A Sprinkling of Star Dust: More Stories of Maybes and Might-Have-Beens

By Maureen Williams

" A Sprinkling of Star Dust" continues the tradition of taking a theme from the Bible and spinning a story around it in the same fashion as her first book, "The Whisper of feathers" with more stories of maybes and might-have-beens. Her stories are enjoyed by six year olds and by sixty and beyond.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781463437060

Maureen Williams

Maureen Williams loves the art of telling stories. Imagination is her favorite tool. "A Sprinkling of Star Dust" continues the tradition of taking a theme from the Bible and spinning a story around it in the same fashion as her first book "The Whisper of Feathers". with more stories of maybes and might-have-beens. Her stories are enjoyed by six year olds and by sixty and beyond. Many of her stories have come from Bible study as she taught Sunday School classes and schools of Christian Mission for United Methodist Women and lay speaking provides her with opportunity to preach her stories.. Her church activities have been a stable of her life;and her faith is a growing experience for her talent. Maureen and her husband of fiftyseven years live in Iowa and have five sons.

Book preview

Contents

Acknowledgements 

Introduction 

Imagination 

The New Song 

The Gift 

Bethlehem 

Flight of Moses 

Flight of Mary and Joseph 

The Signing 

Light 

A World in Darkness 

The Carpenter’s Son 

The Transition 

Desert Wilderness 

The Call 

The Parable 

Sudden Storm Rising 

Stepping Out in Faith 

If Only . . . . 

Jesus and the Children 

Dance 

II Samuel 6:12-19 

And We Cry Peace, Peace 

THE POTTER 

The Pot 

Adam’s Rib 

Sarah, Wife of Abraham 

Isaac 

Miriam and Moses 

Word, Wind and Fire 

Esther 

A Woman Named Mary 

Lydia 

The Way 

Woman Art—Woman Wealth 

Signs of Christmas 

Breaking Bread 

Grace 

Walking Home 

Foretold 

Powered 

Roses bloom in desert sands

Birds sheltered by the shade. 

Philippians 4:8 

The Interview 

Three Voices 

Keeping Holy Sabbath 

Breaking Down Walls 

A Prayer 

Joyous Hours 

A Travesty 

Gifted 

Spirit 

Spirit Led Prayer 

Christ Song 

Story of Jesus 

The Snowflake 

SPRING 

Cycles 

Poem-Making 

A Recipe for Life 

Finding God 

Wild Flowers 

Tiger Lilies 

National Flower 

The Eagle 

The Flag 

Shadow’s Shadow 

Wintering Birds 

Electric 

Sunset Confetti 

Power of Story 

Time 

A Visit from Susanna Wesley 

Keeper of Stories 

Nourishment 

Pride Goes Before a Fall 

An Invocation 

A Benediction 

Table Grace 

Morning Prayer 

Evening Prayer 

God of Light 

A Child of God Prays 

Do You Love Jesus? 

Psalm of Thanksgiving 

In Celebration 

Homing Instinct 

Home 

Counting the Cost 

Footnotes 

Acknowledgements 

Thanks to all those people who bought copies of my first book. The encouragement and kind words gave me courage to continue in the art of poetry and the gift of writing story. I thank the Council Bluffs public School system and Iowa Western Community College for teaching the skills necessary for writing.

Thanks to Author House personnel for their guidance and diligence.

Thanks to the many Sunday School teachers at Broadway United Methodist church who taught me about God, and the many classes at Fifth Avenue United Methodist church that challenged me to grow as both student and teacher. United Methodist Women, Schools of Christian Mission, Lay Speakers classes, workshops and study materials and my love of reading in the UMW Reading Program have all helped to hone my craft and sharpen my theology. There have been many pastors whose preaching enlightened or challenged or convicted me and I thank them all. Every pastor has some gifts to share and I pray that I be humble enough to learn from all that shepherd the congregation to which I belong.

The United Methodist Church has always had a strong emphasis on education for both ordained and lay people. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, established Sunday classes in 1700s for poor children who could not go to school. He believed it was important children learn how to read and write. Iowa has four United Methodist related colleges. Wesley instructed the circuit-riding preachers who traveled by horseback to take along a book and read as they travel. One advantage of circuit riders had over present day travel. We would not encourage reading while driving!

Wesley established weekly small group meetings as a way to track the Christian walk of congregations. A class member was accountable to the group. Women assumed leadership roles after the tradition of Priscilla and Lydia from early in our Christian history. The Quadrilateral was developed for discerning the will of God: Scripture, Reason, Experience, and Tradition. Laity and clergy alike were expected to use these theological guidelines when decisions needed to be made in both their private and their corporate life. Asking what does the Bible have to say about this? Does it make sense? What has been one’s past experience? How has the church traditionally taught on this subject? To whom are you accountable and what is their response to your dilemma? The congregation can be a supportive community in living a Christ-like life by keeping us focused and grounded in God and accountable to each other. I have found the United Methodist Church to be a blessing in my Christian walk and I thank the church and all those who have worked diligently to keep it strong and walking in the way and will of God.

Most of all, thanks to my husband, who builds me up when I am down and gives me the freedom to grow.

Introduction 

My first book, The Whisper of Feathers: Stories of Maybes and Might-Have-Beens, published in 2003, has been well received. A Sprinkling of Stardust continues the theme with More Stories of Maybes and Might-Have-Beens spun around Biblical idea, passages and stories. It includes prayers and poems of faith, make believe stories of what it might have been like to be at the Sermon on the Mount or in the synagogue while Jesus was preaching. The stories are complete unto themselves but it is helpful if you know the scripture passages they are based on. To that end I have included footnotes to help you rediscover them.

For instance, the story called Pentecost is what the women might have said and done while waiting for the expected gift of power that Jesus promised. We know the promise from the passage in Acts. We know something of the character of the disciples from scripture. We also know about the tongues of flame and the sound of wind caused by the baptism of the Holy Spirit that long ago day. My stories are intended to give substance to the characters in scripture—some of these stories are more stories of maybes and might-have-beens. There are also stories of today and