3 comments about Thinking Right When Things Go Wrong: Biblical Wisdom for Surviving Tough Times.

1. Having gone through difficult times, I really didn't feel like reading about trials, but this book was Wonderful!!! Dr Hutchison's book is easy to read and I found myself unable to put the book down. It's practical but also challenges your suppositions about why difficulties occur. My faith was strengthened and his applications from Scriptures has stayed with me. Excellent for any circumstances you are unprepared for.



2. As one who served the public for a number of years in the capacity of a professional firefighter, I have seen many individuals who were facing a major crisis in their lives.
   Often they responded with hopelessness and dispair and could
   see no purpose for what they were going through.
   
   The book: "Thinking Right When Things Go Wrong" by Dr. John
   Hutchison could serve as a prepatory "manual" for just such
   occasions. I highly recommend John's book, not just for those
   who are currently in the midst of anguish and suffering -- but
   for anyone who would desire to be equipped with a biblically based attitude and thought process BEFORE those trials occur.
   
   Since I have progressed a considerable distance down the "road of life", I found chapter 5 -("It's All About You, Lord") and
   chapter 6 - ("What a Privilege") to be especially thought provoking. The book is a very good "write" and a very good "read".



3. I can't praise Dr. Hutchison's book enough.
   
   As a pastor & licensed marriage and family therapist I have worked in the field of human suffering for over 20 years and I can wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Hutchison's "Thinking Right When Things Go Wrong." This is a major step forward in the integration of theology and psychology to explain why God allows suffering, pain, and sorrow to exist in our fallen world. Dr. Hutchison does this by giving us, in his own words, the "bigger picture, bigger story" view of the subject through scripture, personal experiences of his own, and years of pastoral ministry to those who are hurting.
   
   This is a book that will equip you to deal with life's toughest issues whether you are a pastor, counselor or someone currently living through a fiery trial of your own.
   
   Dr. Hutchison's sensitive approach to suffering so personally ministered to me, I was blessed to read it.
   
   Rev. Bob Charness
   M.A. Min., M.A. MFCC

5 comments about God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest.

1. Father Edward's book is absolutely wonderful. From the moment that I first opened the book, I knew that I was meant to read it. Father Beck has a "real" style of storytelling...it's as if he was talking directly to you. Since reading this book I've sent copies to all of my friends and they've begun to send it to THEIR friends! It's a wonderful gift to give and a wonderful gift to receive and cherish.



2. Fr Beck writes with a journalist's facility and brings the story of his tentative first steps toward the priesthood to his ordination to his life as a Passionist priest and itinerant Retreat Master. Eminently readable,he shows the life of a priest in the modern era who hears confessions with compassion,says Mass with great devotion to God and yet jogs frequently-one time while wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt with the long red tongue..His brushes with the worldly and the enticing teach us that we are all loved by God and that we can resist the temptations of everyday life and still carry on a full Catholic life-he as a Passionist priest,others like us as ordinary laypeople. He is saddened by what is happening to the modern Catholic Church and his concern shows through..He is also brave enough to point out the lack of leadership from the top and at the parish level that is sometimes lacking and that has allowed some of the misfortunes to happen within our beloved Church.
   
   He also points out the personal miracles he saw-miracles of a relic of St Martin De Porres.a Dominican lay brother-who administered to to poorest of the poor to men of all races.Born in Lima,Peru of Spanish and black parentage,honored even by the animals who recognized his blessedness, and venerated by the local population as soon as word had gotten out that he had passed on to his Eternal Reward..Very appropriate as Fr Beck ministered to the poor African Americans in Chicago and New York while he was undergoing his seminary training and his Retreats all across the country now are for all men and women of whatever race or faith..
   
   He is a good Priest-a Priest forever..we hope he goes on to have a good literary career and that his Retreats thrive for many years..



3. GOD UNDERNEATH is not a memoir about an extraordinary priest, as its author Edward Beck would readily admit. He was raised in an average Catholic family, his vocational call was somewhat ordinary, he was not a brilliant scholar as a student, and his success does not rival that of a televangelist or a religious celebrity. This is probably why the book is so powerful and such a worthwhile read. We meet a priest who is spiritual, wants to serve God, and has many human ups and downs. He struggles with his call, what it means to be a Catholic, and how to make faith meaningful for people. We see him face some opposition, and we get a sense of his flaws as well. Yet in the end we meet a remarkable person who is able to find God in so many situations and see God in a variety of people. We see an honest and dedicated person of faith succeeding at living his call.
   
   The book is an enjoyable and easy read. We feel we know the author rather well because he is honest about his ministry and faith. Yet while eh tells the story about his priesthood, in many ways the book is not about Edward Beck. The author uses the many people he has encountered in his life and in his ministry, and shows the ways in which God works in their lives. In many cases Beck is the instrument God uses, but we see that Beck clearly grows closer top God by ministering to the many people he meets in his ministry. For this reason too, we can see God at work in Edward Beck was we read this book.



4. I though Fr. Edward gave us a great insight into the priesthood and what it is like to devote yourself to the church. See what Carly Simon, who Fr. Edward met said about him. "The very first time I saw Father Edward's face, I knew I would learn something about `men of the cloth'. A little the way you come to realize that your most erudite teachers have nightmares and hurt feelings and stomach aches. I had always been a little too much in awe of Priests, monks and other clergy or theological types. Maybe this is because they have to keep a distance in order to have you (the hopeful believer) believe they are a link to the great unknown. Edward Beck allows us close enough to see the emotions of a man. Because of the flawed humanity revealed, there is more reason to see that link. It will mean something special to the reader to see the courage that enables him to reveal himself so simply and honestly. To identify with him: to empathize, to feel his doubts , and then his overriding desire to go beyond and through them, is what his journey is about."
   -Carly Simon



5. Fr. Beck is refreshing and real. He offers humor along with his sharp insights. Hopefully, he will be writing for years to come.

5 comments about Never: Jens Pulver And the Wednesday Group that Will Change the World.

1. An inspiring story about how a talented and determined mixed martial arts fighter overcame the sort of childhood traumas that would likely turn me into an emotional trainwreck. The writing is sharply observant and pulls no punches (no pun intended). Jens' story is by turns harrowing, inspiring and compelling...I more or less read the book in one sitting.



2. I love the way the author captured the subject in this rendition of the life of a child brought up in his own personnal hell. He showed all the facets, not just the polished, but the ruddy and cracked as well, and that is how it is for Jens today. There will always be residual from his upbringing, but the choices he makes to rise above are shown clearly in this book and it gave me a sense of hope that the message may reach more young men with similar situations. I've read it a few times and love it each time. I am, by the way, Jens' mother.



3. This book is about faith and what ordinary men that aren't mixed martial arts champions can do in to change the world around them. Pulver's story is more of a backdrop to the story of mutual faith in the Lord.



4. Jens Pulver is an idol of mine, but I found that his other book which talks from the first person is a better choice.
   
   "Never" is taken from the author's point of view - who is in the "Wednesday Group" with Jens - and I found that a lot of the book concentrates on Tim's life. The author talks about himself personally and other experiences that really have nothing to do with Jens Pulver. In fact in the beginning of the book I found myself flipping through pages just so I could come across some area which involved Jens Pulver.
   
   Not only that, there is a religious undertone throughout the book which is not what I expected. It is still a good read if you are a fan, but it may not be what you expect.



5. This book was more than I expected. McKinnon was able to capture Jens and the Wednesday group as if you were an intimate friend of these guys. It was the perfect blend of Jens' upbringing, the context of the group that meets at the Pat Miletich gym and Tim's unique and often hilarious perspective on both. As the USA Today wrote in review, some books are a page turner, this book is a page stopper - I could not put it down. After reading this story, you are filled with hope and inspiration, that whatever you are facing in life, you can overcome those obstacles and be resilient. Jens and these guys have left an indelible mark on me, and I will strongly recommend this book to others. Thank you Jens for allowing McKinnon to capture this amazing story. Well done guys.

No comments about Diario de Santa Maria Faustina Kowalska.

5 comments about Do You Believe?: Conversations on God and Religion (Vintage).

1. Dear Mr. Monda,
   
   After reading your Do You Believe? twice, I write to thank you for your remarkable effort. As a daily practitioner of the Socratic method in my rhetoric classes, your prepared and spontaneous follow-up questions explain why your interviews are so revealing and why your book is so readable.
   
   Your book must have babies. I hope that you follow it up with a sequel of interviews of equally important cultural icons. Your book will also help me revise the introduction of my Advanced Placement Unit on How Important Is God in Your Life?
   
   Your interviews evoked a series of related quotations that have shaped my thinking and values the last forty years. The personal witnesses of faith in your interviews bolster my own fragile faith. Again, thank you, profoundly.
   
   Sincerely,
   Victor J. Moeller



2. Rather than write my own review, let me share with you a review by Lawrence Joseph that was published in Commonweal magazine (31 Jan 2008):
   
   In an essay titled "Monda's World" in the July 29 edition of the New York Times Book Review, Rachel Donadio introduced "arguably the most well-connected New York cultural figure you've never heard of." Antonio Monda: forty-six years old; Italian; a resident of New York City since 1994; author; film and literary critic; award-winning filmmaker and curator; artistic director of Le Conversazioni, a festival of prominent Anglophone fiction writers held annually on the island of Capri; professor of film and television studies at New York University. Antonio Monda, Donadio announced, is "a one-man Italian cultural institute." He is also "a practicing Catholic," Donadio noted in passing, "who sends his three children to parochial school."
   
   Do You Believe? (originally published in Italy as Tu Credi? in 2006) consists of an introductory essay by Monda followed by conversations with some of America's most prominent cultural and artistic figures. Monda speaks with writers Toni Morrison, Saul Bellow, Elie Wiesel, Grace Paley, Derek Wolcott, Salman Rushdie, Paul Auster, Jonathan Franzen, Richard Ford, Michael Cunningham, Paula Fox, and Nathan Englander; actress Jane Fonda; filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and David Lynch; architect Daniel Libeskind; and historian Arthur Scheslinger Jr. Deeply moving, Do You Believe? is a truly compelling book, bound to become a classic.
   
   In his introduction, Monda notes that religion "obviously has played a central role in the important and often dramatic political and social choices of recent years." Do You Believe? is not, however, intended as a sociopolitical analysis. Monda's emphasis is on how every choice -- existential, artistic, political -- has its origin in the answer to "the great question" that he asked all those with whom he spoke: Does he or she believe in the existence of God?
   
   Monda's own faith is grounded in an orthodoxy that he describes as an aurea mediocritus -- a "golden mean." For Monda, true religious orthodoxy rejects religious extremes. One extreme is "every type of fundamentalist aberration." Another extreme is Gnosticism and "New Age spiritual tendencies ... constructed for the use of the individual worshiper." Monda's orthodoxy is religious "in the sense of the etymon religio: `bond.'" The aurea mediocritus of religious orthodoxy is what binds believers to their faith: "the fundamental genetic makeup of the believer includes not only the choice of the golden mean but its celebration."
   
   Monda believes in a Catholic Church bound by essential, central beliefs. He also believes in a church bound to the all-too-human. Monda quotes from G. K. Chesterton's book Heretics: "This one thing, the historic Christian Church, was founded on a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. For no chain is stronger than its weakest link." Monda adds: "I don't think that anyone ... can help feeling a sense of mystery before the central place still occupied by this two-thousand-year-old institution constructed by weak men who have often cursed and betrayed its message.
   
   And the sense of mystery can only conceal a doubt: Is there something truly divine behind it?" Monda often refers to the Letter to the Hebrews: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen" (11:1) -- which, to Monda, "seems a paradox, and perhaps it is. But what else is faith?"
   
   With the hope that it may "prove to be a good traveling companion on the most important journey of every life," Monda devotes the rest of Do You Believe? to a series of conversations. When Monda asks the novelist Michael Cunningham if he believes in God, he responds, "Well, we're starting off with the big one, aren't we?" Nathan Englander says, "I'd be inclined to say no if I didn't feel God's wrath." Jonathan Franzen answers by asking Monda, "What do you mean by God? What's your definition?" Monda quotes Luis Buñuel, who said he was "an atheist by the grace of God." Nathan Englander replies, "I share that feeling, and I'm ready to steal the remark." Monda asks Englander if he believes in life after death. "It's a question that brings me to a point of crisis," Englander says. "Yet again I would be tempted to say no, that it's an illusion and also perhaps a joke, but if you ask me where I think my grandfather is at this moment I would answer: in Paradise."
   
   Another of Monda's favorite questions: "What artists do you admire in whom you feel a strong religious presence?" "Most prominently, Flannery O'Connor," Michael Cunningham answers. "She was an utterly orthodox Catholic, and one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.... O'Connor, in her fiction and her letters and essays, is the best argument I know against dismissing Catholicism outright." Daniel Libeskind invites those who don't believe in God to listen to Bach.
   
   Salman Rushdie explains to Monda that he can't get over a tragic fact that is intimately bound up with every religion, "the blood that's been shed in the name of God." Monda asks, "You don't think that this is one of the many tragic events to be attributed to men who exploit, betray, and blaspheme the will of God?" Rushdie responds, "When you don't believe, it's difficult to separate the two things, and little remains."
   
   Saul Bellow simply answers "yes" when asked if he believes in God. How does he imagine God? "I don't want to talk about that," Bellow answers. "I'm afraid of banality, and I think it's a subject whose importance is diminished by conversation." Monda then quotes, from Bellow's great novel Mr. Sammler's Planet, Mr. Sammler's declaration, "Very often, and almost daily, I have strong impressions of eternity." Bellow elaborates: "There are moments when God shadows existence." Monda: "What do you think happens at death?" Bellow: "This I don't know, but I don't think everything is resolved with the destruction of the body. What science has to say seems to me insufficient and unsatisfying."
   
   Martin Scorsese tells Monda that "Catholicism has been extraordinarily important in my life, and I would say that my films would be inconceivable without the presence of religion." Catholicism "is part of my innermost self, and I'm sure it will always be that way." When Monda asks, "Do you believe in God?" Scorsese says, "I don't think I can give a precise answer. I think that my faith in God lies in my constant searching. But certainly I call myself Catholic." Monda: "How can you be a Catholic and not be sure if you believe in God?" Scorsese: "I didn't say that. What I'm trying to explain is that I distrust definitions, and I think there are questions that I personally find it difficult to respond to directly." Monda: "For a Catholic, God is made flesh, is born of a virgin, and saves the world." Scorsese: "I would say that everything you've said is part of my culture, of what I try to express in my films, and so of my being."
   
   Grace Paley asks Monda if he's serious after he tells her that he considers his subject the most important subject not only of our time but of all times. "Do you think life after death exists?" Monda asks her. "Obviously, no," Paley answers. "And an eighty-three-year-old is telling you this, aware that she doesn't have much longer to live. The moment I take my last breath everything will end." What are her thoughts about that? "That it's sad," Paley says, "but life is wonderful."
   
   Paley then asks Monda whether he believes. His response: "I am Catholic, Apostolic, Roman." Paley: "And what is there for you after death?" Monda: "The true life." Paley: "And what is the life that we're living at this moment?" Monda: "A passage and a gift." Paley: "Do you feel that you are better as a result of your faith?" Monda: "I would feel useless without it. And even more useless without charity." Paley: "I'm ahead of you. I know you're quoting the hymn to charity -- it's a passage from Paul. And I would add, on charity I am in total agreement. One of the most beautiful, gratifying, and enriching experiences of my life was my involvement with the Catholic Worker Movement. One can say what one likes about faith, but what I saw done by its members daily and by all who were the heirs of Dorothy Day is simply marvelous: an extraordinary lesson for us all on what it means to love and to work to make the world a better place with determination and a spirit of service. It was an experience that formed my social, political, and even artistic conscience."
   
   The final conversation of Do You Believe? is with Elie Wiesel. Monda asks Wiesel if he believes in God. "Yes, of course," Wiesel answers. "May I ask what your image of him is?" Wiesel: "You can certainly ask, but I have to answer that I don't have an image of him.... I think that every image represents a limitation, and that mystery is part of his infinite greatness." Monda then turns to the problem of theodicy: "You believe firmly in God, but you live in a world where suffering, injustice, and tyranny exist." Wiesel: "It's the great torment of my entire existence. The question I don't know how to answer and that I don't think anyone can answer. But even in these terrible moments I see not an absence but an eclipse." How would Wiesel define his faith today? "I would use the adjective wounded, which I believe may be valid for everyone in my generation."
   
   Finally, Wiesel remembers the example of a friend and mentor. "When I am thinking of my personal experience, there comes to mind, as a luminous example, François Mauriac. I, a Jew, owe to the fervent Catholic Mauriac, who declared himself in love with Christ, the fact of having become a writer." Monda asks, "Do you think that the God Mauriac believed in is different from the one you believe in?" Wiesel: "No. But I know how different our views can be, and our approach. Once Mauriac dedicated a book to me and he wrote: `To Elie Wiesel, a Jewish child who was crucified.' At first I took it badly, but then I understood that it was his way of letting me feel his love."
   
   * * *



3. "Do You Believe?" is a nice collection of interviews with famous artists about their religious beliefs. It is full of fascinating tidbits, such as David Lynch's assertion that he believes in "a divine being... who is omnipotent and eternal." I wouldn't have guessed that! There are agnostic, atheist, and general non-believers, along with those who believe. Few seem to adhere to one tradition. What I love about the collection is that it takes the form of a general philosophical discussion, not just a conversation about beliefs. I like Paul Auster's comment that "there are things we miss in every choice we make." Simple but profound. The interviewer, Antonio Monda, is a Roman Catholic and the interviews lean towards discussion of the Abrahamic God. I don't remember any discussion of polytheism or Eastern philosophies and traditions.
   
   I read the interviews about three in a sitting, and that worked really well. More than that and the sequencing starts to feel slightly repetitive since Monda is basically interviewing from a boilerplate. This book is shorter than "Stars of David" which touches on some similar themes (although that book is strictly about Judaism) and more interesting than "A Place at the Table." It reminds me of the kind of interviews you hear on NPR... I wonder if this may be where it got its start.



4. The author allows people from all beliefs to express their views and it was very illuminating to learn how much we all have in common on our thoughts of a creator or grand design.The articles were concise enabling me to read each one at my leisure and to have the time to ponder what i had just read.Ther is nothing judgemental here. The author expresses his deeply held beliefs but is able to converse civily with with those whom are of different points of view. Refreshing to say the least in a world full of people that seem to feel if they shout the loudest and talk over you to force you to convert to their way of thinking....Amen



5. Although Monda lined up an interesting group of subjects,
   he is hardly an unbaised interviewer. It is one thing to
   have strong feelings about your subject matter - why else
   do the book-- but I felt many of his questions were slanted
   and influenced by his own conservative Catholic beliefs.

2 comments about Finding the Landlord: A Guidebook to C.S. Lewis's Pilgrim's Regress.

1. I won't comment on specifics, so as to avoid spoiling any elements of the book THIS book is written to illuminate. However, Lindskoog does a fine job filling in some of the historical, philosophical, and/or literary gaps that likely exist in our knowledge; gaps that would likely limit our understanding of Lewis' work. While not every section is equally strong, and some suffer from a bit of over-speculation (thus the loss of a star), her intimacy with Lewis' work and background is undeniable and quite helpful. I read Pilgrim's Regress first, then read Lindskoog's guide, then re-read Regress. While the second reading of Regress is not as engaging as the first, since one already knows the plot path, I found myself more in tune with the themes Lewis was exploring...and that's what a guide should do. Recommended.



2. I can not say enough about Kathryn Lindskoog's guides. This one is no exception. We used the Worldviews of the Western World and Veritas Press's Omnibus program and when we had finished studying the philosophers, we decided to read Pilgrim's Regress. Pilgrim's Progress had already been part of the curriculum, but Pilgrim's Regress had so much of the world's philosophies at its core, that we knew it would be a perfect book to finish up our studies.
   
   However, we knew that many of thee references in Pilgrim's Regress might be difficult to spot and that is where Finding the Landlord was invaluable.
   
   I highly recommend reading this classic work of Lewis. You will find it timely even for today with the same vain philosophies that deceive man and man's reaction to such. With this guide the book takes on so much more meaning and is more readily understood with the author giving you the meanings to the Latin superscripts ,allusion, and images portrayed in the book, and cross references to actual sources. Again perfect, because much of what is referenced is literature from the above curriculums.

5 comments about Idoleyes: My New Perspective on Faith, Fat & Fame (Idoleyes).

1. Disa opens her heart in her amazing book Idol Eyes. She shares the pain of being disrespected by Simon as well as being eliminated too early from Idol. She also talks openly about her food addiction. Mandisa's book made me laugh and cry, but mainly smile. I loved Mandisa before, but this book really captured my heart.



2. In this world of secularism, anti-religious attitudes, and hate crimes, this one book has the power to rise above it all. Mandisa, my personal hero and one of the greatest inspirations in my life, has a beautiful, warm, loving heart for the Lord, and every single individual who turns the pages of her life story- despite who you are and where you come from- will immediately and hopelessly fall in love with this precious young woman. Every word she writes is positive, uplifting, and inspirational, from her amusing descriptions of the odd individuals she met in her first auditions to her depictions of some of the darkest days in her life. Despite her flaws, past tragedies, and current struggles, Mandisa remains above all a strong, amazing young woman of the Lord, and I absolutely cannot recommend a more intriguing, inspiring, learned book for any starving Christian to read excepting the Word of God. If you enjoy a book that will make you smile, cry, and laugh with your whole heart, I strongly recommend Idoleyes.



3. My wife didn't even know the book was out and was very surprised. She's halfway through it and loves it. She says Mandisa is an inspiration to all women of faith - no matter what your size.



4. I really enjoyed reading this book! When I grow up I want to be like Mandisa. She's a deeply spiritual woman that has surrendered all to her Lord. I struggle so much with surrender and just seeing another woman's perspective was so inspiring. I also am dealing with issues regarding my weight and her straight talk about her struggles was so uplifting. Just truth that you can fall and get back up again. I feel like a new believer all over again after reading this. Thanks Mandisa for sharing your life with us!



5. Mandisa does a great job sharing her American Idol experiences in this book. You feel like you are right there with her! She also communicates her reliance on her faith very well. My book club enjoyed this book very much!

No comments about William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim.

1 comments about The Confessions (Everyman's Library).

1. St. Augustine was the first, and is arguably the most influential, of the major Christian apologists. In a time when Christianity was gaining momentum in the Roman Empire but was still mostly confined to the poor and uneducated, Augustine's theological treatises and apology made Christianity more valid, and in many cases more acceptable, to the learned in Rome. This autobiography, detailing Augustine's early life with a special emphasis on what made him convert to Christianity, made a tremendous contribution to the work of the sect.

   Augustine deals with several topics in this book. He explores why we sin, how it affects God, and how He tries to win us back. He discusses learning and the effect of worldly wisdom and human interpretation of divine will, and attempts to reconcile earthly learning to spiritual growth. In the last three books he discusses time and creation with God. This is definitely heavy reading, but while Augustine's argument is very detailed and is sometimes difficult to comprehend, it is not poorly organized. For the most part the narrative is smooth, though the last three books do lag a little bit compared with the rest of the work.

   Augustine's work has endured for more than a millennium and a half. Christianity has evolved, and has branched into many different and often opposing factions, but Augustine's work and his message still carry the great weight that they did over 1500 years ago.

5 comments about A Boy From Cape Cod.

1. This is a harrowing story that is frightening yet spellbinding. Tim's experiences from childhood to adult, surviving on drugs and somehow finding his way back should be required reading for everyone. I would recommend this to all parents to help keep your kids on the straight and narrow. I loved it and found it helpful in understanding the influences on our youth today; what is really going on in this world! I thank this author for sharing his most personal experiences.



2. This is a highly entertaining read with a relevant message for our time. It's a true story of someone who grew up on Cape Cod, which was a bizarre enough section in itself, but ended up immersed in the seamy world of the LA music industry and then later the drug culture. Not your average conversion story and a real wake up call to anyone who might be interested in living the "sex drugs and rock n' roll" lifestyle. A story not for the faint of heart that spares no one, the author's life spins more and more out of control, reaching a final crescendo that is apocalyptic to say the least. This is a book that will leave a lasting impact on you and should appeal to anyone interested in the Hunter S. Thompson/William Burroughs genre.



3. This book kept me hooked from beginning to end. Well written and absolutely unbelievable yet based on real life events experienced by the author. The book tells an amazing story of a boy who breaks into the coveted music industry in LA and gets caught up in the LA drug culture. The details of the dredges of the LA drug culture are so scary and real with real world evidence to support the facts. After finishing the book, I was watching everyone for weeks! This book is meant for just about any reader that wants to read a great story of ultimate survival. Way to go Tim!



4. A very fascinating book recounting a life in the decadent world of LA where Mr Burns meets the basest musicians, strippers and addicts.
   
   Burns is not running a multimillion-dollar mega-church, and it wasnt like he fell into religion due to his family or as a con game. I would venture something spectacular made him do a 180 turn away from the hedonistic lifestyle, especially since he had had no religious education in the past.
   
   In the book, Tim Burns publishes his criminal records, copies of the bachelors degree he later got (which got him a job in the record industry) and about 1,000 photos with various music stars and actors in LA and Hollywood. He got himself out of poverty with an education, and then got a dream job which paid great, but lost that to addictions.
   
   He did see pimps and organized crime activity in that he was selling drugs and around those people. He published photos of people around him who died mysteriously and due to drugs and crime.
   
   The psychological assessment Tim publishes that was done on him in jail lists him as potentially having had a drug induced psychosis. However his wife was not arrested or assesed and she swears she sw this. Nobody can back up his allegations on satanic activity in LA. He and his future wife believed they saw it. It is a fact that LA is a popular place for the sex industry.
   
   Even if you have no interest in the Christian or paranormal aspect, it's an intense tale about life in the fast lane and then destruction of addiction.
   
   Mr. Burns was a music industry insider, and a minor criminal and drug addict. One day he and his future-wife (then a stripper girlfriend) became born-again Catholic Christians and abandoned drugs and LA forever.
   
   Tim and his wife now run a non-profit ministry to get kids off drugs and out of the sex industry.



5. I have just finished reading the book "A BOY FROM CAPE COD" by Tim Burns. This true story shows God at work despite all the obstacles & shows no matter how far down we go, there is always hope. This book can be of great help to anyone who is presently in the same situation.
   It held my interest from beginning to end.
   
   It is also Great book for those suffering from any addiction. It shows how things can change for the better, no matter how many bad things happen. So many lives are in turmoil these days but there is always hope. This couple chose the right direction which gave them a new meaning in life. By going through these trials they are now able to help others.
   This book is a MUST READ!!!