4 comments about Diary of God's Generals: Excerpts from the Miracle Ministry of John G. Lake (Charismatic Classics).

1. This was a man who affected two continents amazingly. He affected Africa through starting revival there and through healing crusades. He affected the USA and the International Community through the over 100,000 healings that occoured through his ministry in the spokane Washington area.
   
   He was often a workaholic but he got tremendous results. He even had Doctors and scientists on stage with him many times so that their would be verifiable evidence of the healings.
   
   When he was young his wife was healed by John Alexander Dowie.



2. John Lake came to Zion,IL. , very successful business man and the Lord called him into service and he gave all of his money away and was sent to Africa. His whole life and Ministry was one continous Maricle, his calling was from God for sure. Reading this book caused my spirit to jump within me and to say it was exciting reading will not do the book justice.



3. Having previously read everything I could find on this man of God, I found this book to be an excellent synopsis of the miraculous highlights of his ministry. Between him and Smith Wigglesworth, we Christians can be encouraged in the knowledge of how God, our Father, will use any of us that dare to believe that He will ever be true to His Word. This little book shows us how Holy Spirit filled believers can bring Jesus to the world.



4. This is a small, easy to read glimpse into a life that was mightily used of God. The testimonies shared in this tiny power packed book were inspiring.

5 comments about Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson.

1. I was at once drawn in when I first heard of Don Carson's project to write a book reflecting the life and ministry of his late father. I eagerly awaited the book's publication, then received a copy and was, ironically, in a very busy period of ministry and so therefore unable to get to the book. However, I picked it up during my son's baseball practice last weekend and pretty much could not put it down. This book was a tremendous blessing to me.
   
   Tom Carson was involved in ministry for a span of six decades. His station was the French Canadian area around Quebec. The younger Carson combed through the journal entries, letters, notes, and sermon notes that were left behind. Apparently Don was significantly aided by Tom's regular notes and his tendency to hang on to everything. What results is this book that I will refer to as a `journal-ography'. Don Carson interacts with the development of his father's ministry via his journal, the letters and his own first hand observations.
   
   The title is fitting: Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor. Carson notes in the introduction that many men seem to be extraordinarily blessed by God; their ministries grow, they see many conversions and they leave a large imprint as they pass from the scene. But, Carson writes, "Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth. They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitation, at their counseling, at their Bible studies, and preaching...Most of us--let us be frank--are ordinary pastors."
   
   In chronicling the development of Tom's ministry there are several encouragements that I took away:
   
   1- Tom was faithful to do the important things because it was what God wanted, regardless of the human concept of success.
   
   2- Tom's burden for French Canada to be saved seemed only to increase amidst the persecution from Roman Catholics, the lack of conversions, and his own shortcomings.
   
   3- Tom believed that faithful preaching would accomplish God's end.
   
   4- Tom believed that God was sovereign while at the same time laboring with tenacious zeal for souls.
   
   5- Tom was a pilgrim. He loved ministry because it emphasized the transcendent message and the coming kingdom.
   
   6- Tom did not get disqualified. He was faithful to his wife, his family, his church, his city.
   
   7- Tom loved his wife. The chapter on Marg's Alzheimer Years was a heart wrenching chapter. Tom and Marg were very much in love with each other, even till the end.
   
   8- Tom did not fire in vengeance back when wronged. Several times in the book he was unjustly accused or mistreated. Instead of retaliating he was prayerfully compassionate. Even his children had not heard of some of the conflicts until they were older. When Don asked his father why he had not told them he replied, "he did not went to become bitter."
   
   9- Tom taught his family the Bible.
   
   10- Tom took a job as a civil servant after his Drummondville ministry and still was as engaged as ever in ministry while also being a faithful evangelist at work.
   
   Some other interesting points, particularly if you, like me, enjoy D.A. Carson... "...after he (Tom) was gone I found he had carefully gone through most of the books I had written, often with little ticks or marginal notes or question marks, neatly written in pencil."
   
   As a pastor this book was a delight to read. Tom Carson is a pastor I wish I could have known, now, thankfully, it is as if I had. He has influenced me greatly, causing me to be more thankful for the blessings of divine grace, the power of the gospel, and the time remaining in ministry, that I might be more faithful. That is, more like Tom Carson.



2. In Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, New Testament scholar D.A. Carson says his book is "a modest attempt to let the voice and ministry of one ordinary pastor be heard, for such servants have much to teach us."
   
   He has succeeded in his purpose. This little book, obviously a labor of love, is a jewel. This account was pieced together using excerpts from his father's journals, the author's own memory, and recollections from friends and family. Carson follows the career of his father as he served as a pioneer Baptist church planter in French Canada from the 1930s until his death in 1992.
   
   There were a few times I felt slightly bogged down in all the backstory. A good portion of his father's life and career was affected by things that happened in his denomination during that time. Explaining these things was essential to understanding the rest of his father's career. They couldn't have been left out.
   
   Church politics, whether it's denominational or just in the local church itself, are part of life (a sad part of life that reflects our sinful natures, but part of life nonetheless). I doubt there is a pastor alive whose life hasn't been affected by these things. To leave them out would leave the story incomplete.
   
   This is a wonderful biography that can edify any Christian who is occasionally discouraged by the ordinariness of his or her life. There are plenty of books about people who thrill the world with great an amazing things. To read the story of a man who lived a lifetime of faithfulness in the small things, who labored diligently without seeing a lot of earthly rewards, is a refreshing change from most biographies, and the kind of thing there needs to be more of.
   
   In our Purpose-Driven, Megachurch world, I think this book could be a fantastic edification for any ordinary pastors out there. Since only a handful of pastors in each generation receive any sort of professional notoriety, I think that would include most pastors you know.
   
   I'm not a pastor, just an ordinary Christian, and I enjoyed the book very much.



3. You don't have to be a pastor to profoundly benefit from Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson, a moving biographical account written by Pastor Carson's son, eminent author Dr. D.A. Carson. This is a simply an outstanding book for any Christian who wants to fight sin, grow in grace, and be faithful until the end. I read it straight through, and was quite moved.
   
   Dr. Carson writes poignantly about his father, Tom Carson, who spent much of his life in pastoral ministry in small churches. Tom Carson never wrote a book and was never a sought-after conference speaker, but he was a faithful, consistent, Christian man. Though imperfect, Mr. Carson was an overwhelmingly godly example to his children, leading them in both family worship and by his own exemplification of Christian virtues. He faithfully prayed for and loved his congregation, and sought to redeem every relationship for good.
   
   The book begins with a brief history of Canada, to give the reader some perspective as to where Tom Carson ministered. Interesting historical details are given as to how Canada viewed and was impacted by the American War for Independence. Carson gives emphasis to language issues; much of the Quebec area (where Carson's life centered) was predominantly French speaking. This would become an issue in Mr. Carson's ministry because the congregation he served was bi-lingual, and toward the end of Carson's life most churches were bifurcating into English-speaking and French-speaking congregations. Chapter 2 walks us through Carson's early years. He was soundly converted in high school through the influence of a godly mother. Carson's father, however, was not a Christian until the last few years of his life--long enough, however, for Don Carson (a grandson) to discern the difference conversion makes in an older man's life. [An application: Don't stop praying for your unconverted father.]
   
   The next few chapters walk us through some of the difficulties of Mr. Carson's ministry. He occasionally received unfair treatment from denominational leaders, but never returned evil for evil. The book quotes at length from Mr. Carson's journals and we're given access to how he led his family. Mr. Carson's story motivates me greatly to authentically live the Christian faith before my wife and children. It also motivates me to want to suffer well and work vigorously for the Audience that truly matters. Mr. Carson, even to the very end of his life, was one who redeemed his time. His journals document that he was up early for intimate prayer and devotional reflection in the Word, and then sought to be fruitful in study as well as in visitation with his parishioners. He also did not neglect to pursue healthy relationships with his children (e.g., encouraging Don in his sports and his studies).
   
   Mr. Carson died well, three years after his wife Margaret succumbed to a painful, extended season of Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Carson's final suffering was relatively brief, a persistent cough, then a fever. A month later he breathed his last. The last two paragraphs of the book are particularly moving--but read this 148-page book straight through -- regardless of your calling, you will be blessed:
   
   "When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.
   
   But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man--he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor--but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.'"



4. very humbling, very encouraging, very challenging to see the way Tom lived despite the hardships difficulty in spreading God'sword. He is faithful and loving, generous, just like Jesus. Read it if ur'e a christian!



5. I've long had a theory that the most effective pastors are ones we'll never hear anything about. It's hard to believe this in a day of celebrity pastors and megachurch conferences, but our values are so far out of line with God's that I'm sure we'll be surprised one day at how God's estimation of things is different from ours.
   
   Chances are that you've never heard of Tom Carson. He was an ordinary pastor who gained respect but never rose to prominence. He planted a church in Quebec when this was no small feat. He eventually left the church when he was not seeing the conversions that he had hoped for, and he finished his working life as a civil servant and a tent-making pastor. Throughout his ministry he struggled with a sense of inadequacy, no doubt in part because he was just an ordinary pastor. I'm sure there many pastors who can relate.
   
   If Carson's son, noted New Testament scholar D.A. Carson, had not written this book, we probably never would have heard of Tom Carson's life, or benefited from his story. But I'm thankful that he did. Any pastor who feels ordinary, and who sometimes feels discouraged - and that's pretty much every pastor - could benefit from reading this book.
   
   Memoirs helped me see the beauty of ordinary pastoral ministry as I observed it in Tom Carson's life. I was inspired by his example of faithfulness, integrity, and humility, especially when lesser men would have compromised. I recognized some of my struggles in his life. I was frustrated to see Tom Carson get discouraged when he probably did a better job in many areas than I'll ever do. The book helps us understand how the Gospel can help the pastor deal with discouragement in ministry.
   
   D.A. Carson has managed to write an account of his father's life that is neither hagiography nor a tell-all memoir. The book concludes:
   
   "Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people...testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday's grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity..."
   
   "When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television...But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man - he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor - but because he was a forgiven man."
   
   May God raise up more ordinary pastors like Tom Carson.

5 comments about Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith.

1. The best spiritual stories are the stories of people all around us -- what journalists like to call "real people," as if media professionals normally exist in a realm of plastic replicas. And, perhaps that's the problem with a lot of what passes for American media, these days, isn't it?
   
   Writing as a journalist for more than 30 years, as someone who has circled the globe and also poked around America's most obscure corners -- I understand how rare this kind of book project truly is. As much of American media shrinks, resources to undertake major projects like this year-long pilgrimage through our quirky religious landscape are growing scarcer with each passing year.
   
   And yet -- this kind of pursuit is what defined our greatest writers.
   
   I'm not arguing that Suzanne Strempek Shea claims Mark Twain, Walt Whitman or Jack Kerouac status with this book -- but she's a fascinating memoirist in that noble tradition. This book takes us from New York to Hawaii -- and from Texas to the last holdout of Shaker worship in Maine.
   
   Truth be told -- I didn't have time for this book, but I opened the morning mail and was lost for the next 2 hours! I kept coming back to this book, again and again, as a first choice among a stack of urgent reading.
   
   Here's an easy way to make your choice about this book. If you're a fan of NPR, enjoy Bill Moyers, occasionally chuckle along with Garrison Keillor -- and, especially, if you recall Charles Kuralt with a smile -- then buy this book.
   
   A final tip: It's a great spring read as you're planning your summer, because you may find yourself jotting down details about some of her more intriguing stops.



2. This was a book I had to keep reminding myself to slow down and savor - it's so engaging and so delicious - yet I kept wanting to read on and discover more. After all, this could not be a more timely topic. At a point in history when we are surrounded by spiritual starvation - people leaving churches in droves - and faced again and again with religious fundamentalism at home and abroad, Suzanne Strempek Shea's response is a personal one - she goes out and actively samples church services around the country, experiencing what they have to offer and asking herself if this is what it is all about, truly.
   
   By the end of this book I felt I had not only traveled roads to outlandish and inspiring places, but I also felt I had reached a personal revelation of what spirituality could be, whether or not it was tied to a religion, a creed, or a parcel of dogma. As I read I was amused, astonished, and sometimes shocked by the types of worship she observed, and ultimately I had to admit I was profoundly moved by what she showed me about faith and belief. For when we witness others' faith, we allow our own to grow.
   
   I cannot think of a book that is more relevant to spirituality today in the USA. I shall be giving copies to those friends I know who are sampling churches and chapels, looking for something that feels genuine.
   
   We should be profoundly thankful for this book.
   
   Allan Hunter
   Author of "Stories We Need To Know: Reading Your Life Path in Literature'
   www.allanhunter.net



3. Mormons and mennonites; Quakers and Shakers; Baptists and Spiritualists. A Fifty-two week journey featuring a different religion every Sunday. This was quite a task to undertake, but Suzanne Strempek Shea stays right on course and takes the reader on a yearlong journey across the country as she seeks to understand both the similarities and differences between the ways Christians worship. Attending both megachurches and places of worship where most of the congregation consists of ghostly presences, lapsed-Catholic Strempek Shea also rediscovers what is important to her in a spiritual sense. The book is witty and passionate, and Strempek Shea doesn't shy away from what turns her off and why, and what fills her with the spirit. It took me a bit of time to read this book, as too many religions in one sitting is a bit overwhelming, but each chapter contains both personal and public observations that clue the reader in to what the author was feeling on the day she walked into each church. I like this writer's energy and commitment to her task. I've never read anything quite like it, and I enjoyed it very much.



4. Suzanne Strempek Shea is a master storyteller whose non-fiction is as creative and imaginative as her novels. I was eagerly looking forward to reading this book and it lived up to my expectations.
   
   The idea of visiting one church a week for a year is daunting, considering the preparation and travel involved. However, the author walked into every one with an open mind and a photographer's eye, gifting us with minute descriptions of everything from the church's building and decor, demographic profile and attire of the congregation, scripture readings, liturgy, music, sermons, bulletins, the weather, and the intangible --- without wasting a word. Each chapter is prefaced with a brief history of the particular denomination, in itself very educational. There is humor and introspection throughout.
   
   Politicization of religion, both on the right AND the left, has probably alienated enough Americans to explain why church attendance is down. Even so, several of Suzanne's spotlighted houses of worship were inviting. SUNDAYS IN AMERICA is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Amen.



5. The writing in this book is lovely, with a flow and smoothness that warm the heart. But it stops the reader dead in his tracks when the author makes no qualms about declaring that Christianity is wonderful as long as it's not mainstream, white or advocating traditional values. Apparently it's not ok to differentiate between right and wrong! I did not finish the book (borrowed from the library) after realizing what her theme was. Too bad!

5 comments about In the Presence of My Enemies.

1. It's hard to express how much I admire Martin and Gracia Burnham. It's been at least two years, I suppose, since I read this book but I still remember most every chapter. So, if it's a riveting on-the-edge-of-your-seat book you're looking for, here's a good one.
   
   However, if you're looking for God working incarnate, this may be where to start. God took two "ordinary" people and made something most extraordinary out of their tragedy. Two things I especially appreciate from the book are 1) Gracia's brutally honest, no-holds-barred look at herself during the ordeal and 2) Martin's "speaking" through the book though he didn't physically write a word.
   
   I would love to meet Gracia someday and would have loved to have met Martin. Read this book and you'll still somehow carry them both around with you.



2. I love, love, love this book! What a powerful testimony of faith in God during a terrible situation. This book has been such an inspiration to me of what real trust in God looks like, even in the face of death.
   I would highly recommend this book!



3. The author accurately recounts how one is treated during a kidnap by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization in the Philippines. The book definitely has a spiritual slant but it does provide an in depth understanding of how one's religion and spiritual beliefs are most often what enables one to survive a most tragic experience.



4. This frank, honest account of the kidnapping of missionaries, Martin and Gracia Burnham and Martin's subsequent death, will break your heart and strengthen your faith. I greatly appreciate Gracia's willingness to admit her depression and doubt during their ordeal. Yet, through it all the hand of God was evident in their lives. She looks back today with understandable sadness, but without bitterness. To Gracia the Lord is still good although her life has been forever changed. Her example, and that of Martin's is encouragement to all.
   
   On the last day of Martin's life he turned to Gracia and said, "I really don't know why this has happened to us. I've been thinking a lot lately about Psalm 100 - what it says about serving the Lord with gladness. This may not seem much like serving the Lord, but that's what we're doing, you know? We may not leave this jungle alive, but we can leave this world serving the Lord `with gladness'; we can `come before His presence with singing' (Psalm 100:2)." What a remarkable testimony.



5. The moment I started reading this book I coudlnt let it go. An inspiration how God let bad things happen for a good reason.

5 comments about The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere.

1. Caroline Murphy has sketched an extraordinary life. Felice della Rovere's worlds -- personal and political -- were complicated ones, and she seems to have been amazing in how she negotiated them. I say "seems" because it's very often difficult to tell whether the author is basing a statement on solid evidence or whether she is taking a leap -- about an action, about a motivation, about an emotion -- a sort of best guess based on the evidence. That's often frustrating and often downright irritating, but all in all it's worth it to see the shape, if not the real substance, of the life.



2. For the reader familiar with early sixteenth-century Rome, Caroline Murphy's book is a carefully compiled compendium of images and priceless facts, albeit some treading on familiar ground, for example the horrific Sack of Rome or the sexual anarchy in the Vatican during the reign of the infamous Borgia pope. Yet, there is so much new material on a fascinating woman, that even general readers interested in history should be mesmerized by it. The lives of numerous old baronial families form a foundation for the story of the Della Rovere and Orsini clans, of the militant Pope Julius, Felice's father, and the lords of Bracciano, the stronghold of the Orsini's. Minute details of everyday life in Rome enclose the broader picture of a papal daughter who governed her family with a suprisingly strong hand, long after her papal father died. Images of lavish feasts, rebuilding of St. Peter's, and perpetual enminity between the ruling clans are just minute details of an elaborate and very enjoyable reading. Although a page-turner, be prepared to move slowly, because the thousands of facts will demand time to savor them! Definitely not a quick read for most. Highly recommended.



3. Tightly written with loads of details that goes a long way in explaining how she developed and became successful. I now have a better understanding of the 'Medevial Rome" area that I visited.



4. An interesting book,detailing events in Rome c.1500. Easy to read and well told,I would recommend it if you like history.Is cheap for such a scolarly work. Not prejudiced and fairly told.No complaints except I got confused sometimes by "who"the person that was mentioned. That's my fault,maybe,but a caracter guide would have been welcome.I would like to read more of this type of history book,the period is so interesting. Padraic O Cinneide. Kildare,Ireland



5. 
   This is the second book I've read by this author. I hope Caroline Murphy keeps researching Renaissance women and writing books.
   
   In both this book and Murder of a Medici Princess the author assembles a lot of information and presents it in a way the lay reader can really enjoy. Chapters in both books are chronological which helps the lay reader understand the complexity of the historical setting. Some chapters describe the episodes of the subjects' lives, in others there are lifestyle descriptions. The famous persons of the time are covered as they relate to the principle, and not used as a crutch to fill in a story.
   
   While the books are chronological, my reading of them wasn't. Felice della Rovere is the grandmother to the spouse of Isabella de Medici, the subject of the newer book.
   
   Both books appear to be the only full length biographies that exist for these women, which, beyond rescuing these women from obscurity, makes this an achievement for the author. Both of Murphy's subjects were important women of their times. While they led lives that transcended contemporary gender roles, their stories, as presented by Murphy, help the modern reader to better understand the social structure of Renaissance Italy.
   
   If you, like me, know little about this period, the Murphy biographies give you the context to understand the times through the people. Being the only full bios on these women, there is also plenty for those who are more knowledgeable about this period.

5 comments about The Seamstress.

1. Seren Tuval is my new heroine. Born ahead of her time, she was an independent force to be reckoned with. Having the sense of not wanting to be married too young and finding a career to support herself (which she did, hence the title) this brave woman not only fought her way through the Holocaust and survived, her intelligence, quick wit and sense of humor saved the lives of her sister and and close friend as well. She never lost hope that she would be reunited with other family members and her sheer will to survive is a true inspiration. I was always proud of my Eastern European descent, but now Seren Tuval makes me even prouder.



2. True life events .. so well told .. The story is riveting from beginning to end .. I wish I could feel that this will never happen again but I worry that it can and that it will.



3. I read many books on the Holocaust and have always found inspiration and admiration for those people who have experienced such an appalling event and have managed to survive. But this book left me totally disturbed with the graphics given by this amazing woman, Sara Tuvel Bernstein, and I highly commend her for sharing her horrific ordeal.
   I recommend everyone should read this book and maybe,just maybe, we will learn something from it... that war is futile, and all people are equal.



4. Instead of buying Harry Potter we need more books like this. This was such a beautiful story of hope and courage, strength and determination. It tells history the way it was and I cannot tell you enough how this book touched my heart and my daughters heart. My daughter picked up the book and never put it down, she read the whole thing in 3 days. I could hear her giggle and laugh at some of the funny parts and I could see her tears in some of the sensitive heart moving parts. This book will capture you. Just beautiful
   I wish they could make Sareen's story into a movie
   
   God Bless



5. This was one of the best books I ever read. The book was written so well. I wish more books were written about the Holocaust that were this good. 5 Stars!!!

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.

5 comments about Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish.

1. As someone who grew up Swartzentruber Amish in the same community as the "Shetler" family I consider this to be one of the best books on the Amish I've ever come across. It accurately tells the real story without being offensive. My only problem with reading it was knowing how private the Amish are I felt like I was eavesdroping! If you are looking for an accurate account of life inside the Swartzentruber Amish community this book is a must read.



2. Very enjoyable read. Mackall uses his sensitivity, humor and vulnerability to tell us a real story about real Amish people. Living next door and making friends with a Swatzentruber (very orthodox & traditional) Amish family, he is there for them in their time of need, and they welcome him in to their lives - to a certain point. Mackall smashes many of the popular, but inaccurate notions we have about the Amish and leaves us a little more informed and thoroughly entertained.



3. Plain Secrets was our choice for our book club this month. It was an informative read. Much info about the Amish of Ohio and a good conversation work.



4. Neither a scholarly treatise nor a vilification, an idealization nor an exposé, Joe Mackall's PLAIN SECRETS is a narrative that explores one man's relationship to an Amish family and, by extension, a community.
   
   Mackall, who lives in Ashland County, Ohio, befriends the Shetler family: Samuel, Mary and their nine children (names changed by the author). Over the years, living in close proximity to the Shetlers, Mackall develops as close a relationship with the family as an Englisher might be allowed. What emerges is the peace, beauty and goodness of the culture, as well as the disturbing questions he finds himself asking about legalism, the rights of women and the protection of children. His friendship with the family also helps him learn more about himself. "I have chosen...to mine the raw material of their everyday lives in search of everyday truths," writes Mackall.
   
   It's an immersion into the world of the Swartzentruber, the most traditional and strict of the Amish sects. The Swartzentruber refuse to use reflective signs on the back of their buggies, leave school after the eighth grade, bathe only once a week and carry no insurance. The women are not permitted to wear bras and are not allowed to shave their underarms or legs.
   
   However, there are plenty of surprises. This conservative sect shops at Wal-Mart and loves the Dollar Store, and may enjoy junk food such as Milky Way candy bars and potato chips. Although they don't practice "rumspringa" like many other Amish sects, the Swartzentruber Amish let their teens go on "dates," in which a teenage boy and girl spend the night together, side by side, in her bed. Mackall skillfully weaves other information throughout the narrative: the history of the Swartzentruber, the organization of the church and the ordination of ministers, and Amish perceptions of African Americans.
   
   As part of his exploration, Mackall follows the story of Samuel's nephew Jonas, who leaves the Amish to join the English community. The reader will be alternately intrigued, sympathetic and repelled at how Jonas handles his new-found "freedom." To abandon Amish life, Mackall shows through Jonas's attempt, is to encounter immediate problems. How do you get a Social Security number if your parents refuse to let you have a copy of their marriage license? How do you find a job when you've never gone to school past the eighth grade? The Amish community's culture and rules, Mackall realizes, make it difficult for a child to leave.
   
   Living in close proximity to the Shetler family offers Mackall positive insights as well --- an appreciation and attention to the weather, a realization that he doesn't need as much as he perhaps wants. Mackall, a professor of English and journalism at Ashland University, beautifully pens one particularly haunting scene, which finds him rhythmically tossing butternut squash to Samuel in his truck as they get ready to go to an auction.
   
   "Perhaps it's because the weather is fair and the season is autumn, but suddenly I experience a paroxysm of joy --- sheer, sharp unadulterated joy. I'm suspended between two worlds, an outsider in an outsider's world. I'm here with friends who consider themselves separate from the world but woven into the earth, while we all throw fruits of the earth to one another: seeds planted, sown, produce reaped and cleaned, soon to be sold, bought, and eaten. Toddlers play, teenagers laugh, a friend loses his hat, my back aches, and through it all the beauty and heartbreaking brevity of this life pierce me with their stunning certainty."
   
   Other scenes are not so prosaic. After enjoying his rides in Samuel's buggy and telling others about them "as if I were playing a small part in some quaint drama most people could only watch", he must re-evaluate his thinking after another family's buggy is hit by a car and an eight-year-old girl is killed. This leads to a written personal tirade, which ends with, "Is sticking with your sacred buggies more important than the sanctity of human life? Can't you take care of your children?" Readers will have further concerns when Samuel takes his daughter to a veterinarian for medical treatment or, like all Swartzentrubers, refuses to immunize his children. Mackall's questions as he ponders the less appealing side of Amish life are respectful, vulnerable and thought provoking.
   
   Threaded throughout Mackall's book is Samuel's belief in God's will and how it affects his world. "He talks about God's will the way he reports how much it rained the night before or that one of his cows has the milk disease. God's will is like gravity --- it is rain and dirt and sun and snow and wind and fire and every other elemental thing. It is what it is --- no matter what we do." Despite Mackall's own disagreement with Samuel's theology, he finds himself strangely comforted by it when a disabled uncle dies.
   
   It's these conflicting perceptions that provide the necessary tension that holds Mackall's narrative together. Readers will come away with new perspectives about Amish life and some disturbing questions.
   
   --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby



5. I am from West Salem and having lived there and worked at the law office, I could pretty much pick out who he was talking about. I feel Mr. Mackall did a wonderful job of telling the true life of the Amish.
   
   I have seen the shunning of a young man in public, at a auction I attended. It broke my heart. It is not easy for them to just walk away from the only family and way of life they known.
   
   If the Amish interest you as they do me, then this book is the one book to read.Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish

5 comments about Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham.

1. This book was a "Masterpiece" of a book and I enjoyed every bit of it. I could clearly see that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise for his glory. It will inspire and strenghten your faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.



2. Let me first preface this by saying that I've never actually heard a Billy Graham message but was curious to learn about him given his wide influence both in the religious and political realm. It's obvious why he is so popular he has a great sense of humor and a way of telling storys that while amazingly simple does not insult the intellegience of the listner. Also the fact that his life was good material to work with didn't hurt at all. He's a fascinating character while on one hand he is a throw back to the old school evangelists like Billy Sunday who preached with exuberant energy and strength against the evils of such things as alcohol and secularism but on the other hand he hurdled christianity into the future in the way he worked with several different church denominations and revolutionized evangelism through mass media a feat that has never been equaled sense. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Billy Graham is how such an immedeatly plain spoken individual made such headway with the secular media and goverment heirarchy this is something Billy Graham himself admits belwilderment to on the back cover of the book. His popularity would explain somewhat his influence in government it's clear that politicians thought and rightfully so that his views represented those of a lot of Americans. However there is never really any explanation as to why or how for example he became the first minister to speak at the London School of Business he himself admitted that he wasn't the most intellectual of his peers. Perhaps it is as Billy Graham claims the power of the gospel.
   A couple of the things I admired were Billy Grahams honesty when it came to dealing with such things as money and women. I also personally liked the fact that he didn't try to pretend he was more pompous than he really was he's open about experiences that some ministers would no doubt be embarassed by such as going to movies with a lot of nudity at young age, being hit on by a girl in high school, and acting like a bumbling fool around presidents Truman and Eisenhower. As some people on here have alluded to already it does sort of seem like he was an absintee father. I was a bit disturbed by this as a Christian I think God calls married men to be husbands and fathers first and foremost. I have to admit though I think a lesser man wouldn't have disclosed such details as his young daughter not being able to recognize her mother.



3. i'm very excited with this purchase. I received the product in very well condition and in good time.



4. Unless Billy did a fantastic job in hiding all of the difficult and trying times of his life (as I suspect in the case of his troubled relationship with his son Franklin), WHAT A LIFE this man had!!! Who would not want to have what he had: travels; meetings with the rich, the famous, the wise; success; financial stability; a loving wife; great kids; and most of all, the honor and privilege to lead millions to Christ. Can you imagine the party they'll throw in heaven when he gets there? However, the book was very mediocre in my view. Very seldom the author opened his heart and expressed his true feelings...Lots of anecdotes, details, insignificant (to the reader) stuff; it was not a total waste of time, because you always get the feeling that this man loves his Lord and truly wants to serve Him. Not much to say against that...I just wish he could have made deeper remarks about people and events in general.



5. I really enjoyed this autobiography by Billy Graham. It was a very pleasant read. In this autobiography, Graham shared his life struggles and victories. He tells of his childhood experiences on the farm, and how he grew up in a christian home without atually accepting it. He then explained how his life was changed once he dedicated his life to Christ. As the book continues, the reader discovers Graham's world-wide experiences, and how he helped to bring millions to the Lord.
   
   Although the book was enjoyable overall, some parts of the book seemed a little drawn out and uneccesary. Some events seemed to be a little too insignificant to include in the book. He could have also opened up a little bit, and shared more of his personal feelings. Since it is an autobiography, Graham could have personalized the events a little bit more. But despite its flaws, this book was very inspirational, and I recommend it to all who are interested in learning more about this great christian icon.

1 comments about God's Generals: The Revivalists.

1. This is the third book in a series entitled God's Generals. The first book is about famous pentecostals and the second book is about famous reformers. This book is about about famous revivalists. It includes such people as John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and Billy Graham.
   
   The scholarship and research is profound. In all three books you can learn from their strengths and weaknesses. Liardon gives an accurate account of church history in his works.
   
   I often return to the first book when I need some encouragement. In my opinion, the first and second book are better than the last. They all are good though.