Religion Books

The book arrived earlier than expected. It was in very good condition & package.

The book is like new, it is in perfect condition. I am relly happy with the service

I am about two-thirds into The Seeker's Guide. I read 10 - 20 pages per day. The subject matter is very interesting to me. However, I'm finding the writing tedious. I often re-read exerpts and have difficulty with Ms. Lesser's personal reactions to everything she has experienced. I find myself wanting to know her experiences but not her evaluation. She's traveled a phenomonal path and I'm anxious to learn about her evolvement, relationships, travels and teachers. Just as I begin to have some vicarious experience, I'm thrown off by another personal opinion she has. I find it distracting. To me, it feels like she wrote more for her personal gratification and not so much to assist the reader in a search for spirituality. Still valuable stuff!

Nicely written, personal and relevant for anyone "seeking" information on spirituality. It doesn't promise anything but makes a compelling case for meditation. Several tips for meditating are offered throughout the book and a variety of specific meditation practices are available to integrate into your life. I liked that the author understands that changing your daily routine to include meditation takes forgiveness and patience. If it becomes an exercise in obligations too early on, one may be easily discouraged.
Well done and enjoyable read promoting meditation as part of a spiritual path.

One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel

I heard about this book..when I heard Oprah Interview Ms. Lessor...I ordered it..I found it to be informative..tying in all the religions..pointing us to our oneness...

This book is extremely hard to read because of the small print--some lines are squeezed together and the print becomes even smaller. The reader needs to be aware that this book is dry and much like a text book. The author concentrates so much time on her lifestory. There are many other books about spirituality that are positive and uplifting for the reader to enjoy.

I am approaching my 50's and one of the first things that changed was my vision. This being such a wonderful book for those in their "wisdom" years, I would like to recommend that it is reprinted and made available in LARGE print. I am really challenged with the fine print and the word congestion on each page. Thank you for the consideration!

This is a solid evangelical introduction to the New Testament written by competent New Testament scholars. The authors are well-published and widely respected. Dr. Elwell is the editor of the latest Tyndale Bible Dictionary. This study proves that it is possible for believers to be evangelical and academic, traditional and analytical, informed but faithful to the Word. This is an introductory level textbook, complete with study questions and key terms in bold type, but even advanced students will benefit from this product. It comes with a wonderful interactive CD. If you buy this, you should really purchase the companion book called Readings From The First Century World, which provides primary literary sources for putting the New Testament in context. There is also an EBS volume on the Old Testament. I believe there are now two versions of these books on the OT and NT available; the newer editions have blue covers, the older editions are in orange.

This book makes a classic presentation from a theologically conservative viewpoint of the books of the New Testament. Chapters include why to study the New Testament, reviews of each NT book concerning authorship, date of writing, location where it was written, to whom it was written, and most important, why it was written, highlighting the various themes each book stresses. In addition, several chapters address the nature and presuppositions of modern critical (liberal) scholarship, and thus why it differs from traditional understandings. The writing style is clear and easy to read. Each book comes with a CD-ROM disk that can help the student understand and review the text. If one accepts the book's theological slant, it is excellent. Otherwise one will consider it's positions archaic and simplistic, in spite of its justifications for the traditional views.

If you want an indepth study Encountering the New Testament is the one. I have an older PC and cannot get the new CD to come up. I'm not good at this. I need to send this book back and get the older CD if that is possible. The material is excellent and I recommend it to every Bible student.

The layout of the chapters and the way the material is written makes this book informative but very easy to understand. The CD wasn't really anything special and I haven't found any use for it.
Overall, I would suggest that this book would be useful for any student or person wanting a good overview of the NT.

I found this to be a very nice overview of the New Testament. It contains many photographs, maps, and other visuals that break up the text. This was the required textbook for my graduate NT Survey class, but I would consider it more appropriate for undergrad or even high school. If you are looking for something meaty, I would say this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a pleasant, sweeping survey of the NT, then you will likely enjoy this book.

C. S. Lewis is not only one of the 20th century's finest minds, he's also amazingly perceptive of human behavior. This well-written description explains so clearly the four kinds of love and with such accessible illustrations from real life. Most eye-opening for me was the chapter on "affection" where I began to understand for the first time why we moms think we are so misunderstood; in actuality, our "affection" (storge) for our family has gotten out of hand! You'll need to read in order to understand. I highly recommend this book.

CS Lewis does a wonderful job defining the four Greek words for Love. I would recommend this book most highly to the man (women are less likely to make this error) who thinks he needs no friends. Lewis shows the importance of friendship to a good life.

It Is One of those books that should be sitting on a coffee table. It defines the various types of pure love: agape, venus, and storge to name some. It truly defines where the 'heart' is and perhaps defining the brotherly love, the parental love, or the true love...



Susan Saige

This is in my opinion C.S. Lewis's best nonfiction work. The premise has been done before, but rarely with the sort of insight given here. His overviews of Affection and Friendship are much too often overlooked and glossed over as unimportant, but here they're given a status they really deserve.

The section on friendship, and the idea that people are bonded through mutual passions, and his grim statement that people who are just looking for a friend will never find one, was spot on. Friendships are formed as an extension of a passion for something bigger than the individual. A mutual cause drives people, whether they be sports fanatics, a tribe pining for survival, or art critics.

The pitfalls he explains for the loves such as lust, bigotry, elitism, etc. are self explanatory, but it's also practical. Friendships are exclusive by their very nature, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with such a thing. Eros is most certainly exclusive. He emphasizes that we can't be friends with everyone, love everyone with Eros, but we can love everyone with Charity, the final section of the book.

One could write a book three times longer and not come close to the depth portrayed in this little book. Strongly recommended.

Within this work, Mr. Lewis is quick to point out the inherent difficulty with regard to the concept of love facing individuals whose native tongue is English. That is, it is easily recognized that there exists an extreme deficit when one applies the same word to describe the sentiment shared with one's spouse, as well as their favorite food. In such extreme cases of difference in terms of the word's application, clarification is hardly needed and might be written off as an embellishment about that which one feels about, say, strawberries or chocolate. However, other instances are more difficult to write off as a poor choice of words; such as, love for friends, family, a spouse, and God. One must surely agree that the sentiment in each of these instances of love can exist and be experienced in significantly different ways. While love is the umbrella under which all of these sentiments rest, they are, as far as most people can tell, very different things. That being said, it is lucky for the reader that Mr. Lewis, almost immediately, circumvents the language barrier and begins to illustrate the foundational understanding which must be apparent for further exploration of the concepts of love to proceed. For those who have struggled with this, even the simplest concept of love's significance, as this reviewer has, the first chapter alone is worth the price of this work's purchase.

Building upon a necessary base of knowledge, Lewis begins to explore the nature of love beginning with that love which might be the gray area between the words love and like, or either of the two, as spoken in the English language. Lewis continues his endeavor by tackling what people often consider the more significant forms of love such as friendship, erotic love, and the love of and for God. While no attempt will be made here to convey the significance of the final chapter regarding actual Love in fear of diluting a brilliant message, each of the chapters leading up to that point share common threads. That is, Mr. Lewis illustrates the difficulty which can be had with love in any form if left to our own devices. This illustration is achieved in the author's typical fashion of profound analogies and appeals to common experiences. One can be certain that while this recognition of the volatility of human love is of extreme importance, it is the overriding concept that only by surrendering these loves to Love that one can achieve happiness, solace, and purity in Love which makes this work unquestionably valuable to those that are fortunate enough to read it.

There is a reviewer in here who said that this book wasn't fit to read even for students in philosophy classes or whatever. I strongly disagree. This book is a wonderful introduction to the world's myths. I would have never picked this book up if it weren't for my dad, another avid reader. I've had this book for several months and had to put it down in between readings since it was not grabbing my interest like it should. (It's easy to see why, this book should be read and thoroughly enjoyed and pondered upon, of which I simply did not have the time to do so!)

I wish I had a copy of this book in my world history class in college because it would have made that class so much more interesting. It is a compliation of interviews between Bill Moyer and Joseph Campbell. It sounds boring since it is basically a transcripts of their TV interviews, but it really isn't. It is thoroughly interesting and the passion Campbell has for his education, thoughts, desires and life shines through the written word. And Campbell is a very passionate man, full of life and ideas. Men (or women) like him do not come along that often and this book is a great introduction to a forward thinker on the thoughts and philosophy of the world's myths, religions, history and more.

The basic premise of Campbell's philosophy in this book is to follow your bliss. There is more to life than what meets the eye and he uses examples after examples of old myths to show the idea that mankind has always been on the search for purpose of life, how to live life fully and how religion can hamper that desire. It is very interesting and very thought-provoking and insightful look in the human need to know where he/she belongs.

I know that my dad is a big fan of Campbell's work so I am sure he'll be passing along other books of Campbell's. I have to admit that after reading this one, I am even more intrigued.

7/25/08

For anyone interested in life, history, phychology, culture ...the human experience...this is a "must". Joseph Campbell articulates how the underlying currents of our experience(internal & external)are reflected both individually and in masses through our mythology; where we've come from and where we're going. He does so with the expertise of a teacher who has the ability to reach into everyone from the novice to the expert and inject excitement into the subject.

I spent many years as a person of faith before I encountered the perspective that I now identify with Joseph Campbell. The guiding idea of this book, as well as his work overall, is that of discovering the deep principles that are at work in the myths or stories of all cultures. He has challenged me to think anew about the "myth of Christianity" and how it is, in the words of Gordon Kaufman of Harvard Divinity School, "an imaginative human construct."

The most intriguing discussion of the book is reported as a conversation of Campbell with Bill Moyers. In response to Campbell's assertion that he was seeeking "for a centering in terms of deep pinciples," Moyers said, "You are talking about a search for the meaning of life." But Campbell would have none of that. He responds, "No! I am talking about the experience of being alive! People say that what we're seeking is a meaning in life. I don't think that is what we are really seeking. I think that what we are seeking is the experience of being alive so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."

At this point I want to disagree with Campbell, a choice I make with trepidation. What he is saying doesn't seem anything more than the "will to pleasure," with a dash of ecstasy through in as flavoring. Epicurus didn't convince me and Campbell isn't succeeding either.

But because I have such a genuine respect for the thrust of Campbell's work I knew that I had to think again about the question of the source of meaning. Who is right -- Freud or Adler or Frankl or Campbell? I tend to side with Frankl but there is reason to give other perspectives their due. I understand Campbell's assertion to mean that the "will to pleasure" or "the rapture of being allive" is the heart of the human experience. I doubt that he or Freud can defend that view successfully in a world of such misery. It's a view that is more hopeful than realistic. Not convincing. The darker side of human nature is rejected. Or, at minimun, ignored. Yet the fact that I was confronted in such a way that I had to think my perspective through again is a STRONG recommendation of this book! Read it and enjoy it. The fact it was written several years ago as a report of a television program doesn't lessen its value. Along with "the new cosmology" and the "Jesus Seminar," Campbell's notion of myth has had "a revolutionary impact" on me.

I have lost track of just how many times I have listened to this set of conversations, but they never seem to grow old to me. It might be a year or more between my getting them down from the shelf, but they still completely emgross me. Perhaps that is the best indication that eternal truths are being discussed here.

Mr. Campbell recorded these sessions with Bill Moyers during the last two summers of his life. I find it significant that he didn't dispair, nor did he abandon or radically alter his life's work. No, he continued to draw strength from it and continued to believe that it was worth passing on to others. That is the sort of teacher that I want to listen to.

When I was a boy "myth" seemed to largely be equated with "lie", or at least with primitive ignorance. Joseph Campbell changed that misunderstanding for me. Thanks to these talks, and his other works, I comprehended that myths bring us to a level of consciousness that is spiritual and embedded deeply in our collective unconscious. It speaks to heart and not our brain (which, after all, is a secondary organ.)

As for his philosophy of "finding your bliss", it truly is the influence of a vital person to vitalize the world around them, thereby saving both their self and the world. If you do not eventually find your true center and act from it you are always going to be off balance.

It isn't often that one comes across a book that can be referenced again and again. This is probably best described as broad overview of the late Joseph Campbell's best work. For those who are not familiar with the scholar's previous works, including the world renowned "Hero with a Thousand Faces" (which has also been reviewed), this work covers the vast expanse of Campbell's ideas and research over the course of his lifetime. The volumes of his scholarly work may be a bit intimidating to the uninitiated, but for the casual reader who would like a taste of mythology, psychology, art and religion, this work is a great and welcome piece that should belong in every philosopher's library. The conversational style of the writing is very accessable and makes the reader feel as if they are privy to a private talk with the man himself. The breadth of knowledge and humor with which Campbell presents his material is a great way for readers to get the sense of what a lecture from the man was like. This book is the definative work on the subject and has even been condensed down to the bare bones elements by Hollywood screenwriters and playwrights. This work is also available in audio format and on DVD. Overall, a wonderful introduction to Joseph Campbell and his ideas.

I have meditated for 30+ years and been exposed to a variety of self-help knowledge. The Source, Unbounded, All That IS or whatever you feel comfortable calling it has been with me always and "I" have been aware of it's presence for some time. Yet the unfoldment of witnessing the unification of my personality with spirit is constantly unfolding. This book, to me, addresses that. I felt new awakenings within me while reading it. Some parts did not feel as "right" for me as others yet, overall, I feel it to be a valuable read for anyone. Michael Singer is a very good writer and able to take abstract values and put them in everyday language for all of us to understand. It's a beautiful gift.

This book is a mystical journey beyond the physical self, past the the idea of thought and even our emotional selves. It brought me to the very core of my existance. I can view existance in a way that I never could before and use this experience as a tool in my everday life to help me experience all facets of life in a powerful and most postive way. I am able to experience even lifes' most extreme curves with extreme happiness, peace, Joy, and vibrancy that I never knew I had access to. Michael A Singer is an excellent teacher and is giving one of life's most powerful mysteries away for the price of a book. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by reading this book. It is a must have for all who are still searching for the most Powerful Love, Truth, Peace, and Joy that existance has to offer.

I gave this book to all of my friends. Singer gives the reader perspective to "let go of the little things" and truly live in the moment. Now to put it into practice...

I've read my share of spiritual guidance; from D.T. Suzuki, right on up through Eckhardt Tolle, and I've also sat before a number of today's popular teachers. There is nothing else like this to be found.

It's the keys to the castle...
an instruction manual detailing the moment by moment experience of the psyche on the path of purification in pursuit of self realization. He is offering the naked truth, the 'nuts and bolts' if you will, of spiritual work and awakening as it has never before been put forth in the English language. It's that simple.

Since the advent of the West's modern embrace of Eastern spirituality there has been speculation on what the mixing of thousands of years old Eastern spiritual understanding, with the Western psyche of present day might yield. Well here it is. A presentation of the essence of spirituality in demystified form, with veils removed. The difference here being this is not an effort to interpret and absorb through language barriers and other obstacles, the mystical insights of foreign cultures, and to then relate a personal impression of this to readers. Such is what we have known heretofore, and some degree of distance and cloudiness is ever-present. This by contrast, is a native to this tongue speaking from personal experience deepened and informed by the insights of this and other cultures.

All vagueness and obscurity are stripped away and the meaning laid bare, leaving us face to face with its ancient message, the core truths of egoic existence, consciousness and freedom. Get this book and be pointed to the truth of yourself like never before.

As a teacher from whom I've learned has said, awakening is awakening, but the gift to transmit to others is a thing unto itself. One does not imply the other. Here is that gift. If spiritual communication can be likened to the sounding of a bell, this one is ringing with the most penetrating clarity. Beyond it lies the implementing, leaving it and all other vehicles aside and stepping through the door or doors for oneself. Thank you Mr. Singer.

I actually enjoyed reading the first half of this book. It is easy to follow, it does have some very compelling insights. The two points I couldn't get past, though, were: 1.He stresses how our thoughts have no impact what-so-ever on our world as we know it. I'm pretty sure we all know that isn't true at all. 2. He later writes an entire chapter on "Being happy no matter what". He states, over and over, that there is nothing that can happen to us that we can't decide to just be happy all the while it's happening. He says this is true enlightenment, but my opinion is that we were given emotions as a gift, and experiencing the highs and lows of life is part of the process of growth. Without sadness as it's opposite, we would have no idea what bliss feels like. I realize many will disagree with me, but I just don't believe numbing myself to life is anything to strive for. I stopped reading the book after this chapter, perhaps I'll pick it up again later-perhaps not.

If you're looking for the roots of our faith, without feeling condemned. This is the book to read. The truth is stranger than fiction, but if you ARE looking for the truth and a confirmation of what your sensing and feeling about "church" then this is for you. Don't bother if you want to play games. If you want a change in your own heart, then this will encourage, challenge and stir you to action.
Good reading.

In this book, Frank Viola paints a picture of organic christianity that is beautiful and compelling. As a pastor of an institutional church, I found the book challenging but encouraging. I believe the ideas that the author presents in this book will be helpful in our continual transition from institutional church to the type of church that God has in mind for us.

"Reimagining Church" sets forth a beautiful vision of the church based on the eternal purposes of God. I found it to be insightful and right on target. It is controversial, but sometimes it's necessary to shake things up a bit when the Body of Christ has veered off course (think Martin Luther).

I would certainly recommend reading the book before jumping to conclusions about the author's intent. I believe he addresses leadership, clergy, buildings, etc. in a biblical and compelling way. Viola is not out to dismantle the institution, but to call us to a higher vision-one based upon the eternal purpose of God Himself. He makes it clear in the preface that he is not criticizing the church, which is the people of God. He desires to see the Body of Christ express itself as God intended from the beginning (p.12). He states, "the church, therefore, should not be confused with an organization, a denomination, a movement, or a leadership structure....Therefore, it's the present practices of the church that I'm seeking to reimagine, not the church itself" (p.13).

God loves the Church, but He is certainly not married to its nonbiblical practices and rituals.

In his chapter entitled "Reimagining the Church Meeting", Viola clears up what I believe has been a major point of confusion during much of the church's history: the purpose of the church meeting. He explains that the first century church had various types of meetings-among them apostolic meetings, evangelistic meetings and church meetings (pp. 49-50). The modern church typically attempts to roll all of these up into one weekly meeting. Viola demonstrates here that the church meeting was primarily a believers' meeting; evangelism was not the focus. There were separate meetings for sharing the gospel with the unreached. (How often have we bemoaned the sermon targeted at the unbeliever while we yearn for something for us? Most definitely, we want to see others saved, but at the expense of our own growth? We shouldn't have to sacrifice one for the sake of other).

Viola goes on to contrast today's meeting, which is centered on worship and evangelism, to the first century meeting, which was designed for mutual edification (1 Cor 14:26, Heb 10:24-25) (p.51). How much mutual edification takes place in a typical church service while singing a few songs and listening to a sermon? If not for the times outside the service (i.e. in the parking lot, Sunday school and donut/coffee time), there would be very little interaction among members. And any mutual edification that may happen is certainly seen as secondary to the sermon.

In contrast, according to scripture, every member is to participate in the building up of the Body (Eph 4:16). Each person arrives at the meeting knowing that he or she is vital and brings a portion of Christ to the meeting that is needed by the rest of the members.

And who is in charge of this meeting? Viola points out that Christ is the director of the New Testament gathering. The entire meeting depends upon His headship. He is free to speak through whomever He chooses, and is not limited to a liturgy or order of worship (p. 53). In today's modern service, if Christ were to leave the building, would anyone notice? Likely, things would proceed as planned. However, in an organic church meeting Christ must show up or the meeting is awkward at best, a dismal failure at worst. On the surface one might think this should be avoided at all costs, but which one maps with the heart of our Father and His ways? A meeting laid out in advance by a few paid professionals, designed to be flawless, moving and impressive, or one in which the success of the meeting "depends on the spiritual condition and preparation of each member"? (p. 68). A meeting where the majority of God's people remain passive, or one where all have the opportunity for growth (or reveal the lack thereof)? One in which it's easy to put on a spiritual face and look good, perhaps blend in with the crowd, or one in which your brothers and sisters know you intimately and (speaking of accountability!) know when you are dried up and stale in your walk with Christ?

As Viola poignantly states, "Truthfully, there are few things more conducive to the culture of spiritual life than the open-participatory church meeting that's depicted in the New Testament. God established open-participatory meetings to incarnate the glorious reality of expressing Christ through a fully employed priesthood." (p.58).

Viola insists that Christ cannot be properly expressed (i.e. made visible) unless "every member of a church freely supplies that aspect of the Lord that he or she has received...The Lord Jesus cannot be fully disclosed through only one member. He is far too rich for that (Eph 3:8)" (p.60). So, the purpose of our gathering is not to hear a sermon or even worship (as wonderful as these might be), but "to make the invisible Christ visible through His body." (p. 60).

In his chapter entitled "Reimagining the Gathering Place", Viola explores why the New Testament Christians gathered in homes: 1) the home testifies that the people of God comprise God's house 2) the home is the natural setting for one-anothering 3) the home represents the humility of Christ 4) the home reflects the family nature of the Church, and 5) the home models spiritual authenticity (pp. 86-92). Contrary to popular belief, the church did not meet in homes because of persecution or because they were too poor to erect a building.

In the chapter "Reimagining the Family of God" Viola demonstrates that the chief metaphor for the church is family (p. 98). The Apostle Paul uses the term "brethren" more than 130 times. Many other familial terms are used throughout the New Testament. In contrast, the dominating metaphor for the church today is the business corporation. Viola states, "the pastor is the CEO. The clergy and/or staff is upper management. Evangelism is sales and marketing. The congregation is the clientele. And there is competition with other corporations ("churches") in the same town. But the corporation metaphor has a major problem. Not only is it glaringly absent from the New Testament, it does violence to the spirit of Christianity. Because from God's standpoint, the church is primarily a family. His family, in fact." (pp 99-100).

Subsequent chapters address such topics as the Lord's Supper, church unity, church practice and God's eternal purpose, leadership, decision-making, spiritual covering, authority and submission, denominational covering, the apostolic tradition, etc. I compare it to believing the Bible: if you can believe Gen 1:1, the rest falls into place. If you can catch a vision of God's intended purpose for His church in the first several chapters of this book, the rest just makes sense.

That vision just may ruin you to anything else.

I just finished reading Frank Viola's new book: Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity. You've got to read it! Frank has done an excellent job putting together the theological and practical aspects of organic church. This book's message will transform the Christian who has left the institutional church as a reaction to their pain, their offenses, and their disgust and will turn them towards the theological, biblical reason why they need to do church organically.
It seems as though there are two types of people who have abandoned to institutional church; 1) those who have left out of a reaction and 2) those who have left out of biblical conviction. The first group tends to be bitter and angry. Their dialog about church life can be judgmental and caustic. The second group has gotten beyond the reaction and is attempting to be a constructive advocate for the Church as Jesus designed it. If you find yourself in the first group, this book will help you climb out of the hole of negativity and become a constructive proponent for church as it should be based on biblical evidence.
Frank does not pull any punches, and anyone whose life is tied up in the business of churchanity may have trouble with his conclusions. But be careful - truth changes hearts of clay, but will harden hearts of stone. He is also truthful when it comes to the errors seen throughout the house church movement. In fact he even goes as far to say that some of the institutional models are being used by the Lord more than "so-called house churches that are elitist and sectarian." (pg. 267)
If you choose to read "Reimagining Church", (and I hope you do) you will certainly be challenged and encouraged by what the Lord is doing as he builds His Church. Frank's observations and wisdom shines through his attention to detail. This book will serve the Church for ages to come and serve as a tool to keep us focused on real Church. It is truly a benchmark for the body of Christ. Thank you Frank!

For everyone who initially finished reading "Pagan Christianity?" and still had questions about leadership and how something like "organic church" was even possible, this book is a must have! "Reimaging Church" is the 3rd book in Frank's new 5(Two are left to be released I believe) part series. The first was "The Untold Story of the New Testament" which helped many of us finally make sense of the NT. The next book was "Pagan Christianity?" which traced the roots of the question back to reveal many startling conclusions. Now, "Reimaging Church" takes our breath away as Frank helps us make sense of the concept of organic, first-century church life in today's world.

From the stories of organic church life at the book to the answers to tough questions at the end, "Reimagining Church" continually answers questions that we were left with at the end of "Pagan Christianity?" I'll admit that I personally had tears come to my eyes when I thought of how beautiful the church really is and now my heart is constantly burdened when I think of the bondage the church has allowed to come on herself.

If you read "Pagan Christianity?", this book is the next puzzle piece needed to help complete the picture. I'm sure that the next few books will help complete the picture one piece at a time. One thing's for sure, you can never view the Bible, church, or our Lord the same way ever again. In fact, with a mural this beautiful, you wouldn't ever want to turn your eyes from it.

Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible (NASB) After searching you can't really identify where you are in the bible (what book?) Must scroll to the nearest book beginning

After doing some research I found this version of the Bible highly recommended by others.

I purchased it and also find it good since it has a nice index with a right justified Table of Contents for easy searching.

It is pretty cool carrying the book on my Kindle. Very Nice !!

The NASB is one of my favorite translations, and I was very happy to suddenly see this in the Amazon Kindle store. I won't bother discussing any of the text, since there are plenty of reviews anywhere, so this is just geared towards the NASB on my Kindle.

The major worry I had was navigation. There is a main table of contents, which is a selectable list of books. When you choose the book you to which you want to want to jump, a sub-TOC appears, with the chapters of that book. Just select your chapter and you are there. On the not-so-positive side, typing "book chapter:verse" does not appear to work, but that's fairly minor.

It would be nice if there was an eventual edition with a built-in concordance, but I might be stretching my wish-list with that last one.

The greatest book ever written. Through it God directs my life and He is my strength and my Savior. God is Awesome and constant.

This review will simply address the mechanics of this version of the Holy Bible in regards to the Kindle. I will refrain from any comments regarding the nature of the translation, leaving that for those far more learned than myself.

I have downloaded several Kindle versions of the Holy Bible and have found this one to be the most well thought out in terms of Kindle navigation.

One of the few problems I have had with the Kindle is selecting specific lines of text with the cursor which moves up and down the right side of the reading pane. If the text is located in the center of the page (Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Kindle Edition by International Bible Society), or worse, justified left (Holy Bible, King James Version KJV Kindle Edition by Olive Tree Bible Software), then it is sometimes difficult to line up the cursor with the book you wish to jump to.

This is the first edition I've had experience with that justifies the Table of Contents to the right, next to the cursor, so it is easy to select a particular line. I also really like the fact that after selecting a particular book, you are immediately taken to a sub menu listing the individual chapters, also justified right.

The verse numbers are set slightly above the text when you actually reach text for continued simplicity in navigation.

For me, this is the best set-up for Kindle versions of Holy Scripture and after a little practice, I have been able to look up verses faster than I am able to do with an actual book.

I specifically recommend this version for those looking for a "Kindle Friendly" version of the Holy Bible and especially to those who are looking for a NASB version.

I needed to some accurate information about developing strong relationships that would benefit average people in church. Very helpful reading.

VisionalLife: The Pursuit of God's Passion

If I were asked what book should a first time church launcher buy, it would be Launch. I only wish the book would have been out before we launched in Jan 2007. We did pick it up and begin to implement the practical step by step instructions and recommendations. Since our launch in Jan 2007, we are averaging 175 and are using many of the post-launch strategies outlined in Launch. I have read many books on church planting and launching that are theory written by guys who have never taken a church beyond 150. Nelson is not a theorist, but a practician.

Jeff Calloway
Lead Pastor - Bridge Church at Perry
Author of VisionalLife: Pursuing God's Passion

Searcy and Henson have done a great job of putting together a very practical and readable guide to church growth. The basic premise is assimilating guests into engaged members by practicing an intentional hospitality and a structured follow-up strategy. The methodology makes perfect sense, and it is the same approach that Searcy used to grow his "from scratch" church in NYC. It is targeted toward a younger audience but could be adapted to different segments. There are also templates and other tools included in an appendix which make this a very implementable system. Searcy also shows that the motivation behind church growth is found in Bible verse. More information about Searcy can be found at www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com.

This is a great book to help your church implement a great guest welcoming program (hospitality). It is very practical and useful. You may not agree with everything, but you don't need to, to implement the program! This is uptodate and top notch.

I read Nelson's book this morning, handed it to my Assimilation Director this afternoon, and sent Nelson a note tonight, congratulating him on a fine piece of work. New Song has been doing many of the things Nelson suggests for a long time, but his is a systematic approach that thinks through and closes the gap on each potential point where a newcomer might fall through the cracks.

I doubt if any of the pieces of Nelson's assimilation system are new. He's probably borrowed alot from Saddleback and a little from others. What Nelson has done is thought through, written down, and explained what to do, so that no one ever has to start from scratch again. This is a church assimilation primer! The surprising thing is that no one has written this book before. The laudable thing is, Nelson has now done it for us.

Smaller churches, if you want to think like a larger church, this is a very good place to start. As you grow, you'll need to adopt this type of system for welcoming newcomers, along with equally comprehensive systems for Small Groups, children's ministry, youth ministry, visitor attraction, branding your signature event in the community, and every other subministry of the church.

Larger churches may not need this - if they're already doing as much or more for visitors. Personally, I'm going to huddle with my team and use it as a reference guide and checklist to make sure we've closed as many gaps in our welcoming process as possible.

Great job Nelson! Keep them coming!

Hal Seed
New Song Community Church
Oceanside, CA

I agree with other reviewers that this is an indispensable volume for anyone studying the history of Christianity. Also, the use of primary sources, which is a hallmark of the classical school movement, allows you to examine the actual words of a document rather than having it filtered through someone else's point of view. I realize not every document could be included, but I was disappointed that Urban II's speech calling for the Crusades was not included as it has relevance to world politics today. Also, some longer works, such as The Rule of St. Benedict, have been ellipted so one must still look elsewhere to get the complete work. Still, this is a fabulous, reasonably priced volume to have at hand.

Just what I was looking for. It's a valuable resource.

This book is a good "topic reference" book. It is compiled of many original source writings. It is used in my seminary history class to supplement the main history text. A very good source for many topics.

This is a nice text covering a very broad range of writings. Some of the documents included are from Church councils, some from theologians, creeds, theological works, confessions, inter-faith dialogues, etc. Therefore, the reader gets a wide variety of readings and documents.

However, this `broadness' is also the weakness of this text. At times, it is a little too broad, including things that perhaps are not in the pale of orthodoxy. For instance, Feminist theological writings, the writings of Matthew Fox, certain writings on homosexuality, etc. seem to fall into this too `broadness' category. Albeit, these writings are interesting to read, and do add variety to the work, discernment is needed when reading them.

The overall idea of this work is great. To compile a historical collection of documents throughout Church history is a good idea, giving the reader a type of `one stop' place to get a taste of Christian History through documents. Moreover, the broad range allows the reader to get a small glimpse of what was taking place at the time of these works (e.g. understanding what issues and doctrines were a concern).

If you are interested in Church History, Church writings/documents, theology, apologetics, Christianity, then this is a great edition to add to your library. I recommend it!

Book so far is a wealth of historical documents adding to my knowledge about the early Christian Church. I am barely into the book as it supplements my Education for Ministry course; this third part of the course being one year in length.