5 comments about John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides.

1. the life of John G. Paton was one of a continual sacrifice to bring the gospel to those that hated it the most. It is hard to imagine living under such scrutiny and continual danger and still loving the people that literally wanted to eat you. This book, especially the first half, is full of incredible stories of God's provision and faithfulness and Paton's committment to staying and bringing these people the Gospel. It also has an incredibly touching story of one of the natives who gave his life to save people that were exactly where he saw himself before he heard and believed this gospel.
   
   as a teacher, I find myself often using little stories from this book to stress committment to the kids I work with. Paton is from the period of missions where these guys were truly on an island by themselves. He gave up everything even though many told him not to go to the savages. One of the greatest lines from the book is when an old man was telling Paton not to go to the island saying 'But Paton, they'll eat you!' Paton replied, "Maybe, but you are advanced in age and will so pass away, only to be eaten by worms. What difference is it who we're eaten by?" that isn't the direct line, but the main idea of what he said.
   
   Paton displayed the true idea of a life turned over to whatever Christ wanted and a life that truly displayed that he believed his citizenship was in Heaven.



2. John Paton was the famous 1800's missionary to the cannibals of the South Seas islands. This is his autobiography and it is over 500 pages long. I read it slowly over about 8 weeks. It was more than worth my efforts!!
   
   However, if you are not an avid reader, this book will probably be "too much" for you. I'd recommend getting one the shorter biographies of his life. But because this is John's first hand account - there are many fascinating stories/situations. You'll probably miss out on many of them if you opt for a biography of his life instead.
   
   This book was inspiring and powerful. It takes you from his childhood, all the way to his later years. John Paton was sold out for Jesus, and for reaching the cannibals for Christ. Imagine landing on a primitive island, and not even speaking the language of the natives. He started from nothing! He endured much hardship,suffering,sickness and danger - especially on the first island that he was a missionary on. There were setbacks and disappointments. Many would have given up and went home, but not John Paton. Eventually, after much sacrifice and labor, he saw many natives come to Christ and their lives miraculously transformed.
   
   On a lighter note...One part of the book left me laughing so hard that I cried! Paton was a "total abstainer" from alcohol (and he argues his choice very strongly). But one time while travelling in Australia he had a 20 mile ride on a crazy, out of control, horse. Upon reaching his destination, he was topsy turvy and could barely speak. They thought he was drunk and try as he might he couldn't convince them he was sober. You have to read it yourself - it was hysterical.
   
   Anyways, I give this 5 stars. It is a missionary classic.



3. This autobiography has seemingly included every detail of the author's life with the tribes of the New Hebrides. It may not have been necessary to include an account of each incident when one would have done to represent all of that particular type. Thus the book is more one of a historical account than one that would inspire others to follow in John's foosteps of ministry.



4. Another of my top three autobiographies of all time. Paton gave his life to taking the gospel to islanders of the Pacific. It cost him the lives of those dearest to him. At times he had to flee for his life. Paton experienced both extaordinary suffering and blessing. An incomparable story of a missionary giant.



5. I'm a pastor who has read my share of biographies and historical books. This book, by far, is the greatest biography I've ever read. Paton has become my historical hero! You learn from Paton what it really looks like to trust in the sovereign goodness of God, what it looks like to be a father and raise many kids, and what it looks like to have a heart for missions! Once you start reading you won't want to put it down . . . I've read it multiple times and burned both ends of the candle with this one!

1 comments about Howard Thurman: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series).

1. In what's arguably his best book, Jesus and the Disinherited, Howard Thurman asks what message Jesus has to give to those whose backs are against the wall. In his Introduction to this new compilation of Thurman's spiritual writings, editor Luther Smith points out (p. 28) that Jesus advises neither blaming the wall nor trying to flee, but instead to respond with love, thereby asserting autonomy over the situation. In a fundamental way, this is the heart of Thurman's thought and activism: liberating oneself, through love, to be fully human; liberating others, through love, to be fully human; and liberating God, through love, to be fully God.
   
   It's a shame that Thurman isn't as well-known today as he was even a short quarter of a century ago. As a Christian pacifist, he influenced most of the leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement. As a college chaplain and teacher, he moved hundreds of students to reflect deeply on the moral life. As a popular and insightful preacher and author, he inspired thousands of listeners and readers to to take more seriously what it means to be a Christian. He anticipated both liberation theology and theologies of the oppressed.
   
   The love ethic so central to Thurman's thought undergirds one of the most notable features of his teachings: its loving embrace of alternative religious perspectives. Thurman was convinced that there are universal truths, but that humans can only encounter them in particulars. We have no sub specie aeternitatus perspective. So God is discernible in particular modes of worship, particular doctrines, particular faith traditions. But no particular can encompass a universal. So while the universal is encountered in the particular, no particular has a monopoly on truth or revelation.
   
   Smith is to be commended for reintroducing Thurman in this lovely compilation.

No comments about Living Holiness: Willing to be the Legs of a Galloping Horse (Living).

3 comments about St. Andrews Seven.

1. The St. Andrews Seven chronicles the rise of an emphasis on overseas missions among several students at St. Andrews and their Professor. Then, as now, there were those who felt that the Christian faith was not academically respectable, yet these students were both accomplished scholars and men of faith. Their effects on the establishment of overseas missions and colleges, especially in India, and the rigors of student life, faith and politics at St. Andrews in the 18th century are an inspiration for students even today.



2. A pastor friend gave me this book a year ago. I started reading it on a recent trip and couldn't put it down. God used this book to challenge me to excellence in my study of the Bible, communicating God's Word to people around me, and the power of prayer. Don't miss another key point in this book: these believers studied, prayed, discussed and served together. Not only will St. Andrews Seven give you a snapshot of early Scottish Missions, it will also challenge you to live all out for Christ in fulfilling His Great Commission at the start of the new millennium. I highly recommend it and other biographies published by Banner of Truth (look it up on the web)and sold by Amazon!



3. I just received this book a month ago for my birthday and have already read it twice! It has easily shot to number two behind Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret on my list of Ridiculously Awesome Books on the Missionary Task.
   
   "Seven" is the story of six young students and their professor who were at the forefront of a season of missionary zeal in Scotland in the early 1800's. The book tells their story compellingly and succinctly, letting the profound testimony of these students lives leave you speechless. To give you a hint at the caliber of these students, one of them dies at the young age of 18... and the biography his friends write of him takes two volumes. How many of us at 18 had accomplished enough for a chapter in a biography, let alone a volume, let alone two volumes???
   
   Here's some quotes that hit me in the gut... maybe they'll whet your appetite and you'll go buy this book, read it, get convicted, and become a missionary:
   
   "They are a rebuke to those who never get past dabbling with the world-wide mission of the Church."
   
   "They also saw that faith must be personal, but its practice should not be private."
   
   "Our response to Christ's commands should be determined by what we can do in His strength, not by what we might fail to do in ours."
   
   "It is by dint of steady labour - it is by giving enough of application to the work, and having enough of time for the doing of it - it is by regular painstaking and the constant assiduities - it is by these, and not by any process of legerdemain, that we secure the strength and the staple of real execellence."
   
   "From seven to nine in the evening I am engaged with J. Urquhart in collecting, under specific heads, all possible information on the subject of missions, both from Scriptures, under the titles of precepts - prophecies - promises and examples, and from all other books whatever we can lay our hands on; the object of this is, with our united prayers, to seek a sober determination of the enquiry, whether or not we ought to embark on this enterprise." (From the journal of one of the students, John Adam)
   
   "Only one thing seemed to matter: to discover God's will and do it."

5 comments about Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero.

1. Ashley, I loved reading your book. Your story is compelling. I appreciate your honesty in sharing with us, the readers, what was going on in your mind during such a trying time. It's great to see how your faith in God helped keep you focused, even though you admit that your daily life wasn't completely on track the way you would have preferred. The most important lesson I believe your book leaves with the reader is that it isn't where you are in life that is most important, but the direction in which you are headed.
   
   Good luck with your future, and that of your daughter.
   
   -- RuthAnn



2. I wasn't sure that when I started reading Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero, by Ashley Smith, that I was going to be able to stay with it. Sticking with a book for more than a page or two wasn't something I normally could do these days. But once I started reading it, looked at some of the pictures that are in the book also. I began to get close to the character, get drawn into her life. Once the situation turned bad you were going through everything with her to the very end. At one point I even went to my computer and looked up her interview on a famous news network and watched her talk about being taken hostage. There isn't anyway she could have come through it without God beside her each step of the way. It's truly an inspiring book,and teenagers,young girls going off to college especially, should have to read Ashley Smiths " Unlikely Angel". It would really make an impression on them.



3. Initially, I'd said that I'd NEVER read this story, but I was able to buy the book for a $1, so . . . IF Ashley's encounter with Brian Nichols is what it took to get her off drugs, make her a better mom to Paige, and strengthen her faith in God, then God bless her. I'm not judging, but I do have an opinion: Every story has three sides; this was Ashley's. We haven't really heard Brian's, and then . . .there's the truth. The story was probably great therapy for Ashley, but I think this is her version. I read it; it was ok, but I'm convinced that Ashley and Brian knew each other and a lot more happened in that apartment than what she wrote in the book. I wish the best for her and Paige . .. and Brian. He's guilty of killing three people, but there are probably some other folks out here who should feel some guilt for what happened. What he did was an act of a desperate man. Book - ok! Buy it somewhere for a $1.



4. This was a very inspirational book. Just goes to show that most people do deserve a second chance in life!



5. I guess I didn't know much about the whole ordeal. I mean, I remember watching the "surrender" unfold on TV and hearing about the single mom, blah, blah, blah, but I didn't know too much. I think that is what made it such a page turner for me.
   This book is really good in the aspect of thinking about what you would do in this situation. As for Ashley, it states in the beginning of the book that the conversations are just what she remembers and it's not word-for-word. In reading this statement and then her story, I have to wonder how much of it she actually "remembered" and how much she made up. It just seemed a little too good to be true. I'm not calling her a liar, I'm just saying I'm not convinced. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book and she was very brave (you would have to be to be able to make it out alive,) but I just didn't come away from it feeling "inspired."

1 comments about Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar (Christian Heroes: Then & Now) (Christian Heroes: Then & Now).

1. My 10-year-old and I read this as part of a home school unit on Africa. Mary Slessor is a wonderful role model for kids: scrappy, stubborn in the face of great resistance, and deeply compassionate. She helped West Africans tremendously by opening up inter-tribal trade and, perhaps most importantly, implementing peaceful alternatives to the more devastating and cruel tribal practices. The amazing thing is that she did this through a deep understanding and appreciation of native culture, as opposed to the more typical whites-are-superior-and-Africans-are-savages model of the time. The writing is not perfect by any stretch, but it's a truly great story.

No comments about Some Catholic Writers.

1 comments about Driving Ms. Dottie.

1. NASHVILLE, TN - Have you ever wondered what it's like to live on a tour bus, traveling from town to town, or what really goes on behind the stage before a concert appearance? What are some of the funny experiences that can happen on the road? Do overzealous fans sometimes go too far? What is it really like to get to know a famous Gospel singing legend?
   
   Larry Ferguson, manager of Gospel music artist and songwriter Dottie Rambo, has put pen to paper and compiled a number of adventures that will answer these and many other questions in his exciting new book, Driving Ms. Dottie, co-authored by Mike Collins. The new release, from Woodland Gospel Publishing, offers an enjoyable and touching "behind-the-scenes" look at living in the center of the Gospel music industry. The book portrays the private side of Ms. Dottie that the public doesn't get to see, away from the bright lights and stage, from a unique perspective that only her manager could tell.
   
   As Dottie herself reveals in the book's foreword [yes, she even gave her stamp of approval to the project!], some of the stories you'll read will make you laugh, while others will make you cry. But overall you will be able to gain an insight into what it's like to take the Gospel in song all over the world.
   
   "After laughing and crying for years over some of the things that have happened to us while on the road, we have often joked that these stories would make a good book," Dottie told the Singing News Magazine. "When Larry recently told me he wanted to write it, I knew it would be something special. However, since he's never written a book before, I was really amazed when he let me read a few excerpts. He's a natural storyteller!"
   Larry is obviously more than a manager to Dottie Rambo; he is a dear friend. The depth of that friendship and their mutual respect are very easy to sense throughout this volume.
   
   "My wife, Judy, and my two sons, Christian and Pierce, often travel with Dottie and me while on tour," Larry said. "We are all one big family. My children even call Dottie `GranDot' like her own grandchildren do. You know, Dottie is such a unique individual and, at times, as funny as a monkey! I want readers to see this lighter side of the woman who has blessed my life again and again," Larry said.
   
   In one chapter Larry explains that, as any diehard fan already knows, Dottie removes her shoes sometime during a concert and, after performing a few of her hits, takes requests while performing with just a box guitar. One night, while Dottie was going into this segment of the concert, a woman in the audience yelled, "Dottie, you have a hole in your pantyhose!"
   
   Always quick at the draw, Dottie looked down at her hosiery and said, "Uh, I sure do. Well...I guess I'm a Holy woman!"
   
   On another occasion, Dottie told an audience in the Midwest that she needed to get comfortable, as she removed her earrings and wristwatch. "Don't worry," she said, jokingly. "That is as far as I'm going!" At that very moment, a shower of tiny beads began falling from her sparkling gown. "Catch them!" Dottie shouted, as the beads sprinkled and bounced all over the stage floor. "I'm going to get my money back for this sucker!"
   
   In addition to the humorous and unusual occurrences revealed, there is one rather frightening chapter about a fan who turns into a stalker and ultimately endangers Dottie's life. In another chapter, there is an account of a harrowing airplane story where Dottie and Larry experience a bizarre bomb threat.
   
   Larry discloses how Dottie has gone through numerous health issues, including having three near-fatal bouts of pneumonia, each time leaving her in a coma, and how she has struggled with acute back pain for many years and undergone ten back surgeries. Then just last year she broke her femur, the largest bone in her leg, in a mishap at home. Yet as you can see in Driving Ms. Dottie, her reliance upon Christ seems to shine through on every page and in every episode. Larry shows how through it all, she refuses to slow down, pressing onward with the Gospel in song. She is truly an encouraging and inspiring personality.
   
   "It's times like these that make me depend upon the Lord and my faith," Dottie explained. "Roman 8:28 is absolutely true: the Lord will make something good come out of all these experiences and trials."
   
   Readers will find both a variety of stories and photos that focus on what may seem like an unlikely compilation of cherished friends, including Dolly Parton, Bill Anderson, Lily Tomlin, the Crabb Family, Stella Parton, Eva Mae LeFevre, Michael Sykes, Benny Hinn, Mark Lowry, Carol Channing, Barbara Mandrell, Tammy Faye Messner, Joan Rivers, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, the Gaither Homecoming Friends and others. Larry also pays homage to both Vestal Goodman (Dottie's closest friend) and Jake Hess.
   
   The hardbound 144-page book, with its additional 16-page full color insert, is packed with photos from Larry and Dottie's personal collection. There are also special moments and hilarious snapshots of Dottie on the road and at home.
   
   Larry tells the story behind Dottie's 2003 Stand By the River recording session with friend, Dolly Parton, as well as the touching account of the shooting of the music video for this project. After reading an early galley of the title, Dolly penned a recommendation, saying: "I am very honored to be included in his book, Driving Ms. Dottie. (I, too, love Ms. Dottie!). Larry has done a wonderful job, and I'm sure you readers will enjoy it."
   
   Homecoming Friends' comedian Aaron Wilburn, after reading a pre-release copy of the book, said: "Jump in for a joyride as Larry Ferguson takes us on a journey of laughter and reflections in Driving Ms. Dottie--and best of all, everybody gets a window seat and Larry pays for the gas! Bless his heart!"
   
   Purchase your copy here!

5 comments about A Simple Monk: Writings on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

1. The "a reader from Yellow River" inspired me to order this book and the corresponding video, as a message of compassion and peace, which is what we - and most of all me - needs in our world, at all times and right now.

   It's a message that in particular, we as Amercians, after the "events of September 11" - now and in the present - need to hear, listen and LEARN. This review was so thoughtful, comprehensive and detailed that I can't wait to get the book and read it "through and through." The "reader from Yellow River" made the money sound more than worth it, and I'm sure it will be!

   "What price peace?"

   What price is peace worth? "It's worth it's weight in gold."

   The question is, "how do we achieve this?"

   I hope the answer (or part of "the answer") can be found in this book. Will let you know what I learn.




2. A Simple Monk presents Robert Thurman's gathering of writings on the Dalai Lama, presenting such writings and reflections in a new visual biography which adds full-color images by photojournalist Alison Wright. The result is much more than your usual collection of quotes: a fine, rich gift edition.



3. This is simply a beautiful book. Early this morning, I gave
   it one star and was a bit mean. It didn't get through the submission process. I said words to the effect that the Dali Lama was dictatorial about religious freedom. And that he suppressed religious freedom in 1977 in regards to the Dorje Shugden controversy. I talked to a NKT Buddhist nun this afternoon. And she told me that if you are devoted to the Dali Lama as your teacher, then your practice is pure and you are practicing the dharma fully. This is such a wonderful book. With essays written by different authors. And the pictures are almost breath-taking. The layout of the pages is stunning.
   And it just fabulous to read. I know that you will enjoy it. It
   is a real gem. And perhaps we should leave politics behind.



4. A Simple Monk is a collection of essays and interviews that together paint a picture of the life and works of the 14th Dalai Lama. This coffee table book was published as a means of raising funds for Tibet House in New York. The pieces are interesting but sometimes the glowing and over written text contrasts against His Holiness's humility and moniker of "a simple monk."
   
   As it is a coffee table book, every page has at least one full color photograph. They are colorful and beautiful but often times unrelated to the text on the page. They also seem to come out of order. A greater coherence between the text and the illustrations would have helped to paint a richer portrait of the Dalai Lama.
   
   
   I enjoyed the book but had trouble reading it because of its size. My daughter is a new born and loves to held. The book is too large to read easily one handed so I had to sneak a few pages whenever she was napping.
   
   The two excerpts I enjoyed the most were the interview with the late Spalding Gray and the article on the Dalai Lama's journey to Hollywood. The Spalding Gray interview especially touched me for a number of reasons. First I could feel Gray's sadness; he was clearly looking for some way of easing his inner turmoil. Second I enjoyed the spontaneity of the interview; it felt like the best glimpse of the Dalai Lama as a person. Finally the interview took place in a city I hold dear to my heart as it was the first place I lived as an adult and on my own.
   
   The journey to Hollywood interested me for two reasons. The first is that I majored in film so I understand how the business works and found the meeting of cultures fascinating. I can't say we (Californians) did very well with how we behaved while waiting for the arrival of His Holiness. Second, my husband and I had just recently argued over how the Dalai Lama would act in such a situation and my husband couldn't believe he'd even allow himself to be in a situation like a Hollywood pitch party.
   
   Finally the photographs in the book are beautiful. I wish there were more of them!



5. If you follow the Dalai Lama at all, you have to have this book. The authors are people who are fortunate enough to be or who have been close to him, plus there is one essay he wrote himself. He may be just a simple monk, but the world loves him unconditionally.

5 comments about Mary Magdalene: A Biography.

1. Chilton illustrates to what extent MM acted as one of Jesus' disciples, how exorcism, annointing, and visions were valued, and how she was integral both as witness and herald of the Resurrection. This book uses MM more as a catalyst for great discussion of historical events, political influences, other writings, translation issues, fundamentalist interpretations, modern feminist theology, etc. as it is biographical. Even though Chilton quotes the Bible and many other writings throughout, including The Gospel According To Mary, I perceive that Chilton is helping the reader find Truth from the Bible. It is well-organized, well-written, and interesting.



2. Chilton provides an excellent review of the church's response to the faith of Mary Magdalene. I appreciated his commentary on gnostic thought and, as always, his scholarship is impeccible. This book doesn't read as easily as did his almost-novelesque Rabbi Jesus. Chilton takes much more liberty in drawing conclusions about the Magdalen than the research should allow. Still, the book is well written and provides plenty of food for thought. If your church book club read the DaVinci Code, they should follow it up with Mary Magdalen: A Biography.



3. I found this book a fascinating read. Chilton has taken limited information about Mary Magdalene from gospel, gnostic, and other sources and drawn some educated conclusions about her as a person, her relationship with Jesus, her centrality in his movement, and her significance in the development of the Christian faith through the centuries. He has also posed an interesting theory about the legends about her and her supposed marginalization in the growth of the faith and church. Childton admits, more than once, that much of what he says cannot be proved decisively, yet he uses the little information available, along with his understanding of culture and history, to present a compelling portrait of Mary Magdalene, her relationship to Jesus, and her influence on the development of the Christian movement. Whether this portrait is on target or not, it is certainly interesting and plausible enough to bring some human spice into our reflection on the faith and its beloved Jesus. After all, we interpret history all the time using the information available, and that's what Chilton has done here in interesting fashion. I find it helpful to reflect on the human possibilities about Jesus, his movement, and those who first loved and followed him. It's fuel for the imagination and brings excitement to the faith, at least it does for me. As for me, such reflection helps me love all the more the one I call Christ, and gives me a new and inspired appreciation for the woman named Mary from Magdala.



4. This text was a major disappointment to read. The author uses so many "mights", "coulds", "maybes" and "perhapses" that it seems like a text in speculative biography. Maybe she did this. Perhaps she did that. This could have happened. It might have been the case...
   He claims that Jesus was not able to read or write, though most scholars give him some capacity for that. Frustratingly, he offers no reason for his statement. Also, he states that since Mary was possessed by seven demons it took Jesus at least a year to exorcise them all. Sadly I got so frustrated with his writing that I didn't even finish reading it. But my margins are riddled with question marks and exclamation points at parts where I was befuddled or frustrated.



5. As a woman in the healing profession I found this book to be a gem: perhaps the most important book I've read in my life. How indebted we are to Bruce Chilton for his work on the Magdelene who will,no doubt,continue to influence future generations despite what history denies her. A huge obstacle in our Spiritual development has been lifted thanks to this great soul and to the one who made her known to us.