February Paper

The February issue of the paper is ready to print! It was fun to put together! Several articles that will appear in the paper

• Columbus Medical Mission team traveling to Nicaragua
• Be a Friend to Have a Friend
• Tim Tebo to Star in Pro-Life Super-Bowl Ad

We plan to pick up the paper and deliver in Norfolk next Tuesday, and mail out and deliver in Columbus later in the week.

I’ll post several articles on this blog, also.

Wanted: Patio Furniture

I’m looking for some used patio furniture to buy. I would prefer to have a table with an umbrella and chairs, but could use a table without an umbrella also. I’m looking for any size, any color, etc. If you have any furniture for sale—“used” condition is fine!, and if a chair is missing that’s fine too!—please email me at shelly@shellyburke.net or call (402) 993-2467.

THANK YOU!

Nebraska Teen Releases CD of His Original Piano Solos

(this article appeared in the January issue of the Nebraska Family Times)

Norfolk Teen Releases CD of His Original Piano Solos

By Shelly Burke, Editor


At the age of 16, Nathan (Nate) Walter, of Norfolk, NE, has achieved what many in the music industry don’t until they are much older. Nate recently released his first CD, Hopes and Dreams. All the songs on the CD were written by Nate. His piano music is described as A soothing, contemporary style that is created by intense yet effortless strokes on the piano.... a melodic sanctuary for the heart and soul. His mom, Becky, agrees, saying she often listens to his music when she’s driving.

Nate has loved music as long as he can remember. He began with Kindermusik in Norfolk and has also taken formal piano lessons. His mom plays the trumpet and his dad and sisters, Annie, age 10, Katie, 7, and Megan, 6, also love music. Nate’s dad, Gene, is the President of Big Red Printing.

Nate says, ”My songs are like prayers; when I can’t put what I feel into words, it comes out through music. Nate wrote his first song,Hopes and Dreams, when he was just 10 years old. He says of the inspiration for the song: ”It describes the special story involving the adoption process of my sister, Katie, from Mongolia and the many ups and downs we experienced while waiting for her to come home. "Hopes and Dreams" reveals the miracle of adoption. God adopts each of us as His children when we accept the free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus.”

Other songs on the CD were inspired by his mother, Nate’s love of everything medieval, and the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Nate says that one time a song was inspired by a wrong note he played during a practice session.

The time it takes Nate to write a song varies; he said his newest song took several weeks to nail down, while some are written in an afternoon. Surprisingly, he’s written down the music to none of his songs—he doesn’t have the patience to take the time to do so--he keeps them all in his head.

He recorded his CD, which contains 11 songs, in a single afternoon; Dave Kane in Wisner was in charge of recording. Nate has also submitted his songs to Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio (http://www.whisperings.com/), and hopes his songs will be playing on the online station soon.

Nate is a keyboardist in the band “Savior’s Calling” (http://www.saviorscalling.com/) and a member of Christ is King church in Norfolk. His dream is to, at some point, be a director in a Christian film production company.

At the end of his album notes, Nate has the initials “S.D.G”. He attributes this to Johann Sebastian Bach, who would write "S.D.G." at the end of each of his compositions. Nate says, "Soli Deo Gloria" means "For God's glory alone." This improvisation is art that has been captured on CD. This art is for God's glory alone - Soli Deo Gloria – S.D.G.

Check out Nate’s CD, listen to (and download) previews of each song, and read the album notes at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/NathanWalter.

THANK YOU LELAND AND SHIRLEY GREVING!

A big THANK YOU to Leland and Shirley Greving, from Central City.

Leland and Shirley are sponsoring the Nebraska Family Times at 13 locations for the next three months; the Nebraska Family Times will appear at those locations because of the Greving’s generosity. (I donate copies of the paper to many locations throughout the state; I feel that is part of my mission in owning the paper, but due to increasing costs and several sponsors that have been unable to continue, it’s becoming more difficult for the business to support these donated sponsorships.)

If you would like to sponsor one or more locations, for one or more months, please call (402) 750-3496 or (402) 993-2467 or e-mail shelly@shellyburke.net.

Editor's Letter, January

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it…Enough Already!

I keep hearing that the “Christmas Snow Storm” was a record snowfall in one storm, in one day, and the record for Christmas Day. I also heard that this month has been the snowiest December on record. As I drive around and see all the drifts and piles of snow, I believe it! I think Tim, Cody, and Morgan, who have been busy scooping out the cattle feed bunks and making sure they have water and are bedded, would agree that we’ve had enough snow.

As Christmas Eve grew closer, I became disappointed with the realization that we probably wouldn’t make it to church that night. I’ve attended the same church since I was 16 years old, and Tim, Cody, Morgan and I all attend now. The Christmas Eve service, with the beautiful flowers and music, inspiring message, and candlelight singing of “Silent Night,” has always been one of our favorites. Celebrating that evening with family and church friends was a high point of the Christmas season.

As I thought about it more, however, this came to mind; Christmas is not about decorations, or songs, or even friends and family. It is about…a Baby…a Baby who would grow up to die for us in the ultimate expression of love. It is about …love. It is about Someone loving us enough to send His Son to earth, in the most unassuming way, with no flowers, no music (for the Baby in the manger), and probably, no family or friends present other than Mary and Joseph.

Perhaps, with the storm that kept so many of us at home, God was sending us a message to remember that the decorations, music, message, family, friends, and food are all part of the celebration…but even without those things (some of my friends were even out of electricity for a time), the main reason for the celebration--the Christ Child—was still present. And He will always be there, not just on Christmas, but every day, every hour, every minute, forever. And that is the best gift we will ever be given.

Thankfully, snow didn’t interfere with celebrating Morgan’s 16th birthday on December 28th! We all had fun thinking back to her birth. The baby (we didn’t know if we were having a girl or a boy) wasn’t due until the end of January, and we had (we thought) a good plan. Cody’s Gramma Burke would be on call to babysit Cody when the baby was born. My sister would fly in to stay with us for a few weeks after she was born, to help with both kids. Tim would be back from his annual trip to the Denver Stock Show before the birth.

Well, we had a plan…but God had His own plan. Morgan was born almost a month early. Gramma Burke was in Minnesota celebrating her own mother’s 90th birthday. Tim called her to announce the birth during the birthday party, and he could hear them all cheering at the news that there was another girl in the family. Aunt Becky’s plane was due that day…but came in hours after she’d been born (I was sure glad to have her help as I learned to manage two kids!). And Cody had to stay (very unhappily) with a brand new babysitter (she was the sister of a babysitter we’d had many times, so we knew she could handle it). And Morgan was born and baptized before Tim left for Denver!

Those years have flown, and Tim and I (and Cody) are blessed every day to have such a wonderful daughter (and sister, although he is sometimes reluctant to admit it). Happy Birthday, Morgan! And many more.

As I begin a new year (and a new decade!) I always wonder what it will bring. I have my own plans and goals, but I know God has His plans for me, too. As I go into 2010, I will be encouraged and guided by the following verses:

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

I pray for God’s guidance and blessings for you and your families in 2010!

Shelly

Happy New Year!

During the 1990’s I remember how thinking about how “old” I would be at the change of the century…and now the first decade of the new century is already over! Some days I do feel old, but when I look back at how our family is growing up, how my faith has become more and more important to me, and the changes in my own life, I feel blessed.

The first day of 2010 was a nice one. I worked at my nursing job this morning, then had lunch with a long-time friend. I got home, pleasantly surprised to see Tim and Morgan had cleaned the kitchen and living room and one of our favorite cattle-showing families was there. We caught up on each other’s lives, made plans for the Denver Stock Show, and at a delicious steak dinner.

May God bless you and your families and businesses in 2010!