Religion Books

The book was new and in excellent condition when I received it. The shipment was prompt with no delays.

I would definitely recommend this book. I was barely through the first chapter and was absolutely amazed at how much I was NEEDING to read this book. It fit my life perfectly. I love the way she words things and labels things throughout the book. About the time I would think the book couldn't match me any more perfectly, I'd read something that would fit right in once again! I'm not even finished reading it as of yet but I know it's one of those books that I will read many more times in the future! A+ recommendation!

I am so excited about this book. So many women today just don't understand the balance we need to maintain in life as women and Christians. They are unaware of the central ground of being at the feet of Jesus all the while serving in the capacity of the world we live in. JoAnna Weaver does get it and she bears her heart in her book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World."

In twelve revelation and scripture packed chapters, JoAnna takes you to the core of what you need to balance it all.... a relationship with Jesus Christ.

You'll be drawn to chapters like: "Lord, Don't You Care?", Living Room Intimacy, and Balancing Work and Worship and those are just a few. I couldn't put the book down. The message is biblical, the concepts are practical, and the way it is written is very personable and you can very easily relate to her.

I have enjoyed this book on my own, with two friends as a study, and also as a book club selection. I've read it twice and have put it on my "short list" of books to read annually. There is so much good information to help me grow in my spiritual walk with the Lord!

Written in a user friendly style. Very motivating with exccellent internal evaluations by the reader, while being gently led by the author. I would definetly reccommend this book for all women.

I really enjoyed this book. It laid out in a simple format the different types of pits in life. They are...

(1) The one's people push us into.
(2) The one's we accidently fall into ourselves.
(3) The one's we fall into deliberatly ourselves.

No matter which one you are in, it gives Biblical advice how to get out! This is a great book!

Great book! Beth Moore did a great job on this one like all the rest of her! Anyone feeling "stuck" should pick this one up! Very uplifting and encouraging!

I found it to have a strong biblical foundation. Beth Moore is refreshingly open and candid and non-judgmental but also challenging. I would have given it five stars, but the book seemed to run out of steam at the climax -- it just didn't come together in grand fashion like the first 3/4 of the book. But I'm really glad I got to read it, and I will be re-reading parts of it. This is my first Beth Moore book, and I will be reading others.

As usual, Beth Moore gets to the point and gives real advice. She never "talks down" to you, she has been there too, and she is so positive in her outlook it becomes contagious. I highly recommend this book.

I have been going through this book with a ladies devotional group and have really enjoyed the message of this book as well as the take aways from this book. It is always nice to have a book that you get so much out of that you want to pass on to others- this is definately a book like that! It has great study questions and prayers to follow with to help you glean important reminders from the book!

I found this book not only interesting but funny. Lewis knows how to convey serious reflections on human behavior in a humorous way which doesn't reduce their solemn significance. He weaves out of fiction an ultra-insightful analysis of the silly reasons why we are often hell-bent on NOT going to heaven. Recognizing those reasons and concentrating on overcoming some of them changed my life for the better. Über-recommended!!

On an artistic level I would personally rate this work by C.S. Lewis very poor. Characters are two-dimensional. Plot is developed from the perspective that Christianity is the only truth, Heaven and Hell exist for a certainty, and that there is justification for eternal damnation for those who won't see the light. Due to the heavy moralizing, this is more like a religious pamphlet than a work of fiction. Then, why four stars? Despite what I perceive to be flaws in this book,there are some extremely penetrating representations of rationalizing, manipulative behavior. These little vignettes of lost souls willfully denying joy to themselves and trying to deprive others of it also, leaves a haunting impression that Lewis has truthfully revealed the modus operandi of much of mankind. We are allowed to eavesdrop on some conversations between the saved and the damned in which it is obvious the lost souls actually prefer remaining in the Hell they have created for themselves rather than give up their obsessive behavior. Whether or not we agree this is grounds for eternal damnation, I think there is a good lesson here, illustrated quite effectively, to work toward honest relationships free of game-playing. On further reflection, I think this title more worthy of three stars due to the dreary blend of moralizing and fiction.

I have found the Great Divorce to be a book for all time. I saw so many people on that bus that I recognized and after a while, I recognized most all of them were a part of me or my life. I got some great insight into how we think when we think of others and how others must see me. Often we think in terms of who will be going to Heaven and who will not in our own human and limited way of thinking. C.S.Lewis puts an interesting and very introspective point of view on this often discussed theme using Christian theology in allowing us to ride in and off the bus with so many others. I think I saw how narrow we can be in our judgement concerning who will or will not be allowed beyond the gates of Heaven. Great book and one I recommend hightly.

CS Lewis great theologian or great Christian apologist as some would say was one heck of a writer.

The Great Divorce C.S Lewis good as a stand alone story or as a more deeper spiritual book. I continue to be blown away by how good C.S Lewis is one of those authors where sometimes you get the strangest sensation that he is actually speaking directly to you.

The Great Divorce serves to remind all of us that while sin does indeed have an eternal penalty the first commandment for all Christians is love.

With each and every book I read by C.S. Lewis, I become an ever more admiring fan. While I cannot say this is my favorite of his works (for that spot, I reserve "Mere Christianity," followed by "A Grief Observed"), it is as fascinating and insightful a ride as any of his. C. S. Lewis is exceptional in his ability to take the most complicated human issues and make them understandable.

Blending into a queu awaiting a bus ride without fully understanding to where or why (how many of us blend sheepishly with the masses this way?), the narrator, George, takes a fantastical ride through heaven and hell. Just two possible end points on this trip, and with that, Lewis makes it clear: as much as we try to rationalize and wiggle, there is no gray area in life, or, in this case, the after life. You choose. Black or white, good or evil.

With a cast of colorful characters, ghostly figures and helpful angels who only wish to give the undecided one final chance to decide, we ride along with those who, we soon realize, resemble everyone we know. Including you and me. The whiner and the complainer, the cheater and the liar, the rationalizer, the egotist, the shortchanger. Even the overly devoted mother, who, upon closer examination, clings to her son more to serve her own selfish needs than to let him go in a loving manner for his wellbeing is not the marytr she believes herself to be.

It is not in the big falls that we lose our way to heaven. It is, more often than not, in the petty details of our lives, all those grand intentions come to nothing, all those shortcomings and shortcuts taken, all those more challenging routes avoided, where we take wrong turns that will land us only in hell. A stern Father reminds us, "Your will be done," rather than His. And so, for all who did not trust in Him, but stubbornly held to their own willful ways, the bus has only one last stop.

As amusing as this little tale (novella) is to read, the message is heavy duty. If you don't recognize yourself in at least a few of these lost souls, look harder. And then give your future bus stop some careful thought...

The response time from ordering to shipping and my receiving was excellent! It was as promised.

This book is soul-wrenching. A Must for everyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Brings together both priest and artist: Rembrandt's insights and those of Henri Nouwen. . .

Henri Nouwen had a truly God-given gift - the gift of explaining timeless spiritual truths in very clear, ordinary language in a conversational and deeply captivating way. His words and his explanations imprint themselves into the memory and stay in the heart, and truly help to change lives. Much of his wisdom surely comes from his own struggles, which he admits to in the book - he personally struggled with depression, pride, desire for success and fame, envy, etc. - common human ailments. He also struggled with feeling unworthy of God, and with feeling distant from God. Yet, he learned to overcome his struggles (though he admits that he is still on a journey), and he describes how.

This is the third book I have read by Neuwen. After reading Life of the Beloved I really didn't think that anything could compare, but this book, if not better, is at least just as good. It is an instantly timeless spiritual classic. The whole book is a reflection on Rembrandt's painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son. First Nouwen reflects on the younger son who came back from a foreign land. Then he reflects on the older son who witnesses his younger brother's return. Finally, Nouwen reflects on the father figure. His insights are deep and beautiful. He leads the reader to a natural and yet incredible insight: that after identifying ourselves with both the younger and older brother, we must realize that rather than being either of these two brothers, we are called to become the father!

"Return of the Prodigal Son" is a wonderful opportunity to hear the gentleness and genius that was Henri Nouwen. The book was originally a talk given at retreat when Nouwen was 57, about 8 years before his death, in the time following his famous service at Toronto's L'Arche Daybreak facility for severely handicapped adults. Nouwen's humility is on display, as are his deep spiritual and psychological insights.

The impetus for Nouwen's reflections was Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son," painted when the artist was elderly, and following multiple tragedies in his own life. Nouwen's inspiration is less the painting, though, than the parable. His lecture is split into three parts, focusing on the younger son, the older son and the father. Nouwen's take on the parable is Jesus's radical break with interpretations of God that held sway in his own day as they still do in ours. The God that Jesus defines is not angry, vindictive or retaliatory, but completely open in love and forgiveness. While many will agree with this description of the Father, fewer will agree with Nouwen that this image of the Father exists the rest of Holy Scripture (both OT and NT) as well. While many of us are willing to accept Scripture's seemingly schizoid vision of God, Nouwen does not. He is completely committed to the loving father portrayed in this parable. For those committed to the God of condemnation, hell and judgment, Nouwen will be a disappointment (or a challenge). Human beings separate themselves from a God who is always anxious to take them back, teaches Nouwen.

In Nouwen's take on the story, the younger son teaches the journey from dissolution to containment. Dissolution includes dissipation of the kind associated with the younger son in the parable -- insults to parents, arrogance, squandering of resources, immorality. But dissolution extends to other activities and attitudes that spread our energies beyond our capacities. We spread ourselves too thin, spiritually, usually out of a desire to impress those in our lives whom we want to impress or influence. But by recognizing our sonship with God, we realize that we do need to impress of fathers (whether heavenly or worldly) into loving us, allowing us to bring our spiritual energies into containment and focus. The elder son often lives in our hearts alongside the younger son. The elder son's error is in resentment and separation. He cannot rejoice that "this son of yours" has returned from death, whining about his own ceaseless and unrewarded labors. But his error also speaks to a misunderstanding of the Father's love. He feels he will be loved *because* of his obedience (evidently given grudgingly) and has missed that his gift is to have been in the presence of the Father all along.

Nouwen's deep insight into the parable, whose subtlety and profundity become apparent the more listen, is astounding. The parable has the power to heal as well. For any who have felt conflict or hurt in family situations, as has Nouwen himself, the parable points the way toward a recognition of our true place in the world, and in God's eyes. This is not a dewy "I'm OK, You're OK" insight, but can lead to a profound shifting of our existential relationship with ourselves, our parents and our God. What false fronts and defenses we might shed if we truly believed in a God who loved us as beloved children -- no matter how far astray we had gone?

Nouwen's style and delivery belie the intensity of his own struggle and the wisdom of his teaching. Yet the insights continue rolling in, like waves following the passage of a ship, long after the book is over. A fascinating and potentially life-changing book.

This book opened up so many different ideas on the well known story of the Prodigal Son. I loved reading this book. It was my first Nouwen read, and it definitely will get me reading more of his books. If you are not familiar with Nouwen, this is a good first read.

This is an important look at three staples of current Republican policy that Phillips finds threatening to the US's well-being: its dependence on foreign oil, the Religious Right, and soaring US debt. Phillips' main thesis, though hard to find, seems persuasive enough: ill-founded fundamentalist politics enables two key hazardous trends: 1) oil-driven foreign policy and 2) irresponsible financial policy, resulting in unprecedented private & national debt.

Phillips' strengths are his focus on realpolitik consequences of policy & his preponderance of disturbing facts, although to keep up, you will need some familiarity with history or other social sciences. His weaknesses are his repetition & length, questionable read of history, and lack of integration between the three main subjects, although each section is informative in its own right. Also, a handful of his points seem to rest on loose analogies, circumstantial evidence, or evidence without footnotes, making evaluation difficult, but overall, his analyses are plausible enough to warrant closer attention.

Author Kevin Phillips examines U.S. political and economic trends in this searing look at religion, energy, and government spending. Readers see that U.S. foreign policy is strongly, perhaps dangerously influenced by conservative Christians. We also see how the USA is spending itself into danger, and is doing far too little to end its risky dependence on foreign oil. Phillips offers several parallels between between the USA and Britain; for example comparing the questionable U.S. invasion of Iraq to British colonialism in the middle east after World War I. Readers also see how losing control of an energy source can cost a nation dearly - as Britain's power declined in the 20th Century when oil began replacing coal. Phillips writes with an alarmist tone, one that readers (and non-readers) should listen to.

Phillips proved his eye for future trends with EMERGING REPUBLICAN MAJORITY, his 1969 book correctly forecasting GOP dominance of the South and White House via rising conservatism and racial backlash. Phillips recently left the GOP in disgust at its right-wing Christian politics. Some find this book a bit stiff and alarmist, but it's an important, thought-provoking effort.

In the Republican years before Nixon resigned, I perused the editorials each Sunday in our Joplin Globe. Among the syndicated columnists, Jack Anderson & John Roche passed for liberal; Kevin Phillips & Max Rafferty (former superintendent of California Public Schools) were the conservatives. Between the latter, Phillips seemed the more reasoned.

Of late, Phillips, who worked like the dickens to get Nixon elected & who like so many of the old Goldwater guard deserted the Republican orthodoxy, has got a good deal of mileage out of shredding the bedding of the Family Bush. In "American Theocracy," Phillips summons up fearsome documentation for his thesis that the US of A is headed down a path previously trod by Spain, the Netherlands, & Great Britain: their governments paralyzed by indebtedness & mesmerized by evangelical zeal failed to replace their fading sources of energy & so collapsed under the weight their own inertia.

Because Phillips is not out to preach to the choir, he doesn't dawdle over pop topics like "renewable" energy sources or the isolationist-directed reducing dependence on foreign oil: it's too late for all that. Instead, he cites the instances of how we allowed our blind love of the "freedom of the road" to lead us to the brink of energy catastrophe: the 1956 "Hubbert peak," the prediction by Shell Oil geologist Marion Hubbert that oil extraction in CONUS would peak betw. 1965 & 1970; the rise of nationalized petroleum industries in Iraq, Libya, & Iran (& of late, Venezuela); & the especially scary notion that petroleum geology is an unpopular major among American college graduates, whereas it's an extremely desirable one in Africa, Latin America, etc.

His Goldwater-like disdain for the current influence of the evangelical Christian ideologists is painfully evident, but Phillips points out that war & politics in the U.S. have traditionally "borne a heavy imprint of church leadership & denominationalism." Like the despised liberals of 40+ years ago, the evangelically correct right wing of today has "taken the lead in promoting unworkable social-planning [the "panacea of abstinence" in sexual matters] abstractions."

Moreover, the US of A is not the first instance of a govt. in the throes of apocalyptic fibrillation: Phillips reminds us that 17th-cent. Netherlands & WWI-era Great Britain firmly believed that Biblical prophecy would stand them in good stead, even while their empires crumbled. Each time, they were sadly disappointed that God did not come to their rescue.

With regard to the "borrower-industrial" complex--the "financialization" of the union--, Phillips dabbles in some prophecy of his own when he writes, albeit pleonastically, that the "maintenance of the upward revaluation of homes may be the next frontier of risk socialization." We have reached that frontier today.

That a former republican strategist--a guy that wrote 40 years ago of the formerly Democratic South becoming a bastion of Republican values--has so little respect for the Republican Party of today is cause for some serious consideration; however, Democrats have done little but concede to Republican whims at every turn. False optimism about an endless supply of crude oil, gross mismanagement of our holy war in Iraq, & the withering of our manufacturing base should give one pause about how much longer the US of A can hang the "superpower" shingle on its swinging doors.

Phillips doesn't personalize the book in this way, but this is clearly the story of how this life-long Republican activist and presidential advisor fell out of love with his party. As such, it's interesting and it parallels the political journeys of a number of people in my family. He believes the GOP is guilty of two bad sets of policies, those encouraging both public and private debt in the United States, and those policies supporting over-reliance on oil.

What is really driving Phillips away from his party, however, isn't a question of bad policy choices. He's frustrated and disgusted by the party's growing reliance on fundamentalist Christians who are intolerant of others, hostile to education and science, and, frankly, downmarket kinds of people. Some of Phillips' reaction to the fundamentalists is well-reasoned and grounded in legitimate concerns about where this 40 percent of the electorate would like to take the country. A large part of Phillips' frustration is more emotional - - he belongs in the mixed group of secular and mainline Protestants who used to dominate the GOP, and he thinks that lower-class, rural fundamentalists are icky.

As this suggests, there's a mixture of reason and emotionalism that pervades this book on the question of religion. Nonetheless, I found the chapters on religion the most interesting because Phillips works hard to trace the spread of Southern denominations outward into parts of the border states, upper Midwest, and intermountain West.

In contrast, his discussions of oil and debt are frustrating. He doesn't know enough economics to make the analysis of debt convincing, so we're left with a kind of schoolmarmish disapproval of people who borrow too much. On the question of oil he tends toward the kind of conspiracy theories that one expects from the Michael Moore Left instead of from a disillusioned Republican.

Most importantly, Phillips never makes a convincing case that these three concerns are linked. Why do fundamentalist Christians like oil? On the face of it, it's an odd association and there's certainly no biblical foundation for it. There's even less reason for "Christians" to be associated with debt, given biblical prohibitions on usury. So Phillips leaves lots of unanswered questions in this review of the last fifty years of the Republican party.

Then the remaining one-third is shot through with doubtful connections. The author commendably states clearly his three big topics right off the bat: 1. Oil is "done"; 2. Religion in America is poisoning us; 3. The US is drowning in debt. Topics #1 and #3 as stated in "American Theocracy" have been shown to be largely untrue by many, many sources, and #2 seems to conclude that Americans are bad because we let religion (fundamental kinds, anyway) drive us to all sorts of homicidal and larcenous behaviors. Southern Americans, anyway. Actually southern white Americans of English/Dutch/ sometimes Celtic/sometimes German/sometimes other ethnic origins. These awful prejudices unfortunately weave through the whole book.

The book in one sense is well-written, though. The line of arguments are clearly stated, and the facts and stories Kevin Phillips chooses to write about can sometimes be interesting and informative. As many reviewers noted, there are pounds of research cited and statistics listed. The problem is that he is extremely selective about which he presents. In the "oil" segment, for example, you will find almost no mention of experts who estimate the relatively long period of oil reserves worldwide (one actually makes a cameo appearance, and the reader is hereby challenged to find it!). Nor does he cite the fact that estimated reserves have always, always edged upwards. In the "religion" segment he makes a quite-wrong statement about Newt Gingrich's historical fiction series on the Civil War, meaning he could not have actually read the books. With this kind of selective reporting, one cannot sift the truth of his arguments. Then there is the ending: there isn't one. No summary, no conclusions, no points for action. After all that.

For the sake of backing up the title of this review, the badly-misleading part of the "debt" section in this book concerns the author's own - perhaps unwitting - argument against himself. He actually stated that the amount of total personal savings was greater than the total personal debt. Gracious, mendacious! If the statistics sound overwhelming in this section of the book, the reader is invited to skim over them, because they are hard to trust anyway.

In spite of these rather harsh judgments (and overly long review!), "American Theocracy" really is interesting. The prudent reader will discount the alternating condescension and panic, and just enjoy the discussion. If you are inclined to think as the author does, you will certainly like the debating points you could use. If you are inclined to dismiss the author's point of views, then don't - just read it. If you are wary of what a leftist-in-charge might do, then note the line of argument and hone your own.

Thanks, this filled in a lot of holes I created while I was "away" from my Church

Book was very readable and does have a Nihil Obstat & Imprimatur, meaning that the Church has officially decreed that the publication is free of doctrinal and moral error - obviously something important if you want to learn the true teachings of the Church. The book is an excellent topical review of Catholic beliefs that will hopefully serve as a gateway to others, that delve even deeper into the truth. There are many great resources out there, one of my favorites is St. Joseph Communications: http://www.saintjoe.com/

New Catholics and converts often struggle with the catechism but this book is an easy read for everyone. Even life long Catholics could benefit and come to know their faith better through reading this book.

This book was recommended by my church for reading during RCIA courses. I have read this book & it's great! I was able to be interactive during RCIA due to studying this book, it's a great intro prior to reading the CCC or any other books on Mass etc. It will give you an informative scope on all areas of the church. It gives you just enough information to make you aware of the history of the church and the practices of Catholicism. It prompts you to want to study further reading materials. It's definitely a great book to have in your library rather you are a cradle Catholic or just wanting to understand the faith. It's worth the buy.

I picked this book up, expecting it not to contain very much of use. Imagine my surprise when I discovered how "meaty" this work is! As a Director of Religious Education for my parish, I am now recommending this to inquirers who are considering joining the Catholic Church. Co-author Rev. John Trigilio has a television program on the Catechism on EWTN, so he's known to be orthodox. I highly recommend this work for both those who are already Catholic, and those who are curious about the Catholic Church and her teachings.

This book is surprising in at least two ways. I thought a book by war- hero on Courage John McCain would focus on his own story, his own trial in courage. I also thought it would focus on military heroes. It has it share of these and in fact opens with the story of Vietnam War Medal of honor Winner Roy Benavidez whose courage in rescuing wounded comrades surrounded by Vietcong involved an incredible determination and persistence. It is notable by the way that in choosing the military heroes McCain does not focus on a Sergeant York - like hero remarkable for how many of the enemy he wiped out, but on someone engaged in an act of rescue of his fellow soldiers.
And in fact the theme of willingness to sacrifice for others, to risk oneself to save or help others is at the heart of McCain's conception in this work. The heroes he selects the explorer John Wesley Powell, the Civil Rights leader John Lewis, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Hungarian born Israeli parachutist behind the Nazi lines who refused to give the enemy critical information despite the severest torture, Hannah Szenes, the Nobel Prize Winning Burmese civil rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, McCain's fellow prisoners, including his cell mate Bud Day, two soldiers of the Korean War Pete Salter ( Father of McCain's co- author)and the native American Red Cloud- all these in acts of courage forget their own personal safety and risk themselves for others.
McCain and Salter in this book make a real effort to provide a correct definition of Courage, and to underline its place among the first of virtues. They lament the 'defining down' of the concept in American life today in which it can be considered courageous to do things like going to a new hairstylist or talking back to one's therapist.
They go back to the core concept of courage as involving a real placing of oneself ,physically or morally on the line.
This book is winning in another way. McCain's modesty, recognition of his own failings and limitiations, awareness that there were others who were more courageous than himself- provide a sense of a person of broad understanding and appreciation of others.
The feeling I had when reading this book is that McCain is a person of true and strong character, with the right values , the values and moral vision America needs.
I write this at a moment when the economic crisis is great and growing in America, and when Barack Obama has opened a considerable perhaps unsurmountable lead on John McCain.
So it appears as it is now that John McCain will not be President.
However my strong impression in reading this book is : Here is a person truly qualified by experience, by values, by character to be the President of the United States- and to truly do the best for it whatever the cost to himself.

I admire John McCain for a number of reasons, and I found this book to be another.

The book "Why Courage Matters" is not really about his personal experiences in the Navy, the Hanoi Hilton, or the Keating 5 examination. It was about what other people have done in the face of real fear and discouragement, and how the stood-up to their problems and their oppressors, and how they ultimately persevered.

These noted people were not politicians or important people by how we might judge an important person today. These stories of courage are about regular people ... people who have similar hopes and aspirations as most all of us do, and how they dealt with adversity with hope, courage and determination.

The book really is an inspiration, and gives us hope that when and if the time may come when we face a significant fear, we will find our own courage and strength to stand up to the adversity, and to remain strong.

John McCain has pledged that, if he and Sarah are elected, he would end the revolving-door practice of administration officials leaving office for lucrative lobbying jobs.

Obama has also pledged to stop the revolving door if elected. He has also declined to take donations from lobbyists; McCain has not.

Still, during McCain's nearly 25 years in Congress, the revolving door has remained open. As his aides have moved downtown from Capitol Hill, they've drawn from their experience on the senator's personal staff or on his key committees: Armed Services, Commerce and Indian Affairs.

Here's some examples:

* Mark Buse went from being staff director of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation when McCain chaired it to becoming a lobbyist at two firms, ML Strategies and Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo. His clients included many companies with issues before the committee, including Northwest Airlines, AT&T Wireless, Cablevision and Exxon Mobil Corp. This year, Buse returned to work for McCain as chief of staff of his Senate office.

* John D. Desser was a staffer in McCain's Senate office and was a health policy aide in his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign.
After that, he lobbied for the health insurance, chemical, coal and pharmaceutical industries. From there, he was deputy assistant secretary for health policy at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration and has since gone back to the private sector as vice president of public policy and government affairs for eHealth, an online health insurance company.

* After serving as counsel for McCain's Senate Commerce committee, Sloan W. Rappoport moved on to the Bush administration and then to K Street. Rappoport is now a vice president of the Downey McGrath Group, where he lobbies for legalization of Internet poker and for a group promoting offshore oil drilling.

* John W. Timmons served as legislative counsel for McCain, working on commerce, energy and environmental issues. Since then, Timmons has founded his own lobbying firm that represents clients under Commerce committee jurisdiction, including AT&T, the Air Transport Association, the Association of American Railroads and TW Telecom, formerly Time Warner Telecom.

* Pablo Chavez, a former chief counsel to McCain, is now an advocate for Google, where his experience on the Commerce Committee doubtless comes in handy. Last year, he fought off objections to the acquisition of Internet marketing giant DoubleClick and is now working on the contentious issue of Net neutrality with hardware providers such as AT&T and the regional Bell companies

* David Crane, a former McCain Commerce committee aide, notes in his lobbying firm biography that, as an aide, he "developed and implemented legislative and communications strategies and tactics to secure passage of Senator McCain's legislative agenda." He has worked in three K Street firms, representing clients on financial services, homeland security and trade issues. He now runs the firm Quadripoint Strategies.

* Former McCain chief of staff and Commerce committee counsel Christopher Koch is now the McCain campaign's policy coordinator. In between holding those positions, he was a lobbyist. Before joining the campaign, Koch was president and chief executive officer of the World Shipping Council, a lobbying trade group that represents about 40 foreign and domestic ocean transport companies. In the first Bush administration, he was chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. And in the second Bush administration, as chairman of the Department of Homeland Security's National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, he helped craft port security policy.

* Ann Sauer worked for the Senate Armed Services Committee and later became vice president of Washington operations for Lockheed Martin. The world's largest defense company has spent more than $8 million this year on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

* After working as a Senate aide for McCain, Michael Jimenez set up shop as a lobbyist. His clients include Pinnacle West, and he advocates for the Arizona-based utility on nuclear and energy issues, according to Senate records.

* Former McCain legislative assistant Sonya Sotak now works for drug giant Eli Lilly. According to Senate filings, she's lobbying on issues relating to health care reform, drug pricing in Europe and an initiative to require drug companies to disclose their payments to doctors.

* Robert Fisher, a former telecommunications adviser to McCain, went on to lobby for Clear Channel Worldwide and Verizon.

.
Three of the McCain-staffers-turned-lobbyists - Rappoport, Timmons and Fisher - have bundled thousands of dollars in campaign donations for McCain's presidential bid, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Rappoport alone has gathered $250,000 to $500,000, the center said.

McCain may be the charismatic, youthful frontrunner in this contest, but I ask you all: DO WE REALLY KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS? I don't mean to sound racist, but I think it's dangerous to overlook his exotic and nearly unpronounceable last name. Sure, we're a nation of immigrants, but "McCain" should sound off warning bells in all of us: if we get attacked by terrorists, will this guy really have our nation's best interests at heart? My guess is that he'll be doing drunken high-kicks around the blarney stone after he squanders the day's wages, eats the last potato, and yells some mysterious passages from the Quran. Read this book, keep an open mind, but do not let his elevated rhetoric and silver tongue woo you into trusting him!

This country owes John McCain a great deal of debt. Not only for his military service or his Senate work but also for the great and couragous books he writes.
"Why Courage Matters" is an example of his passion for helping others through tough times and instilling a greater understanding of the world in them. He tells a number of couragous stories of people throughout time who deserve respect and honor and even goes on to explain some of the situations he himself went through during his imprisoment in the Vietnam War and how he got through them. John McCain is a great writer and an American Hero and this book serves as a testament to that.

Sarah Vowell is the sort of person you desperately wish taught your high school American history class: smarter than anyone else in the room, a quirky sense of humor, full of random trivia and a genuine enthusiasm for her topic. Her 2005 effort "Assassination Vacation" may be one of the best books of this decade, looking at the macabre side of our executive branch with the voice of a skeptical fangirl.

Now, with her latest title "The Wordy Shipmates," Vowell has graduated from being the ideal high school teacher to the ideal college professor. It's a more professional work than her earlier titles, more akin to an academic essay than a road trip diary, but that doesn't keep it from being one of the best recent books on pre-Founding Fathers America.

The "wordy shipmates" in question are the Puritans, most particularly a section which set sail from England in 1630 to settle in what would eventually become Boston. Vowell looks beyond the stereotype, viewing them as an optimistic, highly literate people who gave America more than a reputation for sexual repression. Their desire to write and express thought would give precedent for the First Amendment, and their leader John Winthrop would advocate "a city upon a hill" and lay the groundwork for America's centuries of self-importance.

Winthrop, the political head of the settlement, is one of the main characters Vowell plays along with: he is a compassionate authoritarian who ordered a man's ears cut off, but postponed his exile until the harsh winter ended. He tried to keep his colony independent without agitating the English monarchy, but found himself up against personalities equally as forceful. On one hand was Roger Williams, a rabble-rouser who advocated separation of church and state to protect the church and whom Vowell sees as a perfect talk-show host in modern times. On the other was Anne Hutchinson, who challenged religious order and would have won all debates if she could only shut up for the closing statement.

Vowell's books have been moving from essay collections to more cohesive history texts, and "The Wordy Shipmates" reflects this shift in style. There are no chapters or major separations between sections, and it focuses chiefly on analyzing documents such as Winthrop's journals and Williams' letters. It has the feel of a masters' thesis, which is not a condemnation - Kurt Vonnegut earned a master's in anthropology for "Cat's Cradle" after all - but after the ambling pace of "Assassination Vacation" it's certainly a shift to see Vowell spend most of her time in the library.

The literary fascination of the Puritans may have rubbed off a little too heavily on Vowell, but a more formal structure isn't enough to silence her droll tone: she can recall enacting the fires of hell at Bible camp with puppets and flashlights and say how genuinely excited she was about a sitcom depicting the harsh winters Pilgrims had to endure. Fans of "Assassination Vacation" will be pleased to see she continues touring with her sister and niece, dragging them to Pilgrim reenactment villages and a museum neighboring an Indian casino.

And these examples get to the core of what makes Vowell's writing such a treat: they're accessible in a way no other history writer is. She weaves mass media into these historical actions, comparing the founding of Massachusetts to a Bugs Bunny cartoon and Winthrop's feud with his deputy governor to a Nancy Drew mystery. Her analogies aren't there to distract a reader but draw them in further, doing exactly what a teacher should do: make you understand the argument.

One passage in particular showcases her style, able to make a thesis statement in one sentence and convert it to pop culture in the next: "They personify what would become the fundamental conflict of American life - between public and private, between the body politic and the individual, between we the people and each person's pursuit of happiness. At his city-on-a-hill best, Winthrop is Pete Seeger, gathering a generation around the campfire to sing their shared folk songs. Williams is Bob Dylan plugging in at Newport, making his own noise."

It's passages like that one that reaffirm Vowell's position as the maven of American history, and that keep "The Wordy Shipmates" an accessible and amusing read. The more formal structure and occasionally thick text may offset fans of "Assassination Vacation," but Vowell keeps it flowing with her trademark wit and a cast interesting enough to change anyone's definition of "puritan."

The Wordy Shipmates focuses on the Puritans and their ideology. The inspiration for this book seems to have been a guy named John Winthrop and a speech that he wrote.

It's as amusing and interesting as a book about the puritans could be, and Vowell's enthusiasm for the subject shined through and made me want to be excited about it, too. However, there is only so much that can be done to spice up this topic, and even with her witty interjections and pop culture references I found myself getting bored in places.

If you are a fan of her work, or are interested in reading about American history from the point of view of someone other than a crusty old white guy for a change, you will enjoy this book.

Sarah, I love you girl, but please get obsessed with something more fun next time.

The point Sarah Vowell hopes to make with her book is condensed in its three opening sentences: "The only thing more dangerous than an idea is a belief. And by dangerous I don't mean thought-provoking. I mean: might get people killed." In many ways the book aims to be a modern social commentary that tells us about all the terrible things that happened to and in the United States and the world because some Puritans hopped on a boat and came here.

We elected Bush? That's Anne Hutchinson's fault. And not just because Bush is a descendant of hers either. Had it not been for Anne's ideas, most American Protestants would not now believe in "immediate personal revelation" (p. 209)--the idea (radical at the time) that individuals have a personal relationship with God and that, as a result, only the individual is responsible for his or her own salvation. In other words, had it not been for Anne, there would have been no born-again Christians and, hence, no George Bush.

Our (often disastrous) interventions around the world? Blame Winthrop of "City on a Hill" fame. Had he not drummed into us that we're a city on a hill, a model to the world, we might be less eager to spread our model from one corner of the globe to the next. And, in any event, we might not have had Ronald Reagan as president. (I suspect Sarah Vowell might be a Democrat by the way.)

The Indian massacres? That too is the Puritans' fault. But here Sarah Vowell does not have to rely on genealogy or one man or woman's belief system to prove her point. The Puritans, after all, massacred many Indians. Like the Pequot, whose children, women, and men they literally burned alive. This book is thus worth reading if all you want are the details of what happened after Thanksgiving.

But this book is also worth reading because as Sarah Vowell ruefully admits, "I wish I did not identify with [the Puritans'] essential questions" (p. 29). But she does. She does not say it outright but she seems to feel that at least part of the belief system that made those Puritans sail to America was a sense of social justice. The Puritans resurrected (in the Christian world) the Hebrew ideas of: isomania (we should all be equal before the law), literacy (we should all be able to read the law--or the Bible), free speech (we should be able to denounce authority), and manual labor (we should all earn our bread by the sweat of our brows). And this belief gave us not just Bush, Reagan and the massacres of Native Americans but also Martin Luther King, Jr.

And because she recognizes the good that came (with the much-detailed) bad, Sarah Vowell gives us a thoughtful and detailed translation of what the Puritans were up to. She makes the language and the politics of the 1600s understandable to the reader of 2008. And not only understandable but fun to read. And so we enjoy learning about the disagreements the Puritans had with the Pope, the Anglicans and with each other; we get the political implications the Bible had for them; we understand the importance Winthrop's "Christian Charity" sermon had for his contemporaries (and Sarah Vowell admits, for her). We (or at least I) learned a lot reading this book and what is more I enjoyed learning it.

The final verdict then? As social commentary, this book is not much different from many others like it (say Michael Moore); as history of the Puritan era though it is a resounding success. I recommend it.

I love Sarah Vowell's books. She is an absolute master at examining a historical subject, relating it to the world we live in, and inserting her personal foibles to it, all in a narrative that moves so smoothly and quickly that you're sometimes surprised that you've read the whole book at a sitting. That's what she attempts to do here, but she doesn't quite pull it off this time.

Don't misunderstand me; this isn't at all a bad book. In fact, it's fascinating. It is jam-packed with fascinating information about the Massachusetts Puritans and the religious, social, and historical context of their settlement. Vowell weaves comments about her family background, education, travels, and hopes and fears into the narrative, just as she usually does.

When Vowell's writing works best, it's driven by her quirkiness and her ability to veer off on what seems to be a tangent, then bring everything together in the end. She does that here, but just not as well as in her other books. Perhaps the subject just isn't as susceptible to the Vowell treatment as the subjects of her other books.

I actually enjoyed this book, and I recommend it highly. However, it's just not as good as her other books made me expect it to be. Well worth reading, though.

There's nothing like a Sarah Vowell book to provide a new slant on a historical period. In "The Wordy Shipmates," she tackles a rather odd era, and one for which most people have definite opinions: the settlement of Massachusetts by the Puritans. Vowell does not reveal that the Puritans were *not* the American version of the Taliban. Certainly, they were fanatical, even by the standards of their own time, and harsh and guilt-ridden to boot. Their endless arguments about the meaning of biblical verses and their extreme hatred and fear of "Papists" put them two steps away from the loony bin. Yet they possessed attitudes (and paranoias) that put them squarely at the root of what would become the American nation character. Having arrived on these shores, by the grace of God, they were ferociously jealous of their freedom from the intrigues and violent interference of the English court and church. Worried sick about takeover by their own government, they were careful to give at least the appearance of subservience to the powerful crown. Vowell's hero is John Winthrop, the first governor of the collection of rude shacks that became the city of Boston. Winthrop is an oxymoron -- a Puritan with a streak of practical morality -- who rules with a weird combination of Christian compassion and tyrannical ruthlessness. Over a fractious and easily offended populace, Winthrop bobs and weaves like a prize fighter, somehow managing to keep his society from fragmenting. Winthrop nearly meets his match with Roger Williams though. Williams, far from being the free-speech champion that we liberals thought him to be, is even more of a Puritan than the Puritans. He finds that his austere compatriots to be insufficiently willing to separate from the ungodly, raising the hackles of "moderates" like Winthrop, and eventually earning himself banishment from the community. Yet Vowell finds the silver lining in Williams, who, arguing for a wall to keep the government out of the *church*, set the stage for future debate that bore fruit over a century and a half later in the Bill of Rights.

"The Wordy Shipmates" is a fascinating read, peppered throughout with Vowell's entertaining and snarky similes and parallels. Her discussion of the way that most Americans (including herself) get their history from popular shows like "Happy Days" and "The Brady Bunch" is illuminating and a little scary. To counter this, Vowell provides plenty of primary material -- mostly from Winthrop's journals -- and provides explanations that give context and cut through the turgid 17th-century prose. Most aspects of tehstory move briskly,. Though her telling of the genocidal Pequot "War" drags a bit. She does do a great job of seeing how Winthrop's' "City on a Hill" image has been used and misused throughout history, especially by those who missed the point that at its base, the City was intended to describe a society whose members were bound to one another through Christian charity. For a closer look at a society which we tend to judge and dismiss, "The Wordy Shipmates" book is a gem.

I love listening to this tape. I put it on and start it over again when it is done. I find it totally inspiring to listen to the writing of this wise Buddhist monk.
My only criticism is that the woman who reads the book (beautiful voice, by the way). She pronounces the word "strength" omitting the 'g' sound. This was horribly annoying to me. I grew up pronouncing the 'g' and it sounds prissy and pompous to omit the 'g' sound.

I loved this book -- it's practical and prescriptive. I applied her advice into both my personal and professional life. Next steps -- I will read her entire collection.

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Classics)

For people who are looking for a practice guide that will help them understand the process of observation with rigorous acceptance, integrity and compassion of all that which is observed. This is about finding peace through that process because the heart opens as a result. The opening and openness of the heart are at the core of that peace which we seek. Our incessant wanting is only satiated by an open heart. It represents a mature emotional and spiritual approach in understanding what we want and how we gain peace. Perhaps a truly fully open heart receives (perhaps even attracts?) what it wants because it cherishes what is.

Pema Chrodon's work is, as always is an insightful read about human nature and emotions and how we come to term with those emotions. I found the focus on the bodhichitta and the different sayings fascinating as well as enjoying further revelations about Buddhist beliefs and spirituality. All of what she writes is applicable to living life and facing the fears any of us could face.

The only reason this is a four instead of a five is because you can find a lot of what she writes in here, in her other works. It still makes for good reading, but reading one of her works seems to get to heart of all of her writing.

I am new on those buddhism staff, so I became to realize that you never end reading and learning from this sort of books.

Altough some terms results difficult to understand to me, It became a valuable source of advice.

This book seems well written and it resonates well with me. Aside from what has been taught by religious doctrine and supported by many scriptures, Deepak talks about what he believes Jesus really meant when he said many of the things we remember and quote all the time. At 234 pages + index, the book is broken down into plain language, so it is easy to understand the opinions expressed by the writer. Copyright is 2008, so it is freshly written.

The Third Jesus indicates that there are 3 Jesus(es), the first being the historical Jesus of 2000 years ago. This is the Jesus whose teachings are the foundation of Christianity as thought and as theology. The second Jesus is the Son of God, who embodied an institutional religion, with its specific dogma, priesthood, and millions of devout believers. The third Jesus is the Cosmic Christ, a term being used often these days. The writer refers to the Cosmic Christ as the Jesus who embraces ALL humanity, not just those covered by the church built in his name. As a spiritual guide, the Cosmic Christ speaks to all who will listen, to help them access the God within and as a personal experience (without the middle man). This is the Christ who helps us to attain enlightenment or God-consciousness, or grace, as some call it. This book is dedicated to the Irish Christian Brothers in India who introduced Deepak to Jesus when he was a little boy.

Much of the book looks at sayings attributed to Jesus with an eye on the analysis of what he may have REALLY meant. For example, "you have been taught an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say don't resist evil. If someone hits you, let him hit you twice . . ."(Matthew 5:38-42) Many of us want revenge for the evil doers, but Jesus would have us "resist not evil" and forgive them. Did Jesus not submit himself to unjust trial, persecution, torture, and a horrible agonizing death? And what did he say on the cross? (Hint: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.") (Come on now--how many people do you know that would be screaming and cursing out the maggot-infested dogs to their last breath? But FORGIVE THEM? that takes somebody really special.) Anyway, the author tells us that when we live in a higher state of consciousness/awareness/vibration, "evil" does not hang around as it does when you are more susceptible to it. In other words, when you learn to find the peace within yourself, and NOT attach yourself to revenge or righteous indignation, you master anger and evil begins to release its hold on you. (and I thoroughly agree) Deepak goes to explain a great deal more on the subject.

This book is full of scriptures and passages and what Deepak believes to be the intended message of Jesus for each one, and for ALL people of all beliefs. Some of the many concepts addressed are: The Golden Rule, Karma (reeping and sowing), praying with faith, why you should pray if God already knows what you want, being in a state of higher awareness/consciousness at the soul level, judgement, materialism, etc. The book addresses common arguments of who the "real" Jesus is and the pros and cons of each (to help you consider the possibilities so you can make up your own mind). (Remember that about 313 AD, Emporer Constantine officially adopted Christianity but then banned many religious documents, such as the Gospel of Thomas. Now why would he go and do such a thing?)

The book includes a section on contemplation, similar to meditation, explaining what contemplation is and providing some scriptures to practice this deeper form of thinking with, where you go within yourself to seek a deeper meaning.

I met Deepak in the early 1990s at a Satellite television studio in Washington DC. He was doing a presentation on one of his earlier works and I was fortunate to be able to speak with him personally for a few minutes. Although I was not at the stage of awareness that I am now, I certainly sensed something very special about this man--a sort of knowledgeable peace. He was a pleasure to listen to and speak with. Today he is the author of over 50 books, translated into more than 35 languages. He has some excellent material out there on spirituality topics. One of my favorites is his 2-CD gold cover chakra balancing CD (check my other reviews for more info on that one.) I believe the man to be a well-educated spiritual being in human form.

I highly recommend this book and certainly agree with what I've read in it. I do not believe the concepts should be earth-shattering to anyone. Most likely, you know these things already, at your soul consciousness level if not at your conscious awareness level, but sometimes we need to be reminded. This would be a good book to share with friends and to re-read every so often. I do not believe bible-readers would be offended by its contents. It just encourages people to look more within themselves for deeper meaning and to hold others in love in your heart--complicated concepts broken down for easy reading. Remember that Jesus said to love one another.

Approximately 2/3rds through the book are "15 Steps to God-Consciousness: Lessons and Exercises". An example is #8 "resist not evil". Applying the Teaching: explains that it means overcoming evil without resisting it (and more detail). An exercise follows, explaining how to practice the concept by making a perception change. It involves facing your fears and hidden feelings. Evil has power over you ONLY WHEN YOU GIVE IT POWER. (This concept alone is priceless, once you really get it.)

Throughout the book, there are a lot of comments similar to ". . .as you progress on the spiritual path, you begin to see/feel/experience X/Y/Z, etc." I have personally experienced many of these, as he says them to be true. Some examples: as you begin to achieve a higher level of consciousness: you feel more secure and positive about yourself, you exist in peace with others, you drop the habits of criticizing and complaining, life is no longer a competition "me" against "them", obsessive and compulsive thoughts lose their grip, negative thoughts are replaced by positive ones, you improve the atmosphere around you (by your presence), and many many more. (Personally, I have found it EXTREMELY difficult to be around negative people or people who disrespect others or themselves.)

What I like most about any book that Deepak writes is his depth of wisdom and his committment to living a contemplative life. One clear sign of this wisdom is his appreciation and agility in being able to contemplate his subject from multiple points of view. Thus, whatever he concludes is born out of this desire for a deep and broad understanding...an intuition to the wholeness of Spirit.

I was raised Catholic, well educated and inspired by the story of God, Paradise, Jesus and his profound love and sacrifice for all Being. A few priests and nuns were also inspiring. Yet for myself and many other baby boomers, the religious culture of our time barely registered on any scale of true Love, Peace or Wisdom. Far more important than what we are told to believe when we are young and open is the energy signature of the environment in which the teaching happens. Unfortunately, our modern Western model of a sane and loving world viewed from within our organized religions offers very little for those of us with precocious natures. We need more than platitudes, dogmas, rules of engagement sourced in fear and hypocracies that anyone with a modicum of insight can plainly see.

I believe that Deepak is more credible than most spiritual teachers in that he appears truly interested in your spiritual unfolding and fulfillment. He is also wise enough to perceive that there are significant resistences and challenges to the heightening of the human awareness of the Christ Consciousness or any enlightened state of being. Deepak has clearly brought Jesus into his own unfolding through his research, contemplation and sharing. Yes...this book is Deepak's interpretation of the meaning and purpose of the Jesus story, the Jesus life and Christ Consciousness. He writes it as he sees and intuits it. I for one, simply resonate with his insight and inspiration. He offers many practical ways that every lover of Jesus can explore their own state of consciousness in a context inspired by Jesus himself, as far as we can know him from the past. No one can make dogma (past) out of wisdom or love (Presence). All Truth is alive and flowing throughout each moment of life and the form of life changes as we unfold. Anyone who is willing to inspire and add to this unfoldment has my deepest admiration for their efforts. I can also consciously appreciate the sign of our times that is found in the merging of the spiritual wisdoms from East and West. Common sense should never go unnoticed. The Third Jesus has added to my appreciation and love for the Spirit we call Jesus. For this I am deeply grateful.

Sundance Burke, Author Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being

Third Jesus was thought provoking. Good historical research? No. A threat to Christianity? Hardly. A definitive interpretation of the meaning of the life of Jesus of Nazareth? Certainly not. It does however, give the author's interpretation of some aspects of the life of Jesus as reported in the New Testament. Anyone, including the many bloggers here, who purports to know beyond a shadow of a doubt and with total objectivity who a man who lived over 2,000 years ago was, how he lived each moment, and what that man's exact thoughts were is kidding herself. We cannot say for certain who the person Jesus was or what his life meant. His existence (finite, infinite, or both) has meant a lot to very many people. His life has been interpreted many times in many ways. Chopra, an author who makes a living giving his opinion, explains his own interpretation in Third Jesus. Neither Third Jesus nor Chopra are a threat to Jesus or Christianity. Neither are they definitive explanations for how existence works. If you are of a mind to ponder Chopra's take on Jesus, then Third Jesus is a fun interesting read. If you are not, simply don't read it or stop at the point you no longer enjoy it. Both the glowing reviews and the venomous ones are disturbing for what they imply about the writers. Third Jesus is a philosphical opinion. If you have trouble understanding that, read the Bible and try to do some objective, factual research on Jesus, the Christian church, the origin of the Bible, world history, etc., etc., and form your own opinion. Third Jesus may be thought-provoking but is unlikely to bring anyone to enlightenment or to threaten God, whatever you conceive God to be. I liked the book on CD. I listened to it a couple of times in rapid succession to keep me alert on a long car ride alone. I bought it primarily because I've read some other Chopra books and they always seemed to make me feel good and assume a more positive outlook. For me, Third Jesus is the equivalent of watching someone smile - it makes you more likely to smile yourself - nothing more. Chopra's book got me to think about Jesus and God and that nearly always brightens my day.

The author provides a very deep discussion about
Jesus Christ on a cosmic or spiritual level.
This persona portrays Christ as a spiritual leader
who embraces everyone on a humanitarian level.

The idea of a New World is presented. Such an idealistic
place is devoid of war and strife. The human body itself
will be transformed into the highest state of health
and psychic contentment.

Certain paths are a fast track to heaven. For instance,
the Path of Devotion is prayer-centered. The Path of
Service deals with charity, almsgiving, altruism and
humility. The Path of Contemplation deals with a formal
retreat monastically speaking.

Christ is pictured as a sketchy character historically.
The power lies in Christ as a theological creation for
the ages.

Deepak Chopra explores the 3 dimensions of Jesus that leads us to our own individual spiritual path and ultimately to the collective consciousness.

We are not to enter the spiritual dimension only for our own sake; this would be self-centered and egoistic but to re-connect with our inner self so that we may inter-connect with one another. This is not only a personal journey but a social journey.

The spiritual goal is to become one in unity with all of creation and become co-creators for a better world for all beings.

This was Jesus' message 2000 years ago. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the Word made flesh.

Other books for your consideration:

Jesus Before Christianity by Albert Nolan
A Life of Jesusby Shusaku Endo
Joshua: A Parable for Today[[ASIN:0824519868 by Joseph Girzone
Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular Worldby Henri J Nouwen