Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Tuesday Tome - Everybody's Normal



I am leading a three-session discussion group on John Ortberg's book, Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them. This book is a good companion to my fall teaching series.

BOOK CLUB SCHEDULE:
    Session 1: October 6, 6:30pm - Part 1, Chapters 1-3     
    Session 2: October 20, 6:30pm - Part 2, Chapters 4-7
    Session 3: November 3, 6:30pm - Part 3, Chapters 8-12

We will be meeting in the church office conference room. You are welcome to join us even if you are not able to attend all three sessions. Please let me know if you plan to participate.

A limited number of copies of this book selection will be available at the Valley Christian Church office and resource center. You can also purchase the book at Amazon.

Everybody's Normal: Till You Get to Know Them
'by John Ortberg
Not you, that’s for sure! No one you’ve ever met, either. None of us are normal according to God’s definition, and the closer we get to each other, the plainer that becomes. Yet for all our quirks, sins, and jagged edges, we need each other. Community is more than just a word—it is one of our most fundamental requirements. So how do flawed, abnormal people such as ourselves master the forces that can drive us apart and come together in the life-changing relationships God designed us for?

In Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them, teacher and bestselling author John Ortberg zooms in on the things that make community tick. You’ll get a thought-provoking look at God’s heart, at others, and at yourself. Even better, you’ll gain wisdom and tools for drawing closer to others in powerful, impactful ways. With humor, insight, and a gift for storytelling, Ortberg shows how community pays tremendous dividends in happiness, health, support, and growth. It’s where all of us weird, unwieldy people encounter God’s love in tangible ways and discover the transforming power of being loved, accepted, and valued just the way we are.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Monday Music - If We Confess




If we confess our sins
He is faithful and just
And will forgive us our sins
And purify us from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins
He is faithful and just
And will forgive us our sins
And purify us from all unrighteousness.

O Lord, I have sinned,
Touch my life, make me pure again.
I wanna walk in the light,
Renew my spirit, make it right again,
Deliverer, Redeemer, and Friend.

If we confess our sins
He is faithful and just
And will forgive us our sins
And purify us from all unrighteousness.

"If We Confess" from Songs for the Real World,
Words and Music by Dave Burkum, © Copyright 1992.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Sunday Supplication - Courage to Stand Firm

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear us than we are to pray. Your readiness to provide for our needs is greater than our readiness to live for your glory. You remove our fears, you graciously bless us, and you draw us into fellowship with you through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Thank you for your promise to forgive and purify us. Thank you for being the one who saves. Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ.  As you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

When we are afraid, O God, help us to be still and put our trust in you. When we feel like running in the face of challenges and obstacles, give us the courage to stand firm. Be our help, our shelter, and our deliverer.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday Favorites - The Cactus Blossoms


The Cactus Blossoms have been on tour for the past couple of weeks. Nashville, Bristol, New York, DC, and many more. They're playing at Knuckheads Saloon in Kansas City tonight.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Thursday Thinking - About Persecuted Christians


From US Holocaust Memorial Museum - September 15
"According to the United Nations, more than 1.5 million Iraqis have been displaced by the conflict since June 2014, most of them forced to flee because of their religious beliefs. Intentionally targeting a religious group for destruction constitutes genocide.
- - - 
"Known to many simply as the “Vicar of Baghdad,” Canon White has dedicated his life to fostering reconciliation between religious groups in a region where religion itself is one of the primary dividers of people. He is an eyewitness to the dangers so many face in a country that has seen ongoing sectarian conflict for more than a decade. For his efforts, he has endured great personal danger and has seen his staff targeted and even killed for their work. 

"Canon White first went to Baghdad in 1998, where he took over the helm of St George’s Church. Since then, he has transformed its congregation into a thriving community that now includes hundreds of Iraqi Christians. He was named the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy to the Middle East, has served as a visiting fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, and has received numerous awards, honorary degrees, and recognition for his reconciliation efforts."

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Wednesday Words - The Peace of Wild Things


When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.


"The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry, from The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry. Copyright © 1998.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Tuesday Tome - The Divine Conspiracy

Valley's book club on The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard begins tomorrow night. CLICK HERE for complete details. 
We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward all his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is to the core - which we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word "love".
___________________

Kingdom praying and its efficacy is entirely a matter of the innermost heart's being totally open and honest before God. It is a matter of what we are saying with our whole being, moving with resolute intent and clarity of mind into the flow of God's action. 
___________________
Many people have found prayer impossible because they thought they should only pray for wonderful but remote needs they actually had little or no interest in or even knowledge of. Prayer simply dies from efforts to pray about ‘good things’ that honestly do not matter to us. The way to get to meaningful prayer for those good things is to start by praying for what we are truly interested in. The circle of our interests will inevitably grow in the largeness of God’s love.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Monday Music - Your Word




How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living, by living according to your word.

I seek you, Lord, with all my heart–
Don't let me stray from your commands.
I seek you, Lord, with all my heart–
Don't let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word–
Hidden your word in my heart–
That I might not sin against you.
I have hidden your word–
Hidden your word in my heart–
That I might not sin against you.

How can a young man keep his way pure?

"Your Word" by Dave Burkum from Fireside, © Copyright 2006 by Dave Burkum. CLICK HERE to listen or buy.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Sunday Supplication - Change and Strengthen Us

O Lord God, we recognize your power and might. We believe you are the author and giver of all good things.  By your grace and mercy, place in our hearts a deep and true love for you. Help us to follow Jesus. Nourish us with all goodness. And help us to bear the fruit of good works as your Spirit does your transforming work in us.

We confess our sin and ask you to forgive us.  And beyond forgiveness, we ask that you would change us and strengthen us that we might overcome temptation and escape the sins that entangle and diminish us. We also ask for the grace and generosity to forgive others, even as you have forgiven us.

We thank you, O God, for saving and reaching out to us. Thank you for being a God of deliverance. Help us to embrace the calling we have in Christ and to find our purpose and fulfillment in him.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday Favorites - Ă–sten Lowe

My grandson, Ă–sten Lowe Burkum, has inspired an art installation in Melbourne, Australia. I'd say that's gotta be my favorite news story of the week.  It sure would be fun if we could get over there to see it. Hopefully there will be pictures or, better yet, another future show in the USA.

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ARTPLAY/WHATSON/Pages/5to8years.aspx#tiny

The Boy Who Loved Tiny Things (installation theatre) 
Artist: The Seam, Drop Bear Theatre and Zoë Barry

Do you have a favourite tiny thing?

Using clay and illustration, storytelling, magnifying glasses, projection and mirrors, come and investigate the secrets and stories that precious little objects hold. You will invent magical tiny objects through sculpture, projection and lighting.

Parents and grandparents - you can recreate your favourite, precious things, share your stories and create new ones together with your child or grandchild. Part treasure hunt, part storytelling theatre, part museum, become a scientist of the imagination, as you create a fantastical museum of tiny things.

These workshops are part of the development of a new theatre performance called The Boy Who Loved Tiny Things - your involvement in the workshop will help create the show. The work is inspired by and will be co-directed by Ă–sten Burkum, the original Boy Who Loved Tiny Things. Ă–sten is 9 years old and lives in Minnesota, USA.

This workshop is part of the ArtPlay New Ideas Lab program where artists are supported to develop new work for children and families.

Age: 7 to 10 years
Dates and times: Sunday 26 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm; 2pm to 4pm and Sunday 9 November, 2pm to 4pm
Cost: $15 per child 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Thursday Thinking - About Communion


The current issue of Christianity Today magazine has a nice piece about the Christian practice of communion–The Lord's Table. He covers a lot of ground in a small number of pages. I think you'll find some excellent food for thought––insights, reminders, meanings, and challenges––on this often misunderstood and potentially divisive meal Jesus gave us.

Table Manners: Why We Take Communion Every Week
At the Communion Table, we grasp the grace of God 
and our need for each other.
John H. Armstrong
Christianity Today / September 12, 2014

I attended church twice a week growing up. I had no choice. It’s not that I disliked church. But like many children, I struggled to understand much of what went on. Easily growing bored, I found ways to entertain myself. I doodled on the bulletin and occasionally timed the pastor’s sermon. I counted the overhead lights, wall panels, and segments in the stained glass windows. While I occupied myself with trivial activities, two details caught my attention: the baptismal pool situated above the choir loft behind the pulpit, and the white table at the center-front of the sanctuary, etched with the words, do this in remembrance of me. Something about the white table got me thinking: Why do we eat bread and wine at the table every few months? And who can eat it?

My church celebrated the Lord’s Supper (also known as Communion or the Eucharist) four times a year. I remember asking why we celebrated it so infrequently. The answer I got never satisfied, and it still doesn’t: “If we do this very often, it will lose its meaning.” Precociously I thought, It doesn’t seem to mean much to us anyway, so why worry about it losing any more meaning? As I grew older, I discovered some churches took the meal weekly. I was then even more dissatisfied with the answer I had received...

GO TO THE CHRISTIANITY TODAY WEBSITE FOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Wednesday Words - Porch Swing in September

The porch swing hangs fixed in a morning sun that
bleaches its gray slats, its flowered cushion
whose flowers have faded, like those of summer,
and a small brown spider has hung out her web
on a line between porch post and chain
so that no one may swing without breaking it.
She is saying it's time that the swinging were done with,
time that the creaking and pinging and popping
that sang through the ceiling were past,
time now for the soft vibrations of moths,
the wasp tapping each board for an entrance,
the cool dewdrops to brush from her work
every morning, one world at a time.

"Porch Swing in September" by Ted Kooser, from Flying at Night

© University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Tuesday Tomes - Valley Book Clubs

We're offering book clubs at Valley Christian Church this fall. Brad Dewing will be leading a ten-session discussion group for The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. That group begins on Wednesday, September 27.

I will be leading a three-session discussion group on John Ortberg's book, Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them. This book is a good companion to my fall teaching series. 

CLICK HERE for complete information about these book clubs. Thanks.

The Divine Conspiracy has revolutionized how we think about the true meaning of discipleship. In this classic, one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of our times and author of the acclaimed The Spirit of Disciplines, Dallas Willard, skillfully weaves together biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice, revealing what it means to "apprentice" ourselves to Jesus. Using Jesus’s Sermon of the Mount as his foundation, Willard masterfully explores life-changing ways to experience and be guided by God on a daily basis, resulting in a more authentic and dynamic faith.

In Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them, teacher and bestselling author John Ortberg zooms in on the things that make community tick. You’ll get a thought-provoking look at God’s heart, at others, and at yourself. Even better, you’ll gain wisdom and tools for drawing closer to others in powerful, impactful ways. With humor, insight, and a gift for storytelling, Ortberg shows how community pays tremendous dividends in happiness, health, support, and growth. It’s where all of us weird, unwieldy people encounter God’s love in tangible ways and discover the transforming power of being loved, accepted, and valued just the way we are.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Monday Music - One Lord, One Body



I need you, and you need me–
That’s the way it is in God’s family.
If you’re doing well, you’ll be my friend and guide;
If you need a hand, I’ll be at your side.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

And when I fall, you pick me up.
When I’m thirsty, you can fill my cup.
If you win, then it’s my gain-
If you’re hurting, I will share your pain.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

When you’re weighed down, I will share the load.
If you’re ever lost, I’ll help you find the road.
When I’m tempted, remind me what is right.
When I’m weary, please help me fight the fight.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

Together we’ll carry the light--
Shining like the stars in the heavens.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

"One Lord, One Body" words & music by Dave Burkum from the album, Fireside.  © Copyright 2006 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

http://www.valleycc.org/sermon-series-info.html

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Sunday Supplication - See Us Through

O Lord, help us to not to be stressed out over earthly troubles, but, instead trust that you will see us through. Even now, as we live among things that are passing away, help us to hold on to the things that last forever.

We confess our sins and we thank you for your faithfulness to forgive us and purify us. And as your grateful children, teach us and help us to be faithful to forgive others. May the grace of Jesus help us restore relationships, heal wounds, calm fears, forgive offenses, and resolve conflicts.

Help us, O God, to find our life and meaning and purpose in Jesus. We desire to surrender to him more and more. Give us the wisdom and the will to submit ourselves to you as we follow Him.

It’s in his name that we pray these things. Amen.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday Favorites - The Open Door

One of my happy discoveries of the year has been The Open Door food pantry. They are committed to ending local hunger and have distribution centers in Eagan and Lakeville. They also have a mobile food shelf that delivers in Apple Valley. I'm happy to say that Valley Christian Church is one of their new support and service partners.

I'm excited about their upcoming OctoberZest event. It's a great opportunity to have fun while learning more about their work and getting on board with support.

OCTOBERZEST!
Sunday, Oct 5, 2014  •  6 pm–9:30 pm
Lost Spur Golf and Event Center​
2750 Sibley Memorial Highway, Eagan MN 55121

The Open Door is the largest non-profit food shelf in Dakota County with food distribution across the south metro area. Families select their own food–no pre-bagged food. We value wholesome, nutritious foods for families, offering milk, eggs, dairy, meat, chicken, fish, bakery, fruits and vegetables. 70% of the food offered is fresh and perishable. Member of Second Harvest Heartland and Emergency Foodshelf Network food banks.


Thursday, September 11, 2014

Thursday Thinking - About Friendship

I'm starting a new teaching series on Sunday about belonging, community, and friendship. Throughout the series, I want to be as practical as possible. Yes, I want to include the theology and biblical precedent of community and relationships, but I want to devote a lot of time to the basic nitty-gritty how-tos of friendship in action. Friendship, like faith, without works is dead.

A recent post on Donald Miller's blog by Shauna Niequist has some very good reflections on active and communicative friendship. Let me give you some excerpts in the hope that you will be encouraged to read the whole post. Read it, think about it, and then do something!

...It doesn’t matter how you feel in your heart about your friends—what matters is showing those feelings through words and actions.
- - -
It’s so easy for me to feel warm, loving thoughts about friends or family members… and then go on about my day, never reaching out, sending a text, or setting a date to connect. 
- - -
The things we feel about one another so often go unexpressed, because we’re busy or thoughtless, assuming they know, assuming it’s more than clear.

READ THE ENTIRE POST @ DONALD MILLER'S BLOG



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Wednesday Words - A Prayer Among Friends

Among other wonders of our lives, we are alive
with one another, we walk here
in the light of this unlikely world
that isn't ours for long.
May we spend generously
the time we are given.
May we enact our responsibilities
as thoroughly as we enjoy
our pleasures. May we see with clarity,
may we seek a vision
that serves all beings, may we honor
the mystery surpassing our sight,
and may we hold in our hands
the gift of good work
and bear it forth whole, as we
were borne forth by a power we praise
to this one Earth, this homeland of all we love.

"A Prayer among Friends" by John Daniel, from Of Earth: Poems. © Lost Horse Press, 2012.


Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Tuesday Tomes - Teaching Series Books

Next Sunday, September 14, I'll be starting a new Sunday morning teaching series at Valley Christian Church. The series, You Belong Here, is aimed at giving people dozens of helpful and meaningful ways to connect with others in their church.

Though it's often assumed that making friends is something that comes naturally to people, my pastoral experience has shown me just how surprisingly difficult it is for many people––maybe even most––to make, keep, enjoy, and deepen friendships.  I've come to realize that being a good friend is a learned behavior.

If a church is going to experience true community, then the church must do all it can to cultivate and teach friendship skills. Learning to connect with others, to appreciate different kinds of friendship, and to guard and nurture relationships is a must for Christian maturity. So we're going to spend nine weeks talking about it and taking intentional steps.  Get complete sermon series info HERE.

Two books I'm recommending to people as companion resources for my new series are: Everybody's Normal by John Ortberg, and To Be a Friend by Jerry and Mary White. We'll have a few copies available at the church resource center, and we may have some reading groups.

______________________________

Everybody's Normal
by John Ortberg

From the Publisher's Description...
...How do flawed, abnormal people such as ourselves master the forces that can drive us apart and come together in the life-changing relationships God designed us for?

In Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them, John Ortberg zooms in on the things that make community tick. You’ll get a thought-provoking look at God’s heart, at others, and at yourself. Even better, you’ll gain wisdom and tools for drawing closer to others in powerful, impactful ways. With humor, insight, and a gift for storytelling, Ortberg shows how community pays tremendous dividends in happiness, health, support, and growth. It’s where all of us weird, unwieldy people encounter God’s love in tangible ways and discover the transforming power of being loved, accepted, and valued just the way we are.

______________________________

To Be a Friend
by Jerry and Mary White

From the Publisher's Description...
Friendship is not a rational process. While reasoning and discerning play a part in our choices of friends, feelings and emotions are strong elements as well. Much of the conscious development of our circle of friends rests on an understanding of the elements and foundations of friendship. There is no magic formula. Friendship choices rest on principles and concepts. Friendships take effort. They hold a bit of mystery. They can’t be manufactured. But they are priceless. Walk with Jerry and Mary White in To Be a Friend as they probe and discover together the great adventure of being and having friends.

Monday, September 08, 2014

Monday Music - World at the Top of the Stairs


Here's a song I wrote a long time ago about Page and Jack and the bedroom they shared in our old house in NE Mpls.  When I wrote it, I imagined how they might look back on those days way out in the future when they were older. Well, the future is now, and I still wonder how often they think about those childhood days. I know I do.



You take the top bunk, I'll take the one below —
So many years ago.
You be Luigi, let me be Mario —
Filling the floor with our Legos.

Goldfish, chameleons, and radio cars,
Bean-bag chairs;
Crickets sing under a ceiling of stars
In our world at the top of the stairs.

Turn on the Twins game; Let's play Monopoly —
Hours of you and me.
Paper and pencils, brotherly artistry —
Filling our walls and my memory.

Goldfish, chameleons, and radio cars,
Bean-bag chairs;
Crickets sing under a ceiling of stars
In our world at the top of the stairs.

The world where you chased Davy Crockett around
And I first saw a Hobbit's face—
And though it's been years, if I close my eyes,
I can climb the steps to that magical place of
Goldfish, chameleons, and radio cars,
Bean-bag chairs;
Crickets sing under a ceiling of stars
In our world at the top of the stairs.

“World at the Top of the Stairs” from If I Close my Eyes.
Words and Music by Dave Burkum, © Copyright 1994.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

Sunday Supplication - Good Stewards

O God, we need your help to be the people you want us to be. We ask your Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives to transform us and guide us in all ways. Help us to trust you with all our hearts.

Forgive us our sins. Help us to leave the darkness and love the light. Make us willing and able to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Help us to think, speak, and act in ways that restore lives, nurture relationships, create peace, and bring honor to you.

O Lord, help us to be a good stewards of all you have given us. Grant us the wisdom and the will to guard our hearts, feed our spirits, stimulate our minds, and care for our bodies. And help us, by faith, to do the good things you've prepared in advance for us to do.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, September 05, 2014

Friday Favorites - Rock Bend Folk Festival

http://www.rockbend.org/

The Cactus Blossoms will be performing at the Rock Bend Folk Festival in St. Peter, Minnesota on Saturday, September 6, 1:00pm. The weather is supposed to be PERFECT, so get over there tomorrow and enjoy the day!

Rock Bend Folk Festival Info

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Thursday Thinking - Tips for a Happy Life


In an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, Pope Francis listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life. They include slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace.

Which of these tips resonates the most for you? Would you take issue with any of them? Is there something important he failed to mention?

What follows is an abbreviated list. CLICK HERE to read a more complete report from Catholic News Service.

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same."

2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."

3. "Proceed calmly" in life.

4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said. "Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone.

5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said.

6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said.

7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'"

8. Stop being negative.
"Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy."

9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said.

10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic.

Complete Article: Catholic News Service

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Wednesday Words - August


The sprinkler twirls.
The summer wanes.
The pavement wears
Popsicle stains.

The playground grass
Is worn to dust.
The weary swings
Creak, creak with rust.

The trees are bored
With being green.
Some people leave
The local scene

And go to seaside
Bungalows
And take off nearly
All their clothes.

"August" by John Updike, from A Child's Calendar. © Holiday House, 2002.

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Tuesday Tome - A Child's Calendar

Once in awhile I add a beautiful children's book to my library. Few things are as enjoyable to me as reading a book with a grandchild or the child of a friend visiting our home. I admit that these books also delight me with nostalgic feelings and memories of my own childhood visits to the public library.

A new arrival to my children's book shelf this week is John Updike's classic, A Child's Calendar. Updike's arresting and winsome poetry accompanied by watercolor illustrations from Trina Schart Hyman make for a book that is much more than kid-stuff. That being said, I much prefer the original edition with illustrations from Nancy Ekholm Burkert. I'm baffled why that edition is no longer in print and is so difficult to find.  Some publisher really ought to re-release the original version.

In either case, A Child's Calendar is real poetry and real art and enriches the reader, whether child or adult. My suggestion and preference is that the book be read by both child and adult at the same time.

I'll post a poem tomorrow for Wednesday Words.

Monday, September 01, 2014

Monday Music - Penny Annie


She took a penny-
Hid it at the bottom of that tree.
She loves a mystery-
Loves to pique my curiosity.
White chalk arrows on the sidewalk
Say hidden treasure lies this way.
She’s got a childlike kind of wonder,
It’s something more than childish play.
And I’m sure to find that penny
If I look around with eyes that see like Annie.

Stillness and starlight,
Dragon helicopters in the reeds.
Earthworms and planets,
Mantis prayers and long forgotten creeds.
I can lose myself in wonder,
I can lose the time of day,
But if I ever lose the mystery
I will surely lose my way-
And the key to finding pennies
Is living life with open eyes that see like Annie.

Are you a pilgrim?
Well, I’m a pilgrim too.
Are you finding pennies?
I've found quite a few.

We can lose ourselves in wonder,
We can lose the time of day,
But if we ever lose the mystery
We will surely lose our way-
And the world’s a shiny penny
For anyone with open eyes that see like Annie.

Yes, the world’s a shiny penny
For anyone with open eyes that see like Annie.

"Penny Annie" words and music by Dave Burkum, from the album, Breathe a Little Deeper, © Copyright 1999 by Dave Burkum. 
 ____________________________________

The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is the story of a dramatic year in Virginia's Roanoke Valley. Annie Dillard sets out to see what she can see. What she sees are astonishing incidents of "beauty tangled in a rapture with violence." Her personal narrative highlights one year's exploration on foot in the Virginia region through which Tinker Creek runs. In the summer, Dillard stalks muskrats in the creek and contemplates wave mechanics; in the fall, she watches a monarch butterfly migration and dreams of Arctic caribou. She tries to con a coot; she collects pond water and examines it under a microscope. She unties a snake skin, witnesses a flood, and plays King of the Meadow with a field of grasshoppers. The result is an exhilarating tale of nature and its seasons.