General Books - Page 12

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God

Max Lucado

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

How God uses flawed people... 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Max Lucado is one of my favorite Christian inspirational authors, and his latest book Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God continues to reinforce that opinion. Max has a gift of taking a character or story from the Bible, resetting it in an unusual environment, and then drawing out the application and message. It's wonderful to encounter a common passage and see it in a whole new light.

Contents:
Joseph - Joseph's Prayer; Matthew - Friends of Flops; Woman Who Washed Jesus' Feet - The 7:47 Principle; Mephibosheth - The Privilege of Paupers; Samaritan Woman - Two Tombstones; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - Your Place in God's Band; Abigail - Barbaric Behavior; Paralyzed Man - Bright Lights on Dark Nights; John - I Can Turn Your Tradegy into Triumph; Paul - Hidden Heroes; Two Criminals - I Will Let You Choose; Moses - The Voice from the Mop Bucket; Joseph - When Crickets Make You Cranky; David - Facing Your Giants; Esther - Touching the King's Heart; Job - Where Man Covers His Mouth; Nicodemus - The Most Famous Conversion in the Bible; Jairus - The Sparkle from Eternity; Rich Young Ruler - The Affluent Poor; Sarah, Peter, and Paul - The Kingdom of the Absurd; Lazarus - The Final Witness; Peter - The Gospel of the Second Chance; Conclusion - Cast of Characters; Notes; Sources

It's tempting to look at Biblical characters and attribute spiritual qualities to them, to "clean them up" to fit the way God used them. But the reality is that most of them were common people who were deeply flawed in many ways. Despite their failures, God used them in ways that made a huge impact. For instance, Moses was used to lead an entire nation to a land promised to them by God. But he spent many years hiding out in the desert, trying to escape an act of murder he committed. Peter turned his back on Jesus when he was being led to His death, yet he was used to spread the gospel to many nations. And Paul... an avowed enemy of Christianity who became an evangelist after a close encounter with God on a road in Damascus. Thought-out the book, you see that your background and status is irrelevant in terms of how God wants to use you.

On top of his inspirational messages, Lucado does an exceptional job in resetting the stories in ways that make you stop and think. Moses and the burning bush becomes Henry the janitor and the glowing mop bucket. Matthew the tax collector is living the life of a organized crime member, complete with all the bling. Jairus the rabbi becomes Wallace the high ranking official of a religious denomination. Even though the trappings of the story change, the underlying truth remains the same. Each chapter ends with a series of questions for reflection and discussion, so it can easily be used for personal devotions or small group discussions.

This is one of those books that you'll read and reread a number of times depending on whatever particular crisis you might be experiencing. And each time, you'll see facets of God's character that you never noticed or understood before...

Editorial Review:

Some of the most powerful stories from the Bible will come alive for today's readers through these inspiring selections from the writings of Max Lucado. Max provides a compelling look at the most high-impact moments in the biblical narrative, drawn from his previous 20+ years of writing. 

At the end of each chapter will be study guide questions so the reader can go deeper into this scripture.

Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters:

Mary, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Nicodemus, Woman at the Well, David, Esther, Job, The Samaritan Woman, John, Rich Young Man.

And more

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

Jon Kabat-Zinn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 91 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Keeper 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a book to keep in your library for periodic re-reading. I wish I hadn't waited so long this time, to re-read it. Understanding and practicing this "philosophy" can change one's life for the positive.

Editorial Review:

This 10th Anniversary edition of the inspiring and practical guide to meditation, includes a brand new afterword and an audio-exclusive interview with the authorA simple and straightforward introduction to Buddhist meditation practice from one of the country’s leading authorities on stress-reduction techniques, Dr. Kabat-Zinn has taught this two-thousand-year-old Buddhist method of relaxation to thousands of patients. Through mindfulness, one makes every moment count. By "capturing" the present and living fully within each moment, one can reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich the quality of life. With warmth and humor, WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE blends stories, poems, and scientific observations with easily followed instructions. The result is a unique audio program that is part inspiration and part study guide to a revolutionary new way of being, seeing, and living.

Lies Young Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Dannah Gresh

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Required reading!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a MUST READ for adolescent, pre-teen, teen girls and their parents! Not only does it validate the concerns of young women, it gives options for better ways to handle some of the peer and self-inflicted pressures girls feel as "true". I purchased this for my teen age cousin; hopefully it planted some seeds of real truth for her. It was even helpful for me, a woman in my early 40's! A great tool to connect with daughters, nieces, students, any young woman you love and want to see succeed!

SUCH A GOOD BOOK!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best books I've read!! It's amazing! This book chapter by chapter shows us teens how to stand against all those lies satan throws at us.. what to do with them! Nancy and Dannah write well, with their own stories and others included, which makes it more interesting. Some of the lies they talk about are lies about God, guys, technology and how we use it, and friends. Many more included! An amazing book focused on teens.

Editorial Review:

Lies Young Women Believe will give girls aged 13-19 the tools they need to identify where their lives and beliefs are off course--the result of buying into Satan's lies about God, guys, media, and more. Nancy Leigh DeMoss teams up youth author Dannah Gresh to speak to teenage girls about the top lies they believe. They then equip young women in the skills and the truths of Scripture that overcome those lies.

A Walk to Remember

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1300 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Walk to Remember 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not surprisingly, Sparks tells a beautiful story of two teenagers in love, with absolutely nothing in common. At first, the love between Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan looks as if it won't happen. Landon is outgoing, popular, and has many friends. Whereas, Jamie - she keeps to herself, carries a bible, and dresses plainly. She is a great person with a "big heart."

Landon decides to take a drama class to skid by in school. He is then put into a play and this is when Jamie starts talking more and more to Landon. Landon is embarrassed in front of his friends, and Jamie immediately notices it. She walks away from him and Landon feels bad for hurting her feelings. Time passes on and the two of them start spending more and more time together. Love is inevitable for the two.

Jamie volunteers for on orphanage, and Landon senses his feelings changing for Jamie. He begins to see her in a new light, one with compassion toward her.

In the end, Jamie has a big secret that no one in town knows about, except her father. She decides that her love has became so strong for Landon, that she must share this secret with him, and knows deep in her heart that it will destroy him.

What the two of these characters share between each other is beautifully depicted in this story. It will bring happiness and sadness to you, and if you love to cry at a good story, then this is the story for you. It will also make you look at life in a different attitude.

Editorial Review:

A poignant tale of first love set in the 1950s introduces seventeen-year-old Landon, who has never payed much attention to plain Jamie Sullivan, a Baptist minister's daughter, until fate intervenes and Landon learns the true nature of beauty, the joy of giving, and the power of love. Simultaneous.

Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Deepak Chopra

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 231 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Chopra's seven spiritual steps to success and prosperity 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Chopra as a coach shows you seven steps which puts you on a spiritual path that leads you to success and prosperity. Having studied with Deepak Chopra, as I read his books, I can hear his resonant voice revealing the treasures found simply employing spiritual wisdom.

Healing the Rift

There should be no rift between a spiritual path and success and, indeed, Chopra reveals the surest laws of success. But it is a challege to first understand the laws but to practice them will eventually get you to your prize.Healing the Rift: Merging Science and Spirituality

Getting back to basics 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As a child we are free of everything. But develop many beliefs and prejudices as we age. This book again gave me what I needed at the right moment. I would recommend it to anyone. Easy read.

Good read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book had good information overall. I just wish it had more new informaiton rather than... I recommend it.

Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fullfillment of Your Dreams 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Spiritual Laws - not necessarily based on religion. Things we should all follow through on every day of our lives. What a nice world it would be.

Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

Kevin Leman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

WHOA! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is extremely open and honest. I loved it and read it in a couple days. My husband is planning to read it too. It helped me remember what life was like before kids.

WOW! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Initially I thought I was reading a really erotic book. Christians may find this book offensive because of all the things the author speaks about and ways of improving your marriage via sex. I am here that this book isn't so much about sex (although I can tell you that this book has a lot of sex and how it can be used to not only improve your sex life, but improve you marriage, especially if your marriage has entered a stage of boredom, stagnation, or on the verge of divorce), but on how the 'other' spouse thinks. Men: do yourself a favor-- GET THIS BOOK! You will understand your wife so much and she will love you for it. Women: GET THIS BOOK! Now you will understand why men do what they do and why they seem aloof to you. This is one phenomenal book that I have begun to re-read it a second time, only this time, I have my notebook handy and taking notes. The BEST part is that he uses Biblical passages on why God is the author of sex and why if done His way, you can't possibly go wrong. There is one spot I am a little iffy on, and that has to do with oral sex but this is a subject left to each and every Christian couple to decide if this is for them or not. I strongly suggest this book, if not only to learn how to understand your spouse but to break that taboo way of thinking that sex is a dirty word. It isn't. God intended Christians to have fun during sex. Dr. Leman will show you will Biblically and in a way you never thought. EXCELLENT!

Editorial Review:

With his characteristic warmth and humor, Dr. Kevin Leman offers a practical guide to sex according to God's plan. This frank and practical book is a perfect resource for married and engaged couples. Now in softcover.

Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1)

Lee Child

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Total reviews: 185 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A terrifying thriller that's unforgettable.

"I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. I was in a booth, at a window, reading somebody's abandoned newspaper. Outside, the rain had stopped but the glass was still pebbled with bright drops. I saw the police cruisers pull into the gravel lot. They were moving fast and crunched to a stop. Light bars flashing and popping. Doors burst open, policemen jumped out. Two from each car, weapons ready. Two revolvers, two shotguns. This was heavy stuff. One revolver and one shotgun ran to the back. One of each rushed the door.

I just sat and watched them. I knew who was in the diner. A cook in back. Two waitresses. Two old men. And me. This operation was for me. I had been in town less than half an hour."

- from the opening of this searing tale of honor and revenge where Jack Reacher, a former military cop, hunts down his brother's killers. In the bestselling tradition of John Sandford and Stephen Hunter, the listener will be entertained non-stop until the end.

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

N. T. Wright

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Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For years Christians have been asking, "If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?" It turns out that many believers have been giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven.

Award-winning author N. T. Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian's future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright, who is one of today's premier Bible scholars, asserts that Christianity's most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection. He provides a magisterial defense for a literal resurrection of Jesus and shows how this became the cornerstone for the Christian community's hope in the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of the age. Wright then explores our expectation of "new heavens and a new earth," revealing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the "second coming" of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, all this will come as a great surprise.

Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death. For if God intends to renew the whole creation—and if this has already begun in Jesus's resurrection—the church cannot stop at "saving souls" but must anticipate the eventual renewal by working for God's kingdom in the wider world, bringing healing and hope in the present life.

Lively and accessible, this book will surprise and excite all who are interested in the meaning of life, not only after death but before it.

A Course in Miracles

Foundation for Inner Peace

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Total reviews: 332 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Course in Miracles begins...
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.

As its title implies, the Course is arranged throughout as a teaching device. It consists of three books: Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers. The order in which students choose to use the books, and the ways in which they study them, depend on their particular needs and preferences.

The curriculum the Course proposes is carefully conceived and is explained, step by step, at both the theoretical and practical levels. It emphasizes application rather than theory, and experience rather than theology. Although Christian in statement, the Course deals with universal spiritual themes. It emphasizes that it is but one version of the universal curriculum. There are many others, this one differing from them only in form. They all lead to God in the end.

The Text is largely theoretical, and sets forth the concepts on which the Course's thought system is based. Its ideas contain the foundation for the Workbook's lessons. Without the practical application the Workbook provides, the Text would remain largely a series of abstractions which would hardly suffice to bring about the thought reversal at which the Course aims.

The Workbook includes 365 lessons, one for each day of the year. It is not necessary, however, to do the lessons at that tempo, and one might want to remain with a particularly appealing lesson for more than one day. The practical nature of the Workbook is underscored by the introduction to its lessons, which emphasizes experience through application rather than a prior commitment to a spiritual goal:

Some of the ideas the workbook presents you will find hard to believe, and others may seem to be quite startling. This does not matter. You are merely asked to apply the ideas as you are directed to do. You are not asked to judge them at all. You are asked only to use them. It is their use that will give them meaning to you, and will show you that they are true.

Finally, the Manual for Teachers, which is written in question and answer form, provides answers to some of the more likely questions a student might ask. It also includes a clarification of a number of the terms the Course uses, explaining them within the theoretical framework of the Text.

The Course makes no claim to finality, nor are the Workbook lessons intended to bring the student's learning to completion. At the end, the reader is left in the hands of his or her own Internal Teacher, Who will direct all subsequent learning as He sees fit.

The Screwtape Letters (Gift Edition)

C. S. Lewis

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Total reviews: 370 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Enlightening read for committed (and thinking) Christians 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I don't know how well this great book translates to agnostic readers, but for me it was a very enlightening and concrete way to understand what it means to try to be a good man in a world of temptation.

In keeping with the time period, I believe it was Winston Churchill who said "All evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing". In the Screwtape Letters the senior tempter, tells his apprentice, it is just as affective to get a man to stare into a fire until it turns to ash, as to get him to commit some great sin, because either keeps him from doing what he should. I wonder what Mr. Lewis would have thought of digital cable television? I am as guilty as anyone of staring at that box instead of doing good.

So here's the deal.

This is an excellent book for any believer from High School on up, that wants to be good and avoid evil.

But that's just me.

Editorial Review:

In this humorous and perceptive exchange between two devils, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good vs. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better understanding of what it means to live a faithful life.