What is Advent?
Leave your thoughtsAt this time of year, you may hear a word you’re unfamiliar with: Advent. But, what is Advent and how does it relate to this time of year? What is Advent? The word “advent” is from the Latin word “coming.” The...
Posts by Lisa Jansen
Coping with Loss During the Holidays
Leave your thoughtsWe’re all coping with loss this season. We’ve all lost something in 2020, whether it be a person, a job, or just plain normalcy. This holiday season will be bittersweet for most of us simply because of the fight against...
How To Pray
Leave your thoughtsHave you ever wondered how to pray? Maybe you have felt intimidated by the prayers of others, thinking they are eloquent, and you may not be able to do likewise. Have you looked for resources to learn how to pray?...
Learning from My Own Prejudice
Leave your thoughtsGrowing up, my parents taught my brother and I to “never judge a book by its cover.” I thought I was doing a pretty good job of that, not being prejudice, until a few years ago when God showed me...
Does God Hear Us Cry?
Leave your thoughtsOne Sunday morning when I was a young mother, I took my one-year-old daughter to the church nursery for the first time. I headed to the nursery after the service ended. Someone stopped me along the way to ask me...
When Alzheimer’s, Cancer & COVID Comes Home
Leave your thoughtsNancy Reagan said it best: Facing dementia and Alzheimer’s with someone you love is like a “long goodbye.” In December 2019 and through 2020, my life has been rocked. My faith was tested and tried by events not on my...
How to Teach a Child to Pray
Leave your thoughtsAs parents, we are our child’s main influence. As Christian parents, teaching a child to pray is similar to teaching them anything else in life. So, how do we teach a child to pray? We must first lead by example....
Shepherd’s Gate Serves the Community
Leave your thoughtsStep Out & Serve 2020 Recap It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a month since our Step Out & Serve 2020 event at Shepherd’s Gate Church. Our local outreach coordinator, Ron Kuczera, spent months leading up to August 22-23...
What’s In A Name?
Leave your thoughtsWhat’s in a name? We often choose our children’s names to honor someone we know who has impacted our lives. We even pick names for cars, boats and vacation homes—even those have meaning. Sometimes the meaning may be apparent, other...
What Does It Mean To Fear God?
Leave your thoughts“…Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV) Fear is a feeling we have recently experienced more than we would like. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary gives several definitions for the word fear,...
Don’t Go To Church
Leave your thoughtsImagine it’s Sunday morning back in the days when things were normal. You are busy getting yourself and/or your family ready to leave the house to go to church. Have you said or heard any of the following? “I’ll meet...
Who Is In Control?
Leave your thoughtsWhen I married my husband, Jim, I inherited quite a large family. But, I also wanted a child that we conceived together. We were ultimately blessed with Jeremiah, our first son. As this made twelve kids for Jim...