Religion Books

This is a wonderful companion piece to "The Power of Now". Meditation is a great stress reliever. And not worrying about where you came from or where you are going is the key to enjoying the present moment. great book.

This is a wonderful stand alone tool or a complimentary tool to the Power of now book. Powerful and insightful. I always have it near me.

The teachings of this book are a tremendous help in turning my life around and being a happier human been.

I read this after New Earth and I can't believe the peace that really exists. I've tried some of the exercises and meditations and the feeling is beyond me. It's very challenging to keep it up through everyday life, but certainly is something I hope is with me forever.

i haven't read PRACTICING The Power of Now as i am in the middle of reading THE POWER OF NOW. but i believe it will be very helpful in keeping me in the present for longer periods of time, which is the goal after all.

Jerry Bridges has a way of getting to the point. There is no "fluff" in this book. It is practical, personal and convicting in a very valuable way.

Bridges exposes many of the things that we ignore (and some we even celebrate) as the sin that it is. Great for personal or group reading.

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

Jerry Bridges has written a helpful and Biblical examination of some of more commonly overlooked sins. The author calls Christians to repentance in areas of their lives that they often overlook or ignore. Though the chapters are brief, they are well written and Biblically-grounded. Bridges challenges his readers to pursue Christ-like behavior in a similar fashion to his book "The Pursuit of Holiness." To the extent that readers apply what they read, the book will prove to be benefical in helping them grow spiritually to become more like their Savior, Jesus Christ.

I highly recommend this book. As a matter of fact, I ordered two more for my friends. Strong conviction in a world that is passing away.

Great book- definitely convicting! Going through it with a small group Bible study. It provides alot to chew on and good topics for deeper discussion and accountability. Also have gotten positive feedback from all the other women in my group. Bridges doesn't sugarcoat anything but forces us to take a look at how disgusting every sin is, even the "small" ones, in the sight of a holy God.

Author Jerry Bridges, whose previous bestselling titles TRUSTING GOD and THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS gave Christian sojourners a wonderful resource for wrestling through some of life's toughest questions, now offers readers a text custom-made for today's sin-mollified believer. Bridges tells fellow Christ followers that there is a cancerous tumor growing unrestrained amongst and within many of the churches nationwide. He believes that evangelicals are quite adept at finger-pointing and clucking their tongues at "major" sins such as murder, adultery, stealing and the like while simultaneously ignoring (and often cuddling up with) "minor" sins like pride, anger, discontentment, unthankfulness, selfishness, impatience and judgmentalism.

Bridges writes that a curious misnomer amongst modern believers is that Christians frequently assume that the gospel is only for unbelievers, thinking that once a person trusts Christ for salvation, the gospel becomes a mute point. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Bridges, for the gospel (and its power) is what enables Christians to deal with the ongoing battle with sin in their lives. Expounding upon this premise, he spends his first six chapters building the theological groundwork for dealing biblically with those "respectable sins" so widely accepted in churches today.

With a thoughtful, careful approach for which he is so well known, Bridges discusses society's tendency to "erase" the term sin from its vocabulary, thus minimizing its disastrous effects upon individuals and cultures alike. Rather than view the sins (as plainly depicted in the Bible) of impatience, pride, resentment, frustration and self-pity as a "diabolical force" that will eventually, if allowed to metastasize, kill its host, the church turns a blind eye towards them.

To up the ante, Bridges informs Christians that God's simple view of sin is not to tolerate it. Once a believer, a person is forgiven. Still, to actively choose to sin --- large or small --- is to "despise" God. The author cites the famous story of Nathan confronting David after his adultery with Bathsheba and subsequently ordering the murder of her husband, Uriah, in order to cover up his sin. In this 2 Samuel passage, Nathan blasts David with the truth that he has "despised" God by his actions. In like manner, Christians today try to covertly cover up, excuse, or deny the existence of those "respectable sins" for which God hardily condemns and will discipline.

After letting the hammerhead fall, Bridges's text turns a decisively positive and practical corner as he discusses the Holy Spirit's work in a believer's life, reminding Christians that they are both responsible and dependent. Writes Bridges: "[W]e live under the controlling influence of the Spirit as we continually expose our minds to seek and to obey the Spirit's moral will for us as revealed in Scripture. We live in dependence on Him through prayer as we continually cry out to Him for His power to enable us to obey His will." Readers will then glean the practical steps to dismantling those "respectable sins" by:

* Applying the gospel
* Depending upon the Holy Spirit
* Taking personal responsibility
* Identifying specific sins
* Memorizing/applying Scriptures
* Cultivating an active prayer life
* Welcoming accountability with other believers

Christians committed to honoring God in every area of their life will find Bridges's new work both enriching and robust, with timeless and accurate biblical truth.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

This is a very interesting Bible study by Beth Moore. The homework is different from any of her other studies. You will learn to personalize the psalms of ascent. The lectures are outstanding on the Jewish feasts and their application to our lives.

Another great study by Beth Moore. the shorter 7 week legnth was perfect for us to do over the summer and many in our group are new to Beth Moore so 7 weeks was a great intro.

This bible study is so wonderful. Beth Moore has such a love for the Lord and such a gift of teaching. I started it almost immediately and am almost through.

This was my first bible study and I thought it was great. Easy to follow and kept me hungry for more. I recommend it - the video is nice, but not necessary. I took the study through my church and found the quiet time study on my own plus discussion later in my group were enough. The video only added more insight into Beth's take on the three feasts.

Stepping up is a wonderful study of God's word spoken through the Psalms of Ascent. Beth Moore has a way of speaking life into the written word and with her love for God she is able to speak things into the word that we may not have seen. It has touched my life in so many ways and I hope that Amazon will carry more of her studies. She truly has a God given gift. Praise God!

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 was in a 'pit' when my cousin gave me this book. Not only did it help me to see I wasn't alone in my situation, but that God truly is the way to a better life. I've given this book to several people overcome by life's struggles and hope it helped them as much as it helped me.

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!

When I first used my Kindle, I inadvertently downloaded the wrong KJV. It had no table of contents and to get to the New Testament I had to turn every single page. I wasn't through the first chapter in Genesis when I realized the futility of my task. I began a more thorough search for a Bible that was more "user friendly." This one caught my attention because Diana Mecom, the lady who formatted this version, offered to send a sample of it. I requested it and was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal note from Ms. Mecum which instructed me in how to transfer it from my computer to my Kindle. The sample was ample. It gave me Old and New Testament books to experiment with. I bought it and am delighted with it. I was extremely impressed with Ms. Mecom's kindness and follow-up on this transaction. I highly recommend this version of the greatest story ever told. STLemos

This was one of the easiest books to navigate through that I have ever seen because it emulates the hardcopy. In fact, it's better because I don't have to keep paging and paging to get to where I want to read. Instead, each chapter or individual book is just a click away. This decreases my frustration which increases my enjoyment. Thank you, it's fantastic.

This offers book and chapter navigation - without such an ebook of this size is useless. I have tried a number and this is by far the best and worthy of 5 stars. Also includes a previous and next link on each chapter so you can easily navigate to the next. Great formatting of each page.

This was the 3rd or 4th purchase I made when I received my Kindle. I was pretty hesitant that the Kindle version of the Holy Bible would be as good of quality as an original paper copy. I took a few minutes to see if I could navigate through the books and chapters with ease. I am pretty critical when it comes to a Bible in terms of what I want and expect. But after a few short minutes of searching through the text, I had forgotten that I was actually reading the Kindle version. It is very impressive. I am enjoying having the Holy Bible at my fingertips. I have given this 5 stars...for the simple reason that I notice nothing different between my Kindle version and my favorite hard copy of the Holy Bible. A perfect addition to my newly expanding Kindle Library.

I am not a tech savvy individual and I get frustrated having to scroll through many pages to get to the chapter and verse I want to read. Time is a precious commodity, and this kindle version of the King James Bible has just given me more bible reading time! No more endless back and forth scrolling, the navigation is easy-to-use and takes me where I want to go in just a few clicks.

Primo Levi was an Italian Jew arrested for anti-Fascist resistance in 1944 and sent to the camps of Auschwitz. His short, vivid portrayal of the horrors of the Nazi camps there, the depravity of human nature and the extremes that the human psyche can endure, makes for a lasting literary contribution. Not sermonizing about theology or lecturing about good and evil, this bare-bones account nonetheless has dramatic questions for those interested in human nature, the holocaust, and evil. Very fleetingly does he comment on religion (the problem of theodicy is never made as clear as in Elie Wiesel's Night), but he certainly has captured some of the horrible drama of the Nazi death camps.

Primo Levy, a twenty-four-year-old Italian Jew captured "on 13 December 1943" and imprisoned for ten months, provides a chilling, though often poetic, account of his so called life in a concentration camp, while hitting home the frustration and futility of his situation. The best way to describe his story and style is through his own words: (p 15) as they prepared the night before they were to be deported "Everyone felt this: not one of the guards, neither Italian or German, had the courage to come and see what men do when they know they have to die," of the next morning (p 16) "Dawn came on us like a betrayer; it seemed as through the new sun rose as an ally of our enemies to assist in our destruction," after the "six hundred and fifty `pieces'" were loaded "Here we received the first blows; and it was so new and senseless that we felt no pain, neither in body nor in spirit. Only a profound amazement: how can one hit a man without anger?" He is first taken to a camp of 10,000 called Buna, where prisoners work at producing rubber. After being thrown together naked with the others, showered, shaved, disinfected and relieved of all possessions, (p 26) he writes "Then for the first time we became aware that our language lacks words to express this offence, the demolition of a man." About the time they have been settled in to the camp, they learn that they will soon be sent out for their first day of work. A French-speaking prisoner replies to their questions with (p 29) "...you are not at home, this is not a sanatorium, the only exit is by way of the Chimney." They are scheduled to work all but every other Sunday (during which they must work "on upkeep of the Lager") (p 36) "Such will be our life. Every day, according to the established rhythm...go out and come in; work, sleep and eat; fall ill, get better or die." The reader later learns (p 73) "...the Buna factory, on which the Germans were busy for four years and for which countless of us suffered and died, never produced a pound of synthetic rubber."

He writes about the typical prisoner (p 90) "They crowd my memory with their faceless presences, and if I could enclose all the evil of our time in one image, I would choose this image which is familiar to me: an emaciated man, with head drooped and shoulders curved, on whose face and in whose eyes not a trace of a thought could be seen." Fortunately, Mr. Levy qualifies to work in a chemical laboratory, which results in an improvement in his living conditions. Yet the usual worries remained, especially (p 126) the "selections" (those chosen to be exterminated) "the percentage was seven percent of the whole camp." He writes as 1944 comes to a close, after almost a year in captivity (p 143-144) about his thoughts on life only twelve months before, "...the future stood before me as a great treasure. Today the only thing left of the life of those days is what one needs to suffer hunger and cold: I am not even alive enough to know how to kill myself." Eventually, the camp is evacuated. Mr. Levy lives on to provide a wealth of wonderful writing to the world, then dies in 1987 at the age of sixty-seven, falling three storeys from a building to his death (either accidentally or intentionally). Also good, Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Night by Elle Wiesel.

Mr. Levi's ability to recount his experience with such emotional clarity allowed me to take in a piece of this dark chapter in European history that I might not have been able to otherwise, given the immensity of the horror. I look forward to reading the other two books he wrote on Auschwitz. Highly recommended.

We had to read this book for a World History class I took in college. I was taking 5 classes at the time, so you can imagine how much reading I had to do on a daily basis. I read this book in ONE sitting (very unusual for me). I could not put it down! I laughed. I cried. I read it again! I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

My review of this classic emphasizes matters not raised by previous reviewers, and is based upon the 1986 edition which combines SURVIVAL IN AUSCHWITZ, THE REAWAKENING, and AFTERWORD...

Levi wasn't sent to or near the gas chambers and crematoria. Instead, he was diverted into forced labor in the sub-camp of Monowitz (p. 386), some 7 km east of Auschwitz proper. Poles had to wear a large "P". German political prisoners got various privileges, such as food and clothes from home, and exemption from the dreaded "selections". (p. 183) He saw the bombed-out ruins of the Buna synthetic rubber plant. (p. 137) He predicted that, in the winter of 1944-1945, 7/10ths of the prisoners like him will die. (p. 123)

The reader may not realize that western European Jews commonly looked down upon eastern European Jews as "backward". These feelings were fully reciprocated. Levi comments: "The Germans call them [the Italian Jews] `zwei linke Hande' (two left hands) and even the Polish Jews despise them as they do not speak Yiddish." (p. 49) After his release from Auschwitz, Levi ran across Polish Jews who couldn't believe that Levi was even possibly Jewish because he didn't speak Yiddish. (p. 279)

Unlike most Auschwitz survivors, who traveled west, he traveled east and then south (for map, see pages 178-179). He saw for himself the victimization of the Poles: "In Katowice, and in all Poland, there was a shortage of men; the male population of working age had disappeared, prisoners in Germany and Russia, dispersed among partisan bands, massacred in battle, in the bombardments, in the reprisals, in the Lagers, in the ghettos. Poland was a country in mourning, a country of old men and widows." (p. 239)

In the AFTERWORD, Levi said that, whereas the Nazi concentration camps had 90-98% mortality, the figure for Soviet concentration camps was 30% maximum (p. 389). This is incorrect. Slaves toiling in the gold mines in the Soviet Far East faced close to 100% mortality. And, of course, particular groups targeted for annihilation experienced 100% mortality, be they Jews sent to the gas chambers by the Nazis, or the Polish officers and intellectuals sent to the killing forests near Katyn by the Communists.

I will say that sometimes this book is a difficult read, but I do like Eckhart Tolle. I have read "Stillness", and a third of "The Power of Now". I've read enough of the latter book to come up with certain conclusions. Tolle derives his ideas from the New Testament, Krishnamurti, and a lot from Zen. Of course, Zen traces its thinking to Hinduism and Vedantic thought. Tolle's thinking is mostly Zen and touches onto the yogic concept that all people are connected through their thoughts and is for a sort of Cosmic union, one person at a time i.e. we need to be each other's salvation. I do agree with him that many people have misinterpreted Jesus (Yeshua) who grew up in Roman Palestine which had a lot of Hellenic philosophical influence which was also influenced by the East. Some have said that Tolle is Buddhism repackaged, but these people who are being indignant are not realizing that Buddhism in a sense is Hinduism or Vedanta repackaged, one could allege. Unlike mainstream Buddhism, Eckhart's writings are rather theistic. I am not sure what to think of Eckhart being labeled enlightened. I supposed that's done to have people read his works.
That's the only thing that sort of bothers me. I don't necessarily agree with all of his Biblical interpretations, but a lot of it makes sense.
Your mainstream Christian, Jew, or Muslim won't agree with much of Eckhart's thinking. All the religions connect in some way. Christians in Egypt used a rosary to venerate Mary. They used the same name Hindus use for their rosary which is a mala. Religions changed to be adapted to different locales, but they are all connected in a way. We all have one consciousness, but we get all trapped in the forms.

This book written by Eckhart Tolle is a beautiful and astounding read. That's it. There's nothing else more to say about it.

A very inspirational book, in fact, read it twice and bought 5 copies to give away....

I have so enjoyed these CDs. The material is fascinating to me. Easy to understand - but it takes practice to be able to do. I will listen to these over and over!

really, this is amazing. A little deep and maybe hard to grasp if you (or your ego) are not ready for the message but it is life changing. Really

On a whim I picked this one up, knowing of it and recognizing the book title. I knew nothing of what the book was about, except what I could surmise from the cover.

I was a little put off initially with the way Hesse wrote, kind of flighty with nothing too concrete or definite. Is it a spiritual quest, a personal quest and so on. Then as Siddhartha grows older within the book we begin to see the natural progression from one mental/spiritual situation to the next. We see him go from spiritual, to rich, gambling, to being poor to a heightened spiritual state and so on.

All in all, after I worked my way into the flesh of Hesse's writing, I began to enjoy Siddhartha. You feel as though you are on the spiritual voyage with him and can understand where he is coming from. I am glad that there were only 150 pages and it was a fast read, because I most certainly would not want to read this style of writing for very long. I would recommend.

4 stars.

A journey through the life of a man with a single purpose: to find his own truth.

Knowing that the only way to discover life's greatest mysteries is to go through the heart of them alone, he finds himself living one extreme after another until he finally rests in the balance.

The ending will either leave you glowing or pondering, but either way you will not regret taking the time to read this remarkable tale.

Although I can understand the longing to separate oneself from the frustrations and hypocrisy of human life, it does seem like an abandonment rather than an accomplishment to me. Maybe because of this, and because I had been exposed to the tenets of both Buddhism and Hinduism prior to reading this novel, I didn't find it as life-altering and uplifting as many others find it. If you're new to eastern philosophy, this could be a good general introduction.

I have never been a huge fan of philosophy, but I can see why this little tome is considered a classic. It is a life's journey and a profound look into the soul. Siddhartha's journey and his desire to be spiritually fulfilled began as a Brahmin's son, then as an ascetic, then into a life of lust and material possessions, and finally into a peaceful life as a ferry driver. With all his outward searching, Siddhartha comes to realize that inner peace is not achieved through lessons from a teacher, or fasting, or worldliness. It is an inward reflection, a recognition of self. This book challenges the ideas of love and nature, among other things.

Siddhartha is a man on a spiritual journey. German writer, Herman Hesse, starts off strong about a man who is willing to give up everything in search of his self and to live without the needs and comforts of life. Siddhartha is searching for meaning which includes a spiritual journey without material possessions and even relationships. He has a love relationship with Kamalah who would provide him his son, something that she predicted. That is where the story, I think gets lost. Instead the book sort of lost it's way rearding Siddhartha's journey by his relationship with Kamalah and his search for religion and spiritualism is brushed aside by his relationships with one woman and his quest to continue to find himself. Hesse is an interesting writer in that he starts strongly trying to help us find our own spiritual center much like Siddhartha has in his life and he gets lost along the way or is detoured. Despite it's short length, it's quite a powerful book but it loses it's punch midway in the novel

First of all, I loved Albom's book "Tuesdays with Morrie". This is a truly inspirational book about lesson on life and death and the struggles of an old man suffering from an incurable disease. An excellent read! However, I absolutely hated the other book "Five People you Meet in Heaven". I thought it would be a great sequel from the same author and purchased it. I got mislead by the many wonderful reviews from others. Big mistake!!! This book truly sucks!! It is distressing, depressing and downright scary beyond imagination. I cannot imagine "heaven" to be a miserable place where you get to relive all the mishaps and bad fortunes of your life. Neither can I imagine that after dying, you have to experience and relive your own decay and sufferings. How come you have to endure a lot more of the same earthly crap in "heaven" after dying? Why did Albom's character, Eddie, have to get continued punishment in "heaven" after having lived a miserable life on earth??? How can some reviewers find that fact inspirational? How can that help you to understand your shortcomings on earth? How can all the extra suffering in the afterlife help you to make sense of your previous life? I had nightmares for several days after reading the book. If that is what awaits us in (Albom's) "heaven", I'd rather stay here!. Fortunately, nobody knows what the afterlife is like. I'm not a religious person, but I imagine or hope, that the after life is a more soothing place. A more confortable place where the newcomers are welcome in compassion and unconditional love for what they ARE (or were), regardless of what they DID or HAD. Not a gigantic courthouse where you get sacked or punished (like in Albom's proposal), but a place where you can find serenity and peace, at last! Yes, this review contains spoilers. Read the book and get to your own conclusions. If you decide not to read it afterall, congratulations! You just saved a buck on a peace of junk.

"the five people" is an outstanding book. about 200 pages, it's very easy reading. it tells the story of a man who goes to heaven and meets various people who share with him secrets that had affected him at various times throughout his life. this book is brilliantly developed. it is highly recommended!!!

I am so glad I decided to read this book. I was really feeling torn as to whether I wanted to start a book that was known be slightly controversial, because I have a hard time "ditching" a book midway. However, this was a quick-read that proved to be more inspirational than entertaining. It was, however, exciting to attempt to predict who Eddie's "next person" in Heaven was. (Not so predictable, it turned out!) I will mention that while I am a Christian woman, you do not need to be a Christian to relate to this book. It simply describes the "pre-heaven" state that Eddie goes to directly after his death where he meets 5 different people that explain to him how their lives were connected and explain different aspects of his life that he didn't understand before. It really is interesting and really makes you think. There are more than a few phrases and paragraphs from the book that I think will stay with me forever :)

I really liked this story about 83 year old Eddie who dies saving a girl from a carnival ride and going to heaven meeting 5 people who have changed his life on earth. It is well written and I loved the movie as well. I love this man's book. I also read Tuesdays with Morrie (twice), and loved it. I can't wait to get For One More Day written by him as well.

This book, is one persons view of what happens after we die. He's not trying to preach like some other people are saying. He is just expressing his opinion, and its very entertaining. The story engrosses you and has many twists you never expect. Its definitely a excellent read and i would recommend it to anyone.