Tassels Of Blue

The Author of this Book of Poetry was born and raised in rural Stephentown, in Upstate New York, with four older sisters, and a younger brother. As a country girl, Norma was always interested in Reading and Writing and being Outdoors with Nature. Her love of Poetry is reflected in this inspiring, and often humorous collection, spanning over five decades, where she shares some of her hopes, dreams and sorrows, giving the Lord Jesus Christ all the Glory. As a young Mother she was touched by the Holy Spirit when her children were required, with her help, to learn daily Bible verses for the Five Day Club held at their home by a Christian teenager from CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship). The verse she vividly remembers is Luke 19:10: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost". Shortly after that both she and her husband answered an Altar Call, at their local church, giving their hearts to the Lord. They did not know that the entire Church Body had been praying for their Salvation, as they had been taking their kids to Sunday School, but not attending! The Author's Enjoyment, along with her Eight Grandchildren and her two Living Children, include Bible Study, Crafting, Sewing, Music, Camping and exploring the New England Seashore and the Adirondack Mountains. A married lady of 52 years to a loving husband, this book will culminate her desire for this Collection of Poetry to be finally published. As a Contributing Author of several Anthologies, other Publications include Poetry published in the Barrister Magazine, The County News and Views, The Country Register, the Troy Record, and Quill Books. Norma and her husband Bill worship the Lord at New Hope for Life in the rural Town of Nassau, New York where the Holy Spirit has inspired many of her Poems and Songs of Praise included in this Collection.

James Kugel’s essential introduction and companion to the Bible combines modern scholarship with the wisdom of ancient interpreters for the entire Hebrew Bible. As soon as it appeared, How to Read the Bible was recognized as a masterwork, “awesome, thrilling” (The New York Times), “wonderfully interesting, extremely well presented” (The Washington Post), and “a tour de force...a stunning narrative” (Publishers Weekly). Now, this classic remains the clearest, most inviting and readable guide to the Hebrew Bible around—and a profound meditation on the effect that modern biblical scholarship has had on traditional belief. Moving chapter by chapter, Harvard professor James Kugel covers the Bible’s most significant stories—the Creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and his wives, Moses and the exodus, David’s mighty kingdom, plus the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, and on to the Babylonian conquest and the eventual return to Zion. Throughout, Kugel contrasts the way modern scholars understand these events with the way Christians and Jews have traditionally understood them. The latter is not, Kugel shows, a naïve reading; rather, it is the product of a school of sophisticated interpreters who flourished toward the end of the biblical period. These highly ideological readers sought to put their own spin on texts that had been around for centuries, utterly transforming them in the process. Their interpretations became what the Bible meant for centuries and centuries—until modern scholarship came along. The question that this book ultimately asks is: What now? As one reviewer wrote, Kugel’s answer provides “a contemporary model of how to read Sacred Scripture amidst the oppositional pulls of modern scholarship and tradition.”

An exploration of the first six books of the Bible through poetry, conversation and commentary. This unusual book offers a way in to the Bible and poetry which has probably never been attempted before.

A treasury of ethnic dress, this book ranges from the Amish of Pennsylvania to the Zulu of South Africa. Alphabetical entries cover more than 150 countries and regions, each represented by six or more illustrations. Six hundred drawings include images of men, women, and children. Captions describe the costumes and their associated traditions.