Religion Books

In an e-mail exchange, a ministry colleague asked, "I have never read Anne Lamott. Do you recommend her?" I responded:

Knowing your heart for broken people and for Jesus, I can recommend "Traveling Mercies" to you without qualification. I have only about 16 feet of easily reachable bookshelf, including my favorite reference books, yet this is one book that I keep avoiding moving to attic storage.

Lamott is blunt about what she has gone through, how she has felt (especially about those of us who make a career of being nice), and her determination to keep Jesus out of her life at all costs. She is a product of multiple dysfunctions, and you can see why she'd have a hard time learning to love herself or to admit that perhaps God could love her. But I love the sentences by which she let Jesus come in; I have never otherwise heard such a simple prayer of conversion, nor one that is so true at the heart level.

My daughter-in-law said that if I enjoyed Lamott, I'd also enjoy Kathleen Norris (The Cloister Walk). I did, but Norris is more cerebral. Lamott is at once pithy, practical, shocking, and profound. "Traveling Mercies" has confirmed in me, probably more than any other source has, an understanding of how varied, unexpected, and original God's work is in any one individual's life.

Anne Lamott recounts the stories of her growing faith from disbelief to belief in a God who crouches down and waits patiently for her to open the door and welcome Him in. Anne recounts a harsh life of challenges with addiction, love, family, and herself. She shares her simple yet profound spiritual conversion careful to incorporate the people who have had some of the greatest impact in her life.
We catch glimpses of her faith story through the people she shares relationships with: her childhood friend, a Jesuit, the people (especially the older women) of her church community, and her son. We see in her life the mundane, the struggles, a person who can be gritty in one breath and sweet in the next. Anne Lamott tells her journey of faith, in a way that is not for the faint of heart. (or the straight and narrow) She packs this memoir with everything that life is made of and allows one to enter into her story and glimpse the God who unwearyingly waits.

This book is written differently than just your average book. It's a compilation of several life lessons all molded into one story. The short stories are really interesting and her humor gives it a fun kick. She tells her stories in such detail it feels as though you're experiencing it with her. The stories are so diverse that I guarentee someone finds some story in there that they relate to. No matter what your religion is, this book is a really powerful read. Prayer helps the author out in numerous ways that will prove to the readers that there is power in prayer. This book is touching and it really makes you think about life.

Brutally honest, endearingly quirky, funny as the dickens, and turning on dimes to catch a reader's heart by surprise. This little volume is a treasure. From discussion of her formative years and early losses, through alcoholism and on into single parenting, Lamott holds nothing back. Her prayers, her curses, her neuroses, her blessings, are all laid out for inspection. Through it, despite her admitted self-absorption and bottomless fears, wisdom born of close attention and contemplation leaps off the page. More than once the reflected brightness lit up parts of my own life and character and motives that suddenly seemed to have lain too long in the dark. Breezy and deep are not two words I would commonly apply to the same essay. Here they fit.

Anne Lamott writes with tremendous vulnerability and sincerity. She opens her veins for us and spills the contents of her life onto the page--the good, the bad, and the very very ugly. Her words are raw and evocative.

I must say that while this book resonates with many people, including myself, who have been hurt by life, disillusioned by the church, and a bit angry at things, I did not come away feeling closer to any tangible answers. I didn't think her crass and vulgar language added much to her message. It was kindof distracting, and I felt like taking a shower after wading through it.

My generation is craving something more--something deeper. We want real answers for real problems. While I continue to read Lamott, I would not say this is her best work.

Shameless plug--check out my new book Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Thoughts on Intimacy, Community, and Eternity

Hello i was very happy with the the service and the book was i perfect condition. thank you

I ordered this Bible for my 11 yr. old grandaugher and she thinks it is wonderful. It was in excellent shape and shipped very fast.

This is a real good bible with a translation you could use to "quote". I liked the pages and inserts with explainations. You could sit down and just read facts and info on many subjects in the bible. I wish the pages were a little thicker so you could write or highlight on them. I suppose it would make this book thicker and heavier. It would make a great study bible for youth or any age. I, definately, would recommend this bible to anyone.

I have used this bible for a few years now and love it! I find the additional notes to be informative and thought provoking for students of all ages. We now purchase these for our 6th graders at my parish. The parents who saw our 'new' bibles really liked them too. I cannot recommend this book enough for both students and adults!

Excellent Easy to use Bible. Great for the Young adults in our lives. Makes great sense out of scripture. Hard to Find and Usually expensive, Extremely reasonable on Amazon.

...who is ill prepared .
The first chapter sets you up for a fantastic quest , The book fails to answer its own questions. A lot of antecdotal fluff.

This book has become my bible! It was great reading the first time, and now filled with post-its, for future references.

This is a great book and among my top favorites. At times it went over my head but i am sure i may understand some things later.

"The Book of Secrets" is the most spiritually focused book by Deepak. He explores spiritual ideas with depth and wisdom that is refreshing and thought-provoking. You find yourself undertaking a unique quest where you're chartering into hidden parts of your self. Sounds dangerous?

Well don't worry with Deepak as your guide you're safe. So plunge into the depths of this book and learn a thing or two about life that you didn't realize before or just plain forgot.

Besides this book you need to read "Nexus" by Deborah Morrison. It's a fantastic exploration! You'll learn about life's journey both in the spiritual highs and lows. I love its message of unity, spiritual growth and compassion.

"Nexus: A Neo Novel"

A very rich book where fifteen secrets are presented that can change our lives in all aspects . I found myself smiling, while reading and enjoying the eloquent words of Mr. Chopra, in the journey towards enlightenment. This book is a very complete spiritual guide that can be used for every day life regardless of your age or profession...

It reminded me of a book by my favorite authors Ariel and Shya Kane, titled Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Can Instantaneously Transform Your Life. I have experientially discovered how to open my heart to the limitless possibilities of life thru their principles of Transformation, and find myself living a more satisfied and easy life.

The book came well before it was marked to and it was in perfect condition. Will certainly buy from them again.

This NRSV version of the study Bible is in an English translation which is easy to comprehend yet not missing out on certain contents which some versions of the Bible (of English translation) tend to miss out on when they try to simplify the language for the benefit of the readers. The introduction of each book in the Bible is also very helpful and gives the reader a better understanding before they embark into each book of the Bible. It is worth the price.

I requested for a brand new copy and the product came in a good condition like it is from off the book shelf. However, i only rated it 4 stars because at the book store it is sealed in a plastic wrapper but mine came without and a corner of the binding is a little dented. Other than that, it is still worth the price I paid for. Thank you Amazon for this value for money purchase!

Please disregard the review that says the color maps are unreadable. They look pretty clear to my 40 year old eyes. I used to think New Interpreters Study Bible was the best because of the articles scattered throughout in addition to end page annotations. But HarperCollins has increased and updated its annotations since the last edition, which, in my opinion, puts this latest edition over the top. This is now the best academic study Bible in publication. If you are expecting fundamentalist commentary, you need to look for another study Bible. Most of these commentators are theologically liberal or moderate. This is an excellent academic study, exploring word meanings, cultural nuances, archaeology and comparisons to pagan mythology. The editors have not tried to smooth out the disagreements between contributors, which helps to give the reader a glimpse of the range of interpretations and views on Scripture of those in academe. The commentaries are detailed and scholarly, but all of it is very readable. The Oxford Study Bible now has a lot of catching up to do. And Zondervan's NIV Study Bible does not hold a candle to this! The annotations are by the cream of scholars who have written some excellent articles here on reading strategies, Israeli history, archaeology, Hebrew and Greco-Roman religions. This edition also includes a historical timeline and concordance. The translation, of course, is NRSV.

The reviews noted on this publication reflect the angst of conservative believers who insist on dogmatic literalism and the more scholarly readers who clearly fall into the "Historical/Critical" category, many of whom remain, like myself, faithful adherents to either Christianity or Judaism.

The footnotes and commentary are excellent, and reflect current scholarship, not only in textual analysis, but also archeology.

I'm awarding only 3 stars because, as another reviewer has pointed out, the printing is less-than-helpful. The print on a following or preceding page "bleeds" through onto the text being read. The print quality doesn't reach that of the The New Oxford Annotated Bible (Oxford UP, 2007), and I think that both copies suffer from too much effort to insert color topo maps. The Jewish Study Bible wisely sticks with simpler diagrams.

I bought the paperback, but when visiting a bookstore, I opened a hardback and found the same problem with the print. Clearly, the printers were attempting to give the bible the 'feel' of a upscale bible with "velum" pages, but wrecked the "readibility" in the process.

Still, it is a great reference, and remains in my library. Sadly, those who have relegated their copies to the "trash," as apostasy, suffer from the same inflexibility of intellect that is discussed so often in this body of this great work. Some things never change.

Many people, myself included, find the NRSV to be the most reliable translation of these books extant. The NRSV Bible is produced by the 5500-member Society of Biblical Literature. While that group includes representatives of practically every conceivable religious and scholarly perspective, this translation is definitely not typical of committee products nor does it compromise. You will find that the text of the NRSV corresponds very well with the more scholarly (religious or secular) works about the Bible. Of course, many of them are based on the NRSV to begin with. And many well-known authors are members of the Society.

The added value of the Harper Collins Study Bible is the textual and footnotes. They are an education in and of themselves. Making up something like 25-30% of the book, they are so packed with information that you'll constantly find yourself moving back and forth as you read.

The notes provide general information critical to understanding these ancient books, suggest likely interpretations of difficult or obscure passages, and point out places where scholars differ on substantive points of interpretation. They also provide heavy cross-referencing. These notes accord very well with what you're likely to find in mainstream secondary literature, such as a college textbook.

In fact, I've been reading a textbook on the New Testament and everything mentioned in the textbook (that isn't a straight quote) appears in the footnotes.

Finally, each page has a few notes on the actual wording of the translation where existing manuscripts differ in important (and not so important) ways. These notes provide alternate readings.

Having spoken of "interpretations" and "alternate readings" let me make one thing clear. The scholarly apparatus in this text DOES NOT favor any particular creed so far as I can tell (cf. NIV). In those cases where a possible interpretation disagrees with how you see it, this book shows you the choice and lets you make the decision.

You really want this if you want to study the Bible.

Philip Yancey's boeken intrigeren me al vele jaren. Zijn onderzoekende instelling, nuchterheid en durf om juist de controversiële onderwerpen in het christelijk geloof rondom lijden, ongerechtigheid, houding ten opzichte van joden en nu gebed te lijf te gaan, spreken aan. Voor Bidden las hij tientallen brieven met gebedsonderwerpen en vele boeken over het gebedsleven vóór er een eigen compositie van 390 pagina's van te maken. De eerste 100 pagina's kostten me veel tijd en aandacht vanwege de vele waardevolle lessen. Heeft bidden zin? Heeft het invloed op ons en/of op God? Als God alles weet, waarom dan nog bidden? Kortom: maakt het enig verschil of je bidt of niet?

Yancey zoekt moedig zijn weg in het een plek geven van de positie van de bidder, het object van ons gebed, de balans tussen verhoorde en onverhoorde gebeden, lichamelijke genezing versus lijden, wonderen versus vaste natuurwetten. De eenzijdige benaderingen van gebedsgenezers, claims op het kennen van Gods wil in goede of juist slechte tijden en de pijnlijke constateringen van ongeneeslijk zieken, hartekreten en lijden, ze krijgen allemaal gepaste aandacht. Anekdotes, praktijkverhalen, opvattingen van scrijvers, filosofen en natuurlijk vooral het leven en werk van Jezus Christus geven inzicht in het nut en de noodzaak van bidden, zonder te vervallen in de sfeer van zelfhulp, new age, welvaartsevangelie of juist een defaitisme.

Vrijwel aan het eind van zijn boek staat wat mij betreft een goede samenvatting van waar Philip Yancey op uitkomt: "Door onszelf in Gods aanwezigheid te brengen, en ons een glimp van het uitzicht van boven te schenken, brengt het gebed een radicale verandering teweeg in de manier waarop wij het leven ervaren. Geloof tijdens smarten doet er meer toe dan genezing van smarten. Het zich onderwerpen aan Gods wil verdient de voorkeur boven redding van de kruisiging. Nederigheid telt meer dan bevrijding van een doorn in het vlees. In de gevorderde gebedsschoo, waar men God liefheeft met de gehele ziel, verdwijnen twijfels en worstelingen niet, maar vermindert hun effect op ons."

My order was placed on March 23. I received the book on April 15. That was the longest I had ever waited to receive something ordered through Amazon. The book came in excellent condition. It was purchased for a Bible study group. I missed having it for two weeks of study, but will catch up.

Books on prayer are difficult to write, with many being so HEAVY. Philip's inspirational and unique writing style helps us to understand God's own heart regarding prayer. He (God) loves us to be natural and spontaneous when we converse with Him, as though He is our best friend, which of course He is.

This book was really awesome. Yancey is becoming on of my favorite Authors. He does a great job tackling a tough topic. He does a great job of giving examples of all kinds of prayers, from around the world.

In his book "Prayer" Philip Yancey is strangely reticent about stating his own opinions on prayer. The book is filled with moving, poignant stories and examples of prayers that apparently worked, or didn't.

Unlike his blockbuster "What's So Amazing About Grace", Yancey seems to tiptoe around the central topic as though he has still not decided whether or not Prayer is effective.

He repeatedly cites Bible verses which state unequivocally that God wants us to pray; God tells us that prayer will be heard; that God will answer our prayer, but then Yancey tends to duck the question and simply bring out the "...some will; some won't" series of stories about prayer.

Parts of the book are extremely positive and touching, and there are major portions that leave one with more questions than answers. On purpose, it would seem.

The book may have been a better book if it had been about 1/3 shorter, more around 215 pages than 342.

I would recommend the book, with some reservations myself. I found the book helpful as a study on prayer. It probably is NOT one I would recommend to new, or searching Christians. For anyone else, it would be a simple study on political double-talk.

Bill's latest book is a kind of distillation of his learnings, values, and leadership principles from 30+ years at Willow. Written in 76 short, concise chapters, "Axiom" is both inspiring and instructive. Each chapter contains a principle, wrapped in a slogan (or "Axiom") that Bill has coined to summarize a specific facet of leadershipo. The chapters are self-contained, like Proverbs. You can read one, put the book down and go apply the principle. No chapter takes more than 10 minutes to read, but each will take months (if not years) to fully implement.

Axiom is one of the most practical books on church leadership in our day. I found myself putting most chapters into practice the same day I read them. Those familiar with WillowWorld will recognize many (if not all) the book's principles from previous Leadership Summits or Hybels' sermons. For me, the book was both a great review and a kick in the seat to go lead better, and lead better in specific ways.

Axiom reminded me once again of the importance of leading daily, improving myself and my church regularly, not settling for incremental growth, and the absolute necessity of church leaders fighting for the advancement of the kingdom. I recommend this book to all churchworld leaders.

Bill Hybels revs up in chapter one--and the good stuff is still kicking in chapter 68, "Read All You Can." He writes, "I have little patience with leaders who get themselves into leadership binds and then confess that they haven't read a leadership book in years. If you're a serious-minded leader, you will read." In the book's foreword, Henry Cloud writes, "Great leaders do their homework so that weariness and unsteadiness are kept at bay."

Amen to that vote for lifelong learning, also affirmed in the "Book Bucket" one of 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Consequently, I was eager to read the latest book from Bill Hybels, one of the most gifted leaders I've ever met. Axiom, with 76 pithy leadership proverbs, doesn't disappoint.

"Speed of the leader, speed of the team," was and is one of Bill's oft-mentioned axioms. Few leaders make this pronouncement because the camera immediately focuses in on them. As the first president of Willow Creek Association, I watched Hybels up close and he always shared that core value confidently, yet humbly. His walk and his talk backed it up. He writes, "If you cannot say, `Follow me,' to your followers--and mean it--then you've got a problem, a big one."

He elaborates. "Follow my values. Follow my integrity. Follow my work ethic, my commitment, and my communication patterns. Fight as I fight. Focus as I focus. Sacrifice as I sacrifice. Love as I love. Repent as I repent. Admit wrong as I admit wrong. Endure hardship as I endure hardship." Then he concludes this one-page proverb with the whole point of it. "When requisite actions back them up, these are the words that set followers' hearts soaring."

Scan the 76 mini-chapter titles and you'll be pulled into the street-smart, God-smart wisdom. They include: Language Matters, Make the Big Ask, Hire Tens, The Dangers of Incrementalism, Never Say Someone's No for Them, The Tunnel of Chaos (a key idea in my Culture Bucket), Disagree Without Drawing Blood, Admit Mistakes and Your Stock Goes Up, and Arrive Early or Not at All.

Warning! Don't carelessly toss these axioms into your repertoire without understanding the biblical and leadership context. In my days at Willow, "Don't Screw Up" was a common benediction at meetings--but it created anxiety, not blessing. The leader knew how to communicate it, but the lieutenants didn't.

Axiom is the my favorite of all Bill's work!

This book is jam-packed with profound leadership insight. Each short, yet powerful chapter, speaks directly into daily issues and challenges every leader faces.

Some of Bill's axioms ministered to me, some thoughts inspired me, some challenged me, and some drove me to prayer.

I took so many notes and journaled so many ideas, it will take weeks to process all I learned.

This is a book I'll re-visit for years to come.

I enjoy all of Bills Books. But this book has been a homerun as far as leadership goes in a church context. As a Pastor, I have really identified with this book, being that he speaks about situations within a church context. These principles can apply anywhere, but his examples are mostly from a ministry setting and this is why this book has hit home. I have highlighted it from beginning to end as it contains some powerful insights into how this man thinks, and I have actually learned a lot. I also like the fact that most of this material is actually new. I own most of his church materials and books, and although these are essays, they are NOT simply a compilation of older his works put into one. This is fresh insight with relevant examples. I havent seen a leadership book like this in quite a while. Truly Vintage Hybels with fresh wisdom on leading, and here we have him at his very best. Worth its weight in Gold! A Must read!

This book is fantastic. I love Hybels style and feel as though I am sitting talking directly to him. It has brought clarity to me in the role that I play in our organization. I will buy this book and give to every leader I know..

I bought this CD for a Stress Reduction class and it does it's job quite well. Kabat-Zinn narrates through a 40-minute body scan, two 40-minute yoga exercises, and a sitting meditation in this series alone (you can purchase other series for more exercises). If done properly, all exercises are helpful in understanding the body, relaxation, beginning yoga, and mindfulness, but Kabat-Zinn's voice can wear on the nerves after a while. His voice isn't exactly what I would call "soothing," and he has an annoying tendency to smack. But mindfulness is all about letting go of little things and learning acceptance, so maybe there is something to be said about learning to ignore the minor things that can cause annoyance on this c.d. Also, there is no accompanying music, so if you need a good soothing soundtrack for your meditation you might want to look elsewhere. Overall a good choice for beginners.

These CDs have enhanced my life. I listen to them each day to allow me to be mindful of calmness.MBW

The CD set exceeded my expectations for ease of use. They are much easier to follow than I anticipated. The mediations are simple and completely agnostic, and therefore should be non-offensive to any religious orientation. I recommend this product to anyone looking for a way to improve their mental and physical health in an extremely enjoyable and accessible manner!

In his CD meditations, Kabat-Zinn offers a graet introduction to mindfulness meditation that is non-religious and that acknowledges the challenges beginning meditators have in developing the skill of mindfulness... The CDs are best when accompanied by the Kabat-Zinn's books to give them context. I have used them, have noticed great changes in my daily life (less stress, more enjoyment of everyday activities) and fully recommend them.

If you read "Full Catastrophe Living" as I did, and found it difficult to put into practice the mindfulness meditations described, these CD's will be a great help. They have been for me, especially with the body scan.
I actually found it easier to follow without a musical background, as I find myself extremely distracted and annoyed when in an environment where I do not really like the background music. On the other hand, Kabat-Zinn's voice was actually soothing and relaxing to me.
As for the 'buddhist' comments: I'm sure the Buddha would not have a problem with this book or the related CD's. I'll bet he would welcome anything that helps one to increased mindfullness. I also believe the teachings of Jesus admonish us to be and act mindfully, and this book and CD set have turned out to be a great help in my own personal spiritual growth.

I enjoyed this more than any other book written on the subject! To me the author appeard to be very well studied on the subject with great insight of a more realistic view, but yet a very profound spiritual perspective. This book resonated with my own beliefs about 2012. It truly gives hope for a new and positive outcome instead of the doom/gloom in all other books I have read in the past. Good read for anyone wanting to explore the spritual effects of what 2012 is really about.

I read a friend's copy of this book and subsequently sent a copy to my son who is in law school. I found it enlightening and hopeful. I am an artist and a therapist and am familiar with many of the concepts of the various writings.

We live in a rapidly changing time. We all can value coming more from our hearts than our heads in our relationships with each other and with ourselves. The answer is in staying in alignment with Source and returning to this alignment as quickly as we can realize we have strayed away.

According to the Abraham work (Abraham-Hicks), briefly mentioned in this book, our emotions are key to knowing of our alignment with Source or the lack of it.

I am hopeful for what 2012 will bring, possibly the dawning of a new age - of kindness, love and consideration for all.

May you be at peace.

Carol Suter, Psy.D.

Tami Simon, Publisher at Sounds True has put together an inspired collection of thinkers related to 2012. I would love to be at a round-table discussion with this group of people related to the future of our planet.

It's a good book to imagine what might happen (or might not happen) on December 21, 2012. I believe this is one of the most serious books about the topic, and it is not a catastrophic one. Most of the essays are good enough and explain the situation from different points of view, except for Cornnie McLaurhlin's, who obviously knows nothing about the Maya topic. She only tries to tie her business and political theories and arguments with year 2012 without any logical bond to the 2012 prophesies. Her essay, although good, clearly belongs to a very different kind of book. The rest of the essays explain the Mayan Cosmo vision, prophesies and possible interpretations, among other cultural believes that converge in the happening of something really important to Humans on 2012. I do recommend this book.

This book is full of details and information that I found myself dragging through. It was, however, interesting and makes a person think about what could possibly be true about 2012. It was hard for me to get through it, though, because of all the details. They are, however, necessary to affirm what the author is telling us about the future and the year 2012. Even though it has a lot of facts to study, there is enough general comments about those facts, to not make the book become impossible to understand.

I got the book title from looking at a television programme and now, having read the book, I wonder how I've lived so long (I'm 61) without ever having heard of Joseph Campbell. Anyway, it's a great book by a great man and it arrived, as is usual for Amazon, in mint condition. So thank you.

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 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.

This book claims to advocate a heart-oriented philosophy, but in reality, she only promotes the use of violence and physical domination to create obedience. These methods have been proven to be dangerous and harmful, and should not be promoted in any way.

After listening to this woman on christian radio (Wed, Aug 28, 2008, Iowa I-80W around 7-8pm) I have to say I think she is a hypocrite.

When asked about spanking for corporate punishment, she says its needed. This is right after a segment where she talked how demeaning it is to a child when mom grabs a kid in the store somewhat hard, when the kid is acting out.

When the speak goes into violence vs. spanking, she runs out of rational explanation, and starts quoting the bible, how you should "use the rod with love".
...Are you kidding me?!?!? A father that tells his kid that he loves him/her right before he hits them. What kind of love are you teaching me.
I guess this is the heart part of the book's title.

In the country where I grew up, Sweden, this woman would be a criminal for hitting children and she would have to face up to the law.

She then goes on how this physical punishment should be used for small children, children who don't understand and can't reason with you. It works better on small children.

Well yeah, if my dad tried to hit me when I was 14, I'd hit him back. so of course it works better.

If you're co-worker is not behaving correctly, that doesn't give you the right to use physical punishment towards that other adult. That adult is protected by the law.

But the poor two year old, who barely can speak, let alone know what his/her rights are, he should be hit, cause it works better.

Yes it works better, it's what we did to the slaves, when they were out of control. Cause it works better, doesn't mean its right.

Parents shouldn't be buying into this. There is a way to raise your child with love and respect.

She also says that consistency and not using bribery is important. So they ask her what is bribery.
The ask "if you tell your kid to behave well in the store, and then the kid will get ice cream when they get home, is that bribery?"

She says yes, goes on how that is so bad.

Then the interviewer goes on, that when he was a kid, his parents had a coin jar, and when the kids misbehaved, they would take money out of the jar, and there would be less to spend at the family gathering at the end of the week.

This, she said was incentive, not bribery.

I wonder if they bought ice cream with the money from the jar? I'm confused, she offers no consistency and no clear definitions.

This woman clearly knows nothing about parenting, and when she gets trapped, instead of admitting she doesn't know, she turns to blind faith and quotes some scripture.

If we all justified our lives with quotes from the bible, I'm sure we could get away with murder.

This book is not for this generation parents. Parents that embrace love and respect, but the kind of love you have in your heart, and the kind of respect you have in your values, not the kind of love that applies the rod.

This book is the best parenting book I've read...it combines the reality of imperfect mothers with the awesome responsibility and priviledge we have to raise our children so that they love and honor God.

Yes, it's directed at Christians, and it hits right where it should: sound biblical direction and applications for everyday problems.

More than anything, it encouraged me to study the wisdom of the bible for myself, so that I can model and pass that on to my son and future children.

This will be my parenting philosophy from now on, and this book will be my handbook, second only to the bible!

I was at my wit's end with my two-and-a-half year old son. This book was so encouraging! (Yes, it is scriptural, and so if you aren't interested in that, you won't like it.) It really changed the way I was dealing with my son, and I feel much better about my discipline now.

This book is great! Some reviews have said that it promotes spanking, but the bottom line is that if you don't spank you are doing your child a disservice and that's exactly what this author is saying in her book. She doesn't say that a parent should be abusive and just spank for no reason or just make up a reason to beat their child. Rather she admonishes parents to teach the child the correct behavior, while also teaching them that with disobedience comes consequences and spanking is a consequence. However, the more training they get by you instructing them on what the correct behavior is, then you won't have to spanking as much.
Only you are responsible for who and what your child will become. And that all comes from how you train them, especially in the Lord's teachings.