Years ago, on one of my first river rafting trips, a school teacher in the group gave me this advice: Always try to keep your oars dry. At the time, that made no sense to me at all, thinking I needed to keep my oars in the river so I could control the raft. With more experience, I began to notice how hard I was working to avoid rocks. I would power from one side of the river to the other, sometimes over adjusting and needing to back up a little. I eventually remembered the advice from the teacher about keeping my oars dry. I learned to look downriver and move to a safer position earlier. This technique allowed me to relax more and use the current to help me get around rocks and obstacles. As I gained experience, I did not have to row nearly as hard to stay with the flow. And guess what? My oars were not in the river near as much, in effect, keeping them dry. Since that time, I have looked for those simple, seemingly innocent comments that can cause us to ponder about what we are doing and why. My hope for this story is to help others unlock the power and rewards of pondering, in order to understand the why's of our life experiences.

This is a book about knowing God. It is for those for whom just believing (or not believing) is no longer enough. Through personal experience, anecdote and story, a priest shares an ancient, but neglected aspect of Christian prayer. Contemplation takes us into the depths of the present moment, the only reality there has ever been and so the only place where God can be found. It takes us at different times into mystical oneness with the All, into profound self-knowledge and reveals love in the midst of the world.

Reading a translation of any book is just not the same as reading it in its original language and is adequately stated in the phrase "lost in the translation." Whenever a text is translated from one language to another it loses some of its flavor and substance. The problem is compounded by the fact that a language is tied to the culture that uses that language. When the text is read by a culture different from the one it is written in, it loses its cultural context. A Biblical example of this can be found in the Hebrew word tsur which is translated as a rock - "He only is my rock and my salvation, he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved" (Psalm 62:2, KJV). What is a rock and how does it apply to God? To us it may mean solid, heavy or hard but the cultural meaning of the word tsur is a high place in the rocks where one runs to for refuge and defense, a place of salvation. "The Living Words" is an in-depth study into the Ancient Hebrew vocabulary and culture of the Bible replacing the flavor and substance that has been removed from us.

The Western Abenakis live in Odanak, Quebec, and the Missisquoi Bay region of Lake Champlain. These two volumes present their language as it was spoken in the last half of the twentieth century. Written for non-linguists, they are indispensable tools for anyone who wishes to learn the language or is interested in the Algonquian family of languages.

Content in her father's wise kingdom, Princess Journee loves life but has one nagging question: Who is she? Yes, she is a mouse and a princess, but who is she really? With her adventurous spirit and her father's mighty steed to protect her, she goes on a quest to find herself. The adventure takes an interesting turn when she befriends a toad and an owl who tell her about a legendary Pond of Reflection known to reveal one's true identity. But first they must find it, if indeed it exists. Their friendship and appreciation for each other grow as they encounter difficulties along the way, and strange happenings in the ancient Whoami Forest. This adventure story is inspired by the Biblical Proverb 27:19 (NIV) and communicates the moral that identity and self-worth springs from the heart and character (our inside-out), and thus sincere friendship can happen regardless of how different outward appearance may be (our outside-in).

A family learns what home really means, as they leave one beloved residence and make a new home in another. A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People Home can be many things--a window, a doorway, a rug . . . or a hug. At home, everything always feels the same: comfortable and safe. But sometimes things change, and a home must be left behind. Follow a family as they move out of their beloved, familiar house and learn that they can bring everything they love about their old home to the new one, because they still have each other. This heartfelt picture book by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard is richly illustrated by former Pixar animator Chris Sasaki. A BookPage Best Book of the Year A Bank Street Best Book of the Year