Jason Thomas Books
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In The Grip Of Grace
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson (1996-08-06)
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Love the paradigm
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-29
Review Date: 2007-09-29
His opening paradigm (chapter 1) is remarkable. I remember it, even years later! And how he builds on that is excellent. One of his best.
Best Lucado
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-09
Review Date: 2006-08-09
Like some other Christian authors, Lucado has such a large library of books that deciding on one can be daunting for a new comer.
So, if you've never read anything by Lucado before, I recommend you start right here.
"In the Grip of Grace" is by far my favorite work by Max.
Enjoy!
Also recommended: He Still Moves Stones and When God Whispers Your Name
So, if you've never read anything by Lucado before, I recommend you start right here.
"In the Grip of Grace" is by far my favorite work by Max.
Enjoy!
Also recommended: He Still Moves Stones and When God Whispers Your Name
Helped me in many ways...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-30
Review Date: 2004-07-30
I was drifting from the church. I had (and continue to have) a different perspective on the church from certain issues. I was taking a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to homosexuality, basically saying, what they want to do is between them and God, and it's not the role of man to place judgment on them for that. And certainly not the role of man (or church) to LEGISLATE morality. But, before I get someone ripping my head off for that opinion, you can imagine that it isn't popular in the church.
When I read this book, I saw so many people in the Church in the role of the second brother in the parable of the river. The Fault-Finding Judgmentalist. And at that point I was instantly hooked into this book. I felt like this was someone who saw things from my perspective, whether he agreed with me or not. He could at least see what I was thinking, of this much I was assured. He doesn't mention any of those controversial topics explicitly, but I feel like the interpretation is valid.
Simply put, I came away feeling a greater love and appreciation for God, and feeling thankful for His grace that has saved me. I'm still more far from the Church than I would prefer. It will take awhile for me to find my way completely back. But guided by my re-growing faith, and books like this, I won't be gone forever.
When I read this book, I saw so many people in the Church in the role of the second brother in the parable of the river. The Fault-Finding Judgmentalist. And at that point I was instantly hooked into this book. I felt like this was someone who saw things from my perspective, whether he agreed with me or not. He could at least see what I was thinking, of this much I was assured. He doesn't mention any of those controversial topics explicitly, but I feel like the interpretation is valid.
Simply put, I came away feeling a greater love and appreciation for God, and feeling thankful for His grace that has saved me. I'm still more far from the Church than I would prefer. It will take awhile for me to find my way completely back. But guided by my re-growing faith, and books like this, I won't be gone forever.
Fault finding bridge builder
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-04
Review Date: 2006-07-04
My review is not meant to be a beautiful write up for Max, I am sure he is a great guy, but hey, even his insurance company has problems with him. (I must be a the judgemental type) This book helped me realize that no matter how hard I try or how hard I think I am trying its not good enough. I cant jump to the moon, I cant make it up the river alone, and I cant place a value of a sin and try to "repay it with good". I am helpless. The book made me feel uncompfortable and small, but compared to God I think thats exactly how we have to feel to even accept his grace let alone understand it.
I reccomend this book to anyone who is desperate enough to listen. Dont read this for entertainment, Max is funny, but not that funny. Read it if you want to change. I know I did.
Thanks Max, for allowing God to use you as His megaphone.
I reccomend this book to anyone who is desperate enough to listen. Dont read this for entertainment, Max is funny, but not that funny. Read it if you want to change. I know I did.
Thanks Max, for allowing God to use you as His megaphone.
Changed my life...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-27
Review Date: 2004-09-27
I have been a church goer my whole life and just went with the flow, never really in touch with God...until I read this book. I read it, and it turned me right around. This book will make you embrace the grace of an awesome God. If your life is off track this book will show you what is being offered to you, and if you've already accepted your forgiveness, this book will make you smile when you think of what an awesome God you serve. I love this book because it shows me how much God truly loves me and it sparked me into reading my bible daily and leading a different life. I love the joy that this book portrays that we Christians need to remember and embrace daily.
Deliver Us From Evil
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson (1996-10-08)
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Brilliant...!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-12
Review Date: 2007-08-12
Leave it to Ravi Zacharias to put eloquently what all of us somehow feels. Something's gone wrong in our society -- it's not as kind as it used to be. Something's amiss. Ravi has tapped into that "something". As always, brilliantly thought out and argued. Always with compassion but never compromised.
J.M. for W.M.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04
Review Date: 2007-01-04
I love anything Ravi Zacharias writes. He brings you to the only conclusion possible in whatever spiritual truth he is presenting, and I love this. But greater still --- there is in Ravi Zacharias a truth that transcends intellect -- he genuinely loves the Lord he writes (or speaks) about. This makes his books or his sermons worth my attention.
The Best Book by Ravi Zacharias
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-21
Review Date: 2006-10-21
"When we see our hearts as God sees them, we find His strength, not only to understand good and evil, but to act on it. The one who resists this truth has nowhere to turn." (p. 184)
Ravi Zacharias is a native of India, but got Saved and converted to Christianity as a young man. He is most famous as a public speaker for explaining and defending Christian concepts in an intellectually thoughtful context, mostly by debunking the faulty viewpoints of the opposition. Where other radio preachers and book authors are heavy on emotionally expounding upon Scripture, Ravi's unique approach focuses on intellectual discourse. He talks and reasons his way as to why Christianity and Bible teachings are correct, without necessarily using Scripture as the sole evidence, but rather by using logic and focused thinking. He teaches Bible truths and values using observations about society, history, and culture.
I personally find that Ravi is most concise and focused on the radio, not in his books, nevertheless, in his autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, Ravi says that DELIVER US FROM EVIL and THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM are his bestselling books. I have read both, and I think this book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is his strongest work.
"It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched America's conscience. Nor was it the intent or content of the Koran. By no stretch of imagination was it the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. America's soul was indubitably formed in keeping with the basic assumptions and injunctions of this, the moral law of the Hebrews, which gave her a vision of history's linear thrust whereby she was to reconcile liberty with law." (p. 154)
In DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Ravi writes about the state of Western culture, which has largely abandoned Bible-based morality and thus also suffered the consequences which we must now try to redeem. "Freedom can be destroyed, not just by its retraction, but also by its abuse." (p. 86)
The popular concept that there are no absolute truths, and thus anything goes, morally speaking, is at the basis of today's sorry state of affairs, culturally speaking. "An ABSOLUTE is basically an unchanging point of reference by which all other changes are measured...RELATIVISM is, therefore, only another word for ANARCHY, and that is why truth itself becomes elusive when there is no longer a point of reference." (p. 219)
The danger is that without a commonly accepted standard of morality, our culture is constantly under attack from within, by people with unhappy, desperate hearts which know no peace, and who wish to enforce an absence of morality. "Rebellion that sees no sanctity in life's essence is a constant state of mind bespeaking a heart that will never be satisfied." (p. 136)
This can only be done by trying to build a consensus that there is no God, the Bible is not real, and all that exists and may be considered is the material world--ripped away from any spiritual meaning or purpose. "...secularization assumes that this world--the material world-- is all we have...secularism is the philosophy of choice for American intellectual and political life." (p. 23)
In the USA, where the the 1st Amendment has been perverted by religion haters to mean freedom FROM religion, the problem is one that we are living with everyday, and not for the betterment of society, but to its detriment. "Not only has secularization brought us a silent universe with no voice from without, it has also brought us a silence from within as it has redefined the whole role of conscience." (p. 56)
Have you ever been self-righteously confronted by someone defending morally reprehensible things, while condemning the concept of morality itself? "In an unbelievable and shocking turn of events we have moved from speaking out against certain moral choices to being pressured by political enforcement and the so-called tolerant cultural elite not only to accept what was once disapproved of, but to celebrate it. Allowance for people to determine their own moral destinies has been supplanted by the demand that even that which may be repugnant or offensive to one's moral sensitivities must be acclaimed and glorified." (p. 133)
The anti-Christian spirit of this age has increasingly, and secretively, turned to the power of a secular judicial system of government to try to enforce immorality and condemn morality. "...the power to create and enforce moral relativism has been placed into the hands of government. Political power is a strange place to entrust morality because proverbially politics is not synonymous with moral uprightness. The very institution that is distrusted most has now become the shaper of the soul." (p. 78)
These days, we are pretty far along the wrong path in our Western culture, and the good guys are very late in catching onto the game plan of the bad guys, to wit, the public school system has been taken over by secularist believers who get to teach their secular view of life while condemning a Christian worldview because it opposes their immoral behavior. "The whole point of state controlled education is that it gives to the government the power to shape the souls and write on the fresh slates of young hearts... to assume that they accept that responsibility from a posture of neutrality is to live under the most destructive illusion." (p. 138)
By the time I finished this book, I thought that Ravi explained how things got so bad in our culture, and that knowing that much, we are better equipped to understand and deal with the situation, which will basically require an act of God to straighten out, of course, but God will win in the end. Christians know how the Bible ends and the true believing Christians end up in Heaven, while what do the secularist have to look forward to in the end? Nothing, by their own perspective, and worse, eternal damnation from a Biblical viewpoint. You can't beat God in the end. "Throughout history the Word of God has remained firm; it rises up to outlive its pallbearers." (p. 190)
Amen that, Ravi, amen that.
Ravi Zacharias is a native of India, but got Saved and converted to Christianity as a young man. He is most famous as a public speaker for explaining and defending Christian concepts in an intellectually thoughtful context, mostly by debunking the faulty viewpoints of the opposition. Where other radio preachers and book authors are heavy on emotionally expounding upon Scripture, Ravi's unique approach focuses on intellectual discourse. He talks and reasons his way as to why Christianity and Bible teachings are correct, without necessarily using Scripture as the sole evidence, but rather by using logic and focused thinking. He teaches Bible truths and values using observations about society, history, and culture.
I personally find that Ravi is most concise and focused on the radio, not in his books, nevertheless, in his autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, Ravi says that DELIVER US FROM EVIL and THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM are his bestselling books. I have read both, and I think this book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is his strongest work.
"It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched America's conscience. Nor was it the intent or content of the Koran. By no stretch of imagination was it the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. America's soul was indubitably formed in keeping with the basic assumptions and injunctions of this, the moral law of the Hebrews, which gave her a vision of history's linear thrust whereby she was to reconcile liberty with law." (p. 154)
In DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Ravi writes about the state of Western culture, which has largely abandoned Bible-based morality and thus also suffered the consequences which we must now try to redeem. "Freedom can be destroyed, not just by its retraction, but also by its abuse." (p. 86)
The popular concept that there are no absolute truths, and thus anything goes, morally speaking, is at the basis of today's sorry state of affairs, culturally speaking. "An ABSOLUTE is basically an unchanging point of reference by which all other changes are measured...RELATIVISM is, therefore, only another word for ANARCHY, and that is why truth itself becomes elusive when there is no longer a point of reference." (p. 219)
The danger is that without a commonly accepted standard of morality, our culture is constantly under attack from within, by people with unhappy, desperate hearts which know no peace, and who wish to enforce an absence of morality. "Rebellion that sees no sanctity in life's essence is a constant state of mind bespeaking a heart that will never be satisfied." (p. 136)
This can only be done by trying to build a consensus that there is no God, the Bible is not real, and all that exists and may be considered is the material world--ripped away from any spiritual meaning or purpose. "...secularization assumes that this world--the material world-- is all we have...secularism is the philosophy of choice for American intellectual and political life." (p. 23)
In the USA, where the the 1st Amendment has been perverted by religion haters to mean freedom FROM religion, the problem is one that we are living with everyday, and not for the betterment of society, but to its detriment. "Not only has secularization brought us a silent universe with no voice from without, it has also brought us a silence from within as it has redefined the whole role of conscience." (p. 56)
Have you ever been self-righteously confronted by someone defending morally reprehensible things, while condemning the concept of morality itself? "In an unbelievable and shocking turn of events we have moved from speaking out against certain moral choices to being pressured by political enforcement and the so-called tolerant cultural elite not only to accept what was once disapproved of, but to celebrate it. Allowance for people to determine their own moral destinies has been supplanted by the demand that even that which may be repugnant or offensive to one's moral sensitivities must be acclaimed and glorified." (p. 133)
The anti-Christian spirit of this age has increasingly, and secretively, turned to the power of a secular judicial system of government to try to enforce immorality and condemn morality. "...the power to create and enforce moral relativism has been placed into the hands of government. Political power is a strange place to entrust morality because proverbially politics is not synonymous with moral uprightness. The very institution that is distrusted most has now become the shaper of the soul." (p. 78)
These days, we are pretty far along the wrong path in our Western culture, and the good guys are very late in catching onto the game plan of the bad guys, to wit, the public school system has been taken over by secularist believers who get to teach their secular view of life while condemning a Christian worldview because it opposes their immoral behavior. "The whole point of state controlled education is that it gives to the government the power to shape the souls and write on the fresh slates of young hearts... to assume that they accept that responsibility from a posture of neutrality is to live under the most destructive illusion." (p. 138)
By the time I finished this book, I thought that Ravi explained how things got so bad in our culture, and that knowing that much, we are better equipped to understand and deal with the situation, which will basically require an act of God to straighten out, of course, but God will win in the end. Christians know how the Bible ends and the true believing Christians end up in Heaven, while what do the secularist have to look forward to in the end? Nothing, by their own perspective, and worse, eternal damnation from a Biblical viewpoint. You can't beat God in the end. "Throughout history the Word of God has remained firm; it rises up to outlive its pallbearers." (p. 190)
Amen that, Ravi, amen that.
Where PoMo and the Multiculti Cult are leading us
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-04
Review Date: 2007-02-04
This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, identifies what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA. Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods. Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.
The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum). The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual. This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others.
The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations. Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again. Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.
Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul. Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart. The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook.
The Illusions of Postmodernism
Intellectual Impostures
Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas
Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie
The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum). The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual. This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others.
The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations. Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again. Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.
Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul. Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart. The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook.
The Illusions of Postmodernism
Intellectual Impostures
Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas
Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie
The rotten fruits of postmodernism
Helpful Votes: 20 out of 22 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-05
Review Date: 2006-03-05
This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, points out what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA.
Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods.
Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.
The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum).
The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual.
This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others. The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations.
Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again.
Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.
Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul.
Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart.
The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook. I also recommend Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Bruce Walker, While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski, The Dragons Of Expectation: Reality And Delusion In The Course Of History by Robert Conquest, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, The West's Last Chance by Tony Blankley and Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple.
Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods.
Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.
The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum).
The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual.
This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others. The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations.
Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again.
Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.
Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul.
Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart.
The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook. I also recommend Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Bruce Walker, While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski, The Dragons Of Expectation: Reality And Delusion In The Course Of History by Robert Conquest, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, The West's Last Chance by Tony Blankley and Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple.
A Guy's Guide to Life: How to Become a Man in 208 Pages or Less
Published in Paperback by Thomas Nelson (2004-11-17)
List price: $12.99
New price: $1.92
Used price: $1.82
Used price: $1.82
Average review score:
Fun Stuff!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-28
Review Date: 2007-07-28
This is an excellent book for boys when they are facing the tough issues of the teen years. It is written by a guy who has been there and can really understand where they are coming from and seems to be able to write in a way that boys will find interesting and relatable.
A Wonderful Book With Real Life Q
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-09
Review Date: 2006-12-09
I bought this book for my son two years ago as he was entering Middle School. As a single mom, I wanted to be able to open up the lines of communication regarding "guy stuff". This book has been wonderful! It covers everything from good grooming (thank goodness) to puberty, peer pressure to dating, and everything in between. It has been the source of many great conversations and is chocked full of real life information. Three years later and now a Freshman in High School, my son still refers to this book and its well worn pages. Highly recommend for middle school and high school boys.
For All Christian Guy Teens
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-17
Review Date: 2006-06-17
I picked up my brother's book out of curiosity just to flip through it and I ended up reading most of it. Everything it said was truthful and had the influence of christian practices, but was so practical and honest. It feels great, as a christian teenage girl to know that there are guys out there who want to become better for God and for others, and they are willing to have morals and good values. I recommend this for every guy out there, the son, the brother, and the friend. Read it!
Best book ever for 15-year old boys
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-12
Review Date: 2006-03-12
I gave this to my almost 15-year old with some anxiety, wondering how he would accept it. He pretty much read it cover to cover without putting it down, commenting regularly on Jason Boyett's style of humor. I thought he'd shy away from mentioning what he was reading (especially the section on the three-letter-word)but he did well at telling dad what he was thinking. What more could one ask of a book aimed at a teen-age boy?
Good book, but description does NOT disclose its religious orientation
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-19
Review Date: 2006-03-19
I feel a bit uncomfortable when religious agendas are offered in a book's content and not disclosed before purchase. I'm fine with this book's ideology, but I wish the description had been more up-front with the fact that this is a book of religious instruction; I don't want non-religious readers (or people buying this book for a school or treatment setting where religious instruction is inappropriate) to feel "tricked" by this omission.
Hope Again
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson (1996-08-29)
List price: $19.99
New price: $3.30
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $19.99
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $19.99
Average review score:
Hope...again
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-09
Review Date: 2008-02-09
this is a wonderful book...to bring you to the wonder of hope found in scripture. Its a great book for anyone and very good for small groups.
Just when I needed it
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-08-28
Review Date: 1999-08-28
I have collected Charles Swindoll books through the years and the Lord has lead me to read them at the precise moment that I need to hear from Him. I am at a crucial point in my life and I am blessed at how seemingly, Chuck captures how I feel exactly... His prayers at the end of the chapters are my very prayers.
I hope we can invite Mr. Chuck Swindoll and Mr. Max Lucado, another Christian author, to the Philippines. If anyone out there knows how to get in touch with them, please e-mail me. we are willing to bring these two men of God to our beautiful Island Philippines.
In Christ, Virna Payawal
Another Great One By Swindoll!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-06
Review Date: 2007-11-06
"Hope Again" is yet another great book by Chuck Swindoll. This title focuses on the hope we have as believers in Jesus Christ despite the trials and temptations we go through. The Book of 1 Peter was the focus of this book.
Among the important points covered include:
1. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is a great way to witness to the world.
2. 3 natural reactions to unfair treatment.
3. God is good to those who wait on Him and seek Him.
4. Living an authentic Christian life will shock a pagan crowd.
5. Living life in view of Christ's return will give us perspective.
6. Be the person God created you to be.
7. God's way for us to deal with authority, attitude, and anxiety.
8. Battle tactics of the devil and 3 responses to his ploys (this was a particularly good chapter!!!).
Read, enjoy, and be encouraged in the Lord to hang in there and not give up.
Highly recommended.
Among the important points covered include:
1. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is a great way to witness to the world.
2. 3 natural reactions to unfair treatment.
3. God is good to those who wait on Him and seek Him.
4. Living an authentic Christian life will shock a pagan crowd.
5. Living life in view of Christ's return will give us perspective.
6. Be the person God created you to be.
7. God's way for us to deal with authority, attitude, and anxiety.
8. Battle tactics of the devil and 3 responses to his ploys (this was a particularly good chapter!!!).
Read, enjoy, and be encouraged in the Lord to hang in there and not give up.
Highly recommended.
A Masterpiece!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-22
Review Date: 2006-10-22
Though Chuck doesn't deal with each verse of 1 Peter, he has certainly unpacked his thesis. Chuck is not only a great expository preacher; he is a great writer.
I recommend this volume highly. The metaphors are riveting!
I recommend this volume highly. The metaphors are riveting!
I'm Hoping Again.
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-05
Review Date: 2000-04-05
This book really ministered to my very needs I'm a young man but the things that I was going through just made me lose hope. Things have been bright because my HOPE in Christ is more powerful than any circumstance that I will ever face. Thanks Charles for letting God use you like this.
The Covenant/The Inheritance/The Dream (The White Pines Chronicles 1-3)
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson Inc (1996-05)
List price: $24.99
New price: $28.48
Used price: $4.98
Used price: $4.98
Average review score:
I think this is a great book I love it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-06
Review Date: 1999-05-06
I like it becuse it is a love story and I love love stories and because fun to read and I think everyone should read it.
Great depiction of civil war era, great plot, kept attention
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-15
Review Date: 1999-04-15
THE COVENANT was an excellent book of one girl's struggle to find a place in a world spinning wildly out of her reach but to eventually find peace in Jesus. It felt like I was really in the Civil War era....
Hilda Stahls Literary Masterpieces
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-27
Review Date: 2004-12-27
The White Pine Cronicles was first introduced to me by my mother. Scince then I have read the Covenant approximately 7 times and the other two following it at least 5 times.
The Covenant follows Jennet Cordell. Jennet leads a harsh life on Roman Havlicks farm until she is sold by her father to repay debt to her uncle. Jennet fears she will never be able to survive under Taits strict and cruel hand until one fateful day when Freeman Havlick saves her. She now believes she is free but she does not know that Freeman has other plans for her.
The Inheritance is the story of young Lark Baritt and Clay Havlick. Lark is an orphan who through a matter of events comes to be the guard of the Havlicks beloved white pines. Clay is now 25 so the Pines belong to him and Lark fears that Veda Thorne is planning to marry Clay so he will give her the pines and her fathers revenge will be complete against the Havlicks who made him suffer so long ago. Lark protects the pines so they will not be lost to the Thornes but in the process fears she is losing her heart to the young Clay Havlick.
The Dream is the last book in this Saga. The Havlick twins suffer horribly from hate. Trent and Emily, and Justin and Prisilla, must all work together to fufill Jennets dream. In the process they must release the hate and find the love they each have hidden in their hearts.
This is the most wonderful series I have ever read and I will undoubtedly read it again.
The Covenant follows Jennet Cordell. Jennet leads a harsh life on Roman Havlicks farm until she is sold by her father to repay debt to her uncle. Jennet fears she will never be able to survive under Taits strict and cruel hand until one fateful day when Freeman Havlick saves her. She now believes she is free but she does not know that Freeman has other plans for her.
The Inheritance is the story of young Lark Baritt and Clay Havlick. Lark is an orphan who through a matter of events comes to be the guard of the Havlicks beloved white pines. Clay is now 25 so the Pines belong to him and Lark fears that Veda Thorne is planning to marry Clay so he will give her the pines and her fathers revenge will be complete against the Havlicks who made him suffer so long ago. Lark protects the pines so they will not be lost to the Thornes but in the process fears she is losing her heart to the young Clay Havlick.
The Dream is the last book in this Saga. The Havlick twins suffer horribly from hate. Trent and Emily, and Justin and Prisilla, must all work together to fufill Jennets dream. In the process they must release the hate and find the love they each have hidden in their hearts.
This is the most wonderful series I have ever read and I will undoubtedly read it again.
Hilda Stahl is an AMAZING WRITER!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-28
Review Date: 2004-03-28
I am very disappointed that these books are out of print. Why? They are probably the best Christian Romance books I have ever read. She is truley a compelling writer, and draws me into these books over and over again. I never, ever, get tired of reading the White Pine Chronicles. They have touched me in amazing ways, and have shown me the power of love through Jesus Christ in relationships. These stories are spiced with the perfect amount of healthy romance- which is very fulfilling. You finish these books wishing it never ended! Please take the time to read these books. You will not regret it. Hilda Stahl is an incredible writer, and these books should not be out of print!!!
the chronicles
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-12
Review Date: 2000-09-12
This trilogy is the one of the best peices of literature I have ever read in my life. it touched my heart as well as my soul and I find it extremely sad that it is no longer available. I hope against hope that it returns to print very soon. The three different stories are all very different but tie together in the most charming ways. I give this book a 10. no doubt, if you read this trilogy, you'll never forget it.
Maid in Manhattan
Published in Video Download by ()
List price:
New price: $6.99
Average review score:
*Great Movies!*
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-27
Review Date: 2008-01-27
These are two of the best.I love these movies.They are both movies that make you feel good.I will watch them again and again.Nothing is better than watching a great romantic movie.
Great Love stories !!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-31
Review Date: 2006-08-31
Great Price on these two Love Story classics. Jennifer Lopez is superb !!!
Nice addition to any collection
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-25
Review Date: 2006-07-25
I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, I had seen Fools Rush in many years ago, but had never seen Maid in America. I would highly recommend this combo to anyone, both movies are very good in my opinion.
TWO LATINA BEAUTIES GET THEIR MEN...
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-01
Review Date: 2006-06-01
MAID IN MANHATTAN ***
This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.
Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.
Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.
When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.
Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.
The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.
Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.
Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.
FOOLS RUSH IN ****
This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.
Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.
Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.
Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.
What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.
This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.
Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.
Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.
When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.
Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.
The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.
Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.
Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.
FOOLS RUSH IN ****
This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.
Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.
Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.
Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.
What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.
Maid in Manhattan
Published in Video Download by ()
List price:
New price: $2.99
Average review score:
*Great Movies!*
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-27
Review Date: 2008-01-27
These are two of the best.I love these movies.They are both movies that make you feel good.I will watch them again and again.Nothing is better than watching a great romantic movie.
Great Love stories !!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-31
Review Date: 2006-08-31
Great Price on these two Love Story classics. Jennifer Lopez is superb !!!
Nice addition to any collection
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-25
Review Date: 2006-07-25
I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, I had seen Fools Rush in many years ago, but had never seen Maid in America. I would highly recommend this combo to anyone, both movies are very good in my opinion.
TWO LATINA BEAUTIES GET THEIR MEN...
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-01
Review Date: 2006-06-01
MAID IN MANHATTAN ***
This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.
Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.
Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.
When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.
Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.
The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.
Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.
Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.
FOOLS RUSH IN ****
This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.
Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.
Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.
Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.
What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.
This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.
Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.
Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.
When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.
Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.
The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.
Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.
Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.
FOOLS RUSH IN ****
This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.
Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.
Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.
Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.
What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.
On the Road to Kandahar: Travels Through Conflict in the Islamic World
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Dunne Books (2007-05-01)
List price: $24.95
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Used price: $8.03
Average review score:
Good Insight in to the Islamic World
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
Review Date: 2008-02-13
I was impressed with a pace that Jason Burke established in reporting his decade or more of travel through Southwest Asia (Pakistan/Afghanistan) and Middle East. His optimism and hope stays alive throughout his various first hand encounters with horrific events. His book provides a very different viewpoint compared to the ones that I was able to follow through the USA based newspapers and magazines reports for the two post 9/11 wars (USA/Aghan War or USA/Iraq War II). He does not pretend to be a scholar and is certainly not biased in his analysis. I would recommend this book for folks who want to get a better insight of the Islamic World and all the precieved and real dangers surrounding it.
Burke's Travelogue
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-28
Review Date: 2007-09-28
I read Jason Burke's Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror, and found it the most factual book on the events surrounding 9/11. So, I had high expectations and was hopeful for further updates from his previous 2004 publication. As other reviewers have noted, this book is a travelogue and personal memoir of Mr.Burke's travels around the world, rather then an analysis of the Middle East.
Admittedly, I'm impressed with what has kept Mr.Burke busy the last 2 decades. But, there was nothing ground breaking or amazing here. The entire book comes off a bit flat, and shallow. If you're looking for a fun(relatively speaking), walk through the Middle East since 1990, then this book may entertain you. I was looking for more info on the "War on Terror", and didn't find much in here.
A much better travelogue through Afghanistan (albeit, without the political analysis), is Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan.
Admittedly, I'm impressed with what has kept Mr.Burke busy the last 2 decades. But, there was nothing ground breaking or amazing here. The entire book comes off a bit flat, and shallow. If you're looking for a fun(relatively speaking), walk through the Middle East since 1990, then this book may entertain you. I was looking for more info on the "War on Terror", and didn't find much in here.
A much better travelogue through Afghanistan (albeit, without the political analysis), is Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan.
Any collection serious about Middle East issues needs ON THE ROAD TO KANDAHAR.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-09
Review Date: 2007-08-09
ON THE ROAD TO KANDAHAR: TRAVELS THROUGH CONFLICT IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD could have been featured in our Travel Shelf section - but it's so much more, and shouldn't be limited to a leisure travel-reading audience alone. Jason Burke spent a decade among Muslim people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Thailand and other areas: his guide explores their culture and concerns, blending first-person experiences and encounters with interviews with a wide range of people, from Taliban officials and a former torturer for Husseun's intelligence service to a suicide bomber and an American sniper in Iraq. It's these varied encounters from different cultures in the area which offer eye-opening insights and cultural revelations not to be missed. Any collection serious about Middle East issues needs ON THE ROAD TO KANDAHAR.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Part Travel Book, Part Intellectual Travels, 100% Well-Written
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-24
Review Date: 2007-07-24
This is an excellent and informative book that's also a joy to read. Burke reports for Britain's "Observer" and he spent a decade covering stories in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria, and Turkey. He often found himself in the middle of complex acts of violence, and this book is part travel memoir and part intellectual memoir as he struggles to understand what it all means.
I look for a few specific things in a good piece of travel writing. First, it needs to be well written, and Burke crafts strong, clear, concise, fast-flowing writing. He writes like a journalist, which means he trades flowery metaphors for sharp, direct statements. His descriptions of characters and places capture both the details and the mood, which ends up being vital to the points he wants to make. I also want a writer with insight. The author certainly needs to show insight into the cultures he encounters, but if self-exploration is also a goal, he or she also needs to show personal insight. Without insight I'd rather read a Lonely Planet guidebook. I liked Burke's approach. He is honest about his knowledge of other cultures, and he admits what he thinks while also staying aware of his lack of understanding. He describes violent acts and acknowledges that the deeper conflicts often prove to be too old and twisted for him to fully grasp. As for personal insight, Burke goes looking for that only in order to understand the conflicts he experiences. He might explore his own reactions under enemy fire, but it's only to better understand the nature of violence. This isn't a work of "spiritual travel" or a man's search for meaning, but it recognizes that any questions about the nature of violence require an understanding of your own nature. Finally, I have to like the author. Reading a travel book is like sharing a journey, and Burke seems like a cool guy--impressed with his travels without becoming arrogant, tough without going macho on the reader, and knowledgeable without needing to be an expert. He never once annoyed me, which is a bit of a rarity in travel writing (and in real travel).
As for the ideas in "On the Road to Kandahar," I think it's fair to say that Burke ends up with more questions than answers. More accurately, he ends up with the same deep questions and only some preliminary answers, but he also learns how complex and troubling the original questions were. He wants to understand what motivates violence in the parts of the Islamic world he has visited, and what the end result of it all will be. The travel writing helps collect information for the first question. He talks to would-be suicide bombers, Kurdish resistance fighters, and Taliban sympathizers--many of them unlikable and unsavory characters--and tries to get at their motivations. He tries to piece it all together into a coherent understanding. He brings up the stress of change, and how the clash with modernity causes conflict in previously peaceful cultures. He discusses al-Qaeda's philosophies and how satellite television and the internet have allowed these philosophies to modify the grievances of local cultures. He explores how cultures react after they accept violence as an answer, and after they see the results of that violence on other cultures and on their own culture. He realizes that 99% of the world simply wants to get by and live life--to raise children and enjoy friendships and have enough to eat and drink each day.
And, finally, he sort-of comes to an optimistic conclusion--that cultures end up turning against violence. He sees much of the conflict in the Islamic world as a short-term answer (even if "short-term" means one hundred years), a trial attempt to solve problems with suicide bombers and violent revolution, and sees it all fading away once the cultures turn against it. I say "sort-of" because Burke is far from convinced, especially after experiencing the closeness of the London bombings. In the end, it's the best answer he has right now. And, in the end, it's this combination of intellectual honesty and optimism--and its telling in an exciting and engaging way--that helps make this such an outstanding book.
I look for a few specific things in a good piece of travel writing. First, it needs to be well written, and Burke crafts strong, clear, concise, fast-flowing writing. He writes like a journalist, which means he trades flowery metaphors for sharp, direct statements. His descriptions of characters and places capture both the details and the mood, which ends up being vital to the points he wants to make. I also want a writer with insight. The author certainly needs to show insight into the cultures he encounters, but if self-exploration is also a goal, he or she also needs to show personal insight. Without insight I'd rather read a Lonely Planet guidebook. I liked Burke's approach. He is honest about his knowledge of other cultures, and he admits what he thinks while also staying aware of his lack of understanding. He describes violent acts and acknowledges that the deeper conflicts often prove to be too old and twisted for him to fully grasp. As for personal insight, Burke goes looking for that only in order to understand the conflicts he experiences. He might explore his own reactions under enemy fire, but it's only to better understand the nature of violence. This isn't a work of "spiritual travel" or a man's search for meaning, but it recognizes that any questions about the nature of violence require an understanding of your own nature. Finally, I have to like the author. Reading a travel book is like sharing a journey, and Burke seems like a cool guy--impressed with his travels without becoming arrogant, tough without going macho on the reader, and knowledgeable without needing to be an expert. He never once annoyed me, which is a bit of a rarity in travel writing (and in real travel).
As for the ideas in "On the Road to Kandahar," I think it's fair to say that Burke ends up with more questions than answers. More accurately, he ends up with the same deep questions and only some preliminary answers, but he also learns how complex and troubling the original questions were. He wants to understand what motivates violence in the parts of the Islamic world he has visited, and what the end result of it all will be. The travel writing helps collect information for the first question. He talks to would-be suicide bombers, Kurdish resistance fighters, and Taliban sympathizers--many of them unlikable and unsavory characters--and tries to get at their motivations. He tries to piece it all together into a coherent understanding. He brings up the stress of change, and how the clash with modernity causes conflict in previously peaceful cultures. He discusses al-Qaeda's philosophies and how satellite television and the internet have allowed these philosophies to modify the grievances of local cultures. He explores how cultures react after they accept violence as an answer, and after they see the results of that violence on other cultures and on their own culture. He realizes that 99% of the world simply wants to get by and live life--to raise children and enjoy friendships and have enough to eat and drink each day.
And, finally, he sort-of comes to an optimistic conclusion--that cultures end up turning against violence. He sees much of the conflict in the Islamic world as a short-term answer (even if "short-term" means one hundred years), a trial attempt to solve problems with suicide bombers and violent revolution, and sees it all fading away once the cultures turn against it. I say "sort-of" because Burke is far from convinced, especially after experiencing the closeness of the London bombings. In the end, it's the best answer he has right now. And, in the end, it's this combination of intellectual honesty and optimism--and its telling in an exciting and engaging way--that helps make this such an outstanding book.
Justice
Published in Video Download by ()
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Average review score:
Awesome Movie that is VERY true to life.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-29
Review Date: 2007-11-29
Very True Depiction of the ever growing injustice that is taking place everday in Minority Communities around the county while everyone just sits around idly not doing anything to change it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, but especially blacks and hispanics, so that you can see how easily it could be you or someone that you love going through a similar situation. This movie makes you wanna get up and start a march or just want to do more to change the unfair practices used against Blacks and other minorities in the "so-called" name of JUSTICE. We need to all come together to make a change. This is how moved the movie made me. By the way, mandatory maximums and minimums should be abolished! Well, I hope you check out the movie which has an awesome cast of actors to highlight a heavy issue.
Awesome Truth
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-16
Review Date: 2007-04-16
This is a great movie that everyone should see. Not just blacks, but latinoes, Asians, and even whites to open eyes to a truth that goes overlooked. This movie basically tells of the "new slavery" for minorities, the prison and so-called "Justice System." There's no justice. This movie is a must see, and needs to air on BET and other public airways, in order to get the message out.
A must see movie for the people
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-16
Review Date: 2005-07-16
This is an excellent movie. One that shows us how to rally the people and give us the strength to stand up to the power structure of this nation and fight for justice, if we truly want to. A great movie. I was quite inspired.
Management: Leading & Collaborating in the Competitive World with Online Learning Center access card
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill/Irwin (2005-11-23)
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New price: $75.00
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Average review score:
Excellent Text for Developing Today's Innovative Managers
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-20
Review Date: 2008-01-20
Excellent Text which will aid in the development of quality managers/management. This text is outstanding in teaching today's managers that innovation and technology are at the forefront of all competitive companies in the global economy.
Being in management for over 17 years, I feel I have the necessary qualifications to know which principals work in the management profession. This text has all the necessary components to start one on their way to becomming an effective management professional.
dhains1963
Being in management for over 17 years, I feel I have the necessary qualifications to know which principals work in the management profession. This text has all the necessary components to start one on their way to becomming an effective management professional.
dhains1963
Informative and Academically Friendly
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-22
Review Date: 2007-10-22
This textbook is one of the easier ones to read. The information flows easily and maintains your attention, without getting you lost in a lot of details. It is easy to follow the text from one thought to the next and is making it realitively easy to keep up with a heavy reading load for my management course.
The text also offers great end of chapter reviews and exercises for helping the information be relative and applicable to work environments. Highly recommend the text to anyone taking a management course or looking for a basic understanding of management practices.
The text also offers great end of chapter reviews and exercises for helping the information be relative and applicable to work environments. Highly recommend the text to anyone taking a management course or looking for a basic understanding of management practices.
Management: Leading & Collaborating in the Competitive World
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-16
Review Date: 2006-11-16
Excellent book i had no problems with this order
Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Celebrities-->T--> Jason Thomas
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