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Jen Bradbury
Jun 18 · 5 min read

Is this the end of short-term missions?

Filed in Missions

I was supposed to be on a mission trip last week.

With the exception of the two summers I was on maternity leave, this is the first time since 2003 that I haven’t spent my summers leading mission trips.

Mission trips are – for so many junior...

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#grace #hope #justice #A Mission That Matters #pregnancy #Pandemic #Missions

Jen Bradbury
May 31 · 5 min read

Notes from the Pandemic: Exhaustion

This week has broken me.

George Floyd.

The protests.

The looting.

The pandemic.

It’s left me feeling exhausted.

And I’m someone who knows what exhaustion feels like.

I’ve felt the complete and utter exhaustion that defines a first trimester...

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#death #pregnancy #racism #Pandemic #privilege #breastfeeding

Jen Bradbury
Apr 10 · 5 min read

Notes from the Pandemic: The joy of walking

Pre-kids, my husband and I frequently took vacations centered around backpacking. Nature centered and anchored us. In nature, we felt closer to God and each other. 

After having Hope, we frequented the Morton Arboretum. But as Hope got older,...

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#Family #pregnancy #children #babies #Pandemic #Missions

Jen Bradbury
Oct 22 · 5 min read

An open letter to John MacArthur

Dear John –

You don’t know me, but your books have sat on my shelf long enough that I like to think of you as a friend so I‘ll call you by your first time.

Your book, 12 Ordinary Men, was hugely influential in my understanding of the apostles and...

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#vocation #Women #church #pregnancy #motherhood

Jen Bradbury
Nov 01 · 5 min read

Review: Loved Baby by Sarah Philpott, PhD.

Filed in Book Review

November 10.

It was my due date the first time I was pregnant. Only I never made it that far. Shortly after finding out I was pregnant, I miscarried and my world shattered.

Even now, nearly four years later, I still grieve that day. More often...

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#pregnancy #miscarriage #parenting

Jen Bradbury
Jul 05 · 5 min read

Presence, not protection

Today, I'm linking up with Kate Motaung's Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

This week's prompt: Protect 

Five Minute Friday 4 300x300

My pregnancy was fraught with complications.

After nearly...

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#Five Minute Friday #pregnancy #babies #motherhood #parenting

Jen Bradbury
May 20 · 5 min read

The importance of the nursing God

At a recent conference, I attended a workshop where, among other things, the presenter made the case for using gender-neutral pronouns to teach children and youth about God.

This is a debate that rages in a lot of circles. People fear that if we...

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#youth ministry #conferences #motherhood #babies #pregnancy #breastfeeding #travel #Women #scripture #Missions

Jen Bradbury
May 16 · 5 min read

10 Things I've Learned In My First Year of Motherhood

Baby girl turns one on Sunday, a milestone which has left me feeling nostalgic. There's so much I want to capture about this first year; things I fear I will forget in a year in which scrapbooking has fallen by the wayside.

During my pregnancy, I...

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#Jesus gap #pregnancy #babies #breastfeeding #motherhood #parenting #youth ministry

Jen Bradbury
Oct 13 · 5 min read

Sexism and the Bible

My teens care deeply about issues that affect the marginalized in society. They long to make sense of what their faith says about such things and wrestle with how they can make a difference in regard to these issues. To that end, my student...

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#youth ministry #student leadership #Women #racism #hope #youth pastor #pregnancy #discussion #Teaching #Jesus #scripture

Jen Bradbury
Jul 23 · 5 min read

The Maternity Leave Sabbatical

Maternity Leave

Eight weeks ago, I had a baby girl, Hope.

My pregnancy was wrought with all kinds of trouble and fear.

As a female youth worker, one of my early fears was how my church would react to the news.

I hoped it would be unashamedly excited for me,...

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#babies #pregnancy #miscarriage #youth ministry #Women #brave #Missions #breastfeeding #c-section #Prayer #maternity leave #gratitude #parenting #church

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youth ministry books church Jesus parenting Missions scripture student leadership Leaders youth pastor babies Pandemic worship Prayer toddlers

Latest Posts

  • Is this the end of short-term missions?
  • Notes from the Pandemic: Exhaustion
  • Notes from the Pandemic: The joy of walking
  • An open letter to John MacArthur
  • Review: Loved Baby by Sarah Philpott, PhD.
  • Presence, not protection
  • The importance of the nursing God
  • 10 Things I've Learned In My First Year of Motherhood
  • Sexism and the Bible
  • The Maternity Leave Sabbatical

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