Religion Books

Excellent, cannot say enough about how this man explains the grieving psyche. Moves beyond everything else that is written. Although my loss was not as terrible as his I could identify with everything he said. It is so good to have someone confirm that it is something that we go through and, perhaps more importantly, what we can get through.

Would recommend this to all who have undergone loss in any form.

I am going through a very difficult time in my life and was advised to read A Grace Disguised. This book offers an amazing insight into the grieving process and acknowledges that everyone's healing process is completely unique to them. I felt encouraged and rejuvenated knowing that I could relate to the many emotions experienced by the author and so many others who may also be going through similar scenarios but have had their emotions or actions repressed and even belittled. I strongly recommend everyone read this book because it not only offers personal growth during troublesome times, it also may help guide those who have a friend or loved one experiencing a difficult loss to offer stronger support.

Hace dos anhos fallecio nuestra hija y entre los muchos libros que leimos sobre la perdida este fue el que mas nos ayudo. Se lo hemos recomendado a muchas personas.

After our daugher's accidental death two years ago, my husband and I read many books on grieving and loss. Sittser's book was the most helpful to us in processing our own grief, offering not pithy platitudes, but thought-provoking reflections out of the author's own catastrophic loss. We have bought many copies of this book for friends going through difficult times because it is relevant to those who suffer loss of any kind.

Peggy Reynoso

The book, A Grace Disguised, changed my life. A doctor actually "prescribed" it for me, after the death of my daughter and her fiance. After hearing so many people blunder through callus pharses they hoped would make me feel better it was a great relief to spend time with someone who actually knew how I felt.
Many, in my family, have read this book. My husband's life was changed, as was my own. We have given this book to countless others who are in the midst of grief. We always keep several copies on hand. My husband, who is new to online buying, bought these copies. When they started arriving in Spainsh we were both a little confused. He had somehow gotten over to the Spanish version with out knowing it. We can only deduce that we're about to meet spainsh speaking grievers in need of comfort.
As you can probably tell by reading this, I am not Richard, I am his wife, secretary and best friend.

Jerry Sittser knows loss. He deals with the most difficult aspects of grief. He understands and leads us to healing. Of all the books I've read over the past year, this one was by far the best and most helpful in dealing with the death of my loved one.

I bought the book a short time ago. I strongly recommend it

It was perfect for me not having any background in languages or linguistics. The subject matter is not easy no matter how it is taught but Croy's book gives you chance to really enjoy learning greek while not being overly intimidated by it. Greek is quite sophisicated and the memory work is intense, and it takes a lot of practice and determination to get a handle on it. With this tho, the book was most encouraging, i have tried other texts but they made the subject pretty dry. This has a more personal touch to it. The exercises do not have translations but this is not necessary since most want to refer to their own favorite versions anyway... also when the translation is not there it more exciting when you can read the greek without the translation there next to it.
This book opened a great and exciting adventure for me
Honolulu, Hawaii

Grammar wise, it's not a bad book. It's made up of 32 chapters with extended explanations of the rules of ancient Greek grammar. Very nice, if you like that sort of thing.

Practice wise, it has no readings and only a few translation exercises. The exercises perpetuate the idiocy of not giving English translations, so you can not check your work. This may work in a classroom course, but for self-learners (which I assume you are, since you're shopping on Amazon) it should be deal breaker. You can do better.

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar by William Mounce is better for grammar.
Learn New Testament Greek by John Dobson is better practice.

As someone who has had New Testament Greek many years ago and took this book in a crash course in just what, 6 weeks(?) I found it to be a disapointment. Very little of the vocabulary presented is the actual vocabulary used in the New Testament. If you are just learning Greek, you'd be better off to just stick with the NT Greek and forget the Septuagint. The fact that Croy does not use his own text ought to tell you something. I too, decry the lack of any key to the exercises. I was fortunate that I had an excellent teacher who diligently translated the exercises for us.

I'm using this textbook for my Greek Grammar I class, and I really like it. It gives only what you need to know, which is nice when you don't know what you're doing or anything about the Greek language, and it provides helpful exercises each lesson from the LLX and standard Greek text.

The chapters aren't to intimidating because they're not large. Each chapters slowly builds on the chapter before it, and each chapter follow each other in a logical order.

If you're studying Greek without an instructor and only using this book, one thing that can be considered a downside with this book is there is no answer key for the exercises. This is a good thing if you're taking it at college because you learn alot doing the exercises and it gives you the opprotunity to apply the principles you're learning. My professor goes over the answers in class, but if you don't have a professor and teacher the task can be more time-consuming. But than again, what's the rush?

I love this book and would highly recommend it if you want to get a basic foundation in Greek and a first semester's Greek knowledge. If using this textbook without a instructor you may want to use it with Mounce's Basic's of Biblical Greek. Also this book would also be good for "re-learning" or reviewing Greek (if you don't use it you'll loose it).

N. Clayton Croy's grammar for New Testament Greek is a great place to start learning the language. I've just completed the book, which is the standard classroom text at schools such as Princeton Theological Seminary. Croy is quite accessible and lays out the basics of grammar in 32 concise lessons. Vocab is nicely distributed to match the subject of the lesson, and of course there are a lot of paradigms to memorize. Where this book excels is in the excercises provided at the end of every lesson, including 15 or so sentences written by Croy and drawing from only the vocab and grammar learned so far; a section from the Septuagint; and a section from the New Testament.

Unfortunately answer keys are not included, though we had access to them in class -- making me think that the book was written explicitly with the formal classroom environment in mind and that there may be a teacher's edition somewhere. Also, the book is only an elementary beginning; a user would be well-advised to supplement it with the memorization of principal parts for key verbs, additional New Testament vocab, etc.

This was such an excellent book. I picked it up at Urbana 2006 and read it that summer. I am working on going through my notes to teach a class on the subject of this book. I have recommended it to many people, but it is weighty. It is sad that so few people are familiar with Wright's work. He has done much in taking us back and grounding us in the story of the OT. For those interested, I highly recommend "Old Testament Ethic for the People of God." Again, weighty, but excellent.

I especially appreciate that this book takes into account the whole of the scriptural perspective, tota scriptura. I heartily recommend it.

a thorough approach to mission theology with Biblical explanations for the Author, characters, and setting

This is certainly the most impressive book on Mission to be published since Bosch's 'Transforming Mission' and will surely be Dr Wright's 'Magnum Opus.' This outstanding tome entitled `The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative' contains 581 closely reasoned pages and maintains that equally, the `proper way for disciples of the crucified and risen Jesus to read their Scriptures , is (both) messianically and missionally. ( p.30)

It should be noted that most books on Mission fail to provide an adequate O.T. basis for mission. David Bosch for example in his excellent book `Transforming Mission' gives us little if any. In this book however, Wright ( also a noted OT scholar as well as Missiologist) goes a long way to rectify this imbalance.

'The Mission of God' is not a light read but should be of great interest to all missionaries and Pastors as well as to theology and Bible students. Chris Wright has also designated that the royalties from this book will go to the to worthy charity Langham Literature.

John Goldingay, the author of Old Testament Theology, and professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary writes of it:
"This marvelous book is all I hoped and expected, and more. . . .We are so fortunate to have the mature fruit of a lifetime's reflection on the missional nature of the Bible by this outstanding teacher, scholar and missionary theologian."

If you want an outstanding book on Mission which will be around for years to come: This is it!

I wish that I had had this book in hand many years ago. I've been on a journey of learning and discovery regarding the "metanarrative" of the Scriptures, and having reached a tentative understanding, I buy Christopher Wright's The Mission of God, and find that he has it all laid out for me. One of those books that makes you wonder why no one wrote it before and then makes you wish you had written it yourself. I have translated the New Testament into two indigenous languages of Mexico and have been forced to ask the big questions about what on earth God is doing anyway. It's been a great experience, and I think I'm finally coming to an adequate understanding of the good news of the Bible. I have read a lot of books related to the topic of The Mission of God, but none as exciting and stimulating as this one. And I don't consider Wright to be a great writer. What's great is the maturity and comprehensiveness of his thinking. A new perspective on almost every page. Wright has put it together for me. I'm reading it through the second time and have bought two copies to give to friends. All right, you may not be as excited as I am about the Bible's message about the coming of the kingdom of God, but if you are half as interested as I am, read this book.

I highly recommend this book to use as a prayer guide or reference book to see what the needs are in each country.

The power of prayer has been underestimated by the secular and even amongst the community of believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus gave to all who believe in Him and His words and works a very clear command: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, when we pray according to this command, Jesus, the Son of God, works, always in conjunction with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I believe this book is an outcome of answered prayers done in the past, that motivated people passionate about changing lives all over the world, to produce such an essential and strategic work like this book. Operation World puts us into God's perspective of reaching all nations and tribes and languages with His love and salvation. It is a very powerfull and useful tool to equip anyone interested in getting a grasp of the world's scenario, so that when we start praying and when we keep on praying for the nations, we are much more aligned with God's work and love for all peoples of the earth.

This is an excellent tool to inform and educate people on the subject of global Christianity. The specific info on many countries can become out of date rather quickly, especially in the emerging growth sectors. The appendices, tools and general information are excellent. This is a great tool for those who want to be educated, and want to educate others, on global missions.

Christians and other theists believe that in some impenetrable way prayer moves the hand of God.

People of sound mind understand that focusing on others tends to produce psychological health.

OPERATION WORLD uniquely conjoins these two convictions, offering to this-worldly Christian pray-ers a veritable guidebook of the world.

Typically, a country gets an entry of one dated page, though large countries span two or more days. The typical entry introduces the reader to the country's geography, peoples, economy, politics, and religion. After that the muscular-sounding 'Challenges for Prayer' suggests situations, topics, knotty problems, hopeful reports, and general orientation to the pray-er who chooses to participate in the year-long epic around the world.

'Get over yourself!', the common and slightly belligerent saying goes. It's a thought the editors of this fine annual publication might have had in the back of their minds.

It is easy to want the world to hear the gospel, but it is difficult to pray specifically toward that end. This book is a great tool to use daily so that you may pray more thouroughly for the different countries of the world and to know more about the people in them. It has at least one country for every day of the year and it tells so much helpful information. I learn as I pray for these people. It's a great book for your individual use, or with your family.

Great Book!!!!!! My husband and I read through this when we started to consider marriage and absolutely loved it. We really enjoyed the interaction and activity oriented tasks as we were challenged to dig deeper and to prepare for marriage! Wonderful for couples that haven't been married before, opens the lines of communication as well as shedding light any assumptions each may be carrying about marriage. Great Christian book with a God honoring but realistic message. -mrs. hodawanus (:

While there are areas that really don't apply if you are middle-aged and getting married, we just skimmed those. The rest is very well thought out and creates a real atmosphere of learning about one another (that is, as long as you are truthful with your answers).

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to prepare for marriage and to know if they really are sure. Obviously, it must be taken seriously to really help at all.

My husband and I used this book as part of an 8 week Premarital Counseling course. We both found the book to bring up good topics for discussion though most of them we had discussed before. I would not describe myself as a very religious person but more of a spiritual person with strong Christian beliefs. That said, I found some "opinions" in the book to be narrow minded and that some of the bible passages were taken out of context. I do think that it was a good tool as part of our sessions but don't depend completely on this book for your premarital counseling. We also looked at The 5 Love Languages and Dave Ramsey's book Financial Peace Revisited. Those books as well as the insight from our counselors made all the difference.

So far this is a great book. It keeps my Fiance and I interested. And it's a workbook!

My fiance' and I are very pleased with this product. We are looking forward to applying what we've learned being engaged and married.

I bought this book in order to better understand the 'fine-tuning' argument for the existence of God [and other, present-day physics type lines of thought that might be relivant.] In this regard I was not disappointed. So far as I can tell, Stenger does a fine job in presenting the anti 'fine-tuning' side of the dispute. [But then, given my ignorance in this field, I am not really a reputable judge.]

It should be pointed out that the 'fine-tuning' argument leans heavily on recent work in an area that seems to be caught up in a frenzy of wild theorizing. There are LOTS of competing theories about the 'big bang' and what, if anything, preceded it. Only rash souls (or so I think) will base their belief in God, or, for that matter, their disbelief, on the latest word from the cosmologists.

The section on 'design' is also good. If one wants a sort of catalog of all the apparent bad engineering in the 'design' of the human body, etc. this is just the thing.

Much of the rest of the book, in my opinion, is unreliable, sloppy, and rash. Stenger has no interest in challenging the best work produced by 'believers.' Here is a glaring instance: there is no mention of Alvan Plantinga. I know this will sound silly to some readers, but in a present-day work purporting to offer serious discusion of the various reasons for thinking that there is, or is not, a God, the absence of this name is a clear signal that we are not playing in the major leagues.

Perhaps the best and most common argument against the existence of God is 'the problem of evil.' Senger (following some author, or authors, I am unable to identify) puts it this way:

(1) If God exists, then the attributes of God are consistent with the existence of evil.
(2) The attributes of God are not consistent with the existence of evil.
(3) Therefore, God does not and cannot exist.

Stenger then goes on to argue that while SOME 'pain and suffering' [i.e. SOME evil] may be consistent with the attributes of God, there seems to be more than is necessary. That is to say, he seems to abandon (2) without noticing it. I guess the premise he wants to defend is:

(2') The attributes of God are not consistent with THE AMOUNT OF EVIL exhibited by the real world.

(Something like that.) But now, of course, (1) must be changed too. It's not a big deal; but it's annoying.

Perhaps I should add that, in my opinion, William Rowe owns 'the problem of evil' in it's present form. Another name that does not occur in Stenger's book.

Stenger's book is a scientific/logical critique of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God having the apparent purpose of countering all possible reasons for believing in that God. It contributes to the growing cottage industry of atheistic books and as for some others of those books I give it a reluctant thumbs up. I liked the range and abundance of ideas Stenger offers. My two main disappointments with his book were: (1) the title implies a categorical denial of God (not just the JCI God) thereby promising more than it attempts to deliver and (2) throughout many of the arguments I had intrusive thoughts of `Yes, but' and `No, No, No,' (my usual experience with atheistic books.) Since for Stenger's book I may lack the required understanding, I await the judgments of more acute and better-educated minds.

I was particularly struck by the sense of being cornered and bludgeoned into acceptance during my reading of the book, which did not seem consistent with the scientific objectivity I expected to find, but the final chapter's discussions of God and current events suggest a possible reason. The author appears to have a political passion for the topic extending beyond scientific and philosophical curiosity.

Most reviewers of Stenger's "God: The Failed Hypothesis" fail to recognize the unique contribution he has made to the logic of the debate. The methodology he uses is different from most of the arguments against God, and it is important to understand this, because his book is a major step forward on this topic. Stenger basically sets out to prove a negative. Although many light-thinking individuals think this is impossible, anyone who has studied high school geometry knows that there is a well-known approach to this challenge. It is the indirect proof, and it works like this: Assume the truth of the proposition you're arguing against. Show that certain consequences must follow if the proposition is true. Observe that those consequences do not or cannot possibly occur. Conclude, therefore, that the original assumption must be false.
So Stenger's approach is to assume the existence of a God (defined pretty much as the Christian one) and deduce what the implications of such an assumption would be in terms of what we would expect to observe in the world. Finding that those observations do not occur, Stenger concludes that there is no such thing as God. Anyone who wants to rebut Stenger's argument, needs to do so within the context of this methodology. Otherwise, you are just talking past each other. Valid rebuttals would be, for example, to challenge his reasoning as to what facts we should expect to observe given the assumption that a God exists. Or perhaps to show that those facts really do occur. But here's the real problem for the theists: You have to say that SOME facts would necessarily follow from the existence of a God and that the absence of those facts would prove God doesn't exist. If you don't admit this, then your concept of God is without meaning, because a proposition that cannot by any stretch of the imagination be falsified, does not say anything. The statement "God exists" cannot be true unless "God does not exist" is false, and there has to be some meaningful observable difference between these propositions in order for either of them to mean anything. However, most theists, especially the Christian ones, do not admit any circumstances at all under which we could reasonably conclude that there is no God. Thus, their concept of God is without meaning, and when they say "God exists," they really are saying nothing at all. Stenger's book is an admirable addition to the debate and succeeds in showing that the assumed hypothesis (i.e., that God exists) is refuted by observations in the real world.
But since many Christians seemingly cannot follow Stenger's argument, nor the arguments of other authors who have defended atheism as a philosophy, it is important for atheists to be able to debate the Christians on their own turf as well. For that reason, in addition to highly recommending Stenger's book, I would also recommend that atheists become familiar with critiques of the Bible, as many Christians find this type of criticism harder to ignore. Americans especially are much more attached to Jesus, than to "God." A good selection in the category of biblical criticism, and a recent one, is The Atheist's Introduction to the New Testament: How the Bible Undermines the Basic Teachings of Christianity by Mike Davis. Together, these two books will cover pretty much any debate you are likely to get into with Christian apologists.

I found some great nuggets of logic and wisdom in this book. I want to re-read it for additional detail, but overall I would recommend it!

Does God exist? Who the hell knows. Certainly not a preist nor a scientist. Nobody knows one way or the other. You either believe based on faith - unseen, unproven belief - or you do not. And moments after our bodies stop, every single person will either know something - or know nothing. But to waste our energy fighting over something that is not given to "proof." Well...it's just very human. Wasting time instead of enjoying what we do know. And worst of all, you've all been doing it for thousands of years and killing hundreds of millions of otherwise happy human beings.

I really want to say that all Christians, Atheists, Muslims, Theists, Jews and Agnostics --and the rest! - should all jump in the same muddy river and just go to hell...but then we'd get into fighting about hell and the devil. Fight, argue, fight, disagree - idiot human beings. Dogs are wiser. They've got it down - eat, sleep, poop, love. I prefer them.

Here is my "book report" on Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge, a book which has played a pivital role in transforming my personal walk with God. He begins by making the point that we do not see our own situation clearly. There are two vital truths that we must wake up to. One is that God's intentions toward us are truly good. Because we were designed to give Him glory, God's happiness and our happiness are linked together.


The second truth is that we were born into a world at war. The new life God intends for us is being brutally opposed by the forces of darkness. Spiritual warfare does not consist merely of the occasional power encounter, and it isn't relegated to the mission field. It is the true nature of the reality in which we live. Recognizing this could naturally make us want to shrink back in fear. We don't want to become casualties of war, but we fail to realize a vital truth about who we really are and the role God designed us to play in this battle.

Eldredge makes a compelling argument that the heart of a believer is good. God has taken away our hearts of stone and given us new hearts of flesh. Our true nature has been transformed and redeemed. Though we still battle temptation, it does not originate from within our true identity as new creatures in Christ Jesus. When we are assaulted by the desire to sin, we need to tell ourselves, "This isn't coming from my heart because what my heart truly wants is to obey God." The fears that too often threaten to immobilize us come, not from our own hearts, but from the enemy who doesn't want us to realize our true potential as weapons in the hands of our God.



Eldredge goes on to discuss the means by which our hearts can be set free and we can reclaim the unique glory which God intended to reflect from the heart of each one of us. We must learn to trust our God enough to be weapons He can wield for His own glory. We must recognize that we were made for this purpose and to fulfill it is our hearts' deepest desire.

came damaged but amazon made it very easy to return and they sent out a new one quite promptly. it is a good read.

"Waking the Dead" by John Aldredge centers around letting God awaken our heart and letting Him set us free to be the men He wants us to be. While the book still uses a bit of contemporary movies (The Matrix, for example), there seems to be less of that than in an earlier book by Aldredge - "Wild at Heart". Also, the author seems to refer the Bible more than he did in "Wild at Heart".

Particularly interesting to me were the chapters entitled:

1. Walking With God.
2. Receiving God's Intimate Counsel.
3. Deep Restoration.
4. Spiritual Warfare - Fighting for Your Heart.

While the other chapters were okay, I personally liked the four listed above better.

Still, a good book for challenging and encouraging men to let God wake them up and be the men God wants us to be.

Recommended.

So this is the fourth book I've read by John Eldredge (The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We'Ve Only Dreamed of, The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer To The Heart Of God (Walker Large Print Books), Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul) and I have to say that I would be unable to differentiate between the message of all four of his books. I'm not trying to brag about reading four of his books; I am trying to say that I am easily taken in by a fancy new cover and a clever title. Maybe I could pick up on the differences between the books if I had a highlighter and tons of time - but I don't have a highlighter, so I won't.

Eldredge's biggest argument is the that heart is where true life can be found, and that Satan is after our hearts. In this book he offers yet another illustration for his main premise, basically interweaving his message with movies and stories. This is probably the last Eldredge book I will read, since I already know the theme of the next book: Your heart is under attack and you must fight to save it.

I did like this quote from the book: "It's the famished heart that falls for seduction." This is true in everyone's life.

I stumbled upon this book by accident, oops, there are no accidents. It was meant to be that my nephew showed me this book as he was passing through my town.(he is a Cobra Helicopter pilot, heading off to Iraq in March). I opened to a few pages and knew that I needed to order this book right away. The right time in my life for this read...I couldn't put it down. It was written with humor and sincerity. It touched upon many thoughts that have been brewing in my being for years...validating what sometimes I thought were whimsical ideas floating aroundin my head. It is my opinion that this author was clearly touched by the Holy Spirit. I felt as though the author kept his writing in biblical truth. I thank him for his gift of writing and sharing very intimate feeings he has about nature, famiy and life. A very, very good read.

"If I'm really a Christian, why do I struggle so much?" "How come I can't seem to change?" If you've ever struggled with those kinds of questions, this book is for you. Many people come to faith in Christ, but never learn how the Gospel can be applied to their hearts to change their patterns of sin and struggle. How People Change, by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp is designed to address that problem.

The authors write: "Often there is a vast gap in our grasp of the gospel. It subverts our identity as Christians and our understanding of the present work of God. This gap undermines every relationship in our lives, every decision we make, and every attempt to minister to others. Yet we live blindly, as if the hole were not there." (pp. 2).

The authors, both counselors and theologians, spend the rest of the book laying out a description of the way real change can occur in a believer's life. They use stories of real people (with the names changed) and show how this process of change looks as it is occurring. Their tone is hopeful, yet realistic and their method is gospel and grace-centered, rather than legalistic. They also do a great job of balancing the "big picture" with specific instructions and helpful diagrams. Overall, after reading this book, I was encouraged by the many reminders of how God provides the power and method for real change in our lives!

"The gospel calls us to look at the messiness of life in a radically different way. The good news of the gospel is that Christ has conquered sin and death, and with them every meaningless and destructive end. Our final destination infuses every word, action, desire, and response with meaning and purpose. There are no completely hopeless situations. The gospel welcomes us to a hopeful realism. We can look life in the face and still be hopeful because of who Christ is and where he is taking us. Everything God has brought into your life has been brought with your destination in view. God is moving you on, even when you think you are stuck." (pp. 52).

After showing how sin works, how our responses to situations reveal our hearts, and how the cross addresses these issues, and how genuine spiritual fruit is produced, the next to last chapter tells a story of how one couple's story was changed by the gospel story! It shows what their story was, what their problems were, the consequences they faced from their sin, and how the grace of God changed and healed them. And then the last chapter shows how an entire church was changed as the leaders of the church decided to renew their vision for a gospel-centered focus in all their ministries. Their story is the story for every church, and it has great reminders for us! If you want to change or to help others change, this is a must have and must read book for you! I will let the authors have the last word for this review:

"Our desire is to see individual Christians and entire churches participate in a groundswell of gospel celebration--a celebration of the amazing grace available to us in Christ. Father, Son, and Spirit are at work to make the church a radiant bride, purified and glorious, ready for his appearing. This vision pulls us upward, beyond our personal happiness, so that we might enjoy his blessings and offer them to others. Our hope and prayer is that this book will help you grow in grace as an individual within a community of faith. May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18)." (pp. 252-253).

I have literally done dozens of Bible studies in small groups, and this one is over and above The Best. It's nothing inherently new, but the way the authors organize the study and theologically lay out the material, as well as their use of the Scriptures as foundational to illustrate the truth, has been nothing short of life changing for our little group of 40 something Christians. We have learned so much about each other that we never knew, so much about ourselves, and perhaps most exciting, have actually CHANGED in response to seeing exactly what a Gospel-centered life means TODAY, and how living in true community with other Christians is a basis for life change. The Gospel is relevant again, whaddya know! Not just when I got saved, or in eternity, but Today. I recommend it to everyone. Our church had the authors out for a seminar and they were humbly inspiring. Authentic Christianity at its best.

Modern counseling typically tries to give the counselee "tools" to help them either get through or stave off the "heat" of a problem. These "tools" are usually nothing more than new habits that usually last only a short time. Instead of addressing the fruits of our actions, this book gets to the heart, the root--where real change can take place. We must first see who we are apart from Christ, and then see who we are in Christ. As the comfort and the call of the Gospel begins to shape our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will find what is at the root of our sinful behavior. This book is clearly written and extremely helpful for those who are ready to deal with their sin and long for a life that truly glorifies God.

This is an excellent book on how change happens in a Christian's life. Convinced that many people are filling the void in their lives (what the authors call "the gospel gap") with things that are NOT the gospel, though they may be good (e.g. bible study, activities, experiences, etc.) the authors seek to drive home the power of the gospel itself to bring about genuine, lasting change in our lives. They talk about HEAT (the trials and testings that come our way0, THORNS (the negative responses we show under pressure), FRUIT (genuine evidence of gospel-centered change in our lives), and CROSS (the root of all true change). Their prose is smooth and easy to read, their stories are interesting and true to live, their theology is biblical and immensely practical, and the effect in my own life was increased wisdom, fresh passion, and strengthend hope. This is a REALLY good book that I plan to give away to others.

Written by Christian counselors and faculty Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change discusses the biblical pattern of change that any Christian can apply to the challenges of his or her daily life. Encompassing the principle that change comes not only from within, but also with the guidance of God helping the individual become what he or she was created to be, How People Change is embraces the qualities of love and redemption. "Without an awareness of Christ's presence, we tend to live anxiously. We avoid hard things and are easily overwhelmed. But a clear sense of identity and provision gives us hope and courage to face the struggles and temptations that come our way." A profound self-help guide grounded firmly in Christian faith.

This is extremely comprehensive. The DVD that comes with it is excellent for research -- especially good for writing papers.

Collins presents a rather interesting read. His book by book breakdown of the Hebrew Bible Scriptures is easy to read, and even enjoyable to parouse. A major pitfall of the book is that it provides deep doubts about the validity of Scripture without adequate information or data backing up such negative claims-- namely that a majority of the stories are folklorish in origin, solely for the purpose of explaining God's nature without fact, etc.-- and seems to be aimed more at disproving the Scripture's validity than studying the meaning behind Scripture. Many times Biblical scholars are able to state the intent of a Biblical passage without casting such deep shadows of doubt over how they should be read, their originality/validity, etc. Such a dark casting of the Scriptural sources seems hardly helpful to the student of these Scriptures. Yet it is also impossible to state that Collins fails to offer interesting information and historical background; this he achieves through several very well stated parallels to Ancient Middle Eastern lengends, stories, and other pieces of literature that clearly had an effect on the development of the Hebrew Bible. With plenty of delight but a bit too much doubt, this book is definitely an interesting and insightful read.

The author offers considerable information which illuminates the Old Testament. He makes points for supporting as well as refuting stories, details, which otherwise might well be taken for granite by the casual reader.

In my six years of study as a post-graduate Theology student,I have read many books introducing me to Hebrew Scripture. Many were excellent and scholarly yet none possessed the "flow and enticement" of Collins' research and presentation. I looked forward each night to resuming my study. Collins managed to tie all the information together, fill in all the gaps, present many perspectives and offer the latest assessment of the evidence thus far. I teach an Adult Bible Study - and ALWAYS have this book at my side. It's as pleasurable a read as it is informative!

The author presupposes that the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) is myth and builds all suppositions and arguments around that premise. Keep this in mind when you read.

Any true spiritual seeker cannot afford to pass this book up. Ironically, it's impossible to convey in words what it contains and why it is so valuable. It's left to each of us to find the way. Highly recommended, but bear in mind that it isn't "easy."

The book fascinated me, changed the way I considered things,made me think enlightment was really at hand. Three years later, I have changed my mind about it. The discerment and rethoric Nisargadat are just impressive, perhaps underrated in todays philosophic and spiritual world.
However, I must say it's up to the reader to believe if this is the real path to enlightment. I won't say here what I believe. The book is a jewell of the advaita philosophy. I don't remember skipping pages or being bored in the 400 or more pages this book has.
Recommendable investment.

Are you awake? wondering why the old "ego entity" is still causing trouble? "I Am That" is probably the best medicine you can take during the "relative" process of unfolding. What a gem! Boy am I sorry I missed meeting this guy!

I have a library of hundreds of spiritual books, representing every major religious and mystical tradition.

Few possess the clarity, the startling immediacy, the actual life-altering power of this volume.

If there is such a thing as a holy book, here is one.

What more can be said?

I purchased my first copy of this book 25 years ago, have purchased or read hundreds since and never found any writing more essential to Self-realization than I Am That. Every mind blowing word comes from a simple man who had never received a formal education beyond primary learning. His photo alone will send you into the mystery.

Nisargadatta's teaching is simple and radical. Give every spare second of your free time to being conscious to the only fact you know...I Am. What is that? Look, intuit, be still and realize. Stay with what you truly know and be this awareness always. I am not aware of any spiritual teacher who has offered more truth than this book contains in its 110 dialogues with students. Yet, as Nisargadatta says himself, "A quiet mind is all you need..." Our freedom is realized within and as our own Self. Nisargadatta points where we must BE. Anyone who takes up his advice as their own contemplation can realize the Absolute Self. This book is never the same in any reading and it nourishes the true in you. It flows like water that's headed home to the ocean. Jump in and let the current have you. I Am That is a timeless classic. Don't just read it, live it and be happy.

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