My fortress and my tow'r.

My hope is set on God alone though Satan spreads his snare,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him, to keep me in His care.
From fears and phantoms of the night, from foes about my way,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him, by darkness as by day.

His holy angels keep my feet secure from every stone,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him, And unafraid go on.

Strong in the Everlasting Name, and in my Father's care,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him and meet His love with mine.

Safe in the Shadow of the Lord, possessed by love divine,
I trust in Him, I trust in Him, and meet His love with mine.

We have the joy of putting our complete confidence in Him, and knowing that He is WORTH the trust, and worth our time! That thought has come to me over and over again, that He is worth my time and attention.

Here's the reading from God Calling:

"Keep calm. Keep your Spirit-Life calm and unruffled. Nothing else matters. Leave all to Me. This is your great task, to get calm in My Presence, not to let one ruffled feeling stay for one moment. Years of blessing may be checked in one moment by that. Pour forth~pour forth~pour forth~ I cannot bless a life that does not act as a channel. My Spirit brooks no stagnation, not even rest. Its Power must flow on. Pass on everything, every blessing. Abide in Me. See how many you can bless each day. Dwell much in My Presence."

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ps. 86:11

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear your name."

I am often quite discouraged by my easily distracted mind. I want to be single-minded, and whole-heartedly focused on Him, my Shepherd, and Leader. But I will get distracted by kitchen duties, nails (!), laundry, lists of things to do, and the cat. Here's a poem by Amy Carmichael that helps me.

"Wandering Thoughts"
Gather my thoughts, good Lord, they fitful roam,
Like children bent on foolish wandering,
Or vanity of fruitless wayfaring;
O call them home.

See them, they drift like the wind-scattered foam;
Like wild sea-birds, they hither, thither, fly,
And some sink low, and others soar too high.
O call them home.

My silence speaketh to Thee, but I roam
With my poor silly thoughts, I know not where;
That undistracted I may go to prayer
O call them home.

I am thankful that God understands my easily distractible mind. He knows my thoughts from afar, and He loves me in spite of it. I will rest in that, and ask Him continuously to bring my thoughts to Him and His perfect ways, for my imperfections are too obvious, and He says in His word that He will help us! May my thoughts and meditations be ON HIM, and not on my "fruitless wayfairing."

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Simply This

My family has had results with taking some simple powdered nutrition. When I say "simple", I mean that it is simple to take, but it is formulated very scientifically and is made to synergistically be used in our bodies because it is so absorbable. The company does not guarantee cures, but offers these powders as super nutrition, which gives us the extra boost of health which our normal diet does not. With this good nutrition, healthy lifestyle, and exercise, we believe we are helping our bodies to perform at their best. Most of us in the family take 2 shakes a day, the powder mixed with water or juice. I take 3 shakes a day, because I don't want to have to take a nap, so it keeps me going till bedtime, and I want to eventually get off of blood pressure medicine. It is mildly sweet with a rehydrator called Innergize, and always refreshes me.



Our son, Theo, started taking the products in November of 2008 because he was diagnosed with a genetic disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. It is a form of poly-neuropathy, which means the nerve impulses to his muscles in the extremities are slow, so when he began to grow fast in adolescense, he began to have pain in his ankles and feet when running, and he lost his balance a lot. He began to drink the shakes 3 times a day, but doubled the amount from the normal dose. In four months, he began to see a change, and was able to join a musical in which he had to dance. He danced with the group of actors perfectly, and ran down stairs on stage, for the 4 evening performances, without ever stumbling. We were amazed because we had been seeing him lose his balance about every other day before he started Reliv. He has faithfully taken the shakes now for over 2 years, though he doesn't take 3 a day, but just 2, with a double scoop of Classic (the essential powder) in each shake. He rarely stumbles or falls, so we are very grateful for this result in him!

about me


Valerie Elliot Shepard
I am a  mom who is contented at home, loving the outdoors by exercising, gardening, sailing with my husband, and also excited about traveling. I am married to Walt Shepard, a missionary kid like me,  (he grew up in the Congo) who loves sailing and water, and is a pastor of a church plant called Christ Coastal Church in Southport, NC. We earnestly seek to love people, show them the love and light of Christ, and trust ourselves into God's hands for His use.  We have 8 children who are grown, missing all of them, 4 grands in the UK, one little one in Brooklyn,  but we enjoy the quiet of this season now!

I want to be a devoted lover of God, like my Dad, (Philip James Elliot) who was killed when he was 28 by a primitive tribe of Ecuador. My mother, Elisabeth Howard Elliot, ( became married to Lars Gren in 1977) has been a stellar example to me of faithful obedience to God, and a hard worker who also loved life and fun. She blessed me hundreds of times with surprises and laughter. I got my sense of adventure from both of them. My father is now in heaven rejoicing with our Heavenly Father, and she went home to her heavenly HOME on June 15, 2015. If you are interested in learning more about my parents, or just communicating with me, you may email me.

      I am doing a business and am looking for people who are interested in scientifically formulated products with proven benefits, or need an extra income by helping people with their health and finances. You can see many clinical research studies and trials done on 10 of the products on my website, called shepmama.reliv.com. There is also a bigger website called PubMed.gov, and it will show you the proven trials of Lunasin, called LunarichX by Reliv. The main part of my job is to introduce people to this company, and then introduce them to others who have had success with the products we sell. The company pays those who do the business very well. Four of our 8 children, as well as my husband and I, have seen a true improvement in our health.