The Word and Wax, second edition


Book Description

The Word and Wax by Rena Jeanne Hanchuk explores the fascinating medical folk ritual of wax pouring used by some members of the Alberta Ukrainian community as a means of driving away fear and curing minor ailments. The ceremony is of the magico-religious and oral-incantational genre of folk medicine, incorporating Christian as well as non-Christian imagery. The Word and Wax is essential reading to anyone interested in the rich folkloric tradition brought to Alberta by early Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. The volume includes transliterations of the incantations of nine wax healers who practice or have practiced in Alberta. Among Ukrainians in Alberta, ethnography is the study of everyday people in cultural context. It involves the study of songs and stories, material culture, customs, art, and all types of traditional elements in life. Customs at Christmas, at weddings and other special times reveal the soul of a community. Ukrainian folklore has been associated with the study of village traditions in previous centuries; now it also includes twentieth-century culture, both in Ukraine and in Canada. The Canadian Series in Ukrainian Ethnology publishes scholarship dealing with the culture and folklore of Ukrainians and Ukrainians in Canada. It is published jointly by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and the Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta.




Starting in the Middle


Book Description




Wax


Book Description

Paraffin, Vermont, is home to the Grosholtz Candle Factory. There, seventeen-year-old Poppy finds something dark and unsettling: a room filled with dozens of startlingly lifelike wax sculptures. Later, she’s shocked when one of the figures—a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to know what he is—jumps naked and screaming out of the trunk of her car. Poppy wants to return him to the factory, but before she can, a fire destroys the mysterious workshop. With the help of the wax boy, who answers to the name Dud, Poppy tries to find out who was behind the fire. Along the way, she discovers that some of the townspeople are starting to look a little . . . waxy. Can they extinguish the evil plot?







While We Were Watching Downton Abbey


Book Description

From the bestselling author of My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding comes a novel about four friends who share a passion for a beloved British television show that will change all of their lives. When the concierge of The Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings of Downton Abbey, four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and—even more unexpectedly—with each other... Samantha Davis married young and for the wrong reason: the security of old Atlanta money—for herself and for her orphaned brother and sister. She never expected her marriage to be complicated by love and compromised by a shattering family betrayal. Claire Walker is now an empty nester and struggling author who left her home in the suburbs for the old world charm of The Alexander, and for a new and productive life. But she soon wonders if clinging to old dreams can be more destructive than having no dreams at all. And then there’s Brooke MacKenzie, a woman in constant battle with her faithless ex-husband. She’s just starting to realize that it’s time to take a deep breath and come to terms with the fact that her life is not the fairy tale she thought it would be. For Samantha, Claire, Brooke—and Edward, who arranges the weekly gatherings—it will be a season of surprises as they forge a bond that will sustain them through some of life’s hardest moments—all of it reflected in the unfolding drama, comedy, and convergent lives of Downton Abbey.







A Long Line of Messed-Up Fathers and Sons


Book Description

I have a good friend that I have observed over the years and admire his many accomplishments. He is a best selling author, a successful pastor, a motivational speaker, and seems to have excelled in about every area of his life. I would never wish any of these things to be taken away from him, but I must confess there have been times in my life when I was a bit envious. The one major difference between his life and mine was that he also had a tremendous father who had also been a successful pastor, a college president, and a much sought after professional speaker. I said to myself, “ If I had a father like he did, I could have accomplished much more in my life.” The words barely came out of my mouth when I heard God say in my spirit, “Well, you didn’t have a father like he had, but you can be a father like he had.” Those words spoken so clearly to me that day have prompted my efforts over the last forty years to try and be a good dad. They were the genesis of this book. I wish that I could say that I flipped a switch that day and was a great dad all of a sudden, but that’s not the way it played out. I am better than I was but I am still not what I would like to be. My prayer is that something may be said here that will challenge you to try to be a better dad. As I said it is something of a process, or maybe a journey would be a better way to describe it. My advice? Keep walking in the right direction. Don’t stop, even when you fail, and you will fail, we all do, just get back in there and keep on keeping on. You have my love and prayers. Feel free to connect with me on Facebook. Bob




Things Not Seen


Book Description

True faith is hard. More than mere sentimentalism, faith often calls for a deep and resilient trust in God—especially when the going gets tough and the road is dark. In Things Not Seen, author Jon Bloom encourages readers with 35 imaginative retellings of stories from the Bible that illustrate the importance of living by faith. A follow-up to the author's previous book, Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith, this inspiring volume explores the lives of Abraham, Moses, Saul, John the Baptist, and more—helping readers remember God's promises, rely on his grace, and follow his leading regardless of the circumstances. The book includes a foreword by popular author and blogger Ann Voskamp.







Not by Sight


Book Description

Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.