God's Extraordinary Multiplication

Yesterday, I heard a friend preach on laity Sunday. She might think of herself as ordinary, but she declared in an extraordinary way that God is a God of multiplication! This PBT post is inspired by her. 

Picture Book: Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed

Author: Emily Pearson

Illustrator: Fumi Kosaka  

Summary: This story will inspire you and your kids to bless the world! It begins with a random act of kindness. Ordinary Mary sees an ordinary blueberry bush and picks ordinary blueberries for her neighbor. 

Mrs. Bishop is delighted so she responds with her own act of kindness: blueberry muffins for 5 friends. The number 5 is important in this story. You'll see why later. 

One of Mrs. Bishop's friends is her paperboy Billy. Instead of throwing papers in the bushes, that morning he hand delivers them. 

Mr. Stevens, who is leaving on a trip, receives his paper from Billy and is inspired to smile the entire 10 hour trip and help 5 people with their baggage! 

Maria and her little boy James are glad for Mr. Stevens' help and smile. Maria and James spread the joy to 5 people while shopping. They give some oranges to Joseph who shuffles to his bus with a full heart. 

Sarah's heavy bag breaks so Joseph gives her a new one that he has made. Sarah decides to shine on 5 people today.

On a boat, Sarah encounters a very sad Sophia. Sarah compliments Sophia on her beautiful blue eyes. 

Such an affirmation has Sophia calling 5 people to show her love, including her son Tom. 

Tom decides to give 5 balloons to 5 children who are his patients. One of them is Peter who is thrilled with the balloons. 

While on his way, Peter helps Eric, a teenager who is struggling with groceries. 

Eric is so relieved he vows to help 5 people. His sister Di is the first. He teaches Di to ride his skateboard. Di decides to be a friend to 5 people that day. 

She chooses to buy a lunch for Louise, a homeless woman in the park. Believing she has nothing to give, Louise still determines to give something to 5 people. 

When she finds a wallet and returns it to the owner, Mr. Taylor gives Louise a job in his store. 

Also, Mr. Taylor gives a theatre ticket to Kate, a tourist who's heart was set on seeing a sold-out show. 

Kate is so inspired she vows to give 5 gifts. One gift goes to her little niece, Mary - Ordinary Mary! 

It's a circle story! How can this be? Multiplication! 

Mary's gesture led to a response to 5 people who all responded likewise, exponentially! Mary's small and random act of kindness grew and grew and grew!

In 16 days, Mary's generosity had spread to every person in the whole world. That's how Mary's ordinary love spread in such an extraordinary way. 

Hanna’s Comments: I took these photographs a while back and had an earlier version of the book. Try to find the 15^th anniversary publication (published in 2002 or later). In that version, some characters' gender, name, and ethnicity have been changed to reflect a diverse global view. Such characterizations better demonstrate God's extraordinarily diverse humanity. Earlier at PBT, I featured a book with a similar but simpler plot. You might want to read that post and consider Glenna's Seeds. There I also mentioned another similar book: One Good Deed. You have several options with this theme of God's multiplying ways.

Original Publisher & Date: Gibbs Smith, 2002

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 6 and up, 1^st and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet 

Scripture Connections: Connect this story to scripture stories about God's extraordinary model of multiplication such as... in Genesis 1:20-25 (living creatures); in Genesis 12 & 17 (Abraham and Sarah's descendants and blessings); and in all 4 gospels (loaves and fishes)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of children in your faith family and talk about how God might help them bless the world. Their acts of generosity and love paired with God's multiplying ways can spread farther than they can ever know. 

Goodness!

Picture Book: Most People

Author: Michael Leannah

Illustrator: Jennifer E. Morris

Summary: This picture book offers a contrast to the negative stories from the news media. It begins with these words: 

Sometimes the world seems scary, it's true. 

But most people are good people, just like you. 

Then you watch as 2 non-traditional families who are representative of "most people" enjoy lots of life's goodness. The day begins as breakfast is enjoyed by a single mother and her 2 children

as well as a couple of grandparents and their grandson. 

We learn they are all friends as we view them in their common community.  

We see goodness from a surprising  character 

and bad choices from a child and an unseen foul-mouthed character. 

The results of some more bad behavior are shown, but that's not the focus here. 

The author and illustrator offer a wonderful metaphor that is at the heart of their message: 

If you could line up all the people who want to be good and all the people who want to be bad, the good line would stretch from here to the tallest mountain. All the people in the bad line could crowd together in a dark and gloomy room. 

The overall message is that most people want to be good because there is a "seed of goodness" in everyone. We see this in the confession and redemption of the boy who stole.

As you read, encourage your audience to look carefully for all the goodness and label it with more specific words. Call these spiritual or religious practices. There's cooperation in the background via a community garden. 

A young girl is angry. We aren't told why.

But the daughter who we saw have breakfast earlier notices and responds with sensitivity and generosity. We are encouraged to do the same. 

Sometimes you follow a sub-plot from one page to another. Here the grandfather shops for pies while other good things happen around him.

On a later page, we see one of the reasons for his purchase. 

The book shows many good situations that most people enjoy.

These images will give your audience many prompts for personal story sharing after the reading.  

The conclusion is a fabulous double-page spread of the two families enjoying a meal together on their roof while many others are enjoying their lives in their homes below or on other roofs.

Hanna’s Comments: This is an antidote to the bad news and frightful images common in our world. It's not a "Pollyanna" view but a view with a winder lens that encourages folks to notice beyond the headlines, participate in the goodness, and be thankful. Be sure to point out that the author refrains from calling anyone bad, instead there are bad choices. Make a strong connection between the "seeds of goodness" which the author says are in everyone and the "image of God" the Abrahamic faiths believe are in all human beings. 

Original Publisher & Date: Tilbury House, 2017

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 5 and up, K and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet

Scripture Connections: Humans are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27); Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6); Oh, how abundant is your goodness (Psalm 31:19); Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8); …all things work together for good (Romans 8:28); The fruit of the Spirit is …goodness… (Galatians 5:22); Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to any group in your faith family who needs to be reminded of the goodness that surrounds us thanks to our God and the goodness God inspires in us. 

Boasting and Arrogance

Picture Book: Anton and the Battle

Author & Illustrator: Ole Konnecke

Summary: This book is about 2 boys, Anton and Luke, so the title is puzzling. But it does begin with Anton having a song in his heart. 

Then he meets Luke who has on a different sort of hat. 

Luke begins the boasting with a declaration of strength. 

Anton responds with his own declaration. That's when cleverly, the author/artist portrays the boys' imaginative claims as line drawings 

to demonstrate the ridiculousness of their boasts.

This begins a continual one-upmanship that eventually goes beyond strength to loudness

violence to each other, 

and violence to fierce animals. 

It gets a bit bloody in their heads. 

Despite their declarations of courage, a small puppy frightens both. 

For only a moment, they are in the same position, 

afraid and unsure what to do. 

But old habits die hard. 

As they brag about how much they can eat and drink, the dog wanders away.  

They head for home, but the dog returns. Boasts of speed end the story.

Hanna’s Comments: I was teaching a lesson to some elementary children yesterday at my church. I had set up a situation in which the children were to throw a paper ball into a box after answering a question or telling a story. One of the boys asked how you win. That’s what this book is about, our inclination to compare, boast, and compete. If like me you believe these inclinations are contrary to the scriptures, then this book is a great choice for you. Look below at a sampling of scriptures from across the Bible that address arrogance and boasting. These desires or so in grained in my American culture (I suspect in many others), that a cooperative game seems unusual, even at church. Lord have mercy on us all! Don't assume this is a book just for kids. Adults in your faith family would benefit from a discussion of these issues too, parents especially for the kids are watching and listening for models of godly behavior.  

Original Publisher & Date: Gecko Press, 2013

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 5 and up, K and up

Formats other than Book: None at present 

Scripture Connections: Besides any scripture about humility, especially Jesus' words, consider...They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. (Psalm 94:4); Let another person praise you, not your own mouth (Proverbs 27:2); …let not the mighty man boast in his might (Jeremiah 9:23); What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7); If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30); Boasting in your arrogance is evil (James 4:16)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of any age and explore your culture’s inclination to boast, compare, and compete, Then consider how these values contrast with biblical imperatives.