We're looking forward to meeting everyone in beautiful Idaho this June for the Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State convention.  Located close to Boise, on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University.  CHOIS 2018 will host speakers and exhibitors to meet all your homeschooling needs.

Stop by Jack's booth and say hi.  We'd love to make your acquaintance and hear how you incorporate storytime into homeschooling at all levels.  Until then... Up the adventure!

Jack

A  wise man once said that everything is bigger in Texas, and the GHC 2018 in Fort Worth did not disappoint!  I had the pleasure of introducing my darling daughter Abigail to Whataburgers and Texas-shaped waffles, morsels I had not enjoyed since an expedition to Lubbock some years ago.  More than that, the old-fashioned welcome you’ns bestowed upon us warmed our hearts and left us feeling humbled and blessed.

Speaking of the bigness of Texas, the children here amazed us with their dreams!  Mitchell, a young man aiming to earn the rank of General in the Armed Forces; Katie, a young lady aspiring to evangelize the world for Christ; and that well-mannered, attentive girl Hazel, who did not name her chief definite aim in life, but judging from the steadiness of her eyes, promises to blaze some mighty trails when all is said and done!

We’d also like to recognize Azeliah as the winner of Thursday night’s raffle!  She walked away with a Gold Rush Package, including a paperback of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er, Vol. 1, a digital copy of the book from Amazon, angel-wings T-shirt, poster and more.  As excited as we are for her, we can’t help but feel great excitement for the rest of you’ns, too.  You see, the winners of the Friday and Saturday night raffles never stepped forward to claim their prizes!  While we do not know the lucky owners of those tickets, we do know you are receiving this e-mail.  So, everyone get out your tickets (drum roll, please):  The winning numbers are…

Ticket #6961165 (Friday night), and
Ticket #6961191 (Saturday night)

If you’re holding one of those tickets in your hot little hands, snap us a picture and send it to [email protected], along with your address, so we can mail you out a Gold Rush Package!

Thanks so much to all y'all in Fort Worth for your hospitality and support.  We enjoyed sharing the forgotten history of Clementine and her father, the Miner 49er, with you.  One of my fondest memories is of singing Oh, My Darling, Clementine to a young lad named Aiden, who said he'd never heard the song.  But, after hearing my melodious voice (which resembles birdsong on a sunny spring morning), he said, “I feel like it rings a bell... but it’s a small one.”

To that, Aiden, I say Bless Your Heart!  And to everyone who attended the workshop session Written in the Stars: The Oral Tradition of Storytelling, or stopped by the booth at GHC TX… Up the Adventure!

Jack

Jack Dublin, teller of tall tales, reads from The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er and discusses the importance of teaching children through the power of the spoken word. 

Across the ages, storytellers from Aesop (fables) to Jesus (parables) used storytelling to convey great truths.  The most ancient storytellers, in fact, embedded their tales in the stars, which remain accessible to anyone willing to look up.

In the current age, the oral tradition has lost its place of importance to screen-time delivering messages at odds with our heritage. What might our homes and cities look like if we reclaim storytelling time?

On behalf of me and my darling daughter, Abigail, I want to thank all of you for stopping by the booth this weekend at GHC Greenville!  We met scores of amazing families and I can't deny I was thoroughly impressed by all the young children, every last one of them sharp as whips! 

Shannon with her extensive knowledge of geography (how many of you can find Zealandia on a map, that spellcheck doesn't even recognize as a name?); Madilynn with her sparkling personality that could enchant the Coliseum; and Jasper with his keen understanding of geology, are just a few that come to mind.

We want to acknowledge Debra (the girl of fierce determination to win the Gold Rush Package) and April (the young lady who never wins anything... but did!) who both walked away with copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er, Vol. 1 in paperback and eBook formats, T-shirts, posters, and more! 

But for all the mighty adventures we shared this weekend, we still have one last bit of unfinished business.  One of you who entered the raffle for the Gold Rush Package won, but did not claim your fortune! 

The winning ticket number is... 6961064! 

If you are the owner of that ticket, please snap a picture of it and send it to [email protected] along with your address so we can send you the Gold Rush Package!

Again, thank you so much for stopping by this weekend.  It is our pleasure to know you and together we look forward to the journey ahead.

Up the adventure!
Jack