1 comments about The Mother of the Little Flower: Zelie Martin (1831-1877).

1. I love this book. It offers great advice on how to be a great mother and catholic, like Zelie Martin was. I've used some of her teaching ideas for my child too, helping her to learn what a good deed is and encouraging her to do more. You don't get advice like this anymore.

5 comments about At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey.

1. "At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace," by Claude Anshin Thomas, is the memoir of a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who suffered great personal torment after returning from war. He ultimately found healing and hope in Buddhism and became a monk. This book recounts his spiritual, geographic, and emotional journeys.
   
   Thomas writes about his military basic training, his combat time in Vietnam, and the serious personal problems he had afterwards. He writes how his life changed dramatically after he met Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. Thomas tells how he came to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. He also writes of his global travels, of a remarkable walking pilgrimage he took across the United States, and of his relationship with his son.
   
   Along the way Thomas discusses teachings and practices that helped transform his life: meditation, the importance of community, the key concept of "mindfulness." He also discusses his commitment to nonviolence. Thomas' writing style is simple and clear, and often quite eloquent and moving. He notes, "Everyone has their Vietnam"--some source of great pain. The book contains some fascinating scenes from the author's journeys; I found the vignettes from his walk across the U.S. to be particularly resonant. This is a thought-provoking book, and a valuable addition to the canon of spiritual autobiographies.



2. Once a highly decorated war hero, Claude Thomas had been sexually abused as a child and carried the scars of this abuse to VietNam, where he commanded an elite helicopter unit for fourteen months at the height of the American incursion there. He wound up with a chestful of medals (27) and a burnt-out shell of a man, returning to the US, a girl spat on him. One thing led to another and Thomas began questioning his own claims to his life. It wasn't until he met the famous Vietnamese sage, Thich Nhat Hanh, that he began to get a clue as to his spiritual path. Through mindfulness he became aware that he was a victim of Vietnam just as we all were, and just as generations unborn during the war continue to suffer from its political and cultural fallout. Today he is a Zen priest and has written an interesting memoir.
   
   Like Claude AnShin Thomas, when we saw Thich Nhat Hanh we burst into tears on the spot. And not because of any identification with his pain. I think I was just feeling emotional that day. Thomas has an amazing story to tell, but it is not all that well written, and has many Buddhist cliches that spoil the thrust of the tale for me.
   
   And could they have picked a scarier looking portrait of Claude AnShin Thomas for the cover? I've seen him in person, he isn't that bad looking, he has sort of the look of Nelson Rockefeller, you know, not a matinee idol, but not a face from Creature Features either. I think Shambhala was definitelyu trying to go for the macho market here, making Thomas look like he was a serial killer come out of the shadows to slit your throat then creep away. We know that Buddhism can sometimes be a dangerous practice, for you're standing in the middle of the fire trying to confront the real, but enough is enough, and this is a kind of visual crime if you ask me.



3. I bought 13 copies of this book from Amazon and gave the same gift to everyone this last christmas, and intend to do the same next year and from here on out. They sent me 4 of the 13 as autographed copies which was a nice surprise.
   
   I am going to deliver the last one tonight to a friend who is having a difficult time right now.
   
   This book has brought me a clearer understanding of myself, not by the cleverness of the author but through his simple bare humanity which he shares freely here. Sending this book out into this world can only make it a better place, creating small ripples that could affect and change a great many things over time.



4. Claude Thomas' inspiring account of his hellish journey and his eventual path to personal growth is one of the most profound stories I've read. From a life that many would just as soon end, he found a tiny crease of light led him to take all that had transpired in his life and draw upon it as a basis for learning and growth. Truly admirable, with insights and practices well worth emulating.



5. It took me two attempts to finish this book and I am glad I did.
   
   The book is somewhat disorganized and muddled. I gave up on it the first time because it was a little too preachy and the initial description of the author's suffering and frequent crying was a little surpising since he just told us Vietnam finally gave his life a purpose.
   
   But then I gave it a second try. After learning later in the book more of his experience in vietnam, I had a better understanding of his pain. I realized what I'd been reading was a vivid account of his post traumatic stress disorder. This book is important and powerful because it shows a way the author found after 20 years of pure misery to alleviate his pain and suffering . Anyone who's troubled or depressed or plain just stressed out can benefit from his messages.

1 comments about Miss Bertha: Woman of Revival: A Biography.

1. Miss Bertha: Woman of Revival tells the story of one of the most amazing women Baptists have ever produced. Bertha Smith lived 100 years and influenced several generation of missionaries and pastors. Drummond does a good job of focusing mainly on her public life while still giving us a glimpse at her early years. Everyone should read this book!

5 comments about Confessions of a Happy Christian.

1. I highly recommend this book for all Christians, but especially for new Christians. It is a joyous proclamation of faith, filled with amusing and uplifting anecdotes. Mr. Ziglar is famous for his motivational speeches and is highly sought after by corporate America to inspire and teach. He writes as well as he speaks and anyone who reads this book will greatly benefit from his shared experiences in Christian living. In today's world a book that focuses on the positive aspects of Christianity is welcome and this book is tops in that category. I have shared this book with many of my friends and if you are looking for a good book to give to a young person, graduate, new Christian, or anyone else, I highly recommend "Confessions of a Happy Christian." The doctrine is sound, the advice is excellent and the book is focused on the love and joy of living the Christian life.



2. My boss and I were told this would be a good book for us to read, to find happiness in business and life. We both bought it and were excited to get starded. Well, we both read, half way through and were shocked at the authors very one dimensional view of what it means to love not only God but love and understand your fellow man. Zig may love his life and thats great, for him. The world is made up of many faiths who share many of the same belifes in origin and he paints a picture of fear, not faith in dealing with people that may not see the world as you do. I was taught eat the chicken and throw away the bones in life and in truth. I was offended by his narrow minded views of people of other faiths. Zig needs to realize Jesus was not born a Christian but a Jew! I really did not have much use for this book and don't even belive it is true. The person that recommended this book to me I greatly respect and admire but I have no Idea where he found the value in this book. Zig Ziglar at this point in his life was relying on what people told him the bible meant not reading and enjoying it for himself or he could never have said many of the things he said in here. Too bad for him. I only hope people don't look at a book like this for spiritual guidance but go to the source and read the Bible for themselves. Like George Burns said to the preacher in Oh God, Zig should stick to selling shoes.



3. This is such a joyfully written book. I think it is appropriate for "new" Christians as well as "old" Christians. Zig, as always, is right on target with his observations and insight. I highly recommend it.



4. The book offers excellent encouragement in a short story format. To me it reads like a daily devotional. It failed to hold my attention however and doesn't offer any depth to daily living. But it is a great work for offering small doses of encouragement to Christians.



5. I read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave a copy to my father who liked it so much that he commented "Next to the Bible, it is the best book I have ever read!" Of course some narrow-minded people consider the Bible too narrow.

5 comments about God @ Ground Zero.

1. Chaplain Ray did a wonderful job conveying the heart and soul of the work God was doing in the midst of the chaos and aftermath of Sept 11, 2001. I so enjoyed reading this book that I limited my reading time each day to make it last longer. I had worked in NYC doing volunteer relief grief ministry for about two months over the last year. It brought back many memories and reminded me how awesome it was to see how God was actively working in the lives of the volunteers, relief workers, steel workers, policemen, firemen, the people of New York City. Excellent book!



2. As a Red Cross Disaster Relief worker, I walked the same path during the same days that Giunta was at Ground Zero. It was heart wrenching to hear his stories and, yet, glorious to discover the words he used to provide comfort. Giunta tells the story of one man who suffered a terrible loss. I was stunned to read it because I actually held the same man in my arms as he told me the same story. God was at Ground Zero and every emotion Giunta writes of I felt or saw. Many lives changed forever because of the horrible choices made on September ll. I am so very pleased that Giunta just simply told his stories of his time there. I wish I could tell mine as well as he did. If you want to know what it was really like to be right there, then please read this book. It is obvious it was written from the heart, the soul, and with love and compassion for all who suffered in this tragedy.



3. There truly are few books that will touch virtually every emotion that a human can experience. Chaplain Ray is truly blessed by God with a heart and eyes that can see beyond the words of whoever he encounters. This book is a blessing beyond belief. Chaplain Ray communicates his experiences on Ground Zero so vividly and clearly that you almost feel like you are back in the days that followed 9/11 and are walking there w/him and the firemen and police officers and others who by doing their job became heros to us all. Ray Giunta is a mighty man of God and will become your hero as you read this awesome account of 68 days spent at Ground Zero. This book deserves to be read by everyone!



4. Chaplain Ray Giunta personifies exactly what it means to be a mininster for Christ. Today, most people think that Jesus can only be found within the walls of a church, by reading God @ Ground Zero you will see that Christ is where pain is, He is where need is, He is any where people are. The ministry of Ray Giunta is the exactly what this world needs. Read this book and read it again! It's a word needing more expression.



5. I recently attended Ruth Graham & Friends conference. Ray Giunta was a principal speaker and workshop leader so I had the privilege of hearing him speak twice. I cannot imagine the privilege of being ministered to by this man during a crisis.
   
   I purchased God @ Ground Zero at the conference and cannot put it down. I don't want to finish it because it is superb. Although it brings back the horror of September 11, 2001, it also tells little known stories of those who minister to the firemen and rescue workers who saw so many horrors and didn't know how talk or release the tears.

5 comments about Comeback.

1. Dave Dravecky wrote an inspiring book after his first bout with cancer and amazing comeback to professional baseball. The writing is better than in most athlete-authored books. Most sports fans know that the cancer returned, and Dave lost an arm to it. The follow-up story is revealed in subsequent books authored by Dave Dravecky and his wife Jan Dravecky. I think readers will be uplifted by any of these books.



2. A very uplifting book about Mr Dravecky's battle with cancer. More than just an athlete centered book, this details his struggles and triumphs with this very debilitating disease.



3. A must read for every athlete - both Christian and non-Christian. Dave is an inspriation. I have read the book six times over the years and have never found a book by an athlete better. To top it off, Dave is as nice of a guy in person as he is in his book.



4. I've always been a big Dave Dravecky Fan, and I knew his story from what I read in the news and saw during the events of this time period. Reading about his life, his thoughts and insights on the world around him was inspirational. He loved baseball so much, that he did whatever it took to be the best. Dravecky was a man of great faith-he makes many references to thanking Jesus Christ for the opportunities and never blamed Him for the obstacles. His never say die attitude is one I wish more athletes and general public would adapt as their own.

   This book follows a timeline from his childhood and minor league struggles (briefly) to his major league success and then his battle with cancer in his deltoid muscle, and finally, his return to baseball. It is a very quick read and one of the better athlete autobiographies I have read.




5. In the face of adversity, faith in God will see you through. That's the moral of the story.
   
   Dave Dravecky was a baseball player. A pitcher. That was all he ever wanted to be. And he was good at it. Good enough to pitch in the major leagues. But when a cancerous tumor was found in his pitching arm it looked like his career was over.
   
   Or was it? The Dravecky family had faith in God. They placed their future and Dave's career in His hands. Placing faith in God is always the right thing to do and Dravecky's story is a testimony to that fact. Against all odds, against all expectations, Dave Dravecky overcame the loss of his deltoid muscle and worked his way through the minor leagues back up to the major leagues.
   
   Comeback is a story of triumph over impossible odds. Ronald Reagan said of Dravecky, "The remarkable faith and courage he has shown is an inspiration to us all." So it is. Judging by the cover and the man who wrote it you may think this is a book about baseball. It's not. Comeback is a story about a man and his faith in God. Comeback is a story about God's work in one man's life.
   
   Dave Dravecky's story is deeply inspirational and his book should be found on every Christian bookshelf.

No comments about Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl.

4 comments about 10. St. Athanasius: The Life of St. Antony (Ancient Christian Writers).

1. If you are searching for spirituality, this record of Saint Antony's life provides fascinating detail of living daily within the framework of a world ruled by the Prince of the Air. Written within 25 years of the Nicene Creed, this perspective lends to observing the powerful foundation upon which orthodoxy (and heresy) was built, that is, the up-close interaction with both God and His enemies. Thus, his life is not recorded chronologically, but through the narrative telling of encounter

   after encounter. These encounters begin when Antony was left alone in the world with his sister as an early adult. From the very start, Antony's spiritual journey delved into what is now taboo for many Christians: spiritual warfare. Seeking the devil out on his own terms, Antony refused to give into temptation and immediately became a target for attack. The end of his career as a hermit brought forth powerful prayer, wisdom, and - thanks to Life of Antony - considerable fame. Virtually unknown today, Antony remains a largely untapped resource.




2. I was captivated when I first read the Life of St. Antony, most likely written by the staunchly Orthodox church father Athanasius (I say 'probably' because some scholars doubt that Athanasius wrote it, however I noticed many similarities between 'Life of Antony' and 'On the Incarnation'). The book reads like a novel at times, telling of Antony's battles with demons, and his traveling farther into the desert to avoid publicity and temptation. There is also an interesting segment when Antony lives by a mountain and a cool stream, and animals are eating his small amount of grain. He gently grabs the animals and asks them why they bother him when he does not bother them? They returned no more after that. We are also told of Antony's journey into Alexandria after persecutions broke out there. Antony himself desperately wanted to be martyred, but instead he offered encouragement and consolation to those who were going to be killed. One individual whose martyrdom is mentioned is Peter, the Bishop of Alexandria at that time. Near the end of the book, Antony returns again to Alexandria, this time to dispel rumors that he is an Arian (a heretical group of the early 4th century which denied the full divinity of the Son). Athanasius makes it clear that Antony was a Nicaean.

   The rest of the work could be described as a kind of a monastic manual, with particular emphasis on fighting demons. Athanasius records Antony's struggles, and tells his readers how to recognize and fight the devil. Throughout the story, the power of the sign of the cross is stressed, and we are urged to sign our houses and ourselves in order to repel evil. Near the very end, Antony debates various Greek philosophers regarding the Cross and the Incarnation. Antony, despite being uneducated, holds his own with the men, and they leave having learned something.

   Antony is the vehicle for many miracles, but those who sought help are always told to give the glory to God, because Antony himself really did nothing. Antony is the picture of Biblical humility and self-denial. The life of Antony is a powerful example to all Christians. My church history professor said that if you only have time to read one book from the Patristic period, `Life of Antony' should be that book. I couldn't agree more: the Life of Antony is a spiritual classic.




3. A MEANINGFUL SUMMARY OF THE LIFE OF ST. ANTONY. MUCH TO CONTEMPLATE. MUCH TO ADMIRE.



4. One wonders if the work did not leave its readers breathless in the 4th century the way it does today, but given its popularity, I suspect so. The initial shock comes simply from the true details of the story, that a simple man in his thirties withdrew from the normal course of urban life to live a radical, mystical life of encounters with the good and evil sides of the divine.
   
   Anthony withdrew to the desert, living on bread and prayer. There he was attacked and tempted by physical manifestations of demons that did everything from make gold coins materialize in front of him to physically beat him. As a result of his prayer life and unique habits, he came to the attention of the wider public. Two Greek philosophers sought him out and witnessed a possession, to which he replied, "Let's see you cast those out with your syllogisms." Likewise, he received a letter from the Emperor, which he greeted with equal disinterest (though less disdain) as Diogenes.
   
   The only room the work leaves for suspicions is when one considers whether or not Athanasius might have been using it as a polemical tool. Anthony's fervor for Trinitarian theology and opposition to the Arians (of which he has a vision of a take-over of the empire, making one wonder if Athanasius didn't imagine Arians where Anthony was envisioning barbarians) could have been taken straight from Athanasius' theological writings. There are moments where one wonders if Athanasius is reporter or rhetorician.
   
   Nonetheless, that vague suspicion gets lost under the sheer surprise of the story of this cryptic life. There is no doubt that Athanasius and his listeners took the story at face value. To the modern, post-enlightenment writer you must either reject it as mythical as buy into it as historical. And the immediate consequence is that one wonders what one is missing out on. No sermon on fasting could make you want to fast more. No seminar on prayer could make you more likely to do it. Anthony's life does today exactly what it did for the early church: inspire a radical alternative that is mysteriously beyond criticism.

No comments about Paul in Chains.

1 comments about God's Call to Women: Twelve Spiritual Memoirs.

1. Mugridge introduces this 12-chapter collection as personal thoughts and testimony on the Church and the Catholic faith that demonstrates "the unique feminine presence and contribution active today." The authors, Catholics by birth or through conversion, came of age between World War II and the 1980s. They write from many perspectives: marriage, motherhood, widowhood, consecrated life. A number are founders or early members of such groups as the Focolare Movement and Family of America. Several hold doctorates and teach at universities. All have a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother as the model for Catholic femininity, and many express deep admiration for Pope John Paul II and gratitude for his acknowledgement of women's vocation in the Church and the world.
   
   Though their ministries often involve issues that are controversial, even among practicing Catholics, their overriding common message, as Mugridge points out, is one of hope and celebration. And all of the contributors offer inspiration for women working out their salvation in the modern world, as shown in the following examples.
   
   In A Deeper Purpose, Maureen Roach writes, "I am finding my purpose by knowing, loving, and serving God, as his beloved and in my calling to love and serve others as a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend." In God Writes Straight on Crooked Lines, Joy Shiroi writes, "I am happy to be a woman in the Church in these years of change. I think we have a very special job to do, using our feminine gifts--our love, our womanhood--to bring peace to our families, to our friends, and to our parishes."