5 comments about With God in Russia.

1. This book was awesome. Father Ciszek REALLY showed me that I need to toughen up. Not that I would want (or be able) to go through his ordeal. But just that my pampered little American sufferings are nothing, absolutely nothing, and that with Christ we really can do all things.



2. Both of Father Ciszek's books ring in the truth of a 'spiritual awakening' versus our pretense at holiness via the intellect. His premise, that we must endure suffering in order to 'let' God's presense into our life to guide us, is the bare bones reality of a spiritual life. Or as Oswald Chambers states we must come to the end of 'ourselves'. Father Ciszek came to the end of himself after years of 'stubborness' and one ups manship with his NKVD interrogators, and realized the spiritual nuance of being guided by God versus being guided by ego.
   I feel I need not read anymore, but just experience my life as it unfolds moment to moment. These books along with Eckhart Tolle's books are essentials.
   'He Leadth Me' is the best of the two in that he wrote it after his experiences in Russia had a few years to synthesize----both are brilliant and humble.
   The Way of a Pilgrim is also a terrific book, but it was not written nor translated by Father Ciszek. He wrote an Introduction to the translation.
   In short all three are necessary reads for a Pilgrim.



3. This book is one of the best I have ever read. I could not put it down, It is encourageing that a man like Fr Ciszek survived the torture and humiliation he endured and still survive. No wonder it was a BEST seller. A real must read, especially in the aftermath of 9-11.



4. I read With God in Russia after receiving a recommendation from a friend. It is a very readable book, which I had trouble putting down to do necessary chores. I highly recommend it to anyone who takes the spiritual life seriously. This book tells the story of Father Ciszek's life in Russia, while his book He Leadeth Me gives the spiritual side of the experience. I was totally moved by his ability to abandon himself to God in the midst of the tremendous difficulties he experienced. I am sharing this book with friends, so they can see how much more fortunate we are here in the United States.
   
   Ann B



5. This is a good book, however I like his second book "He Leadeth Me" better. In this book, Father Ciszek does not go into much detail about what he learned from his ordeal. He mostly gives a chronology of all the events that took place during his 23 years in Russian work camps and prison camps.
   In his other book "He Leadeth Me", he goes into detail all the spiritual lessons that he learned during his difficult years of imprisonment in Russia. His spiritual insights are very edifying and enlightening. He provides alot of hard earned spiritual lessons and spiritual direction in his other book "He Leadeth Me".
   So, while I would recommend this book, in my opinion it is not as good as his other book.
   Glenn Dallaire

5 comments about ERIC LIDDELL: PURE GOLD.

1. Because of the surprise hit Chariots of Fire, the world knows the name Eric Liddell. Most people also know about the stand he made for his beliefs as he refused to run an Olympic race he was favored to win simply because the race was scheduled for Sunday. Those who have seen the movie know that it ends shortly after he wins an Olympic gold medal in an event in which he had barely trained. But in Pure Gold, a biography of Liddell weighing in at 333 pages, the race is complete by the ninety-eighth page. There is much more to Liddell than the movie portrays.
   
   Eric Liddell is a man who was sold out to God. He regarded his own desires and his own comforts as secondary to God's. Raised as the son of a missionary, he grew up away from his parents, for in those days children were left in their native country to receive their training, often seeing their parents only once every six or seven years. There was a period of over a decade in Liddell's life where he was with his parents for only 100 days. Despite the seperation, he received strong training, primarily in the Bible.
   
   While he grew both academically and spiritually, people also came to realize that Liddell had a gift for speed. He was fast. He was also uncouth, with a running style all his own. He would start like any other runner, but as he approached the finish line, he would throw his head back and his arms would begin to flail. Yet somehow, rather than slow him down, this gave him a burst of speed that often led him to victory.
   
   Some of his exploits from his early days are famous, such as the time he fell in a 400-meter race, but managed to climb to his feet and work his way back into first place, making up a deficit of over ten meters. And as we know from the movie, he earned a position on the British Olympic squad at the 1924 Olympic Games where he came away with two medals, a gold and a bronze. He returned to his native Scotland a hero - far and away the best-known athlete in the nation. It was this fame that provided the springboard for his mission work. Despite being a shy and quiet man, he criss-crossed the country, speaking before hundreds of thousands of people, telling them about the Lord and encouraging them to give their lives to Him.
   
   At the very pinnacle of his athletic success, Liddell laid it all aside to become a missionary to China, the country his father had served when Eric was a boy and the country he continued to serve to that day. Liddell counted his prestige as nothing and moved to the mission field. He served the rest of his life in China before his eventual death in a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War. It is this period of his life that so few know about, yet this is where we see Liddell at his finest. It is here that we see the power and effectiveness of a life that is sold out to God.
   
   This biography is well-written, inspiring and highly-recommended. It presents Liddell as he really was and helps the reader understand the foundation for his life. It portrays Liddell in his strength and in his weakness, through joy and sadness. It portrays the consistency of a man who lived in the same way when the eyes of the nation were upon him, or when he stood only before the eyes of the Lord.
   
   While Chariots of Fire has done much to bring Liddell to the public eye, and while it presented the man accurately, it tells less than half the story. However, the race which forms the climax to the movie can well be seen as a metaphor for Liddell's life. He finished the race of life the same way he had finished so many races long before - with his arms flailing and his head turned to the sky, enraptured purely with the joy of running.



2. Eric Liddell is an interesting & worthy subject for a biography but this one isn't it. The author did extensive research in primary documents, interviewed people who knew Liddell personally, & created an excellent bibliography. Unfortunately, the writing style is corny & some of the passages are fictionalized, particularly ones regarding Liddell's relationship with his wife Flo. The author puts thoughts in their minds that he couldn't possibly know. He so over-romanticizes his subject that he becomes almost unreal. Liddell was a great athlete & a great servant of the Lord, but the author so idolizes him that he becomes a kind of plaster saint. The main problem with this book is that it is explicitly written to be "inspirational," & so the reader is reminded over & over again what a great Christian role model Liddell was. This gets tiresome. Don't misunderstand me -- I am not knocking Liddell here at all, only the author's mode of presenting him. A less didactic book would serve Liddell better. His own words & actions speak for themselves.



3. I fell in love with the movie "Chariots of Fire" when I was in college over 20 years ago. I also enjoyed the paperback of the same name. Recently I became interested in this true story again and found "Pure Gold" on Amazon.
   This biography is slow-moving and tedious. I have never been to China nor do I have any interest in the Orient, so the setting of most of the book was not compelling. I was hoping that Eric's personality and dedication to Christian principles would pull me through when I was tempted to stop reading and give the book away.
   I was inspired enough to finish it but "ho hum" is my response to the writing.
   Maybe "Chariots of Fire" was a too "Hollywood-ized" version of the 1924 Olympics,(as Back Flash was to firefighting) but even if it was, I prefer it to this book.



4. Are you sure it can't be done??? well, think twice and then read this man's biography. Eric Liddell immortilized worldwide in the 1981 Hugh Hudson's motion picture Chariots of Fire in its purest form is presented in this book. A story on courage, capacity and determination. You should not miss it. You shall want to go out jogging and be a better person to say the least!
   
   From his birth on January 16, 1902 in Tientsin, China, to his unexpected death due to a brain tumor on February 21, 1945 in a japanese concentration camp in that same country, passing through his experiences at boarding school in the UK, his olympic victory, his religious commitments, his unbelievable determination, his beloved Florence ("Flo") and the beautiful love story that surrounded their relationship, the people who marked his life (his mother Mary, father James, brothers Rob and Ernest, sister Jenny, etc.). A book that brought out emotions from the beginning when I read about Florence (Eric's widow) watching Chariots of Fire and imagining her reactions, her feelings of pride... This book is a thoroughly rewarding experience!



5. 
   Outstanding book on the life of a young dedicated christian.
   Should be of great encouragement to young people who desperately need someone as an role model in this day of confusion.
   Book is well written and brings out his courage to do that which is right in the face of adversity.
   Book is written in a foremat that can be enjoyed by those of any age group.

5 comments about Trespassers Will Be Baptized: The Unordained Memoir of a Preacher's Daughter.

1. Hancock's memoir about growing up as a pastor's daughter in the South during the 1980s is poignant and hilarious. Emy, as she is called by family, is the eldest daughter and full of ideas about what it means to be a PK (preacher's kid). She tries to follow all the rules and live a spotless life so that her sins don't reflect on her father, but at the same time, she wants the spotlight on her, so she occasionally slips up, like taking a pair of stone-washed Guess jeans from the donation box. Meg, Emy's younger sister, is fiercely independent and an enigma not just to her older sister, but to her parents as well. She is described as: and a little child shall spoil it for everyone else. Hancock ennobles the embattled position of minister in her description of her father and his faith. He is unable to cry when a best friend dies, because a pastor tucks those feelings away. He doesn't get to cry, because he has to support everyone else who is. Emy's deepest wish is to understand the her father's dichotomy. How does he wash away sin when baptizing and still give his daughters baths at night? Her mother has to put on her game face at church and hides Redbook magazine inside a Christian mother's magazine when sunbathing. Hancock truly captures not only her family's humanity, but their enormous faith as well. The book is filled with anecdotes you'll find yourself sharing with friends long after you've finished it. Hancock manages to straddle the fine line between humor and heresy with ease.



2. This book is laugh-out loud funny at times. The author has a gift for wordsmithing. Hancock's language is very expressive and paints vivid imagery. The discription of an older relative's beehive is especially noteworthy. I know of no other author who could have made a beehive so interesting or so funny.
   
   For anyone who grew up in the south, the characters are immediately recognizable. It reminded me of my Baptist relatives in Alabama. So glad I picked up this book. Highly recommended.



3. Elizabeth Emerson Hancock's humor is evident from cover to cover in "Trespassers Will Be Baptized". She brings the reader to deeper insight into the Baptist faith with humor and respect. She tells poignant stories about her life as a preacher's daughter with frank readability. The sections are cleverly divided by topic - each one a different fruit of the Spirit. And the chapter headings are hysterical!
   
   This beautifully written book is personalized with photographs and honesty. It is a memoir that is truly a treat to read.



4. 
   
   I've read a few memoirs in my day and I'm drawn to the entertaining storytellers who both tell it like it is and also manage to paint reality a little more 3-D, a bit glossier, or even smellier. It is a rare person who can touch on the childhood struggle of figuring out our own little acre and put that immature angst into adult language and rich visuals. Elizabeth Emerson Hancock has that gift. Her story of growing out from underneath the crushing burden of the Preacher's Kid label caused me to smile and sometimes laugh. Hancock has a knack with stringing just the right words together to make her guided tour down memory lane amusing and recognizable to anyone who has spent hours at church potlucks and in Sunday best outfits with thigh backs glued to polished oak pews.
   
   But as well written as this series of life-lessons named for the Fruit of the Spirit is, I couldn't help but struggle with sadness while I read it. Some characters are so human (i.e. awful) I wondered if the author needs to consider forgiving them for the pain they caused in her life. I'm all for laughing, but some of these lessons on the road to faith felt a touch bitter. I know people can be hideous and mean-spirited. Church people can be some of the worst. And it's unfair for adults to put expectations of perfection on kids. I appreciate the emotional cost the author paid out to bare her soul for the world. I can't imagine the toll she paid for the expectations she placed on adults who disappointed her and crushed her tender heart. But Jesus did die for every mean Baptist Sunday School teacher, too. And He is willing to equip us to forgive and move on. I also don't think He wants us to make other human beings all-powerful in our lives and let them steal, kill and destroy our joy, peace or faith long after they perpetrated against us. Elizabeth has every right to tell her story, but I wonder whether some of her thoughts may have been better left unsaid.
   
   This may be one of the more difficult books I've read this year. I want to love and recommend it, but in spite of all the humor and great writing, I can't help but feel melancholy after visiting her childhood.



5. This story was a very comical and interesting memoir. It's gives the reader an idea about what it's like to be a preacher's daughter. We see a picture of the author's life from age 5 to about age 10. She believed her father had some kind of magical secret. She thought she was destined to receive the Chicken Pox in order to spread God's word. She admired her little sister's way of communicating without saying a word. Near the end of the story, a tragic event changes the way her family looks at life, and teaches a lesson that sometimes we must change and move on with our lives. I recommend this book for those who want to read about the innocent outlook of a child, those who want to laugh a lot, and those who want to question why life throws us curve balls sometimes.

No comments about Out of India: A True Story about the New Age Movement.

5 comments about Island of Saints: A Story of the One Principle That Frees the Human Spirit.

1. I loved the book. Andy Andrews does a wonderful job retelling a true story while he teaches eternal truths. Awesome!



2. It is like Andy Andrews is standing there telling you the story. And it is an amazing story! If you want and need a good book, choose this one. You will never be sorry!



3. .
   ....But is it?
   
   Andy is an amazing storyteller, and this book is proof positive of his skill.
   
   Pulled from the little known theater of World War II, the American Gulf Coast, Andy weaves fact and fiction into a story about two people on opposite sides of the war, but on the same side of the heart...



4. This was my first Andy Andrews book. I picked it up in a Christian bookstore off the discount book shelf and assumed it was a book with a religious message.
   
   While it does contain a good message and I appreciate it even more because I see the "principle" as one that Christ taught, it falls somewhat flat. The fact that this "principle" is biblical doesn't excuse the fact that the characters end up being a bit too much of the "self-help" variety. True love works wonders and can teach us this "principle" because God modeled it for us, and the story is very effective in explaining why it is so helpful for all involved. This story is very much about good ethics and morals, but is also too humanist in it's approach to be considered profound or even remarkable.
   
   The story is believeable, while the character development is bit light. The historical element was interesting and pretty accurate, I believe. This is the kind of book I'd recommend to a light reader as beach or vacation fare so that, if they don't get around to reading it, it won't seem like they've missed out on a life changing lesson.
   
   I was surprised that the book includes instructions for obtaining a study guide and a video. That's a bit presumptuous on the part of the publisher I think. This is not ground shaking stuff and any study group based on this book might do better to wean themselves off Dr.Phil and Oprah for a more lasting benefit.
   
   Read (and believe) your Bibles and you'll get a much deeper and meaningful explanation of this "principle".



5. When I picked up this book, I had no idea what it was about. I only knew it was written by one of my favorite authors, Andy Andrews. I found this to be a little different from Andrews' other books, but like the others, ISLAND OF SAINTS did not disappoint me.
   
   This is a true account of Andrews' own personal discovery of some WWII memorabilia that just didn't seem to belong when Andy had found it. His curiosity sent him searching for clues as to how and why these items ended up buried on his little Gulf coast island property. What he uncovered was a riveting true story that promotes valuable lessons of forgiveness along the way.
   
   The story does take a while to develop. Several times I wondered just where the story was going and it was not until about half way into the book that things really began to take shape. The subject is one I have long been fascinated with, and that is the German activity along the east and gulf coasts during WWII. The fact that we hear so little about this aspect of the war makes one wonder just how many prominent citizens were a part of the effort to supply the Nazis.
   
   The underlying message here is learning how to forgive. In this vain, there are some very profound observations here, as one would expect from Andrews, although they do come quite late in the book. Overall, this is a wonderful true story that includes some valuable life's lessons.
   
   I do feel obligated to point out a flaw. At the conclusion of chapter 10, Joseph and Helen are having a conversation in which Joseph describes the rise and fall of democracy, attributed to Professor Alexander Tyler of Scotland in 1787. The trouble is, even though the description of the self-destruction of any democracy is, I believe completely accurate, study has shown there is no record to indicate that this notion originated with Professor Tyler.

5 comments about A Thousand Shall Fall:: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany.

1. I just read this whole book today. The book is fairly well-written and reads easily. The main theme I took away from the book is just how awesome God is in how He sovereignly arranges the affairs of our lives and leads us through very difficult times. It's apparent in this story how God, in His mercy and love, arranged the events of the lives this story recounts.
   
   It was particularly refreshing to read a story about those suffering persecution for their faith in Nazi Germany who were not Jews, but Christians families struggling with the persistent peer-pressure of their friends and neighbors. Further, it was nice to see an honest account of American behavior towards the Germans that included the not so nice stuff that was done under the banner of he American flag. It's very easy to believe that Americans served only in a redemptive capacity during WWII and miss the fact that many atrocities were committed at the hands of American GIs too.
   
   The story is about a seventh day adventist (SDA) family. It could just be me, but I detected a tone in the story, or an implied hint that God was faithful to the characters because of their dutiful keeping of the Sabbath rather than due to His loving nature and rich mercy. Now, before you flame me for my comments, let me just say that I do see in scripture how obedience to God in the face of difficulty pleases God (ie. Daniel,Joseph, etc.), however, this book seems relate the the law-keeping of the family involved to the miraculous way God intervened and less on God's compassion afforded to them due to being in Christ. Every miracle seemed to be credited to that right way of living. This seems to be in contrast to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 4:4-5. There are a few instances where it seems that the writer indicates that the sabbath keepers were spared where everyone else was not as if God only spared the faithful. This is not unexpected given the traditional SDA view that only those whom follow SDA teaching are the "true church" and right with God. Again, I know many SDAs do not hold this view, however I do believe that Ellen White did hold this view and many today still do. Please don't read my comments to be anti-SDA. I believe that God loves them as much as anyone else! There's only one body of Christ and it has no denominational label or associated pet doctines. The basis of our salvation however is the sufficiency of Christ's death on our behalf, not our faithfulness to honor the 7th day sabbath.
   
   That said, I would still buy the book again and still found it to be an encouraging, thrilling testimony to God's mighty hand! I wish there were more stories from this time in history of how God preserved other Christians.



2. Let me just say that if you are looking for a fascinating uplifting read about a family who doesn't compromise their values, this is your book. You do have to get past a writing style which lacks vivid imagery and and has stilted transitions, but I was sucked in anyway after a few chapters. Just the idea that a man who is a strong Christian could join the German army as a pacifist, carry a fake wooden gun, and warn the Jews that the SS was coming the entire war and get nothing but promoted is enthralling.
   What an amazing family and what a sweet story of how God honors those who honor Him. I wish there were more stories like this one out there. I'd love to see Spielburg make this into a movie. It would rival Schlinder's List!



3. I bought this book after reading 'The Heavenly Man' and 'God's Smuggler', hoping to find a similar testimony of God's work amongst Christians following Him no matter what.
   
   The main theme of the book is about keeping the Sabbath all through the war. There was very little mention of Jesus and the incredible work of the Good News in people's lives, which stands in contrast to the above mentioned books.
   
   I also felt a bit uncomfortable about Franz's assistance that he gave to the German war effort, but I don't want to judge too harshly a situation that I've never had to experience. But I felt that it fell short of the stories of Christians who have laid down their lives rather than compromise their beliefs, and as such I found the book interesting, since it is the account of a Christian in WWII Germany, but not inspiring.
   
   As a story about WWII it did not grip me either. I thought 'Because of Romek' was much more absorbing, even though it was so plainly written. I am surprised to see 'A Thousand Shall Fall' with such high reviews, so I guess it must appeal to some. I only finished reading the book on principal and to give it a chance.
   
   Feel free to disagree, this is merely my opinion of the book, but maybe this will help someone else make a more informed choice.



4. Susi Hasel Mundy writes of her own family experience during the terrible years of Hitter's reign in Germany. She tells in her book A Thousand Shall Fall of her father's reluctance to fight in Hitler's war for empire. As a Seventh-day Adventist her father Franz Hasel wanted nothing to do with Hitler's promises of a new Germany.
   
   Franz Hasel's family life was suddenly turned upside down when he was drafted into Hitler's army. On the very day that Franz leaves in order to report for duty he bluntly informs his young son Kurt that Hitler was an evil man. "Hitler is an evil man," Franz tells him, "Never trust what he says. You must stay true to God and God only!"
   
   Franz then gathers his children and his wife Helene in the family living room and reads Psalm 91 to them: "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flieth by day; ...a thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but is shall not come nigh thee." The family then sings the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." These few short moments sets the stage for the theme of the entire book. Indeed a God acted as a "Mighty Fortress" to the Hasel family. And indeed thousands died around them as Hitler's war wore on. Yet at the end God brought the Hasel family back together again.
   
   Hasel relates the story of her own birth during the war. She tells how hours after her birth an air raid forced her mother and three siblings to flee from their house to a bomb shelter. Her mother--having just given birth to child--was forced out of the home on a dark night. The family was forced to flee to a nearby air-raid shelter where they spent the rest of the night.
   
   Franz Hasel was often the brunt of jokes in the Nazi engineer regiment that he was in. They often mocked him for his Christian beliefs and absolute refusal to break his Sabbath. Being a Seventh-day Adventist Franz acknowledge the Lord's Day on Saturday--the same day as the Jewish day of rest. This of course created another problem in Hitler's Germany where any suspicion of being a Jew resulted in distrust and often worse. Franz was belittled by the mean Lieutenant Peter Gutschalk who tried many tactics to humiliate Franz.
   
   This book is ranked in my mind next to Corri Ten Boom's The Hiding Place in its distinctly Christian message. It is also interesting to read a real-life story about a family living in this tumultuous time in Germany. Our society often looks on the German army as the "bad guys",or at least Hollywood does. A Thousand Shall Fall gives its readers a glimpse at Hitler's Germany that is not often seen. It is the story of a fine Christen family and how God preserved them through the struggle of World War II. This book was indeed an adventure story well worth reading!



5. This book continued to add faith and encouragment to our live. Excellent 5 stars, A+++++++++++++

5 comments about Created for Commitment.

1. This book is a great read. I found the life experiences of Miss Johnson fascinating. Her life was truly dedicated to God and the experiences she shares show how God weaves all the facets of our lives to work ALL things (good and bad) for the good of those who love Him. This book made me think BIG! I think we all focus too much on matters which don't have eternal importance. It also made me consider what I am doing for God. The main change it brought to my life is my desire to rekindle the Holy Spirit which I had snuffed out many times by not being responsive. Miss Johnson's autobiography caused me to want what she had....the Holy Spirit actively working in her heart.



2. I read this one twice when we were overseas. Both times it reminded me Whom I was serving. (No, we're not missionaries.)

   This book humbled me. I enjoyed it so, so very much.

   I can't read theology. I enjoy getting my messages from God through the lives of those who loved Him. Thank God for Wetherell's story.

   Wonderful!




3. This story has inspired me to seek God more fervently. I read the book because I attend a BSF class and wanted to know more about it's founder. What I didn't expect was what I received from the example of her life.....her book has been a life-changing inspiration!



4. Reads like a novel but is full of examples of what it means to follow the guide of the Holy Spirit in carrying out His will for our lives.



5. After having participated in Bible Study Fellowship for the last 10 years, I'm glad I finally took the opportunity to "know" A. Wetherell Johnson personally. To God be the Glory!

5 comments about Through the Narrow Gate, Revised: A Memoir of Spiritual Discovery.

1. As this is a book relating to Catholicism, it is fitting for me to start the review with a confession. I bought this book not because I was interested in it, but because I wanted to read its sequel - The Spiral Staircase - and felt I should read this book first. I was not interested all that much in the story of becoming a nun and my only curiosity was how Miss Armstrong would find anything interesting to say about it.
   
   Well, I was off the mark. Karen Armstrong's recounting of her 2 years in the convent (and subsequent disenchantment with the process) are fascinating. Most of the action in this story takes place inside the subject's head as she tries to wrestle with being human in a place where humanness is to be shed (as one must renounce worldy desires, thoughts, and feelings to be close to God).
   
   Karen Armstrong does a magnificent job of depicting what this conflict is like. The process of becoming a nun, as Armstrong describes it, is a rigorous program of self-denial. One is not to complain, be tired, be mournful, be happy, be questioning, or let onesself feel any of the things that come with the territory of being human. Rather, it was taught that the pinnacle of the spiritual life was the abillty to shed one's humanness, to think and feel only about one thing - God.
   
   Armstrong also tells of a very hierarchal system where to question one's superiors is to question God (as one's superiors are closer to God than onesself; that is why they are superiors). With accuity of word, Karen Armstrong recounts how she was constantly made to feel insignificant and imbecilic by her superiors. At the same time, feeling bad about this was attributed to her weak spirit and - so it was called - her selfishness.
   
   Armstrong's story ends when she voluntarily leaves the convent after experiencing much too much. Here she tells of the schock of living in a 'regular' world after years of physical and emotional seclusion.
   
   This is much more interesting a book than i had originally thought it would be. Owing to Armstrong's ability to describe the internal struggle between her desire to be human and her desire to devote herself to God, Through the Narrow Gate has an incredible forward motion. As The Spiral Staircase picks up where this book leaves off, I cannot wait to read the latter half of Karen Armstrong's remarkable journey.



2. Karen Armstrong has written a most marvelous account of her life within a very strict order of English Catholic nuns of the 1960's. Her description of the torments she endured has caused me to regard with renewed respect and affection the nuns who taught me in the 1950's. How odd that we boys who were in class with the nuns for hours each day really had no idea of what kind of lives some of them led in the hours before and after school. The moral, spiritual, and intellectual gifts they bestowed on us daily are inestimable, even though at the time we were probably more interested in whether or not they actually had hair under their wimples!
   
   I've noticed some confusion in these reviews about several aspects of Catholic religious orders of those days. First, despite having no contact for long periods of time with "seculars" - i.e., civilians - Karen was not in a order of "cloistered" nuns. Cloistered sisters do truly cut themselves off completely from the world and, if I can be so bold as to describe them, they live a life governed by "ora et labora" - work and prayer. In fact, though, as strict as they were, Karen's order was primarily an order of teaching sisters.
   
   But there is a much more important concept that many people seem not quite to grasp, and that is that all Catholic youth of those days - at least in my experience - were taught that the most perfect way to be a true follower of Christ was to share in his suffering. That is why those nuns were treated - and treated themselves - as harshly as any Marine Corps recruits would ever be treated - only the nun's harsh treatment was to continue all her life. Certainly, most youth who took Catholicism very seriously must have given thought at one time or another to entering the religious life. We were always told to examine ourselves to determine if we had a religious vocation, but we were also warned that it was not a calling for everyone. In any event, to decide at a young age to become a nun, brother, or priest - to dedicate one's life to doing good - was not understood by many of us to be the same as dedicating one's whole existence to God. When young people make the decision to enter the religious life they often do not know what that really entails. Some religious communities are extraordinarily strict, others less so. The particularly strict order to which Karen belonged was obviously intent on making sure those young girls found out immediately that the religious life was not a game, that sharing in Christ's suffering was not to be an abstract concept but a concrete reality. Those young nuns were to put up with the sadism of some of their superiors in the same way as Christ had to endure the sadism of his tormenters. They were not only to tolerate it but to welcome it and even seek out even more spiritual pain and physical hardship. (As the British often jokingly say about the paddlings they endured in school, "Please sir may I have another?") This concept of self-denial is probably not well understood in our modern climate of "personal fulfillment."
   
   The total abnegation of self, of one's personal desires, of pride, of the hope for friendship and love, was the goal of the harshness they inflicted upon themselves. Their goal was to die to themselves in order to reach God. If you do not grasp this concept I think you'll miss the heroism inherent in the story of Karen and her fellow nuns. Naturally, that kind of life is not for very many of us, as Karen eventually found out for herself. It may be totally misguided or, by modern standards, even pathological, but it's the way some people have reached true holiness.
   
   I'm very happy for myself and for all her readers that Karen Armstrong eventually chose to leave the convent and to follow another path in life. This book is not only a gift from her but, through her, a gift to us from all those other nuns who took - and take - the road less traveled. A truly wonderful and enlightening gift.



3. I thought that this book was very honest, while at the same time providing a captivating and enticing read. I have read many of Karen Armstrong's later books on religion; however, I read this wanting to know more about her past life as a nun. The book details her seven years in a religious order in which she endures the pains of pre-Vatican Council II styled religious life. On the outside world, to which she was oblivious, things such as the sexual revolution and the Vietnam war were occurring. I could identify with some of her stumbling blocks to cultivating a spiritual life, including emotional and intellectual barriers. I now have the deepest respect for such a profound woman, not only in her writing ability but also in her courage and willingness to be so transparent in telling her story. This is a wonderful autobiography.



4. Older book with new foreword. Personal discription of life in convent by well-known religious author.



5. Honest and interesting perspective from someone who has "been there." I would also recommend "The Spiral Staircase" which she wrote after this book.

5 comments about Prophets and Personal Prophecy (Prophets, 1).

1. I have read this book over and over again. Every time I read it, I notice gold nuggets I overlooked before. One thing the Lord made stand out in my spirit while reading this book was that I really have to walk in his love and learn more about it in order to operate effectively in any ministry. The Word does say that if we prophecy, prophecy will cease if we have not love. The Word says that without love, none of the other gifts mean anything. If we don't love those around us the way the Lord would, what makes us think we would be set loose on his church. It has answered so many questions about prophets and personal prophecy that I couldn't get anywhere else. Though we all have pastors, teachers, etc., they are human as well and aren't always available or easy to get time with. It was wonderful to find a book to feed my hungry heart without having to arrange to talk to someone else. I couldn't stop reading and the more I read, the hungrier I became...sort of like a starving child sitting down to his/her first meal after a week with no food. Now, I can always refer back to the book if I have forgotton something (we always go back for seconds to the food we enjoy the most). There have been times when I wasn't comfortable to ask anyone about prophecy and the prophetic ministry and I found my answers in this book. I had been in prayer about the many questions I had and would ask Jesus tons of questions...why this, why that, etc. and ask him to provide to me the answers. The Lord certainly has answered prayer with this book and has given me more information that what I even had asked for (Ephesians 3:20). Praise God!



2. Dr. Hamon has hit the nail on the head once again. He has saved us countless hours of pain and heartache by sharing his prophetic experiences and lessons with us in this book. Prophecy and the Office of Prophet are essential to the success and the growth of the Body of Christ. Dr. Hamon has removed the mystery surrounding this office and gift.



3. PROPHETS AND PERSONAL PROPHECY: GOD'S PROPHETIC VOICE TODAY (hereafter, PPP) (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1987/2000) is one of a growing number of "how to" guides concerning the Christian charismatic "gift of prophecy" and its exercise by and on behalf of believing Christians today in the United States and in many countries around the world. I think I am correct in saying that this particular book has the distinction of being the first of its type in modern times. As one of the "seminal fathers" of the present Christian "prophetic movement," and as a respected authority on the subject of "personal prophecy," Dr. Bill Hamon offers practical guidelines and numerous case studies from both his personal and his professional life as a pastor; itinerant prophet; and founder of his own prophetic training institute in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
   
   PPP is neither a theological, nor a biblical justification for the practice of prophecy in our day; rather, it is intended as a "practical handbook for those who are already convinced that prophets operate [legitimately] in the Church today, who have themselves received a personal prophecy, and who want to respond properly and fruitfully to what God is saying to them" (pp. 14-15). By its own self-description, PPP is a book designed for and targeted toward a niche audience comprised of Christians from Pentecostal, Charismatic, "restoration," "faith," and "kingdom" churches (pp. 8-9).
   
   Hamon presupposes the divinely endowed prophetic gift to be alive (though sometimes dormant) within the body of Christ today just as it was in the first century after the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost. Hamon views the modern Christian prophets' words of direction as supplementary to the instruction of Holy Scripture and never contrary to it. He explains that God speaks by his Spirit through the Christian prophet for edification, comfort, and/or direction in the same way he did in biblical times. As the gift of prophecy was present in the lives of certain Old and New Testament persons, so it is still available to believers today. "Activation" of the prophetic gift may require the "laying on of hands" by a "prophetic presbyter" or "prophetic presbytery" along with oversight and ongoing training to reach fruitful maturity. The differentiation between a "rhema" word of God (i.e., original, Holy Spirit inspired words not recorded in the Holy Bible) and the "logos" word of God (i.e., those words which are already recorded as Holy Spirit inspired words from the biblical writers) is also presupposed as an important foundational tenet for this study.
   
   Given the book's ancient (and now revived) subject matter, it is plainly unique in the field of the "Christian charismata" today. For the unfamiliar reader, PPP should prove intiguing with its many "real life" illustrations and stories. Given its ground-breaking character, and the potential audience it might receive as such, I found it regrettable that the manuscript could not have been given a more professional preparation. Greater care during its final revision and preparation for publication would have enhanced its appeal for many additional readers beyond the niche audience. Numerous routine copyediting problems are still evident in the text. Distracting and idiosyncratic habits of capitalization and boldface usage have been retained. Chapter two has (by specific direction of the author) boldfaced every appearance of the word "prophet(s)," and the words "biblical" and "Scripture" are found with and without capitalization throughout the book. The use of hyphens, dashes, italics, and ellipses are often clumsily executed and also without consistency. A dictionary; a writing style manual; and a determination to stay consistent, would have solved these errors and would have improved readability. As one writing style manual admonishes: "--concerning what some may regard as 'trivial departures from convention'--it should be remembered that they stop the reader and make him think of your incompetence instead of your ideas."
   
   PPP is also in need of a "glossary" of technical terms. The number of unfamiliar terms and expressions is substantial even for someone like myself with personal exposure to the prophetic movement. I counted more than twenty terms (charismatic church expressions) that would be unintelligible to the unfamiliar first-time reader. Sometimes a definition is provided within the narrative, but not usually on the first appearance as it should be. Given the large number of Scripture references cited throughout the book, a "Scripture index" would have been much appreciated, and would have encouraged revisits. Again the writer's adage: "Always see your copy as it will look to a stranger"--is important to remember.
   
   Despite the many technical shortcomings, the book has sold extremely well as a P-O-D ("print-on-demand") publication having sold more than 100,000 copies in its first dozen years of availability (probably many more in the last six years), and has been translated into at least six languages! The personal magnanimity of brother Hamon; the charisma of his unique ministry and message; and what is likely a growing and acute hunger for this new genre of Christian literature have, I am sure, all served to explain the book's popularity. I guess when your target audience is large enough, and you are well-known to that audience as a man of integrity for nearly fifty years, a poor presentation is excusable and apparently of little account to the hungry reader.
   
   Content/originality = 5
   Writing/style = 3
   Literary/technical = 1
   ------------------------
   Overall average = 3



4. This is a very informative book. I believe that anyone with the prophetic giftings should read this book and even those who do not operate in the prophetic but have been given prophetic words. It helps one understand what type of gifting they may be operating in and how to apply it. Very good. It also will help you to understand a word given and how to apply it.



5. Having delivered over 45,000 personal prophecies to people that he has ministered to in over fifty years of ministry Bill Hamon's words as a modern day prophet are certainly words you want to pay some close attention to.
   
   God called me to the prophetic ministry a little over four years ago. He gave me the gift of word of knowledge, the gift of word of wisdom and the gift of prophecy and I was able to perform in those gifts as I prophesied but I had to buy a book to understand what they are and more about the gifts I was active in. I searched for a book on the gifts of the Spirit for two years before giving up and then the Lord brought a book across my path through a friend. In that book I learned about the three prophetic gifts but didn't learn much about the role of a prophet.
   
   Bill's book is comprehensive on the role of a prophet and the role of personal prophecy in their lives. The book is full of personal stories that illustrate his points and full of scriptural supports. It is a book that I know I want to lend to a couple of friends, but rather then lending it I might simply buy them copies as I know I want to read this book from cover to cover again.
   
   No person taught me how to prophesy and though I have done a lot of prophecies for people they have not been so much for people I know but for strangers. The Holy Spirit has been a very good guide.
   
   I wonder at the Lords wisdom bringing me across this book as I searched for where my prophetic site was ranked on Google two days ago. I think the Lord allowed me to learn a lot about prophecy and the role of a prophet on my own so that this book would confirm many things that I know.
   
   If you would like the gift of prophecy Bill suggests you seek the Lord in prayer and have a prophet lay hands on you and pray the prayer of faith.
   
   It is obvious this book wasn't just written easy. A lot of work has gone into planning the chapters, the subject headings and then the massive research that has gone into backing up everything he says with a scriptural supporting passage.
   
   If you have a calling on your life toward the prophetic I would say this book is a must for you.
   
   And if you live in charismatic circles and you have received personal prophecies that you still have not seen come true in your life this book is very comforting and very informative.
   
   It mentions a service closing at 9pm and Bill starting to minister in the prophetic at that time and not finishing to 12am. Three hours of speaking the prophetic over hundreds of people is a level of anointing and ability I am yet to see in my life.
   
   Well worth the money and well worth the time you will invest in reading it. I have read it in a day. You won't want your copy to leave your sight either.

5 comments about Wife No. 19.

1. Ann Eliza was brave to leave and expose what she lived and witnessed. Ann takes you into the world of polygamy and you live it with her. Many women were victims to the abusive "highest principle" of the Mormon faith.
   
   I have trouble reading some of the negative reviews from people calling this victim "disgruntled" or expecting too much from her marriage. Here is a woman who was born & raised in a polygamous family and indoctrinated into a religion that teaches she will be damned to hell if she leaves the church, but is brave enough to escape, risking her life.
   
   How sad that a victim of religious coerced polygamy has her story labeled as fiction and lies by some reviewers. Would these same mainstream LDS label women who leave the FLDS church (Fundamentalist Mormons) TODAY the same way?
   
   What I found fascinating was her steadfast faith in God, despite the indoctrination she was forced to deprogram herself from. She spent the rest of her life educating the public about the horrors of living in the culture of 19th century Mormon polygamy.
   
   I did notice some of her accounts of Joseph Smith were not precisely correct with other accounts I read in polygamy books but she is telling the story in her own words. She was not a historian and some of her accounts were from her mother's memory so they may not be perfectly accurate.
   
   This is not a book for exact historical dates or statements but an excellent book for what polygamy was really like for the women behind closed doors. The messages they gave in public forums were for the church and encouraged by the leaders. Having a first hand account of living "the principle" in 19th century Mormonism makes this book very unique.
   
   I highly recommend the books "Mormon Polygamy" by Richard Van Wagoner or "In Sacred Loneliness" by Todd Compton for excellent research/history of Mormon Polygamy.



2. If I ever had any warm and fuzzy feelings about the Mormon Church and especially its founders and early disciples, this very credible eyewitness account sent those feelings into the dustbin of history.
   
   Though the writing is not perfect by today's standards, Ann Eliza Young's personal story is very believable (I believe it is authentic) and yet incomprehensible (I am astounded that so many people put up with the religion she describes) at the same time.
   
   This is the quite detailed personal memoir of a girl who grew up in a Mormon family and became the 19th polygamous wife of Brigham Young. She finally became so disillusioned that she took the very dangerous and rare step of leaving him and divorcing him. Even more astounding for her day and age, she went on the lecture tour and exposed the Mormons and polygamy for what it was (from her point of view at least).
   
   Anybody looking for details of the sex lives of polygamous spouses will be disappointed, as there is no information on that matter whatsoever. (At the very end of the book she hints that there were gross injustices and humiliations of a personal and private nature that she would not reveal.)
   
   I enjoyed reading the book though I was appalled at the story it told. Any student of the history of the Latter-day Saints should read this book. I bet it isn't to be found in the bookstore of Brigham Young University.



3. I just ordered this book to add to my shelf of primary source materials of nineteenth century Mormon polygamy. It is a classic work. Ann Young made alot of money off of this book, as did she touring the united states on the same pulpit. For that it deserves five stars. It had a profound effect upon how non-Mormon AMericans perceived Utah Mormons. With that said, i was disappointed to see so many reviews tout this as "true" or valuable history in and of itself. Such reviewers need to step back and take some courses in both AMerican history and critical thinking and theory. You read this book to know what nineteenth-century Americans were being told about Utah polygamy, not as accurate history of what really happened. Such is identical and equally intellectually naive and embarrassing as saying Maria Monk's expose (written in the 1830s) of catholic convents was also true history. For literature on the historical placements of such nineteenth century novels and exposes see Terryl Givens, Viper on the Hearth; Sarah Gordon, The Mormon Question; Ann Douglass, The Feminization of American culture, and Franchot, Roads to Rome.



4. Ann Eliza Young was a 19th century LDS woman who was born into the second generation of Mormon polygamy. One of the most heart-wrenching parts of the book recounts how her mother heartbrokenly went from being her father's only wife for years before polygamy was introduced, to being only one of his wives, after church leaders pushed polygamy on their congregation.
   
   Mrs. Young (she was married to Brigham Young himself) finally decided to escape and speak out against the polygamist lifestyle she and so many other women in her community found devastating. Although the book was written well over a century ago, it exposes many of the same problems as contemporary polygamy memoirs (such as Escape, Shattered Dreams and His Favorite Wife, all of which I recommend). These are:
   
   1. The lower status of women in polygamist society;
   
   2. Men (even wealthy men) who do not provide financially for their huge plural families;
   
   3. Lack of education, and children pressured to quit school early and work to support and care for their father's plural families;
   
   4. Pressure on women to marry against their will;
   
   5. Physically and/or emotionally abusive behavior of husbands whose religion and community give them total power over their wives;
   
   6. Husbands who dote on favorite wives while neglecting the others;
   
   7. Unhappy households that feature intense jealousy and competition among plural wives;
   
   8. Most of all, the profound and lasting pain felt by good, loving women whose religion and community compel them to share their husbands (they are told there is no way to heaven except through polygamy).
   
   This is an excellent primary source about early Mormonism in general (it contains a first-generation family narrative that describes the church's history) and polygamy in particular. Highly recommended to anyone interested in either subject.



5. Gives a sense of life as a mormon in the 1800's. I am about half way thru this long book. It's interesting enough to get one past the slow read aspect/ repetitious points without further specific evidence. The illustrations are of very poor quality.