Yesterday I caught a brief clip on Chinese cooking on The Talk show. The hosts, Julie Chen and Sheryl Underwood, were sautéing the ingredients in the woks, under the direction of a guest cook, and the incorrigible Sheryl was having a bit of a challenge turning the greens. Julie who was working on the meats etc, offered to switch woks. As Julie expertly tossed the greens, the guest cook complimented her efforts. To which Julie, who is of Chinese descent, replied with gusto, “It’s in my genes.”

From that moment,  I’ve been thinking about the influence of DNA on our outlook, tastes and passions. And the parallels to our spiritual image. The Scripture tells us in Psalm 51:5 that we are born and shaped in sin. That means that the desire and attraction to sin is a natural draw because it is ingrained in our thoughts and habits. In our DNA. But before you take this as a license to sin, or get discouraged because you feel you can never conquer that bad habit, read on. Willpower alone cannot change habits. Transformation is needed. And this is found in a new life in Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.”

Jesus knew that the DNA in you and I is only formed at birth, and since our physical birth contained the defective DNA of sin, another birth was mandatory in introduce a pure DNA. And so when we invite Jesus into our hearts, that is called the spiritual birth, and contains genes infused with the traits and habits of our God. Truth, holiness, purity, goodness, faithfulness, love, peace, joy, hope, virtue, humility… This is why you can rise above your natural desires and pursue the higher calling, take the high road, live victoriously. Because of grace. Because of the new birth. Because the DNA of the Father, Son and Holy Spirits transforms you.

Little Copper Pennies: Celebrating the life of the Canadian one-cent piece (1858-2013). 

• since 1908, the Canadian mint has produced 35 billion pennies, half of them in the last twenty years
• one rare Canadian penny was auctioned in New York City in 2010 for over $400,000
• the last Canadian penny was minted on May 4, 2012.

Little Copper Pennies is accompanied by a picture book, Little Copper Pennies for KIDS.  Through the story of a little girl and her grandfather, Susan shares trivia and information about the penny with children.  Colourful artwork by Mark Sexton accompanies the story.  Susan includes two pages of more detailed information about the penny for parents/teachers and suggests activities and games that children could do with pennies.  My girls love getting pennies from me or my husband, so they had a lot of fun reading a book about this bright little coin.
Susan is a speaker, writer, and former teacher.  She was born and raised in Trinidad but now calls Saskatchewan home.  She is also the author of Golden Apples in Silver Settings, an eBook collection of some of the talks she’s given over the past twenty years.  Her penny books have been extremely popular in schools across Canada and Susan has been busy with interviews and book signings since both books were released in September, 2012.  You can find out more about Susan by visiting her website or following her on Facebook or Twitter.
Both of these books are excellent resources for schools and homeschools, coin collectors, Canadian history fans, and anyone interested in learning more about the penny now that it is disappearing.  I’ve been in favour of retiring the penny ever since I visited Australia and didn’t have to deal with pennies there, but I enjoyed learning more about “Copper” and its history.  Susan brings a simple coin alive with stories and trivia, capturing the legacy of this small piece of currency before it disappears from Canada forever.
Check out my interview with Susan for Maranatha News or listen to her CTV interview below for more information about Susan and her books:

Susan is a former teacher, and EsterhazyOnline caught up with her at a book signing in Yorkton a few weeks ago. Her paperback book “little copper pennies” is subtitled “Celebrating the life of the Canadian one-cent piece (1858-2013), and is already proving to be a winner.

“When I heard the news that the penny was about to retire, I thought if the penny could speak what would it say of its adventures?” Susan said. “I started to make up stories about it, travelling from province to province, being in somebody’s pocket, hearing their conversation and things like that. So I just played around with the idea, and my husband encouraged me. I started to interview people to add stories to the book, people who could remember stories back in the 1920′s, and children, and friends and family, and I got a lot of unique spins on the penny, more than just its monetary value.”

The book has been well-received in book stores, online, in schools, and by the media. Rave reviews and media appearances seem to be the order of the day for Susan. It is not surprising really, for her work is an inspired fusion of skilled storytelling, sheer nostalgia for a national icon, and a fantastic sense of timing.

The book (and the children’s version) is available from the author (www.susanharris.ca), Kindle, Kobo, Chapters, Indigo, Coles, McNally Robinson, Friesen Press, Amazon and major bookstores internationally.

 Dear Canada and Friends,

Many of us struggle with mixed emotions before the face of extinction. Extinction brought through the decision to rid the life of the one-cent piece.

For a large number, their appreciation has slowly given way to indifference over the years. For many others, an almost romantic connection to the coin fosters sadness and nostalgia at the abolition of the little cent.

For those of us who considered the penny as a friend in addition to a currency, commerce derides the sentiments of our hearts.

It was my honour to research the legacy of the humble copper coin, to be associated with its robust heritage, to trace its path from inception to demise. I have been privileged to share its richness in the lives of the older generations, to learn how it mushroomed into ever-expanding uses and pastimes. I have been inspired to capture the memories, the joys, and meanings of its possession.

I have seen the penny erode in value, heard debates and arguments in support and in rejection, among friends and with strangers. Now today, February 4, 2013, the shiny copper, the only denomination of its colour, will be taken from us, never to be distributed again.

Many will fondly pay tribute to the penny as the workhorse of the currency system, a tribute born out of the recognition of the coin as the foundation for all money used in public service. Recognition that specific numbers of one cent pieces form the larger monetary denominations.

Many others will measure the price of its metallic composition: copper, zinc, steel, those changes driven by public accountability for profit. They have labelled it an inconvenience and a nuisance. They have judged it by its weight and unwieldiness, as useless at best. Or as a waste of time when counted at tills, or being rolled and processed.

For me, however, it is more pleasant and desirable to recall the penny during this time of its phasing out, as an ambassador serving its beloved Canada. Though lowly and humble, it was exalted in the wallets and purses of Prime Ministers, dignitaries, kings and queens. It travelled to other lands, where it was touched and examined with curiosity and interest.

What a precious treasure the penny is now and will be forever in the memories of many persons in this country. Who will choose to not forget those childlike respites provided with the purchase of a penny? (continued in Chapter 16, The Eulogy, Little Copper Pennies by Susan Harris ISBN 978146020489. Messages of condolence can be left below.)

(HMK School’s Newsletter, November 2012)

Through praise. Selfless praise. When we praise God we take the focus off humans and our circumstances and place it on God and His character. Psalm 113:3 advises us that, “From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord id to be praised.” Praising God overcomes sorrow, pain, unbelief, sin, negativity and doubt. Putting this command into practice reminds us that God is bigger than anything we will ever face. God is powerful and knows everything that will come your way today or in the future.

Dear Friend, are you despairing or feeling anxious? It helps if you shift the focus upwards. It will transform your perspective because it sets your sights on God and His love, faithfulness, and power. We become more aware of His holiness and His mercy on us. We become empowered as we remember that His power dwells within us through the person of the Holy Spirit.

I encourage you to praise God for who He is. Praise Him for His loving kindness, His love, His compassion, His mercies, His promises. Random acts of selflessness to the God you love.

Susan Harris spoke to students at St. Henry’s Elementary Junior School last Monday on her new book Little Copper Pennies: Celebrating the life of the Canadian one-cent piece (1858-2013) due out in October and her picture book Little Copper Pennies for KIDS which will be published in November.

The books give a detailed description of the history of the penny ahead of its departure from Canadian currency February 4, 2013.

“I am always creating stories and when I heard the penny was going to be eliminated I started to think if this penny could speak what would it say of its adventures,” says Harris.

“The penny has been here for 154 years going on 155 years. It has had quite a life and has been to many places. Initially I wrote a general reader for an adult audience and after it was done a librarian asked if I had considered writing a picture book.”

When Harris began researching for the book she interviewed a number of people from different eras who gave their take on the value of the penny throughout the years.

Harris says the decision to discontinue the penny was primarily  based on production costs. By the time the Canadian Mint made the final shipment it cost the Department of Finance 1.06 cents to make the penny.

“That economic decision has been the driving force behind eliminating the penny along with spin-off benefits such as recycling and processing costs,” says Harris.

“The penny went from having a core of copper to having a core of zinc in the late 90′s and then a core of steel. Now it’s just a 4.5% copper plating on the newest pennies.”

Harris’ book touches on a variety of different topics on the penny including the significance of the maple leaf, symbolic meanings, its value through the years, debating on the removal of the coin and the implications the removal of the penny have on business.

“The penny is so historic and it has so much meaning,” says Harris. “Picking up pennies is something I never did but there is a debate on who picks them up and who doesn’t (in the book).”

Harris says one of the most historical pennies is the 1936 dot piece which has only three in existence and sold recently for $400,000. Another historical year was 1997 when the penny went back to being round after being 12-sided from 1982.

‘The book is a general reader for any and every age group,” says Harris. “The picture book is for children but it can be for anyone who wants to remember the penny.”

When the elimination of the penny takes effect in February, purchasing costs will be rounded to the nearest five cents, which Harris says is hard to determine who will get the most benefit from this.

“There have been lots of debates as to who is going to benefit,” says Harris. “Are consumers going to lose out or are retailers going to win based on the rounded up that will be implemented in February?”

Those interested in learning more about the book or making a purchase can visit www.susanharris.ca.

I agreed. I want to invest my talents and resources into reaching others for Christ. Immediately I knew I wanted to offer my talents and expertise in speaking, teaching and writing, free of charge to some groups in Canada, and let my book sales bring in the revenue.

This morning, October 5, I opened my inbox to an onslaught of belated birthday wishes and ongoing publication communication. Among them were two messages from someone on Facebook who had requested friendship a mere three days ago. Not someone I knew, or even from this country. Certainly not from someone who had a lot of friends!

I thanked him for the kind words and moments later another email arrived with the message, “you are welcome to come and speak to our women here and men Susan, we need that word. Can you pray that God help you to come to ___.” (I don’t feel led to disclose the place yet.)

In the fourteen months I had joined the social site, I have never had an invitation over Facebook to be a speaker Many friends knew I was a speaker, and while my speaking engagements and requests came from other sources, Facebook was not one of them.

I messaged back, “Thank you for your kind invitation. I have not been there before but God willing, I would love to come. I’ll pray about this and let’s keep in touch. Do you pastor a church?”

Minutes later a response came back in flawed tenses and sentence construction, “as you expect that we are requesting you put us in your program pray for us as we pray for you and we need you here in ____ , have you been here? you are welcome .”

Only hours earlier I had conversed with God about my accountability and willingness to serve. Now the rubber was meeting the road. I was particularly struck by certain words in the messages. The thoughts nagged at me and soon I was launching a search on the internet. The country’s geography and need for Christ fitted not only my vision but my husband’s as well. So I’m adding it to my prayer list as I wait for God’s time.

It could be that God is testing my heart. Would I want to choose what is convenient or glamourous, or do I want to act on His prompting? For now, I have to heed the episode as one where I’m obedient to the Lord. For the commitment I had made of my finances to Him last night.

Friend, has God spoken to you so much so that you know it cannot be ignored?

Your people will be my people,

Your God will be my God,

Where you die I will die,

Where you are buried I will be buried.

The Matthew Henry commentary describes Ruth as a prophecy of the entrance of the heathen world into the kingdom of God. She came out of Moab, an idolatrous and wanton people, and she herself was so tender and pure. In a land where dissolute sensuality formed one of the elements of idol worship, a woman appeared as a wife and daughter, chaste as the rose of spring.

Dear Friend, it is possible to live among the religious and secular lost and not become one them!

Ruth’s confession of God originated after she got married. It sprang from the love with which she was permitted to embrace the Israelites. The conduct of one Israeli woman, Naomi, in a foreign land was able to call forth a love and a confession of God like that of Ruth. This insight was refreshing to me as a woman living in a foreign land. Friend, what message does your conduct send? Who is converted because of your life? Be blessed today knowing that you can make a difference.