Organizations and Institutions Books

I must say that this book came right alone side of some other material I have been studying. I have develop a series of sermons
and to have had this book at this time, was comfirmation for me, that I was is God Will, as I address the concerns at our pastorate. Which allowed me and my congregation to be enhance and to expand our understanding of ministry as it concerns our needs and God's Will. Thanks again for being use of the Lord!

No other book has motivated me to plan ahead and strategize more than this one. Both in personal life and in my ministry, this book points me to accomplishing what needs to be done. This book is invaluable. IT is worth ten times the money. Get it for yourself and see.

Malphus joins the growing ranks of authors whose goal is to help bring renewal to the church by teaching pastors how to develop a vision for ministry. In this, Malphurs was very successful. The author presents a six-step process to help pastors develop and implement a vision in the local church

Being a small church pastor I appreciate his emphasis on the small church. The use of the fictional Pastor Bob was an excellent tool of identification. It allowed the author to bring in the human element of discouragement, frustration and antagonism in a way that every pastor can identify with. Malphurs dealt adequately with the idea of opposition. The Deacon Bill character is a man we call can identify with.

His advice on how to obtain a vision was excellent, it was pragmatic and easy to use. This is in direct contrast with Barna's The Power of Vision (pgs. 81-1-84) that promulgated a process so tedious that only the most tenacious pastor would ever work his way through. His insight that vision will become a dividing rod in the congregation rings true- those who buy into it stay, those who do not, leave.

This was a pretty powerful book, but it was not without some weaknesses. It assumed that some of Pastor Bobs board were visionary people. In far too many churches, the maintenance mind-set is firmly entrenched in the power structure and visionary people are excluded. It is not unusual to have no men of vision on a church board, what then? Although he did not neglect the opposition to vision within the church, I think he did underestimate it. Peter Drucker makes it very clear that the people who have the most to lose by vision are the people who have invested the most into the organization. Barna's insight into the nature of opposition in his excellent book Turn Around Churches was far more realistic.

This book was packed full of helpful advice. I especially appreciated the distinction the author makes between leadership and management and that both are necessary in growing churches. Churches cannot grow without leadership and they cannot deal with the problems caused by growth without management. Thus the pastor must wear both hats.

Yes, this is a must read dealing with issues concerning vision that are not adequately covered in other books on the subject.

Like most ministers, I have read several books on vision. Some titles were very inspiring, other titles were very confusing. The vast majority however, were not very enlightening. This book by Malphurs moves beyond establishing the need for vision and helps the reader grasp, communicate, and implement a vision.

Malphurs follows an easy-to-understand process beginning with the definition of a ministry vision and ending with the preservation of that vision. I recommend this book highly to all ministry professionals, especially pastors.

In a world of religion where many churches seem to simply "exist" without much understanding of their own purpose, the answer time and time again of "Why?" comes back to a people perishing because of no Vision. Aubrey Malphurs skillfully weaves together wisdom and experience with practical application of a much used and little understood term: Vision. With fresh, illuminating spiritual insight, he guides us upon a journey of discovery and awareness. This voyage exposes the snapshot which has been impressed upon the film of your spirit, and through the "light-room" of the Holy Spirit, brings forth a full blown picture of what God wants the ministry He has given you to look like, ready to battle, in the 21st Century. If you would not be ignorant of the wiles of the devil, this book is a must read!

This book was purchased as a text book for a graduate course at Campbell Divinity School. It's a great book for the course in which it was offered. I would recommend this book for any church leader interested in the family ministry of their church.

Should the Christian family support the church and be church-centered, or should the church support the family and be family-centered? The Family Friendly Church, by Freudenburg and Lawrence argues that to reach the needs of Boomers and their families a shift needs to take place from a church-centered family to a family-centered church. By facilitating ministry with the families, not to them, the church accomplishes its mission and develops strong families.

This book is a must read for all in ministry, full-time, part-time or volunteer. Freudenburg's sabbatical experience led him to understand the needs of his family (him) and the need for the church to enable,allow and train parents to be the source of their childrens faith and practice of faith. This book will challenge your thinking about ministry and life in ministry. It will create a paradigm shift in your churches priorities which I believe would be the most positive move you could make.

This book could easily be titled the Family Friendly Ministry. Change the word church to fit your organization and you will be challenged to a more effective and efficient ministry.

Ben Freudenburg has established himself as one of the most respected Christian Education directors of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. His glimse into home-based Christian education, as opposed to the conventional church-based Christian education, has changed many individuals views on how the church reaches out through traditional Christian education methods. This book presents a wonderful philosophical basis for beginning the shift to a home-based Christian education system. Check it out.

The Family Friendly Church is the chronicle of personal discovery by Ben Freudenburg. The discovery may seem simple but it is an area missed by many churches. How about yours? Ministry to children and families with young children is often overlooked and undervalued.

Often when a church grows or adds staff, the first position to be filled is the youth pastor. Unfortunately this is a plan that follows traditional practice and not conventional understanding. One must look no further than current statistics to determine this.

According to the Barna research group, children are the most available to receiving and accepting the Good News. If you are spending the majority of your church's momentum, manpower, and resource on something other than children, you may be unwisely using your talents. Children are the future and most likely the best way to reach the adult population in your community.

The Family Friendly Church will offer suggestions and simple resources to reach families with children. Employ your leaders and families in the process of building a strong Family Friendly Church.

This is a little mentioned corner of the grand American experiment. Long ignored by historians, the origins of American foundations is a worthy subject of study. American history textbooks devote much space to the so-called Gilded Age, making note of the contributions made by journalists in exposing the injustices of corporations such as Standard Oil, but no mention is made of the extraordinary contributions these founding fathers of corporate and private giving have made on the American landscape. Just think of the extraordinary universities founding at the turn-of-the century. Fleishman's focus tends toward more recent exemplars but the spirit and the enormity of their contributions to our lives is no less worthy of attention.

Foundations are a subset of Non-Profit organizations that have become surprisingly big busines in the United States. Somewhere around 1/7th of the business in the country is conducted by these organizations. Somewhere around 1/9th of the workforce is employed by one. They have become an integral part of the American economy.

In this book Mr. Fleishman looks at Foundations (a number of which he has been associated as employee, trustee or some other capacity). He examines what makes a foundation successful, and how some have failed. He offers insight and advice on how to make a foundation more successful, and at the same time how foundations should have an obligation to become more accountable since they received special tax considerations from the Government. He suggests that this accountability should be done by the foundations voluntarily. However, Mr. Fleishman is an attorney and believes that if voluntary response is not forthcoming then new legal requirements should be placed upon them to require more openness.

Joel Fleishman's book lays an excellent bedrock of history underneath its discussion of philanthropy as a great element of American tradition. We live in days of some staggering examples - from Warren Buffet's living bequest of billions, to the fine work of Bill and Melinda Gates - and many others. But rather than see this as some product of the new millennium - Fleishman shows how the new avatars of corporate generosity are following a fine tradition. More than this, the author shows that certain gifting strategies have been leveraged for huge social benefit. For those who are thinking - at whatever scale - of giving to support a cause, this book sets out the strategies that have produced most benefit. This is an excellent, thoughtful piece of work on a topic that currently has wide currency. Well worth reading.

I'm a high tech entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur. This book gives an excellent analysis of the foundation world from an optimistic perspective combined with a healthy amount of constructive criticism.

Something that makes this book standout are the wealth of real world examples of both success and failure. In addition to those in the book, there's a companion piece with 100 case studies available for free download as well as purchasable as a paperback book.

What I enjoyed very much was meaty discussion of key aspects of the foundation structure. Fleishman's style is direct and clear: his points are made well and are backed up with real examples. One of the best books I've read about the social sector!

This is a very helpful book, indeed, a unique book. Here are some of the notes I took. As one of 24 co-founders of a new 501c3, the Earth Intelligence Network, created to provide decision support to foundations, the United Nations, NGOs, and others seeking to address the ten high-level threats to Humanity, I could not have found a more relevant work.

A few notes:

* Foundations are the dynamo of social change, with three roles varying from foundation to foundation: as driver, as partner, or as catalyst.
* The author is very critical of the general state of mismanagement and in some cases, lack of clear ethical guidelines or stated values, and says the field must do better.
* In his view, and his case studies bear this out, foundations are an enormous force for good, but they are unregulated, unaccountable, and if they are to retain the tax breaks and the trust of the people, they must change their process, their governance, and their attitude--this will, in the author's words, strengthen the social contract within which they are given so much leeway.
* He states that foundations *need* a decision-making process (music to my ears) and also a progress-checking system.
* He clearly communicates the willy-nilly state of many foundation programs, their lack of boundaries and focus, and hence their relative lack of impact. He states that many underperform, are insulated, and are arrogant.
* A positive quote (the book is generally positive and constructive) from page 3: "Foundations enable the creation of countless civil sector organizations--groups dealing with human rights, civil liberties, social policy experimentation, public advocacy, environmental protection, knowledge generation, human capital building, and service delivery, among other causes--and assist them in building national, regional, and local constituencies that move into the forefront of continuing social change. Elsewhere in the book he points out that in many areas, foundations preceeded and inspired later government programs.
* He is careful to point out that foundations have had limited success with education, health care, and poverty, and that in the face of global challenges (e.g. the ten high level threats to Humanity) the best they can do is educate the public and press government for action. I disagree. If foundations could collaborate with the United Nations UN) and leverage the Multinational Decision Support Center (MDSC) that we are trying to create in Tampa, Florida, they could among themselves agree to take on specific elements of a $230 billion a year program that Medard Gabel has been researching for ten years.
* He points out that US foundations take in 1.1 trillion a year in revenues, but only dole out $33.6 billion a year. In my view, given the enormous value of preventive action, I believe the foundations should be required to dole out 20% of their endowment in the first year of a concerted global program, and then so much as to keep the endowment steady, not hoarding and growing.
* While the "overarching objective" of foundations is large-scale social change, the author notes that they are peripheral players *unless they can organize and catalyze in the aggregate--precisely what the UN and the MDSC could help them do.
* He laments the current lack among most foundations of the "scientific method" that the Carnegies and Rockefellers first imposed, to wit: 1) get the facts; 2) identify problems precisely; 3) study options for action; 4) identify supporting and opposing stakeholders; and 5) plan for action. He blames the predominantly academic leadership of foundations today for the loss of "business" rigor and focus.
* The bottom line in this book appears with regularity in these pages: without goal setting and progress measuring, most foundation programs are simply arbitrary give-a-ways. He admires the Carnegie "Appraisal List" as a good starting point. He points out that neither inputs nor outputs matter; what matters is outcome.
* He lists all that ails foundations, a list that includes arrogance, discourtesy, inaccessibility, arbitrariness, failure to communicate, foundation Attention Deficit Disorder, lack of accountability, invisibility, scholarly void, and political vulnerability.
* The balance of the book consists of chapters that are extremely helpful, and here to whet the potential buyer's interest, I will simply list five core aspects of the book.
* Strategies and practices include (with subheadings not shown here):
* Creating and disseminating knowledge
* Building human capital
* Public policy advocacy
* Changing public attitudes
* Changing the law
* Creating a blue ribbon commission
* Offering an award or prize
* Building a model through a pilot program
* Financing litigation
* Building institutions
* Building physical plant
* Catalyzing partnerships among foundation
* Catalyzing partnerships with the for-profit sector
* Ways of recognizing impact include:
* Major benefits to the public
* Expansion of knowledge
* Helping to launch a movement
* Catalyzing an urgent social change
* Taking an initiative to scale
* Characteristics of high-impact programs (with much detail for each):
* Focus
* Alignment
* Due diligence about the problem
* Due diligence about the solution
* Intelligent talent selection
* Due diligence about prospective grant-receiving organizations
* Entrepreneurial riskp-taking
* Optemistic thinking
* Independence
* Effective grantee selection and management
* Long-term thinking and commitment
* Maintaining focus and alignment over time

There is a chapter on how foundations fail, and certainly this entire book, and especially this chapter, need to be read by any foundation executive--or any prospective donor to any foundation.

This is a truly great and helpful book. I put it down thinking to myself, "my goodness, not only does the United Nations need an Assistant Secretary General for Decision Support, but so also do the foundations in the aggregate." Worthy book!

A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
Preparing for the 21st century: An appraisal of U.S. intelligence : report of the Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the United States Intelligence Community
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (Authorized Edition)
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
Peacekeeping Intelligence: Emerging Concepts for the Future
Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time
THE SMART NATION ACT: Public Intelligence in the Public Interest

Today many individuals are beginning to realize that maintaining a separation between their work and personal lives is inauthentic and unhealthy. People want to bring their genuine selves into the workplace. That desire extends to their spiritual beliefs.

For employers, however, creating a "faith friendly" workplace feels risky. David Miller's God at Work is an important new book that provides the context and vision to help employers with this issue.

Mr. Miller's timing could not have been better. With retiring baby boomers and the coming shortage of labor, employers will need to create more attractive workplace environments to attract and retain the employees they need to meet organizational growth goals. (Consider this: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortage of 35 million workers in the decades ahead; Google has reduced its growth goals because it can't find the people it needs to meet the market opportunity; and, according to the consulting firm Booz Allen, half of the current labor force in the oil and gas business will retire in the next five years.)

Another reason employers should consider creating a faith friendly work environment is that the character values encouraged by most belief systems --humility, work ethic, integrity, honesty, open-mindedness, etc.--improve organizational performance, a case my co-authors and I made in our just-released book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity.

Making the workplace faith friendly is wise. David Miller's book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in this issue or responsible for making decisions about workplace policy in organizations.

David Miller is an accomplished businessman who altered his vocational path to better advance God's will in and through his vocation and vocations in general. His latest contribution is an overview of the history of the faith at work movement, and four characteristics - ethics, evangelism, enrichment, and experience - than singly or in combination were advocated by leaders and organizations involved with faith at work, starting about 100 years ago, but focusing primarily on past 20 years.

The author also develops an integrating framework for these four characteristics and accepts each as valid and necessary.

This book's 40 pages of endnotes are as much, if not more valuable, than its 150 pages of text, for anyone who wants to become familiar with current theory and its praxis through current leaders and organizations in the faith and work movement, primarily in Christian America.

The book also, tacitly at least, indicates the past and, by and large, current scope of faith at work - the focus remains primarily on the individual in his/her cubicle, with little consideration to what 6.4 billion people are together doing as God's "creation caring-for creatures" on planet earth via their capabilities and activities in stewardiship, restoration, redeeming of God's creation on planet earth.

Maybe David Miller will move on to this in next book!

This book should be of interest to economists interested in knowing more about the various intersections of our faith and our work. It is a tremendous resource for those who would like to becoming more informed about and perhaps involved with interdisciplinary approaches addressing faith-work issues.

I have done extensive reading on this topic for several years and was amazed at the bibliographic resources and depth of the book.
Miller does a good job of fairly representing the various intents and theological traditions of people in FAW and this work is honestly ecumenical.

The book is an invaluable resource and fully recommended for those interested. Though this work may be considered by some to be heavy on theology and contains little in terms of macro or microeconomics, it nevertheless, lays a solid foundation for practitioners and academicians alike who are serious about such things. It will serve faith-work integrationists as a valuable resource for years to come.

David W. Miller has a daring Vision. It evolved out of his business experience with IBM, his Seminary Education at Princeton University, and his latest job at the Yale Divinity School where he is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics. This has prepared him to be a leading edge scholar and practitioner in the Faith at Work movement.

The daring vision is for Global Corporations to become "faith-friendly" and build policies to honor and respect the spiritual dimensions of employees. Some Fortune 500 Companies are moving in this direction, such as Cocoa-Cola, PepsiCo, and American Express, with informal employee groups meeting regularly on company premises to discuss issues relating to faith and work. As we look down the road, Miller believes we must, as global citizens and companies, prepare ourselves to understand different religious practices and orientations to avoid situations of religious discrimination and harassment.

To make the Vision work, Miller has developed a new topology and language to transcend the old labels and stereotyping and to allow for a fresher communication. Gone are the old polarizers: liberal vs. conservative; evangelical vs. mainstream; Right vs. Left. Miller identifies four diffent modes where individuals express their quest for the integration of faith and work. The 4 modes are:

ETHICS (Personal virtue, business ethics, social and economic justice)

EVANGELISM (Expression of faith, for Christians and Muslims)

EXPERIENCE (vocation, calling, search for existential meaning)

ENRICHMENT (prayer,meditation, self actualization, New Age)

Developing these communication tools and a self awareness of ones natural mode(s)is affirming to oneself and the key to enable respect for and movement into other modes. Some might operate in all four modes and will experience a very rich and dynamic integration of faith and work.

GOD AT WORK is extremely well written and succinct (153 pages) and is easily accessible to the layman. Scholars of theology and management will be challenged and impressed with Miller's approach and ideas.

The subject matter that this book approaches is vast and constantly evolving. That the author is able to offer a helpful history of this movement and clearly trace its evolution to the present day is a real benefit to the sociologist, theologian, historian, or businessperson who is interested in what is becoming a serious issue both in the business world and society at large.

The sociologists tell us that Americans are spending less time in community and civic organizations and more and more time at their workplace. While it seems natural, then, that people's faith would be brought to work, it is not always obvious how this has been or can be done with integrity and sensitivity. The history of the movement broadly illuminates this issue, and the author's encouraging nudges toward a mature understanding of how this can be done in today's business world speaks to the present situation authoritatively.

While there is a wealth of information and history "out there" when it comes to the Faith at Work phenomenon, it seems to me that it has rarely been approached in such a scholarly and savvy way. This book, therefore, is long overdue and will be an immense aid to the newcomer to this Faith at Work phenomenon or those already well-versed in its history and where it might be heading. The structure of the book serves to bring newcomers up to speed quickly with historical and structural explanations, and the reader is soon immersed in the thick of the movement with all its promise and potential pitfalls.

Amazing !
This book explained me for the first time the words of the Roman Canon we say at every Mass:
"Deign to regard with gracious and kindly attention and hold acceptable, as You deigned to accept the offerings of Abel, Your just servant, and the sacrifice of Abraham our Patriarch, and that which Your hight priest Melchisedech offered to You, a holy Sacrifice and a spotless victim. Most humbly we implore You, Almighty God, bid these offerings to be brought by the hands of Your Holy Angel to Your sublime altar, before the face of Your Divine Majesty."
The book explains that what the priest does during the Mass cames from what the ancient high priests of the first Temple did when in the Holy of the Holies.
More: this amazing book also gives a key to better understand the first Christian literature: many themes that no other books succeeded to explain now are very clear.

While I do not agree with Barker's main conclusion - that El/Elyon was exclusively equivalent of the Christian "Father in Heaven" and Yahweh was the preexisting Jesus (I think "Yahweh" applies to both) - this book is a great reference into the primary sources. A must have for any serious theological library.

I enjoyed and highly praised Ms. Barker for her book "The Great Angel" in which she demonstrates that the first Abrahamic Jews were instead Henotheistic - that is, a belief in multiple Gods while reserving worship for one of those many Gods - and so picked up this book shortly thereafter I was done with "The Great Angel". I was not disapointed at all. Once again Ms. Barker has shown that, despite the common protests of Evangelical Christians, the first Christians, like the early Hebrews, not only followed strict ordinances and priesthood institutions, including Temple ceremonies, but that they had Henotheistic - if not polytheistic - views. She also deomstrates how the first Christians viewed Jesus as Yahweh incarnate - not El or God the Father - and shows plainly from biblical texts - both cannonical and non-cannonical - that Jesus was not viewed as God icarnate until later Greek and Latin Church Fathers basically did what Josiah did in 621 B.C.E. that is, change and alter biblical texts into conforming with their Hellenized views. (This is something that Mr. Ehrman shows effectively in his book "Misquoting Jesus")

But the part that I was most impressed with was Ms. Barker section of the book that deals with the Melchezidek Priesthood and it's role in the early Christian Temple ritual. I can't do the book any justice by trying to explain this in my review, so I will instead simply recommend that the reader read it for him/herself.

So, in the end, this book was a convincing and compelling tome that shows that, contrary to what anti-Mormon critics such as James White want you to think, the first Christians not only practiced Temple rituals but that they held Henotheistic views as well.

So I would recommend this book as an essential read to those who are interested in 1st century Christianity. I also would recommend "The Great Angel" to read along with this excellent tome.

(Looks like Joseph Smith is coming out on top once again against his critics. And it looks like he was right about one thing, that is, that Temple ritual is essential within God's Plan of Salvation and was understood by the first Christians. Praise to the Man!!)

This book bridges the gap between Judaism and Christianity and refutes alot of preconceived ideas that Hellenistic Platonic ideas embellished what began as a simple Jewish Messianic movement. Barker claims that the rituals of the Orthodox Church go back to a more ancient form of Judaism based on the First Temple which was suppressed in the 7th century BC by King Josiah and later Ezra who rewrote the Old Testament which we now have. However, the beliefs of this form of First Temple Judaism were still prevalent in Jesus' day and were revered by groups such as the community responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish Apocryphal literature. After 70AD this form of Judaism survived in Christianity.
Some of these ideas are found sporadically in the Old Testament ie Ezekiel's vision of the Chariot Throne, Isaiah's visions in the Holy of Holies, and the seventh chapter of Daniel's "Son of Man". However, the emphasis on the Melchizedek Priesthood, Enoch, and Heavenly ascents which are found in the New Testament, especially Hebrews and Revelation, are all but absent in the Old Testament.
First Temple Judaism stressed the idea that certain mortals achieved a divine status and ascended to Heaven while they were still alive, that Yahweh, the Lord of Israel was the Son of God and that Wisdom was his mother. The emphasis and revered status of Wisdom was replaced by the Law by Jewish reformers returning from Babylon.
Jesus saw himself as the incarnation of the Lord of Israel, the preexistant Son of God. The vision he had of Heaven opening during his baptism, of the entire world when he was in the wilderness, and his transfiguration were all part of a belief system which can only be found in the New Testament and Jewish apocryphal literature, particularly the books of Enoch, The Ascension of Isaiah, and the Odes of Solomon.
Barker defends Philo's premise that Plato was more influenced by Judaism than the other way around. Pythagorus, who influenced Plato, received his religious ideas in Palestine and Syria during the time of Ezekiel and before the reform of Judaism.
The Eucharist, which is the most important sacrament beside baptism, is the continuation of the Day of Atonement ritual in which Jesus took the roles of the High Priest as well as the sacrifice. Orthodox churches still perform the ritual in a separate area of the church which corresponds to the Holy of Holies in the First Temple which represents Heaven on Earth.
Many of the rituals of the primitive church to include the liturgy, signing with the cross, praying toward the east, were passed down from Jesus and the disciples in secret and were not committed to writing because the deeper meanings of these rituals could only be understood by a few. Some of the earliest fathers attested to this to include, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Ignatius of Antioch, and Basil of Caesarea.
The Orthodox liturgy is a reenactment of the events portrayed in the book of Ezekiel and Revelation. The deeper meanings of these two books can only be understood as such and not turned into ridiculous modern day science fiction.
Barker spends alot of time discussing the significance of the ancient Holy of Holies which contained the ark and the throne of the Lord and how ancient kings, beginning with Solomon were anointed with divine status there and how prophets received revelations there. The figure of Wisdom, the feminine aspect of God the Father, was described in The Gospel of the Hebrews as Jesus' mother, not unlike Philo writing about Wisdom giving birth to the Logos. The Trinity doctrine and the veneration of Mary were not Hellenistic additions to Christianity but sprang from the very Judaism which Jesus and his followers belonged to which was suppressed and all but destroyed by both Christians and Jews later on.
I'm glad I ordered the paperback version of this book when I did. It should definitely be brought back.

Margaret Barker taps into the Temple ceremonies of Israel and the Early Christian Church to show a pattern of supression among the leaders in both. The sacred oral traditions of temple worship are wonderfully covered. Her insight into pre-exile Israelite beliefs, the Deuteronomist purge and the very early christian writings is inspiring. I loved every page and recommend it to those who share a belief in the lost cult of the temple.

Don't let the title scare you mothers away. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" brings the reader through the Rule of Saint Benedict, (RSB), by way of a brief daily reading that explains each section as it would be applicable in any parent's life today. The entire RSB is read within one year's time.

It is often said that child birth comes without any instruction manual. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" can be that manual.

This would make an excellent gift for a new parent.

Dr. Longenecker's meditations on the rule of St. Benedict are both inpirational and pragmatic. This book offer a useful re-tooling and reapplication of these essentially monastic directives for use in family life. It makes me want to work more dilligently at being a better father and person.

My mother gave this book to all her sons (including me) for Christmas a year ago. This was my first exposure to Saint Benedict and his Rule. At that time I had very little exposure to the monastic life. As I read this book I could really begin to appreciate the devout nature of Benedict and his followers. It is clear that these men who give up their lives for Christ, these monks, truely have a calling to this vocation.

I really liked the interpretation that went along after each rule by Dr. Longenecker. This was especially valuable as I had not been experienced these teachings before. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the contemplative life.

As a mother, I was intrigued by the title of this book, and now wish that I had read it long ago, when my children were younger. The advice is age-old and not just for fathers, rather, it is inspiring for all adults, but especially parents trying to keep a family together in these chaotic days.

As any who have read an ancient work in translation will tell you, any commentary that is included can be a blinding distraction, or the most illuminating aspect of the literature. In this case, Longenecker's accompanying prose is surely the latter. Benedict's Rule is related to the work of a father with practiced ease and grace. The work is profoundly instructive.
In fact, my only gripe is with the slightly unwieldy, slightly overlong introduction. Though it should by no means be skipped, I remember feeling a little anxious to get on to St. Benedict. Very high marks though, I thoroughly recommend this book to any father, or mother for that matter.

This first volume in the set of 6 (I sincerely hope that there will be more to come) is, in my opinion, essential reading for every Christian.

We in the USA need to unlearn everything that we were told about "the big, bad, Red Russians"... This set is a good start in introducing westerners to the amazing and profound depth of Russian spiritualism!

Just read it, you have to, no description can give it justice. All I can say is this, it's comparable to Issac of Nineveh's "On Ascetical Life" in its beauty, depth, and penetrating words of love, peace, and prayer. Just read it, this book will change you forever.

While preparing a lecture on Surat Shabd Yoga, I came across the Philokalia and thought it might be useful in my talk. "Surat" is a Sanskrit word for "Soul", "Shabd" is the Sanskrit word for "Holy Spirit". "Yoga" simply means "To Yoke". Hence, Surat Shabd Yoga is the process of connecting the soul to the Holy Spirit. In the "Little Russian Philokalia", Saint Seraphim of Sarov taught that the main aim of Christian life is to acquire for oneself the Spirit of God. His amazing and supernatural conversation with N.A. Motovilov on "The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit" is included in this volume.

Simple, elegant, uplifting, and profound.

I am glad to see that we now have a Russian companion volume to the traditional Philokalia.

I found that the pictures of St. Seraphim spoke to me too.

I've been really enjoying the Russian Philokalia series, more so, even, than the original Philokalia and the sayings of the Desert Fathers.

From an evangelical perspective the Desert Fathers can often come across as legalists whose religion has less to do with a Christ centered faith, than it does with trying to outdo each other in their rules of piety (ie: the argument about whether a true monk would (a) never lay eyes on a woman or (b) be able to look at a woman and not even recognize her as being of the opposite gender).

The original Philokalia, on the other hand, reads more like a text on Hindu meditation: weird mystical concept and breathing techniques mixed with Christian references and other rules for achieving enlightenment (or seeing the uncreated light of God).

The Russian Philokalia series, on the other hand, especially this volume of the writings of St. Seraphim, are far more "down to earth" or at least more familiar. Seraphim's sayings, for example, are generally rooted in a Spirit-centered faith, and hence, more accessible to evangelicals and others looking at Orthodoxy for the first time. I don't know what makes them more accessible. Perhaps its because these men lived closer to our own time; perhaps its because the Orthodox church in their day had been influenced by Western thinking; or perhaps its because they were simple Russian peasants. In any case, I really enjoyed this series of books and would readily reccommend them to interested readers.

This book actually made me consider Roman Catholicism as the points Chemnitz made and the sources he cited seemed to strongly prove trans-substantiation as opposed to con-substantiation. He says he will prove the Lutheran point of view but then goes on to firmly enforce the Roman Catholic view. This book led to quite a change in my view on the Eucharist.

This book is commonly referred to as being written by the "second Martin" (the first being Martin Luther). It deeply, passionately, and clearly lays forth the Lutheran understanding of the mystery, the beauty, and the worship that takes place at the Lord's Table as we partake of the bread and wine. While I am not Lutheran I do hold to the Reformed Faith. I found this book filled with great illustrations of Martin Chemnitz's and Martin Luther's thinking. The books does reference Zwinglian views, catholic views, and even John Calvin. Some wise scholars have said that the truth of Christ's presence at His table, and the fullest meaning of the words, "Take, eat my flesh...this is my body" are found somewhere right in the middle between Luther's views and Calvin's views. There is a spiritual union with the body of Christ and there is a divine mystery as we eat and swallow the bread and the wine. This book is an outstanding volume for any pastor or theologian or any leader who desires to understand the full counsel of God's Word and to sit side-by-side with the Reformers and understand why they developed such a unique, yet beautiful teaching of the Lord's Supper. Copies of this book are harder and hard to find (at a decent price) but it is well worth the purchase, the reading, the understanding, and the challenge as we share with communicants at the Table.

In Bible college and seminary, the Lutheran view was always referred to as Consubstantiation and my Lutheran friends would wince. I did not really understand the subtle differences until I sat down and read this volume. I found the insights, the illustrations, the metaphors, and the examples to be quite compelling. Martin uses a wonderful blend of Scriptures to define Martin Luther's statements about this sacrament. Martin does not rely solely upon the lexicon to define terms, but takes the lexicon in one hand and the Scripture context in the other hand and serves the reader a feast of information. I can see why Calvin studied so much of Luther's teachings on the Lord's Supper. While they disagreed on the meaning of "the presence" within the meal, these two giants of the Reformation did agree on the divine mystery of Christ and His Table and the meeting of His Spirit and our spirit. Whether you are Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or ???...this is truly a volume to obtain and to devour. I have read it through several times and each time more and more is learned. That is what makes a classic piece so enduring.

Like every one of Chemnitz's books I've read, this is a masterful work about a specialized area of Christian theology that's central to our faith: the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. And while Chemnitz works through the dogmatics of the topic, his approach is at the same time pastoral, showing obvious concern that all Christians (not just pastors or theologians) understand what they are receiving when partaking of the Supper.

This book ties in closely with another of Chemnitz's books, 'The Two Natures in Christ,' as the two topics are closely related.

Also helpful: the English translation in this book is well done, not wordy, but smooth-flowing and easy to read. Highly recommended.

When Jesus said, "Take it, this is my body," and "this is my blood of the covenant" did he really mean it? Do those who receive the bread and wine really receive Christ's true body and blood, the same body that died on the cross and the same blood that was shed for our salvation? Martin Chemnitz, a Lutheran theologian of the late sixteenth century, answers these questions with a ringing "Yes indeed!"

This book is addressed primarily to those who like modern evangelicals either denied or "spiritualize" the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. People with those views had formed a party within Lutheran churches, somewhat misleadingly called the "Sacramentarians," and Chemnitz was part of the opposing group which successfully stood by Luther's vigorous assertion of the Real Presence. Chemnitz demonstrates that no secure reasoning can dispute the literal meaning of what he emphasizes is Christ's last will and testament.

In a calm and charitable tone, he asserts that the Lutheran belief in the Real Presence is the only one that can be based on the plain words of Holy Scripture. It is also backed up by the various church fathers from the earliest writings of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus of the second century on. He emphasizes strongly, however, that Scripture indeed speaks for itself on this as on every other article of faith.

Chemnitz's methodology is very illuminating. He emphasizes that every Christian doctrine must have a "sedes doctrina" or a seat of the doctrine, or place in Scripture where the doctrine is taught in clear and non-figurative language. He argues convincingly that the "seat of the doctrine" of the Lord's Supper lies in the words of institution recorded in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and 1 Corinthians.

Chemnitz's arguments against the "Sacramentarians" will prove of great interest to evangelicals who still follow various views that question the Real Presence. He does not in this book directly address the issue of transubstantiation or any other other doctrines of "how" Christ's body and blood can be given in the Lord's Supper. His point is that we are not to philosophize but to belive. Yet his citations of the church fathers who seem in repeatedly speak of the bread and the body as being coexistent realities in the Eucharist might give adherents of transubstantiation pause--but that's another story . . .

Chemnitz's language is remarkably accessible considering the potentially forbidding complexities of the topic. Perhaps his approach is so readable because his methodology is so Biblical. As he explains it, the Real Presence of Christ's body in, with, and under the bread is a vital truth that brings comfort and reassurance to all believers--in the Lord's Supper, we can touch Christ and receive salvation and healing by faith, just as the crowds of sick, possessed, and crippled did 2,000 years ago.

All in all a thoroughly convincing defense of one of one of the most important Biblical doctrines of the New Testament.

Martin Chemnitz's entire work on the Lord's Supper is centered on one pivotal issue: the True Bodily Presence of Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper. Despite the singular topic, the book is remarkably multifaceted, as Chemnitz relentlessly attacks and defends the issue from a multitude of angles. Though he certainly couldn't forestall every argument that might be raised against the real bodily presence, he doesn't claim or aim to. He rather deals with the arguments that seem to be most persuasive.

Chemnitz further establishes that in regard to this most important matter of Christ's presence or absence from the Supper, we must squarely face the most relevant texts in Scripture. Those most important texts are the words of Institution, recorded four times by the evangelists. The part of the book where Chemnitz excels most of all is in the sections in the first half where he gives an exegetical treatment of each of the four institution accounts. He also lays important groundwork for the discussion on methods and procedures of Scriptural interpretation.

He lays considerable emphasis on the seriousness and urgency with which Christ spoke these words on His last night with His disciples--being under great duress. Chemnitz shows at length how it is inconceivable that Jesus could have been speaking in a figurative way when He was establishing His last will and testament to His church. Above all things, Chemnitz urges the reader to stick to the simple, plain and natural sense of the words of Christ and that if we were to believe otherwise, Christ would have made this clear in the Scriptures.

The book is excellent for its thorough organization and its excellent table of contents, which make it an excellent reference book. I think the only real criticism I could make of the book is that it becomes unneccessarily repetitive at the end. In the interest of driving home his central point, Chemnitz reiterates his argument so many times that it becomes tedious (especially if you already accept his premise). The other thing that I found somewhat disappointing was that the book didn't cover any other points of interest on the Lord's Supper, such as its significance for fellowship and confession, etc. But understandably that wasn't his purpose.

All in all the book is one to have for your library and to refer back to. One of the quotes that I think sums up the book well is this, "Why therefore do we humans oppose as an impossibility what the words of His testament state concerning the body of Christ and its presence in the Supper, as if He cannot be where He wills with His body, or as if the will of Christ revealed in the Word wills something which is not proper for His body unless we help ourselves with the aid of a figure of speech?"

This book gives quite a bit of history as far as religious orders in the U.S. and the kind of work that they have done over the years. I also enjoyed the photos because I feel that they helped me to understand the history better. And it's interesting to see how the nuns and sisters have dressed over the years.

This book was excellent in explaining the history of the many different religious orders of sisters that came to america to educate and heal. Many fine pictures of the different religious habits worn by the sisters. A complete list of colleges and hospitals, and the year they were founded here in the United States. It is the most complete history book representing a sample of the many different orders of sisters, and their good works.

This book was excellent in explaining the history of the many different religious orders of sisters that came to america to educate and heal. Many fine pictures of the different religious habits worn by the sisters. A complete list of colleges and hospitals, and the year they were founded here in the United States. It is the most complete history book representing a sample of the many different orders of sisters, and their good works.

This book has excellent pictures on the nuns in the full traditional habit thru out the book, with quick accounts of the various religious orders. In the back of the book is a dateline of all the religious orders of Sisters and the institutions they founded in the United States such as catholic hospitals, and colleges. Its an wonderful resource on any person researching the history and traditions of the Catholic Sisters (nuns) who have served our country as educators and health care professionals.

A few years ago I took a college course on the history of health care in the US. I noticed that there was a strange neglect to mention all the work that sisters have done in hospital/nursing. It is good to see a book that gives us a good description of this and other work. It is amazing to see these women working against such adversity, and achieving so much. Our usual image of 19th century women does not include administrators and CEOs, but that is what these women were. They served God and their fellow humans in remarkable ways. It made me nastalgic for the days of plentiful vocations.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Dr. Parks' little book online, but quite disappointed that it (I assume) was not available last year when I really could have used it.

Unlike many of the large (and expensive) tomes written to help National Board candidates, this very small book cuts to the chase with succinct and helpful instructions for mentors. Two features which definitely make it an improvement over Parks' book for candidates are the Suggested Activities and the excellent Questioning Techniques, which mentors can utilize with their candidates.

What I really appreciated was the inclusion of some of the finest research available on accomplished teaching (Einhorn), Cognitive Coaching (Costa & Garmston), and Bacal's 'Rules for Facilitating'. These add a depth to this work, which I feel, was lacking in "So, You Want to Become a National Board Certified Teacher?"

Less helpful, but nevertheless nice, are the Mentoring Ethics, the list of websites, and the suggested forms for mentors to use while facilitating their candidates in each of the four entries. I only wish the book had been published in a larger format, since there is a lot of (small print) detailed information on those forms. Oh yes, the Ten Commandments of Mentoring are a nice touch too.

There is no 'fluff' in this book. It is brief, but all in all, very helpful. It presents much of what experienced NBPTS mentors already know, but still helps us fine-tune the process. To new mentors, it will be a Godsend, and is exactly what they've been hoping to find in getting started, but up to now, was not available. Highly recommended.

I will confess I am not a mentor, and although I am a teacher, I am not NB certified, so you may want to stop reading now. But I am in the process of achieving my certification and, needing all the help I can afford (literally), I purchased as much helpful material as I could.

You might ask why I'd want this book, then. Well, I met the author at the 2005 NMSA Conference, and he was very encouraging. So, I wanted to give this, and his book for candidates, a try. Sometime back, after reading the other book, I decided I was NOT ready (you can read that review). Now I am.

Since I haven't passed NB certification, my comments might not exactly be valid. But I found this book sort of 'helpful in reverse'. In other words, I learned what the mentor would teach me if I had one. I appreciated the tips on writing, compiling my portfolio, and as someone else mentioned, the chapter on 'Accomplished teaching' might be the best. Unlike the other book, this one has sample handouts for mentors, but they weren't really helpful in my case.

Maybe I'm just afraid of the process, and need every help I can find, but this book at least made me feel more comfortable. I feel really out of place writing this review, but at least I know what most mentors know, and hopefully, this will enable me to pass.

Good luck to everyone else going through this!

Having read this author's previous work "So, You Want to Become a National Board Certified Teacher?", I was curious to see how different a book geared specifically to mentors could actually be. To be honest, there was some overlap. However, considering that Weekly Reader Press has kept the price low, and the fact that the book contains (far) more research than the first work, I found "Mentoring the NBPTS Candidate" to be one handy little gem.

Especially helpful were the chapters on "How Adults Learn", and "Mentoring Forms". The first appears thoroughly researched, and the information, I found to be especially relevant to any mentor--not just one working with NBPTS candidates. The latter chapter provides information that only an experienced mentor would think of, and will certainly streamline the process for any mentor starting from scratch. I also found the chapter dealing with the unique concerns of 'Advanced Candidates' (those who did not pass) quite helpful.

The premier chapter however, is "What is Accomplished Teaching?". This chapter alone provides cogent information and helpful suggestions for all teachers--not just NBPTS mentors and candidates. While much of this information is not new, it's nicely synthesized into an easy-to-reference format.

Like the author's first work, included is a self-test, this one on the appropriate and inappropriate aspects of mentoring. While a few statements seem subjective, more than a few were specific guidelines from the NBPTS which (I hate to admit) I was honestly not aware of. This test should prove to be an excellent eye-opener to the novice mentor.

In summary, I think "Mentoring the NBPTS Candidate" will be more indispensable to the new mentor than the author's previous work might be to the new candidate. Not because the first book isn't helpful, but because I've seen no other work specifically geared to NBPTS mentors. The two books are quick reads and conversationally written. Considering their inexpensive price, I would recommend putting both on your short list of 'must haves' regarding NBPTS candidacy and mentorship.

Simply put, there are very few pickings when it comes to help for NBPTS mentors. Perhaps because of the need for such, Dr. Parks wrote this book. I don't know, but until something better comes along--and this one's pretty darn good--this book will be the standard.

Let's face it, books on mentoring are not too interesting, but good ones should at least be helpful. As a mentor, I appreciate the author's the low-key 'talk to me' writing style as opposed to pedantic works which read more like Holy writ! But even more, I appreciate the practical and--dare I say it--usable information contained in the suggested activities which make up every chapter. I'm up to here with books long on theory, and short on application!

"Mentoring the NBPTS Candidate" is a 'from the ground up' guide for aspiring mentors, with websites, sample handouts, and checklists for mentors to use in the tutoring process. I heard the author speak at the NMSA Conference last year, and was not aware that this book was in the works. I can say Dr. Parks writes the way he speaks, and I found both his presentation and the contents of this book enjoyable, constructive, and helpful.

I suspect there will be more than a few candidates who will scope out this book, since many of the helps to mentors could also be used by candidates. Whatever the reason to use it, this book is the best thing on NBPTS mentoring out there, and I can't imagine what more information on the subject could be contained in one book.

As a (former) mentor trainer for the NBPTS, I found this work the finest in the field. It is simple, well-organized, and comprises everything a mentorship for the prospective NBCT might need (including a few sample handouts). I would highly recommend this book to candidates also. Adds a third dimension to learning the process that can only prove helpful. Heck--every teacher could benefit from this book.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.