These Old Shoes was inspired by a farewell message that I presented at Fountain of Life Church in Saraland, Alabama on May 15, 2011. It was not a typical farewell message, because I was stepping out of my old shoes as music director and my daughter, Alisa, was stepping into them. On this day, during the choir's final song, I stepped out of my shoes and she stepped into them. My wife, Kathy, and I draped my prayer shawl (Elijah's mantel) around Alisa's shoulders and walked off of the platform. These Old Shoes is intended to remind Alisa, and all of us that no matter where our path may lead, God has given us the shoes we need to press on to victory! Barry Amacker is currently the Superintendent of Education of the Jackson County School District in Mississippi and currently lives in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Previously, he has served as a band director, assistant principal, and principal in the Mobile County Public School System in Mobile, Alabama, and as a principal, and assistant superintendent in the Jackson County School District. After graduation from Moss Point High School, he attended the University of South Alabama and earned a bachelor of science in music education. Later he earned a master's in education from the University of South Alabama and a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University. Along with maintaining his professional career in education, Barry has served as minister of music at various churches throughout the years. He was also a part of the Gospel Four, a family group with various other musicians. While in the Gospel Four, Barry wrote several songs that were recorded by the group. Barry and Kathy have a daily radio program, Power to Press On, covering the southern counties of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

But all the kids are wearing them! Any child who has ever craved something out of reach will relate to this warm, refreshingly realistic story. Features an audio read-along. "I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes." All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy’s grandma tells him they don’t have room for "want," just "need," and what Jeremy needs are new boots for winter. When Jeremy’s shoes fall apart at school, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, the boy is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has -- warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend -- are worth more than the things he wants.

The Old Shoes is a story about how love changes everything, how art can be a template for healing, how beauty transforms the soul, how support comes from unexpected sources, and how reincarnation can be a manifestation of dreams and a harvesting of seeds planted long ago. Through the lens of art, life ends and begins anew. Mya, an abstract artist of the twenty-first century, epitomizes the soul's longing for connection, for community, and for communion with all that is. She jump-starts a healing process by facing a life crisis triggered by the past. Souls outside time and space come together to lead her to the validation she so desperately needs in order to trust again. Always in the background are the letters of Vincent van Gogh along with Michelangelo's search for beauty and self-acceptance. Weaving in and out of the years, angelic messages add perspective and clarity to human perception and understanding. The revelations span fifteen years, walking through doors and crawling through windows to get to the golden gate. The door opens. The door closes. The cat meows. The fracture becomes a fractal pointing to the whole.

The first of the crime and mystery series - Jane Hetherington's Adventures in Detection Need to identify a strangely generous safe breaker or locate a boyfriend gone walkabout? Lost a family heirloom and have to find it in a hurry? Want to establish if a loved one's telling the truth? Need to find a missing neighbour or discover how a body ended up at the bottom of a multi-storey car park? contact: [email protected] Contains: skulduggery, confectionery, mystery, a library, the stipendiary and some things slithery

The American cowboy emerges from these pages as a recognizable human being with little resemblance to the picturesque inventions of the horse opera. Ramon F. Adams, a highly respected authority on the old West, talks straight about what the cowhand really did and thought. His cow-punching, broncobusting, trail driving; his rodeo riding, poker playing, socializing; his horse, guns, rope, clothing, sleeping bag; his eating and drinking habits; his attitude toward God, women, bosses; his unwritten code of conduct—everything about this vanished breed is told with absorbing authenticity, in the rich and varied lingo of the range.

Description of the author's journey on the steamship Kong Halfdan.

This book is very uplifting and inspiring. But most of all, you are the main character of this book. Every event in this story plays out a role in your own life. It has many lessons to be learned, which we can teach and pass down to our children, such as value, moral, and most of all unconditional love. This book tells a story about how the main character, the red shoes, has to make a serious decision and take journey into the unknown that will determine its fate. The rest is up to you. I know you will love the story and love the beautiful illustration. Most of all, your family and friends will enjoy reading this book over and over again. Sincerely, Maria Reza The Author