Together: Thoughts and Stories About Living in Community

by Jeff Hampton

After being asked by the associate pastor of his church to write a weekly blog post, author Jeff Hampton jumped at the opportunity to offer up his thoughts on matters of faith—which he has now done for the past ten years. This act of deliberate writing has forced him to explore what he believes, and to consider whether or not he practices what he preaches. At his wife LeAnn’s suggestion, Hampton collected these blog posts into a book. It was then that LeAnn noticed that most of the writings were about community— not “community” as defined by the census bureau and the chamber of commerce, but rather all the different types of community in which we live. That includes family, friends, neighbors, churches, workplaces, towns, states, countries, races, and humankind. At different times we all live and interact in these communities—usually in several simultaneously. Jeff Hampton explores through his weekly personal writings how we all fit into and contribute (or not) to the communities to which we belong.

138 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

During a 30-year career in journalism and communications, Jeff Hampton has covered and written about topics ranging from business and finance to history and faith. His bylines have appeared in publications ranging from The Dallas Morning News to The New York Times.

The son and grandson of elementary school teachers and administrators, Hampton had his first piece of fiction published in a school district anthology when he was in the second grade in Richardson, Texas. After graduating from J.J. Pearce High School, he attended Baylor University where he majored in Journalism and was editor of the Baylor Lariat campus newspaper. He began his professional career at the Waco Tribune-Herald and has written for newspapers, magazines, businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.

Hampton's first novel, "Grandpa Jack," was published in 2013. The story about an ordinary citizen who becomes a third-party presidential candidate has gained strong reviews on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The book also has raised questions about his interest in politics, but he is quick to explain that "Grandpa Jack" is about the political process and not ideology, and his true passion will always be writing.

Hampton had two more books published in 2014: "The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane," a children's tale about what happens when you bully the wrong person; and "Jonah Prophet," an allegory on the Old Testament Book of Jonah set in the modern business world. In 2015 he published "When the Light Returned to Main Street," a collection of short stories with Christmas and holiday themes. A second edition with additional stories was published in 2019.

In 2017, Hampton published "Aransas Morning," a story of community and redemption set in the Gulf Coast town of Port Aransas, Texas. He followed in 2018 with a sequel, "Aransas Evening."

Coming in March 2021 is "Together: Thoughts and Stories About Living in Community," a collection of essays on the nature and meaning of "community" in all its many forms.

As a freelance writer, Hampton writes about architectural and design topics as well as trends in higher education for regional and institutional publications.

He currently lives and works in Garland, Texas, with his wife LeAnn.