(Searsport, ME) On Sunday, December 19th from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, Kate Braestrup will return to Left Bank Books in Searsport for a reading of her new book on prayer. Called Beginner's Grace: Bringing Prayer to Life, this new book is the answer to requests from devoted for a guidebook to prayer from an author known for her down-to-earth and relevant approach to life's challenges and urgencies. In her hugely popular first book Here if You Need Me, Braestrup presents her ministry as chaplain to the Maine Warden Service. In that capacity Kate accompanies game wardens to accidents, drownings, and search-and-rescue operations in the Maine woods. As she puts it,"We don't give a lot of sermons out in the field, or in the woods or streets. Instead, we are called upon to offer the spiritual equivalent of triage. We're asked to pray."

In her new book Braestrup offers prayers for situations in which words might fail-- in times of anxiety, helplessness, grief or in difficult interpersonal moments. People who know Kate, understand that here is a minister who is not afraid to admit her own doubts, who does not pretend to have all the answers, but whose faith is immediate, real, and available for discussion. She is no stranger to personal tragedy, yet she remains refreshingly upbeat, open-minded, and humble in her spiritual walk. During this holiday season as we feel the pressure to hurry on our way buying, and wrapping, and making merry, we also yearn to slow down and take time to find deeper meaning in the closeness of family and friends. Beginner's Grace offers us a practical starting point for enhancing interpersonal harmony and for spanning the gap between the divine and the human. This is a book for those who might not pray or even know how, explaining that the practice of prayer can open a space in our busy lives for mindfulness, gratitude, contentment and compassion.

Kate Braestrup is a favorite speaker at Left Bank Books—intelligent, lively and funny. Please join Left Bank Books for an afternoon that will enrich your holiday season. If you cannot attend, you may call 548-6400 to reserve copies for signing. Left Bank Books is located at 21 E. Main Street in Searsport.

>link to Left Bank Books website

The annual Christmas concert presented by the Penobscot Bay Singers will feature two instrumentalists this year. Virginia Flanagan of Alna, Maine will play harp, and Gail Russ of Phillips, Maine will play oboe in Stephen Paulus's "Three Nativity Carols." The work was written in 1998 for the Dale Warland Singers.

Other works in the concert include an ethereal arrangement for quartet and chorus of the familiar "Lo, How a rose E'er Blooming" by Jan Sanstrom, a rousing hymn-carol by Sir Arthur Sullivan and a variety of carols ranging from the Elizabethan era to the twentieth century.

The concert schedule is:
Friday, December 10 at 7:30 pm at the First Congregational Church in Searsport
Saturday, December 11 at 7:30 pm at the United Methodist Church in Belfast
Sunday, December 12 at 3:00 pm at the St. Francis of Assisi Church

There is no admission charge for any of the performances, however a $12 donation is suggested. The Penobscot Bay Singers, now in their 37th season, are directed by Richard Dostie of Fairfield and accompanied by Linnea Johnson of Belfast. The group rehearses in Belfast and presents three concerts a year. PBS is a not-for-profit organization supported through member dues, concert revenues and the support of friends. For more information, please write to the Penobscot Bay Singers, PO Box 5, Belfast, Maine 04915.

Listen to Music Samples and make a donation online on The Penobscot Bay Singers' webpage

On Thursday, December 9th at 8:00 pm

(Scarborough, ME) The very talented Ms. Paula Cole and her band will take to the stage at The Landing at Pine Point for what promises to be a very special holiday show. Paula is not only appreciated for her very special talents but also because she was our inaugral concert on May 23rd 2010. Don't miss this fantastic performer in a premier setting here at The Landing at Pine Point.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit The Landing at Pine Point website.

Each week FOCUSMAINE.COM introduces a different Maine fine art photographer and offers the first 50 collectors an opportunity to purchase a signed and editioned archival pigment print of their work for $50. Other sizes and editions are also offered until sold out.

Jim Nickelson is making a splash in Maine and beyond with his color landscapes. "Barrett's Cove, Dusk" leaves no mystery as to why. It is an exquisite image in true Nickelson form: created when the light of day transitions into twilight, transforming Mother Nature's theatrics into something almost holy.

To learn more about the artist and to purchase this image, to browse and purchase prints from any of our previous featured artists, or to sign up for our e-mail list to receive first notice of each new edition, please go now to www.focusmaine.com.