Resources Books

This book is a good read for anyone, especially those interested in or having adopted a child. It is directed at the professed believer who claims to want to honor and obey God. The author gives many scriptural examples of how the Father intended his children to behave in relation to those among us who are less fortunate and therefore needy. It touched my husband and me deeply as we are the parents of an adopted daughter who died four years ago. We have purchased several additional copies to give to others who for different reasons will be blessed by this excellent book.

This book is absolutely fabulous! I read it in less than 24 hours. It will move you to ACT. It is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. I sent an email to the author through his website - just for feedback - and received a personal response! This guy is 'for real' and is committed to helping orphans. Check out the Children's Hopechest organization after you read this book.

.......and you will hear Him, loud and clear. Beautifully written and easy to read. This book is not complex and meant for study. It is a quick read of 2 hrs or so. It is a book of receiving and giving. You will receive a fresh anointing, a new hope and in turn you will be called to give it away. To share the hope and joy of Christ with those who are fatherless in spirit and in body. Amazing read!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Tom Davis for this powerful reminder.
This is a great book that will provoke the reader, gently prodding them into activity...and all the while raising our awareness of God's blessing in our lives.
A memorable read!

"In this world you are an orphan; eagerly anticipating your adoption as God's child.
In this world you are a widow; longing for reunion with your Bridegroom.
In this world you are a stranger; a pilgrim waiting to become a citizen of heaven.
And in this world, God has called you to care for the orphan, the stranger, and the widow."

So starts Tom Davis' short, but powerful book on compassion to the orphan, the stranger, and the widow in Fields of the Fatherless.
I'd highly recommend this book to all followers of Jesus, regardless of your call to adopt. It's applicable to the entire body of Christ.

Ultilizing the metaphor of the Old Testament practice of leaving a portion of your field for the 'stranger, the fatherless, and the widow' (Deut. 24:19f), Davis offers a passionate plea for living a life of compassion to the less fortunate.

These less fortunate (strangers, widows, orphans) are mentioned over 60 times in Scripture! Yet we tend to have blinders on when reading our Bibles. Studies show that Christians give less than non Christians to AIDS related causes (the leprosy of our day).

But in ignoring the orphans, the widows, and the strangers, we are missing out on an incredible, joy that can only come with sacrifice. For in the eyes of the orphan, we catch a glimpse of God.

Davis writes: "To feed, clothe, and treat the fatherless as members of one's own family is to live out the call of Christ." (55) This book is a great advocacy tool in raising up the church to live out its call to the fatherless. I will be passing it out to my senior pastor, and our mission board to read and (I hope) inspire. We'd encourage you to do the same. It's a quick read, consisting of over 6 chapters, and refrains from using technical adoption jargon. Rather, it simply and passionate pleads the case for the downtrodden in our world.

"But whoever has this world's gods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"--I John 3-16-17

Until search engines get a heck of a lot more intelligent than they are now, the best source for web site recommendations is from human beings. Particularly humans passionate about their subject matter. Judy and Gloria won't waste your time with a bazillion irrelevant links. They know their subject matter, and they know a good site when they see one. They're also a stitch. Or perhaps two stitches. Buy this book!

In addition to extremely helpful tips throughout, this little book is jammed-packed with great sites that are nicely arranged. No more wasting time with a search engine for me! I give it two thumbs way up!

Judy and Gloria have done it again! They've boiled down all the obfuscations of the net into discussions that quilters will enjoy. They offer their picks for the best Web sites to find free patterns, free quilting how-tos, and even free stuff for doll-makers. It would be hard to find this kind of stuff with a searcher. The net information in this book is completely different from what's in their Quilter's Computer Companion. That's a good book too, but this is more updated and complete. This is a very easy book to read, learn from and enjoy.

This book is a valuable resource for quilters at all levels of computer knowledge. It explains away a lot of the "mysteries" of why your computer acts the way it does and points you in various directions to research out your own particular interests. Written in an easy conversational tone, it imparts a lot of information without talking down or over your head.

Every quilter should own this book. Thanks Judy and Gloria for putting together such a wonderful book. Keep up the good work!!

Misti Burmeister has a wonderful ability to teach through experience. Her knowledge of generational differences and how to bring them together is terrific. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with "How do I reach the upcoming generation?"

This book came to me with high recommendation and it is covers the topic of workplace relationships much more in depth than I expected.

It has helped me better understand the communication dynamics that I encounter in the workplace. It certainly clears up some of the difficulties I experienced in dealing with Bloggers.

When it comes right down to it, many of our workplace frustrations come from unclear communication. This books should be used in colleges to educate the new workforce. It would be great to see businesses using it as a topic for training.

In fact I will be training the principles highlighted in this book.

A very valuable resource for everyone.

I highly recommend Misti Burmeister's new book "From Boomers to Bloggers:
Success Strategies Across Generations." Ms. Burmeister explains the puzzling
but very real conflicts that often occur in today's work place between seasoned
and entering professionals. She then provides practical communication techniques
for bridging this generation gap that will improve productivity, efficiency, and personal
satisfaction. Arguing persuasively for mentoring relationships that benefit
all parties, Burmeister offers many examples based on her own experiences
and those of colleagues in readable and entertaining prose enlivened by a
variety of inspiring and memorable quotations on leadership and the "good
life."

This book is a nice introduction to life in the working world. It's more than just making money for the weekends... working can be a lot of fun if you take it seriously and understand teamwork is needed to be successful. I am sending this to my nephew (in college) to give him a competitive edge since this is material not even discussed in college. It is written with two perspectives, for the young professional and for the seasoned pro. I feel college grads would be better prepared and more mature after reading this one book.

I have found the biggest challenge in business to be the ability to communicate with the people around you, and there is no question that cross-generational communication presents the biggest challenge of all. Misti Burmeister has changed that with one of the most important publications of our time on the subject.

from Boomers to Bloggers should be required reading for baby boomers and the young professionals to whom they will pass the baton. Misti has done us all a service with specific advice on ways to communicate effectively, to break down artificial barriers and to celebrate relationships that would otherwise have been lost in the translation.

Thanks Misti! Awesome work!

"Getting them to give a Damn" by Eric Chester is an eye-opening, easy read about the generation in the work force - and those following closely behind. This instant gratification, tell me "why", and I'm doing it my way, employee is changing the way work gets done.

This book gives some insight into communication skills, win-win work examples and how to say it so they'll understand.


Must have for any parent, high school teacher or employee of this age group!

..altho the content is interesting and could be useful. On the other hand, to turn the question round, why should I give a damn if these brats can't make the connection themselves. We're entering a major economic downtown, I can hire people from India or China who come with a built-in work ethic that doesn't need me to pamper and motivate them. Why go to the trouble. If they can't make the connection themselves and shape up, too bad, so sad......

I was often puzzled by employees in their early 20s. They brought different values, expectations and skills to the workplace. My job was to teach them the service ethic, to keep them long enough to get the benefit of my training efforts and keep them motivated to put in a good day's work.
This book addresses those issues. Any employer today needs to inform themselves on how to deal with this age group.

Answers to the, "What's in it for me?" question are relevant to more than just Chester's "Kidployees" - youth who have come of age in the late 90' and beyond; these answers are required for virtually every employee and this book delivers practical, relevant, everyday applicable, ways to answer that question with your employees. Reflecting common sense, as well as a sense of humor, Chester delivers means and methods to address front-line worker's all important needs for purpose, identity, and accountability. From CEO to front-line supervisor, this easy to read, enjoyable book will provide countless ideas for making that all important, bottom-line, performance connection with your staff.

From the section on "How to Attract Them", to "How to Keep Them", to "How to Connect with Them", Chester will hold your interest with his logic, humor, and common sense ideas for respecting, motivating, and holding them accountable. If you are responsible for managing more than one (yourself) employee, give this book a try. I highly recommend it.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

Eric Chester's Getting Them To Give A Damn: How To Get Your Front Line To Care About Your Bottom Line provides an excellent key to turning uncaring employees into performers and innovators. The latest generation shares a new set of values and won't blindly conform to company policy - but they can be motivated, and 'Generation Y expect' author Eric Chester shows how. From recruiting the best new employees to using different types of training to make them loyal, this is a 'must' for any member of the 'next generation employer'.

The story follows a number of themes, including the challenges of growing up in our complicated modern world, family loyalties, love of nature, and the environmental concerns that threaten our way of life. These real-life issues are told with an over-lay of fantasy and magic, weaving them together in a delightful book.

I was connected to this book through Roots and Shoots as a book club choice. The girls from my group loved reading it. It had great lessons about nature, plants, beliefs, and coming of age in modern day.
Great for a book club for girls 11-14.

Only three people see and understand the power in a grove of larch trees called Girlwood: the power that holds fairies, and that gives Polly the ability to protect her reckless teen sister Bree, who runs away from home. Can Girlwood protect against developers who want to cut down the forest? A fine story of magic and fantasy evolves in a fine read for young adults who want uplifting adventure.

With one foot in the modern world and one foot in a world of fantasy, Claire Dean's Girlwood takes us into the life of Polly Greene, who can see the colors that surround people, revealing their true selves. Polly's older sister, Bree, disappears into the woods one night, and Polly is the only one who believes she has not run far, that she's hiding nearby to heal her out-of-control life.

When Polly finds a magical clearing hidden among the trees, she's certain that her sister is close, and she determines to leave her food and clothing and healing plants to help Bree survive until she's ready to return.

Girlwood explores many themes as Polly enlists the help of friends and family in her mission:
What's the value of nature compared to development?
Why do girls sometimes subvert their own personalities when they start to date?
How does divorce affect family dynamics?
How can parents teach and protect their children while also allowing them to have independent thoughts?

The themes are woven into a story that is as enchanting as the magical clearing, Girlwood, itself. And by the end, you may even find yourself searching for your own Girlwood.

This is my favorite book ever! A beautifully-written, uplifting, green story of a girl who refuses to believe that her sister is lost forever. Three generations of women find their way back to each other and magic literally lights up the woods. Everyone should read this book. Perfect for mothers and daughters to read together.

A great resource for design professionals. I greatly appreciate the honest real world look at vegetated roof planting. Simple plant mixes that have been tested and photographed are really all i need to spec out a system and sound like the genius architect i pretend to be. This little book has already saved me thousands in consultants. Thanks.

This book is the most comprehensive green roof plant resource available; a must-have for anyone specifying, designing, or constructing green roofs.

Once you commit to the vegetated roof concept, you are very soon confronted with what will work up there. This book is a great point of departure!

While I knew from the title of the book that this is a source of information for green roof plants, I still expected to find information on installation techniques, either very specifically or at least with a list of companies or other sources cited where I could find installation techniques. Only a couple of companies are cited, but with no Sources section in the back of the book -- only nurseries. Many subjects directly connected to planting and building a green roof are only generally touched on with broad explanations. The plant selection pages are great, with lots of color photos and good description.

I first must confess that have a green roof on my 2 car rear garage here in Washington, DC and worked directly with the author on choosing the proper plants to thrive in our little micro-climate. So I already know the Snodgrass' are the pre-eminent experts in the United States on the types of plants suitable for a given situation.

That being said, this book provides an invaluable resource for those interested in, or who may become interested in, having a green roof for their home. When we installed our roof 4 years ago, had we not met the authors we would have had great difficulty in even knowing where to begin. Now all of us have that starting point: by reading Green Roof Plants.

And don't think you must be an environmentalist to consider installing a green roof - many do so simply for the aesthetics. In fact, as city dwellers with limited space, we chose a green roof to have something beautiful to view from our kitchen. I suspect there are many of you who really never have thought of having a green roof and would be consigned to a lifetime of looking down or up at a plain shingled, painted or tarred roof. Don't be that homeowner! Installation of a green roof adds perhaps 10-20% to the cost of a painted roof, extend the roof's life and provides significant environmental benefits. Go for it, and buy this book first!

This book changed my life. It single-handedly improved all of the relationships in my life. I am more capable and have a better sense of how to deal with people and their feelings since I read this book. It has dramatically increased the quality of my life and marriage. This book is easily understood and applied to any conversation. It was a pleasure to find one book that could resolve all problems in any relationship. It opens all lines of communication at work and at home. This is one book that everyone needs to make their life the best.

The HEAR Process presents a way of communicating that WORKS and does it in such a way that the reader will be hard pressed to walk away with questions of 'how' or 'why'. The form of communicating is so natural that it makes teaching it to others a snap. The rewards one receives from following the HEAR process far outweigh results from other communication tools I've used. One quickly feels for the party expressing their pain. Empathy is a natural outcome. It's truly magical! The HEAR process is so well written and easy to follow ANYONE can pick up this book and benefit from it; however, The HEAR Process is a MUST HAVE for all in the helping profession. It will revolutionalize not only your practice but your HEART!

This is the best book to help people have the best marriage possible. It is also beneficial for co-workers, friends, and other relationships. This is written in an easily understood format. This is the most effective tool for communication ever written. I have never enjoyed reading a book more than I have this one. It has changed my life and the quality of all of the relationships in my life. If I only had one book to own, this would be my choice. It is the most helpful book I have ever read.

Deborah's book masterfully addresses the need for empathy, and not defensiveness or aggression, in communicating the deep issues of relationship. At one of the most delicate points of resolving problems, where couples can so easily take a hurtful path, this book helps them to navigate successfully.
In addition to this, the book offers many other very practical helps for people who are wanting clear information. It challenges the myths that people have to "just know" how to build and maintain relationships.

This is the best and most helpful book ever written! It saved every relationship in my life and especially my marriage. The information in this book is easily understood and applied to any situation. It has opened communication in every relationship. Friendships and any interpersonal conversation can benefit from this process of talking and interacting with one another. This is the most informative book written regarding family counseling. I have never enjoyed reading anything as much as this book. This book greatly improved the quality of my life. My life has never been better because of this book.

We chose this book for our bible study. It is a great way to study the life of King David. We are very happy to have been able to get this book so quickly so we didn't have to wait to start our bible study.

A Heart Like His: Member Book
This is a great study book on the story of David by Beth Moore. It seems like a lot of work, but the rewards are great. This study is great for all ages and it doesn't matter if your a "new" Christian or a very seasoned one. My girlfriend described the study as a "good book you can't put down".

I oredered more books for my ladies Bible Study. I also made it more difficult by ordering one at a time on the same day (two extra women signed an hour between each other) I thought, "they will be confused by this I'm sure!" They confirmed my crazy order in minutes and I received my books as quickly as I possibly could. They were used books but I found them to be in good shape and ready to use. Thank You again for the quality service I received. I don't go anywhere else for my book orders! Arleen Liotta

I rec'd the book I ordered in excellent condition in just a couple of days. Thank you Amazon.com!!

This book as been a great study. I have learned much from it. The questions are clear and easy to follow. Makes a good group or as a single study. It has been very satisfying. Beth Moore does an excellent job of keeping your attention.

Being a very experienced recruiter of IT and telco professionals myself, and also having written books on recruiting, I appreciate this book. There is not many books on this subject, and this along with Hodges: Technical Recruting must rank among the very best. Having said that I think the part on Internet sourcing, as well as online screening/testing, could have been much more comprehensive for a book published as late as 2004.

Finally, a book that is focused on hiring technical people. Great read, very informative.

If you want to increase your ability to attract and hire people who will help build the company while avoiding costly hiring mistakes, Johanna Rothman's book, Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds, can help.

The book is full of detailed guidance on each step of the hiring process, from creating a hiring strategy to making the new hire's first day a great one. The book provides templates and examples to help determine the required and desirable skills for a job, identify elimination factors, and articulate interpersonal and cultural fit qualities necessary for success.

Assessing skills in an interview isn't sufficient; it's how people apply those skills and adapt to situations that determine success. So Johanna details how to use behavioral questions and auditions to gain a clear picture of how a person is likely to perform in your context.

Hiring the Best will help you fine-tune your hiring process, make the best use of your time, and increase your hiring success.

Even if you have a lot of experience with recruiting, selecting and hiring technical people or managers, this book can help. I recently needed to hire a new manager. I already knew that behavioral questions give the most insight into a candidate's experience and potential fit with the hiring organization. However, Johanna's extensive list of behavioral questions gave me a head start on writing an interview protocol that our panel of interviewers could use. I selected several questions from her lists that only needed slight modification to work for the position we wanted to fill. Not only did we get a great manager to hire, all of our candidates told us how much they enjoyed the interviews! Several said it was the best interview experience they'd ever had. Thanks, Johanna!

As other reviewers have pointed out, this book goes all the way from first defining the open position through to the new hire's first day on the job. It contains extremely detailed information on how to handle each step of complicated processes like sourcing, handing the interview day, and making a final hire/no hire decision. Admittedly, her approach is very similar to what I'm used to from Microsoft, so I may be a bit biased, but this resonated well with me and what I've seen succeed in my hiring experiences.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's new to the hiring process or who is finding they're not able to fill open positions as quickly as they'd like.

I was always thought that Myers-Briggs was the queen of personality theories, until I read this book. After reading this book, I was able to work much more efficiently with one of my co-workers (with whom I previously felt like I was always spinning wheels and getting no where in terms of accomplishing work tasks). This book also offered specific tips that improved my communication with my roommates. I've always been intrigued by personality theories, but this is the first system that I was able to seamlessly implement in my life, with positive outcomes. Unlike a lot of personality theories, you don't have to give everyone a 20-page questionnaire and then scratch your head trying to figure out how these newly found "insights" might inform your interaction. No, it's much less awkward and much more useful than that. It gives you simple, specific cues to look for to assess the person's preferred mode of functioning, along with specific tips to improve your interaction. (Don't get me wrong, I still think that Myers-Briggs is good, but this book is so much better, that even if you dislike Myers-Briggs or personality tests in general, I'd recommend giving this book a try.)

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightend awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and related to people. I can see some real possibilities for applying in a business context.

the first time that I have found an approach which looks at humans holistically and systemically. It is not a group of personality characteristics describing superficial behaviours, but a way of understanding and recognising internal processes particular to various human dynamics. It therefore goes much deeper than any other personality assessment technique I have seen and because of this can not be reduced to a paper and pencil test. However, the gift this approach brings is that it can be taught to everyday people and can provide access to better relationships and a greater understanding of how to release our judgement of others. A truly life changing book.

If you have found most personality tests insignificant, unhelpful, or unrevealing, then perhaps this book is for you. Human Dynamics goes into much more depth and provides a greater understanding of human communication and actions than any simple personality test. While people can be placed into certain "dynamics," these dynamics are not nearly as restraining or stereotypical as personality tests tend to be. Rather than explaining one's personality, dynamics explain how groups of people tend to process information, not necessarily how aggressive, passive, or "likeable" they are. This book helped me in terms of personal discovery, and has also helped me understand why it always seemed that so many people "just never seemed to think like me."

Models to describe human personality are presented. Each model has it unique characteristics, its strengths and weaknesses. Each model will respond most effectively to certain modes of communications. This understanding of the different models presented will help a manager, a teacher, a student or just about anybody to understand themselves and people around them better. This will enable better communication of ideas and thoughts. Students will learn better and managers will be able to communicate more effectively with individuals. The models can be taken up to an organizational level. The applications of this book are far and wide. It is also simply and clearly written.