ShepherdScroll™ — The Digital Bulletin of The Shepherd Network™ LLC

A WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF THE SHEPHERD NETWORK LLC

Volume 1 • Issue 4

Week of 2026-08-30

August 30, 2026

"The God of New Beginnings"

✝️FAITH
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🕊️TRUTH
|
🌳LEGACY

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." — Psalm 119:105

✦ FROM TAMMY'S HEART ✦

T

From Tammy's He♥rt

From Tammy's Heart

Hi friends, it is so good to connect with you this week. As a wife, I know how easy it is to get caught up in the 'to-do' lists, the laundry, and the daily grind. Sometimes, the 'wilderness' isn't a giant crisis; it is just the exhaustion of the everyday. In those moments, it can be so hard to see the 'new things' God is doing because we are just trying to get through the next hour.

We all need to ask the Lord to help us see His hand in the small, quiet moments. I’ve realized that His 'rivers' often show up as a sudden sense of peace during a hectic afternoon, a breakthrough in a conversation with a friend, or a verse of scripture that jumps off the page right when I need it most. These are the signs that He is working on our behalf, even when we feel like we are standing still. I want to remind you today that you are not forgotten in your dry season. God sees you, He loves you, and He is carving out a path for you that you can't even imagine yet. Don't lose heart! The same God who led His people through the desert is leading you home. Craig and I are standing with you in faith, believing that this week will be a time of refreshing and new beginnings for your heart and your home.

With Love,

Tammy ♥

✦ OPENING HYMN OF THE WEEK ✦

H

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Words: Adelaide A. Pollard

Tune: ADELAIDE (George C. Stebbins)

Scripture Connection: Isaiah 64:8

1. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. 2. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Search me and try me, Master, today! Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, As in Thy presence humbly I bow. 3. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me, I pray! Power, all power, surely is Thine! Touch me and heal me, Savior divine. 4. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Hold o'er my being absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me.

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Behind the Hymn

Adelaide A. Pollard wrote this hymn in 1902 after a prayer meeting where she was deeply convicted that she had been pursuing her own plans rather than seeking God's will. The hymn was inspired by Jeremiah 18:1-6, the account of the potter and the clay, and has become a classic expression of surrender to God's perfect will.

✦ MAIN DEVOTIONAL ✦

R

Rivers in the Wasteland: Embracing God’s New Season

A Work of Divine Renewal

Friend, have you ever felt like you were walking through a spiritual desert? A place where the ground is cracked, the air is still, and the horizon seems to stretch on forever without a hint of shade? We have all experienced those seasons where our prayers feel like they are hitting a brass heaven and our spirits feel parched. But I have a word for you today that I believe will stir your soul: our God is the Master of the New. He is not a God who is stuck in the past, nor is He limited by the barrenness of your current situation. He is the Creator who speaks life into dead places. In Isaiah 43:19, the Lord issues a prophetic declaration that should set our hearts on fire with expectancy. He says, 'For I am about to do something new.' Notice the present reality of that statement. He isn't just considering a change or planning something for the distant future; the text tells us, 'See, I have already begun!' The challenge for us, as a community of faith, is found in that piercing follow-up question: 'Do you not see it?' Often, we are so focused on the dust of our current wilderness that we miss the green shoots of the new season breaking through the soil. We get so accustomed to the dry heat of the wasteland that we stop looking for the clouds of rain. When the Holy Spirit moves, He doesn't just provide a temporary fix; He creates a transformation. The scripture promises that He will make a pathway through the wilderness and rivers in the dry wasteland. Think about the power of that imagery. A wilderness is a place where you are lost, but God provides a 'pathway'—divine direction and a clear way forward. A wasteland is a place where you cannot survive, but God provides 'rivers'—supernatural sustenance and the refreshing flow of His Spirit. This is the heritage of the believer. We serve a God who specializes in the impossible. I want to encourage you this week to shift your gaze. If you spend all your time staring at the sand, you will eventually succumb to the thirst. But if you lift your eyes to the One who sits on the throne, you will see that the water is already flowing. This 'new thing' God is doing might not look like what you expected. It might start as a small whisper in your spirit, a sudden open door, or a renewed sense of peace in the middle of a storm. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. The river starts as a trickle before it becomes a flood. As we walk together in this season, let us be a people of high expectancy. Let us pray for spiritual eyes to see what the Lord has already started. The Holy Spirit is hovering over your situation right now, ready to bring order out of chaos and life out of barrenness. Trust His timing, lean into His Word, and get ready to drink from the rivers He is creating just for you. The desert is not your final destination; it is merely the backdrop for God’s next great miracle in your life. He is faithful, He is able, and He is doing something new right now.

"The God of New Beginnings"

DID YOU KNOW?

Isaiah 64:8

BEHIND THE HYMN

Have Thine Own Way, LordAdelaide A. Pollard wrote this hymn in 1902 after a prayer meeting where she was deeply convicted that she had been pursuing her own plans rather than seeking God's will. The hymn was inspired by...

Read more →

FAITH IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Friend, have you ever felt like you were walking through a spiritual desert? A place where the ground is cracked, the air is still, and the horizon seems to stretch on forever without a hint of shade?...

Read more →

✦ CLOSING HYMN OF THE WEEK ✦

T

Trust and Obey

Words: John H. Sammis

Tune: TRUST AND OBEY (Daniel B. Towner)

Scripture Connection: Samuel 15:22

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Refrain: Trust and obey, for there's no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey. 3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, But is blessed if we trust and obey. 4. But we never can prove the delights of His love Until all on the altar we lay; For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey. 5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, Or we'll walk by His side in the way; What He says we will do, where He sends we will go; Never fear, only trust and obey.

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Behind the Hymn

This hymn grew out of a testimony shared at a revival meeting led by Dwight L. Moody. A young man expressed that he was not entirely sure how to come to Christ, but he knew he must trust and obey. John H. Sammis captured this simple yet profound truth in the hymn text, and Daniel B. Towner set it to music in 1887.

✦ CLOSING BLESSING ✦

"May the Lord bless you and keep you this Sunday morning. May His presence bring peace to your heart, His Word give strength for the days ahead, and His Spirit guide every step you take. May you walk in faith when the way is uncertain, stand firmly in truth, and remember that God is faithful in every season. Go forward today with assurance that you are not alone. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your family throughout this day and the week ahead. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. "

— Numbers 6:24-26; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 41:10; 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NASB)

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