One cloudy day, feeling the urge to kick the dust of Kinsley, Kansas off our heels, Karen and I looked at each other and said "Why wait for tomorrow?" So we loaded up our car, and then, with our home of the past three years in our rear-view mirror, we said to each other "Let's go Exploring!" Not too far out of town I recalled the words of a lifelong friend - "You have such an interesting life." My reply to him was "If you are willing to let slip your anchor and set yourself adrift on the whimsical currents of fate, adventure is bound to happen!" But then, with a bit of melancholy, I recalled that I had also commented to him "I envy your roots. You have a sense of place and a bond with friends that someone like me In a Quest for Neverland, Brent and Karen explored New Zealand, as well as the United States and Canada. Along the way they discovered extraordinary beauty, heartfelt friendships, artistic inspiration, and thoughtful contemplation into the quantum nature of eternal souls.

Gwendolyn Carlisle loves fairies, perhaps too much. On her birthday, she receives the precious "kiss" necklace which has been passed down from mother to daughter ever since Peter Pan gave it to Wendy Darling. That night, Gwendolyn has the first of her visions—tantalizing, lifelike visions, almost as if she were actually in Fairy Haven. She sees animaltalent fairy Beck give a pie to wise Mother Dove and hears the voices of water-talent Rani and even Tinker Bell herself. More than anything, Gwendolyn wishes she could be there.

In this best-selling sequel to Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg, Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine and illustrator David Christiana spin a riveting fairy tale about the dangers of dreams come true.

When Esther was seven, she lost her parents in a car accident. Not having any other relatives, she went to live with Dolores, her seventy-eight-year-old grandmother. Before they were united, Esther had only met Dolores a couple of times. She was afraid, shy, distant, and would not talk to her. As weeks, months, and years went by, the tragic loss faded away in their memories. Esther was happy again and had told Dolores how much she meant for her. Unfortunately, it was not long before Dolores found out she had an advance cancer. In fact, her doctor said she only had months to live. How could she communicate this news to her now twelve-year-old granddaughter who saw her as her only hope? Dolores shared the news with the Parkers, her longtime neighbors, who took the responsibility to organize her funeral and find Esther a decent place to live. It was another shock when death unexpectedly knocked at the Parkers' door. Now she was on her own, and since there was no other way, she broke the news to Esther. The parentless child was sent to an orphanage, where later she was adopted by a black family called the Jacksons. They lived in Lamberg, a community in Maples inhabited by the country's wealthiest people. Esther registered to Lamberg High School. It was in this school she suffered another evil of life and later found out about the controversy that surrounded her new family.

Tonight Neverland is fleshed out with plenty of plant life, certainly bettering 2011's production of Jack and the Bean-Cactus. So, with no further ado, please put your hands together for J.M. Barrie's Christmas classic: Peter Pan! The inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society set out to present J.M. Barrie's classic tale of Peter Pan, their most audacious production to date. Flying? Pyrotechnics? Sharp hooks? What ensues is two acts of hysterical disaster. You'll laugh, they'll cry. Something so wrong has never been so right. From the mischievous minds of the West End and Edinburgh hit The Play That Goes Wrong comes this highly original, chaos-filled re-telling of J.M. Barrie's much-loved classic. Peter Pan Goes Wrong received its world premiere at the Pleasance Theatre, London, on 10 December 2013.

What is social visibility? How does it affect people and public issues? How are visibility regimes created, organized and contested? Tackling both social theory and social research, the book is an exploration into how intervisibilities produce crucial sociotechnical and biopolitical effects.

No Other Options. Desperate people stop Jesus in His tracks...think of the woman hemorrhaging for 12 long years, despondent that all remedies up to that point had proven worthless. The only option left for her was to grab the robe of the miracle man as He walked by. Jesus affirmed her courage, healed her, called her daughter, and blessed her in peace. Jesus admires your gut-honest desperation more than your religious self-sufficiency. It attracts Him like nothing else. What is your greatest place of desperation right now? Cruel circumstances, fractured relationships, bruised emotions and aching loneliness-God meets us in the desperate places of our lives, fights and delights to restore us, and sends us out into a world full of desperate people. "Honesty is what you will find as you advance through the treasures that await you in this unforgettable book. The words are not the hollow ramblings of an academic, but rather the wisdom of a man who writes from the depths of his quest to find meaning and hope in the darkest and loneliest circumstances you have ever endured. My life has been profoundly and deeply shaken by my friendship with Mike O'Quin. I invite you to read his meditations on human desperation. Prepare your heart. I dare say, you will never be the same."- Paul Richardson, author of A Certain Risk: Living Your Faith at the Edge (Zondervan, 2010) "One of the biggest dangers for the Western Christian is to wrap our lives in so much bubble wrap, that we no longer remain vulnerable, raw, broken and, most of all, dependent upon Jesus. Mike carefully removes the bubble wrap we have put around our own souls as he reminds us that it's only in our desperation that we can fully meet the perfect love that saves us. Growing Desperate reminds us that, in the same way Jesus noticed the desperate hemorrhaging woman, He notices our own, everyday brokenness as well, if only we would be desperate enough to reach up. After reading this book, you will be."- Jessica Honegger, founder and CEO of Noonday Collection "Growing Desperate offers a most inspiring and compelling insight into Jesus' promise of the Kingdom for the poor in spirit. It's well-written and cocked full of fascinating stories of Mike's experiences from his life and the lives of people he's served both in the U.S. and Indonesia. His winsome, transparent style of writing invites the reader to be more than OK with our own neediness. Most refreshing is Mike's call for us not just look inward but to also look outward to others who are needy. Mike lives what he's addressing in his book, thus it carries much authority." - Ron Parrish, author of From Duty to Delight: Finding Greater Joy in Daily Prayer "There are generally two types of writers who fill the pages of books in stores. The first are famous people who need some help to make their story readable. You'll buy the book 'cause you know who they are but struggle to finish reading their passable drivel. The second are people you've never heard of who have ridiculous writing talent. Imagery leaps off the page so vivid and real you forget you're reading. You're living the story. You can't wait to read more, wished it wouldn't end and ache to read it again. Mike O'Quin is that second type of writer. Even better, he's lived desperation from Austin to Indonesia. You'll feel his stories tugging at your soul. More importantly, you'll hear the voice of God calling you to a life that's richer, riskier and singing a new song."- Peter Nevland, author of Exposing the Psalms and I'm Going to be a Zebra The heart of why I wrote this book: www.faithactivators.com/why-i-wrote-this-book/

In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

Designed for integration into secondary U.S. history courses, the activities provide a format for the examination of law-related themes and issues. Themes explored include the conflict between individual and societal needs, the relationship of the individual to state and federal authority, individual rights, the shifting balance of power among the three branches of government, the influence of social and economic conditions on judicial decision making, and the U.S. constitution as an instrument of governance. The document is organized into four sections roughly corresponding to the chronological periods in most U.S. history courses: Colonial Period through Revolution, Growth of a New Nation, Civil War through Industrialization, and The Modern Era. Activities, which require critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and inquiry skills, include opinion polls/surveys, role plays, simulations, case studies, mock trials, appellate court simulations, adversary models, and learning stations. Many of the activities focus on landmark Supreme Court cases and modern cases to elucidate the meaning and judicial interpretation of the guarantees of the Bill of Rights. Topics include the Salem witch trials, lawful inspection, the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Dred Scott case, Plessy v. Ferguson, the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, the McCarthy era, and Watergate. Each activity includes an introduction, objectives, recommended grade level, time and materials needed, instructions, and masters for student handouts. (KC)