Books
Robert and Sharon are retired teachers who make a yearly pilgrimage to the idyllic Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. They are committed to their annual trip, almost as much as they are committed to each other. Their journey to San Miguel often corresponds with the migration of the monarch butterflies to the Michoacán state.
But this year is different. Robert has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the couple must now question their continued travels, as well as their remaining time together. Cancer can be a quick killer, and no one can guarantee Robert’s health or how much time he has left. Even so, the magic of Mexico calls, and the couple finds it difficult to resist, despite Robert’s declining strength.
Mexico provides a temporary remedy for their bitterness and anger aimed at the unpredictability of life – a bitterness that must pass in order for their love to endure. Just like the monarchs, they too must migrate, sooner or later.
This book has been reviewed on Goodreads.
Paul Brager is twelve when his father tells the story of Iduna and her apples. Mr. Brager always tells stories before bed to entertain Paul’s little brother, Adrian – a ritual that has become even more important since their mother died. Iduna was a goddess who grew apples that made the gods younger and stronger, but one day she disappeared, along with her apples. Paul doesn’t think much of the myth; he has other things on his mind.
Paul and his best friend, Chad Tremblay, are excited to start the school year as seventh graders at Dorian Heights Public School. Even when they hear about the new principal, Mr. Theisen, they aren’t worried about ending up in his office. When Paul finally meets the principal, however, he finds him to be strange, mysterious, and extremely fond of apples. That’s when things start going wrong.
Theisen develops an uncomfortable interest in Paul, claiming he once knew Paul’s father. It becomes apparent to Paul and Chad that Theisen is after something, maybe some kind of treasure – and it involves the Brager family. Paul believes his family must be protected and that Theisen must be stopped. Still, he can’t get the story of Iduna’s apples out of his head; there seems to be an odd connection to the tale his father told. He and Chad want to know the answers, but learning them may put their lives in danger.
This book has been reviewed on Goodreads.
There are birds, Javier’s grandfather has told him, that can brace the violence of storms by flying above the clouds.
Javier is in his last year at King George Middle School, looking forward to attending high school next year. But there are a number of obstacles in his way, one being the troubled relationship of his parents. In fact, pressures in life have caused Javier’s father to turn to alcohol as an outlet that results in friction between him and his son.
As a temporary band-aid to their conflicted lives, Javier and his mom flee on a trip to Mexico where his mom was born. Through uncanny circumstances, they run into Mr. Cameron, one of Javier’s supply teachers at King George.
Through a series of even stranger incidents, Javier and Mr. Cameron end up on a deserted island in the Caribbean. Here, they begin to see in each other a different personality that was not so present in the classroom.
It is also on the island that Javier learns the dark secret that Mr. Cameron has been harbouring; a secret that, once revealed, teaches Javier that people everywhere, not just him, must cope with their own tribulations and stay above the storm.
Just as each child of God has a unique story to tell, each congregation and church family can also sing the song of the redeemed. Whether a congregation is a young church plant or a community of faith like Holt FMC that has celebrated 100 years, the story of a church is one that needs to be told.
God has done remarkable things in the history of Holt FMC. A church began in 1909 saw revival happen just 6 years later. In 1915 there was a 14-week revival that saw 80 people come to faith. In 1943 another revival took place when Sara Gregory preached each night from December 1st to the 22nd. During the pandemic of 2020, the people of Holt FMC remained united, hopeful, and adapted to change with courage and confidence. God led this church through times of prosperity and times of uncertainty. God has been with each generation at this church and we know that God will continue to be faithful even as we move into the future.