"Jacob Gallagher takes his family--and all of us--on an epic journey from the moment he was born. He teaches love in a deeper way, hope in a more robust nature, and faith in a profound sense. This book is must-read for all families who seek a spiritual framing to their life journey."
―Brian G. Skotko, M.D., M.P.P., medical geneticist, Massachusetts General Hospital, assistant professor, Harvard Medical School

“With wit, compassion, and fierce tenderness, Jeff Gallagher, a seasoned pastor and devoted father, shares the joys and challenges that only an insider can know about how the birth of a child with Down syndrome can teach a family and an entire congregation to appreciate the gift of being just like the rest of us: God’s ‘perfectly imperfect.’”
―Marvin M. Ellison, ethicist and author of Making Love Just: Sexual Ethics for Perplexing Times

"Jeff Gallagher speaks with passion and certainty about his child and God’s grace, yet is refreshingly candid about what he does not know about either. Following the Gallaghers’ journey in 'real time' with Jeff’s blog posts to frame the story gives the reader an opportunity to connect with the family’s emotions and live their journey, even if it was years ago. This exercise alone was rewarding.
Jeff’s evolution with Down syndrome and his faith and worldview are discussed as if having coffee with the reader, not as pronouncements of doctrine from his pulpit. Jeff writes, 'I believe faith compels us to make a difference in this world.' Wilderness Blessings will make a difference, especially if you’ve ever questioned how disability and God intersect."
―Joe Meares, Founder of Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome

"Wilderness Blessings is a first-person account of one family’s journey from expectation, through fear, to perfect blessings granted in an imperfect world. It’s also the story of the loving relationship between one pastor and his congregation, played out at the intersection of distance and closeness, boundaries and need, public and private life. Parents of perfectly imperfect kids, pastors who must live private struggles publicly, and congregations wondering how best to love their leaders through the struggle will all find something here to help them through the wilderness."
―Quinn G. Caldwell, author of The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ and part of the United Church of Christ's popular Stillspeaking Writers' Group

"Jeff Gallagher's book is written in good pastoral style: a kind of verbatim, or theological reflection, on the first year of his son Jacob's life. Using email updates from those days, with added reflections, we are able to companion Jeff and Kristen, Noah and Jacob, and all their extended family and caregiving system, through the beginning transformative process of being a family which includes a child with Down syndrome. Both informative and heartwarming, Wilderness Blessings should appeal to all who are interested in learning more about Down syndrome from a parent's vantage point, particularly a parent who has the advantage of deep pastoral skills and considerable theological reflective capacity. As a parent of an adult child with significant disabilities I can affirm both the title and the experiential substance of Wilderness Blessings. I heartily recommend it."
―Rev. Dr. Peggy Davis, co-chair, United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries Board

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