​In keeping with my new-found resolution to only do children’s stories that my family loved for at least a year, I heartily recommend There’s an Alligator Under My Bed. Mercer Mayer who has written over 300 children’s books does a really lovely job with this one. I am 95% sure by the way this is written that Mr. Mayer is very young at heart! 

This one is about problem solving. The little boy in question imagines that there is an alligator under his bed, and, of course, his parents will not believe him when tells them that he can’t sleep because the alligator is there. And then the problem solving begins.

The boy decides he is going to trap the alligator. He goes to the fridge to get alligator bait and makes a trail with the food. The trail starts in his room and ends in the garage. The alligator cooperates when he sees all the delicious things the little boy has left out for him. He tumbles down the hallway, downstairs, and out the garage door. Once the alligator is in the garage he slams the door and locks it. He goes back to bed because now he can sleep!

Lying in bed, it occurs to the little boy that he really needs to tell his Dad about the alligator. The next page has the cute spread and three hand-written notes. “DEAR DAD THERE IS AN ALLIGATOR IN THE GURAGGE GARAGE. IF YOU NEED HELP WAKE ME UP”, “WARNING” with a backwards G, and “BE CAREFUL”.

I absolutely loved this story since I have boys. The other two reasons are that it truly is a great story, and it provides of an example of how little people can problem solve through their own challenges in life! I am sure the boy, Mercer Mayer, got a great night of sleep!

I have made an executive decision with the posting of this section of the blog to specialize in really fun and entertaining picture books. I am going to start this off with the Pete the Cat franchise. The book that started it all is called Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. This won a Dr. Seuss award and deservedly so! You can count down this rocking story that makes counting, colors, and clean humor entertaining for adults and children alike.

We start with a cat and a very cool shirt that has four differently colored buttons. But when one falls off, does Pete cry? Goodness, no! He just keeps on singing his song—after all, what could be groovier than three groovy buttons? Take a gander at this great little book and look the song or the book up on YouTube to consider it's brilliance.

Just to get you started, here is the beginning of the book...

"Pete the Cat put on his favorite shirt with four, big, colorful, round, groovy buttons. He loved his buttons so much he sang this song: 

My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons. My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons.

Pop! Oh no! One of the buttons popped off and rolled away. How many buttons are left? Three. 3. 4-1=3. Did Pete cry? Goodness no! Buttons come and buttons go. He kept on singing his song..."

Can you guess what happens at the end of the story? What is left in the end? 

i loved this for story for the modeling of handling emotions with young children. The Cat has an unusually positive outlook on life despite losing his buttons. What a great lesson to learn at a really young age! 

And I going to look up one of the newer books, Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues! 

This book is a winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award. Plus the fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song!

I am re-reading Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle for inspiration. I have read a number of her books over the years but this one goes down as the all-time favorite. Did you know that she wrote over 50 books of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and non-fiction? I loved A Wrinkle in Time, The Genesis Trilogy, and The Rock that is Higher. She was an amazing writer, and I believe Walking on Water is one of her best. 

Here are some highlights from the book that have stayed with me for years. 
First, let’s start with stories. “A friend of mine, a fine storyteller, remarked to me, ‘Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.’ Yes, God told stories. St. Matthew says, ‘And he spoke many things unto them in parables …and without a parable spoke he not unto them.’ When the powers of this world denigrate and deny the value of story, life loses much of its meaning, and for many people in the world today, life has lost its meaning, one reason why every other hospital bed is for someone with a mental, not a physical illness.” (P. 56)

This quote struck me in the midst of the COVID chaos. I know many of us are feeling less than quite whole at the moment. Mentally, I am reading more stories and watching more dramas. I need stories. Any dip into a story is healing for the mind, and our minds definitely need something with all the isolation that has gone on.

Another quote from the book that stands out is from Canon Tallis. “One time I was talking to Canon Tallis, who is my spiritual director as well as friend, and I was deeply grieved about something, and I kept telling him how woefully I had failed someone I loved, failed totally, otherwise that person couldn’t have done the wrong that was so destructive. Finally he looked at me calmly, ‘Who are you to think you are better than our Lord? After all, he was singularly unsuccessful with a great many people.’ That remark, made to me years ago, has stood me in good stead, time and again. I have to try, but I do not have to succeed. Following Christ has nothing to do with success as the world sees success. It has to do with love.” (P. 64)

That one kind of hurt because I could relate to it so well. Lately I have been reflecting on how ineffective I have been in teaching, leading, encouraging, and sharing Christ with others. The good news is that I am not even expected to be effective. I am expected to be faithful. I have expected to love others.

The chapter entitled A Coal in the Hand was also insightful. “We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are, to see through plastic sham to living, breathing reality, and to break down our defenses of self-protection in order to be free to receive and give love … Paul certainly wasn’t qualified to talk about love, Paul who had persecuted so many Christians as ruthlessly as possible; and yet his poem on love in I Corinthians has shattering power. It not a vague, genial sense of well-being that it offers us but a particularly, painful, birth-giving love … It is a listening, unself-conscious love, and many artists who are incapable of this in their daily living are able to find it as they listen to their work, that work which binds our wounds and heals us and helps us toward wholeness.” (P. 71-72)

This is true for me. Writing helps. It binds wounds. It helps me deal with reality. It moves me towards wholeness. It helps me enter the narrow gate of heaven. It shows me I can walk on water. 

The last chapter is Feeding the Lake. This last chapter is all about vulnerability. It starts by describing Christ’s vulnerability. “We are, ourselves, as little children, and therefore we are vulnerable. We might paraphrase Descartes to read, ‘I hurt; therefore I am.’ And because of the great affirmation of the Incarnation, we may not give in to despair.” (P. 229)

I hurt; therefore I am? In all honesty, this makes sense. We are all on the winding road called life. We all hurt from something. The question is whether we wallow in it or not. 

I may wallow in hurt for a while, but I do eventually pick myself up, dust myself off, and get on with life. I doubt I am making great art, but I know I am working through my pain.

Some of the greatest artists of the past were able to overcome their hurt with their art. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. “Milton could have retreated into passive blindness and self-pity instead of trying to patience of his three dutiful daughters and any visiting friends by insisitng that they write down what he dictated.” (P. 232).

Beethoven was going deaf when he wrote the Ninth Symphony. “Beethoven could have remained in the gloom of silence instead of forging the glorious sounds which he could never hear except in his artist’s imagination.” (P. 232). 
​
What does Madeline L’Engle discover? Over and over, her reflections come back to the fact that she is a Christian. She is an artist, and she is a Christian.

This book invites you to journey into mystery and beauty. She is earthy, passionate, and holy. She is worth following because she followed Jesus. This is so worth the read or re-read! 

This lovely little Christmas tree has become a part of our Christmas traditions. Ann Voskamp wrote this book of devotions in response to requests from customers about The Greatest Gift, which I wrote about last week as a poem. The customers wanted something interactive for their children and shorter. This is what she came up with.

When you open it, the tree pops up. The little Christmas tree ornaments all correspond to the story told in the devotions.This is a must-have if you like Jesse tree traditions. These traditions tell the story of Jesus from the Old Testament into the New Testament. Each and every story relates to Jesus and his coming to earth as the greatest gift. 

And this is how it starts:

​"This is the most amazing story ever told about a family - about Jesus' family. The family includes a king named David - and it includes your family too! This is a story about a family that was big like a tree, with branches that reached to the sky!

But this family got into trouble. (You'll be surprised!) This family didn't always love God. (You'll see). And when that happened, it was like their family tree kind of crashed, leaving only a stump.

But guess what? The most fabulous, marvelous, miraculous thing happened. A Baby was born into that family - a Baby who like  a teeny, tiny leaf that grew out of that tree stump that looked dead. And Jesus like the biggest tree full of love you've ever seen! This was God's great plan all along. He wanted to wrap you in the warmest, most amazing love, like the biggest hug you can imagine.

But sometimes miracles don't start big, like a humungous tree. Sometimes miracles start out small, like a new life - or a tiny baby.

That's how it was with the miracle of God's son. Jesus comes to our little-yet-big miracles. He makes himself small - so small He can fit inside our own hearts. 

His love is all around us. Can you feel it?

His miracles are all around us. Can you see them?

His love goes down deep into our hearts, like roots. Can you even believe it?

Dear Jesus, thank you for the miracles all around me. Thank you for bringing good things out of things that look dead. Most of all, thank you for you unstoppable love for me! Amen."

​I have never been comfortable with the claim that only certain people are selected by God for salvation and holiness. I believe that God wants all of us to believe, be saved, and become holy. Responsible Grace: Exploring John Wesley’s Theology is one of those books that explains John Wesley’s thought but does not polarize the views on this, a rarity in academic circles. 

I am taking a class entitled “Exploring John Wesley’s Theology” with Nazarene Bible College and we are required to read Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology. I read most of this book last week and I have to say that it is very good and very balanced. John Wesley was astute as finding a middle way between polarized views. This author, Randy L. Maddox, is also great at describing the different viewpoints and then describing Wesley’s viewpoint as somewhere between the two. Maddox has his own middle way, perhaps influenced by Wesley's thought. 

The book covers views a myriad of topics that all deserve exploration. It starts by going relating human knowledge and Wesley’s quadrilateral thought of scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. The second chapter explains the nature of God and Wesley’s view on God as Creator/Sustainer, provider, governor, physician, and judge. The third chapter is entitled Humanity’s Need and God’s Initial Restoring Grace. This chapter is the heart of John Wesley’s thought.

"Wesley's most fundamental conviction about human life was that we are created and dependent beings. Our very existence and all of our faculties are gifts of God's grace" (p. 67). It all begins with God, but we are responsible to respond to this grace. I do not believe we can do this perfectly, but we are called by him to respond.

​The fourth chapter is about Christ - The Iniative of Responsible Grace. It talks of Wesley’s view of Christ as atonement for sin, and explains Christ as a priest, a prophet, and a king or physician. This also touches on Christ’s nature. Other chapters include Wesley’s view on the Holy Spirit, grace and human response, how human response to grace builds on itself, the means of grace and response, and the triumph of responsible grace. 

As previously stated, I find that Dr. Maddox is very adept at avoiding predetermined positions and relating things as he finds them - a rare attribute that comes across openly and honestly. This book is a definite essential for those who would understand the real value of holiness doctrine and theology - and not be disheartened by those who simply dismiss it with cryptic shots from the hip after expounding their own views.

This is probably the only textbook I would recommend to the general public. Go ahead and pick up the classic work on John Wesley's theology. 
​

The Dot and the Line by Norton Juster is one of those books that you keep coming back to. It is just so wonderfully written, funny, and it does get to the point as the line does eventually romance the dot.

Here we go…

Once upon a time there was a sensible straight line who was hopelessly in love with a beautiful dot. But the dot, though perfect in every way, only had eyes for a wild and unkempt squiggle. All of the line's romantic dreams were in vain, until he reimagines himself.

He reimagines himself a celebrated daredevil.

He reimagines himself as leader in world affairs.

He reimagines himself as a fearless law enforcement agent.

He reimagines himself as potent force in the world of art.

He reimagines himself as an international sportsman.

But he grows tired of the self deception. And then he discovers...angles!

Now, with newfound self-expression, he can be anything he wants to be--a square, a triangle, a parallelogram....And that's just the beginning!

He becomes mysterious, clever, dazzling.

He becomes profound, complex, erudite.

He becomes eloquent, versatile, and enigmatic. 

And the dot starts to notice how he has changed.

The dot realizes that what she thought she had with the squiggle was freedom was actually something else. She sees the squiggle as untidy and graceless. She sees anarchy and sloth were there once was love.

She goes to be with the line. 

"Do the one with all the funny curves again, honey," she cooes softly as they softly stroll away.

And they lived if not happy ever after at least reasonably.

This book is a gem. Norton Jester has won the Caldecott Medal. This story is hilarious and his others books are definitely going to make you smile! Check your local bookstore to pick it up.

This absolute treasure of a book follows Sarah's Clarkson "This Beautiful Truth", which I wrote about last month. Sarah was writing about the problem of pain and how God's goodness can break into our darkness. Contemplating beautiful things, like this book, is just one way that God can break in and give some light to those of us who feel things a little too heavily. 

I also connected to this book because it is celebrating something lost within a language, a form of linguistic revival that I find very effective. 

Robert McFarlane, a professor from Cambridge, wrote this book when he found that the people who were compiling the Oxford English Dictionary were replacing words like acorn and adder with more computer related terms. It's a celebration of words that are no longer alive in the world of children.

It is filled with absolutely gorgeous illustrations of the lost word and an acrostic poem. Here are a few samples to get us started. This is the picture of the kingfisher.
​

And this is the text in the page beside the kingfisher...

Kingfisher: the colour-giver, fire-bringer, flame-flicker, river's quiver.

Ink-black bill, orange throat, and a quick blue back-gleaming feather-stream.

Neat and still it still on the snag of a stick, until with ...

Gold-flare, wing-fan, whipcrack the kingfisher - zingfisher, singfisher! -

Flashes down too fast to follow, quick and quicker carves its hollow

In the water, slings its arrow superswif to swallow

Stickleback or shrimp or minnow.

Halycon is its other name - also ripple-calmer, water nester,

Evening Angler, weather-teller, rainbringer and

Rainbow bird - that sets the stream alight with burn and glitter.


​Let's try another. Here is a picture of a dandelion.
​

And here is the accompanying text for dandelion...

Dazzle me, little sun-of-the-grass!

And spin me, tiny time-machine!                                                          (Tick-tock, sun clock, thistle & dock)

Now no longer known as 

Dent-de-Lion, Lion's Toothe or Windblow,                                                      (Tick-tock, sun clock, thistle & dock)

Evening Glow, Milkwitch or Parachute, so

Let new names take root, thrive and grow,                                            (Tick-tock, sun clock, rattle & dock)

I would make you some, such as Bane of Lawn Perfectionists

Or Fallen Star of the Football Pitch or Scatterseed, but

Never would I call you only, merely, simply, 'weed'.                                       (Tick-tock, sun clock, clover & dock)

It's a beautiful book illustrated by Jackie Morris. I would recommend this as a pick-me-up after a stress-filled day or as something to look at with young children. Children do look with awe and wonder and this book deserves that kind of attention!