Publishers Books

Becky's back and better than ever in this second book about superhero wanna-be Becky Miller. Becky takes on more than she can handle, thinking that her optimism and enthusiasm will solve it all. Becky has the best of intentions, wanting to be a person able to do it all, but she unexpectedly finds that her set-backs help her to move forward again in a more reasonable fashion.

Injured in a car accident at the end of the first book, The Secret Life of Becky Miller, Becky is forced to slow down her own agenda and override her persistent need to be everything for everyone. She exudes good cheer and an overly helpful nature throughout the second book as well, apparently not realizing that she does have limitations on what (and whom) she is actually able to fix. But when the flood from her own rising problems threatens to drown her, Becky still doesn't have the common sense to get out of the water. She finds herself continuing to do laps in water that is way, way over her head.

Becky exemplifies the scripture from 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me,`My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (NIV) This novel reminds us that despite our best efforts, we still need to rely on God for our true strength. Becky ultimately learns this lesson - again - that when her strength is insufficient, then God is able to work it out in his perfect way and in his perfect timing.

Renovating Becky Miller by Sharon Hinck is wildly funny, poignant in many ways, and touching throughout. This is truly a fantastic novel by a fantastic author. And if you missed the first book, don't wait... get out there or get online and buy both of these little gems for your collection. You'll be glad you did.

Becky Miller's daydreams provide her with momentary escape from the situations in which she finds herself as she becomes the heroine of each exciting movie-vision. Then she bumps back to earth when she suddenly finds herself immersed in a real-life adventure similar to what she imagines. Becky's car accident left her with a permanent limp, but her busy lifestyle convinces her she doesn't have time for her daily therapy. In fact, Becky doesn't have time for much of anything except dealing with one crisis after another. When her best-laid plans fall through, Becky realizes she must bring her life under control, but she never imagines how God will help her accomplish her goal.

With Renovating Becky Miller, Sharon Hinck delivers a second great mom lit book, because Becky is every woman who questions what God wants her to do and how best to fulfill God's plan for her life. Hinck writes interesting characters who struggle with the real-life problems of busy women. She portrays Minnesota's Twin City area with accuracy and detail, including the huge Halloween snowstorm that occurred a few years ago. By the end of the book, you'll want to invite Becky over for tea, because she you'll feel as though she's a good friend.

I didn't read the first of these two books and sometimes that is a great problem. But in this case, the author brought me up-to-date and created the new story in a seamless fashion. I plunged into Becky's story, wondering what in the world she would do with all these problems and thoroughly identifying with her humor and determination. The book was a satisfying read.

Becky Miller is a full time wife, mom, and church worker. And then her mother-in-law moves in. She says it's only temporary, but it's obvious she can't live alone. Becky and her husband, Kevin, dream of a house in the country and they find one that needs a lot of fixing, but it's in their price range, and they plan to do the work themselves as much as possible. Becky has a lot on her plate. Kevin seems to have something on his mind, but refuses to talk about it, and her mother-in-law, Rose, is an expert at snide put-downs. The church wants her to work full time, and there's the hassle of moving. Don't these people realize she can't do it all? But then again, she's Becky Miller, Superwoman. She can handle it--maybe.

Sharon Hinck has a great sense of humor, and Renovating Becky Miller is laugh-out-loud funny. Like most of us, Becky Miller discovers she can't do it all. Perfection isn't something we can attain, no matter how hard we try. As Becky points out, sometimes renovation is an "inside job" Another good story in the Becky Miller series.

Reading books written in first person is not usually my first choice, but I found Renovating Becky Miller so enticing that I forgot it was in first person.

Sharon Hinck drew me into the book by opening each chapter with a daydream Becky Miller was indulging herself in. In each chapter, Becky loses herself in a movie she and her husband have seen on their weekly date nights.

Becky Miller's life is not easy. She's a mother, a wife, has a part-time job at her church working with the women's ministries, and is disabled, just to add a little icing to her cake of a life.

Already harrying, Becky's life is complicated by the purchase of a new home for her family. What looked like the perfect solution to a cramped home life turns into a renovation nightmare for Becky and husband Kevin.

Will their marriage survive? Will the family survive? Will Becky remain sane, or will she lose herself in one of her daydreams and never come home?

I kept turning pages of Renovating Becky Miller partly because I had to know what Sharon would use as her next chapter opening, but mostly because I became engrossed in Becky's life. I laughed and I cried and now I have to go back and find the first book in Sharon's series about Becky Miller, The Secret Life of Becky Miller.

By the way, I guessed most of the titles of the movies Sharon uses as chapter opening scenarios, but in case you don't recognize them, there is a list of them at the end of the book.

"Ripples from the Zambezi" is a beautiful, simple, common sense book with profound implications for catalyzing successful small business creation and growth. It was recently recommended to me by an economic development agency official working in an affluent, conservative U.S. Midwestern county. He felt some of the approaches might work for his area; and in reading the book, I concur with his conclusions.

In efforts to inform work on strategic innovation and marketing, I have plowed through far too many derivative, nonsensical business titles over the years. Before I picked this up, I was a little concerned that it might be a cult book; however, given the importance of rural renewal, I was willing to give any earnest voice the benefit of the doubt.

It was wrong to have prejudged "Ripples from the Zambezi." If this has risen to the status of a cult book, then Mr. Sirolli would be the first to suggest that you never mindlessly apply any approach he might propose. In our left-brain weighted society, it is easy to mistake an enthusiastic voice for a naïve one--but there is a basis for this enthusiasm that is powerful, and which Mr. Sirolli explores fully.

The ideas here are different. Mr. Sirolli speaks to the potential and the results of connecting with each entrepreneur holistically to engage heartfelt intention and remove obstacles to successful growth. The message--that individuals can realize hope for themselves, for their families, and for their communities borne of connecting passion with skill and action is a big message--and the Renaissance man who delivers it is capable to the challenge.

Every paragraph of Ernesto Sirolli's book is loaded with mature, interdisciplinary insight. It is a book whose "time has come" and whose wisdom is carefully woven through the subtext: it's personal, easy to read, and gut-wrenchingly smart.

Don't read this book. DO WHAT IT SAYS! I seldom applaud things. This I do.

I loved the book. Not only it gives great insights on enterpreneurship, it also teaches us that facilitation can be applied in all aspects of life, from work to family with fantastic results.

I highly recommend the book.

I work with small businesses and developing entrepreneurs and this book helped me see another view and perspective in the work i go. I recommend it for anyone who works in the small business (and micro business) community and who would like some new direction on how to build local economies.

"I can't myself raise the winds that might blow us, or this ship, into a better world. But, I can at least put up a sail so that, when the wind comes, I can catch it."

E. F. Schumacher

This was a fun and insightful book to read. Amidst all the discussion about radical, disruptive and breakthrough innovation, this book is a refreshing reminder that small things can make a big difference. It's a reality check for big budget innovation programs and economic development programs that usually end up stealing a company from one community in order to develop the economy of your community (a zero sum game by the way). This book is about dedicated, skilled innovators with a passion for their innovations and facilitators who provided the missing ingredients preventing these passionate innovators from making their ideas a reality. Sometimes, those missing ingredients were connections to the right people. Sometimes they were small sums of money (ridiculously small amounts of money that yielded great returns). And, sometimes it was adding small supportive or enabling innovations that turned an idea into a viable business model. And, always it's about the pattern of product, process and procedure innovation that worked.

Sirolli's journey began as a member of an Italian economic aid organization in Zambia. They noticed that the land along the Zambezi River was incredibly fertile. They thought that if they brought modern farming knowledge and applied it to the land, they would demonstrate to the natives just how much they could benefit. Of course, what did the Italians decide to grow? Tomatoes. The soil and weather were perfect. And, the tomatoes grew - the biggest most beautiful tomatoes the Italians had ever seen. The Italians watched with pride as their crop matured. The natives silently watched and laughed among themselves. One morning, just when the crop was about ready to be harvested, Sirolli reports that they came to the fields to find them totally destroyed. The hippos of the Zambezi had eaten all the tomatoes and laid the fields to waste, and the only tell tale signs were the ripples in the water.

Sirolli quotes Pliny the Elder, "There is always something new out of Africa." Sirolli writes, "Those who have worked in an African country will tell you, if they are honest, that they always learn from the expereince much more than they had bargained for...I am no exception." Later he states, "I became conscious of the fact that we were not doing the right thing - and consciousness is an extraordinary thing."

"Right now, in your community, at this very moment, there is someone who is dreaming about doing something to improve his/her lot. If we could learn how to help that person to transform the dream into meaningful work, we would be halfway to changing the economic fortunes of the entire community," the author comments. This is Sirrolli's credo. It is clear upon reading the book that the author has had a good classical education (formal or informal). His thinking about innovation is colored by Schumacher, Maslow and Rogers.

His advice, based on Schumacher is, "If people don't ask for help, leave them alone. And, there is no good or bad technology to carry out a task - only an appropriate or inappropriate one. Something big, modern and expensive is not necessarily best; it all depends on the circumstances."

"Because of Maslow and Schumacher," he writes, "I came to understand that successful development has to do with the quality, not quantity of life." Human beings are striving creatures. When one level of need is met, people move on to higher levels in an endless cascade. Is it any wonder that this country grew as it did because the founders understood this about people and claimed equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

With this framework, the author was able to explain his experiences in Africa. "They were secure and did love and had self esteem in the same proportions Western people had, maybe even more. Some of them were beautiful, wise, self-actualizing people reaching for the apex of full humanness," Sirolli writes.

The level of what is enough at each stage of development is set by cultural and psychological factors. Some people get stuck in the pursuit of material goods and others have lower levels of satisfaction and move on to the next higher state of development. The natives had enough food, safety and security for them, and they could move on to higher levels of human development.

From Carl Rogers he found that "that it was possible to help people heal themselves by simply being there, listening, facilitating and responding to the client's needs for communication and finding values to live by." "The aim is not to solve one particular problem but to help the individual to grow so that he can cope with the present problem and with later problems in a better, more integrated fashion."

Later, he continues, "Reading about the champions of the human race, I couldn't avoid creating, in my mind, a demonology - that is, a list of the demons oppressing us. Contrary to Dante's Inferno, however, my hell wasn't populated by naked gluttons, greedy merchants, and assorted petty sinners. The torturers had no tails; rather they were well-dressed authoritarian figures who, in the name of an idea, would torture and beat the psychological life out of the people in their power. From unyielding bureaucrats to religious fanatics, from political extremists to avid do-gooders, my demonology started to contain anybody who dreamt up a code of conduct and tried to manipulate or coerce others to follow it."

Sirolli's encourages his facilitators to support clients who have a marriage of both passion and skill. "But becoming what we are is invariably difficult," he writes. "We have to commit ourselves to a course that may prove to be unpopular with our peers, unfashionable among our friends, and unbecoming in the eyes of our parents. Striving for individuality is always a lonely business. Passion is what propels us during our solitary journey." Commenting on skill he writes, "Our generation is a generation without masters. We are still under the impression, and like to think, that The Beatles didn't have to learn how to play music; that Jimi Hendrix picked up a guitar one morning, put a big joint in his mouth, and started to play like a god. Does the next, younger generation, understand that there cannot possibly be art without skill?"

"Facilitation," he writes, "is based on the belief that it is human to dream and desire. Faith in human nature is what makes it work." "The skill of the facilitator is to become available to those who have the dream and to help them acquire the skills to transform it into meaningful and rewarding work. The skill of facilitation is therefore a communication skill with a twist. It isn't so much that facilitators have to communicate to their client; rather they have to be the kind of person one likes to talk to." Their role is to simple remove the obstacles that stifle a client's growth.

He identifies the characteristics of facilitators:

 Facilitators are passive
 Facilitators are visible
 Facilitators provide just-in-time help
 Facilitators work in confidence
 Facilitators act like swans
 Facilitators love action
 Facilitators are a loaded spring
 Facilitators assess the person and the motivation behind the idea.
 Facilitators understand that ideas are cheap, passionate individuals are rare
 Facilitators establish true communications and build trust
 facilitators don't play power games
 Facilitators are non-threatening, unassuming friendly listeners who make people want to talk to them.


The book is full of examples and case histories, and is divided into 14 chapters:
1. Out of Africa
2. The Technology Fix
3. Homo Cupeins - The Desiring Man
4. Out of the Mountain Cave Back to School
5. The Art of Shoemaking
6. The Esperance Expereince
7. The Esperance Model Applied
8. On Facilitation
9. Training Facilitators
10. A Word of Caution
11. Facilitation and Economic Development
12. A Quiet Revolution
13. The Politics of Personal Growth
14. Epilogue - Civic Society, Social Capital, and the Creation of Wealth

As you can see from the outline, the discussion covers a good deal of territory and Sirolli has meaningingful insights in all the topics. For example, "The shift by governments away from resource driven economies to valued-added ones cannot take place without recognizing that our greatest assets are not the ones that lie underground. Our greatest assets must be our energy, imagination, and skill - our commitment to good work and to the pursuit of excellence and the courage to fulfill our ambitions. Every single person is important in the creation of a better, wealthier, smarter society. Whether employed are not, engaged in export service industries, in the arts, sports or tourism, the quality, both of personal and professional, of every single person is what will make a country prosperous."

And, "Thus the freedom to become is the key to unlocking civic society and long term economic prosperity. Wealth can be generated in the short term in exploiting natural resources, but 1,000 years of prosperity can only be created intelligently by working together, exchanging ideas, sharing technology and resources, and helping each other do well in the understanding that a myriad of wealthy self-employed people produce an economic system immensely more resilient than any alternative."

And, "The beauty of Maslow's theory is that it explains that helping each other is not done out of charity, but out of our need to be appreciated, loved and respected."

Michelangelo, who believed his role as a sculptor was to release the images that were already in the stone, wrote:

"The best of artists hath no thought to show
which the rough stone in its superfluous shell
doth not include; to break the marble spell
is all the hand that serves the brain can do. "

To make his point, he carved a series of "unfinished" works depicting humans emerging from the rock (The Prisoners).

Metaphorically, the facilitator's role is the same.

And, if the facilitator is blessed with double insightful vision and can not only see the beauty inside the innovator, but can see the community that could emerge as a result, then a community transformation can occur.

You just have to read this book. And, when you do, write something about it. Better yet, use it.

Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert utilize a short story format to teach the attributes of leadership. In a consultant's interviews with community leaders revitalizing the inner city, the attributes of true-to-life leadership are demonstrated by action in the narrative.

They highlight the astonishing truth that the best leaders' focus upon building up the people around them, that no man is great on his own.

This very readable leadership 'story' - thankfully light on matrices or charts -draws out more purposeful insights than most books on the topic.

These guys have done a great job with what I call semi-fiction. Following the journal of a consultant as he reconnects with his father and learns the lessons of being a serving leader. This book goes further than Collins' Level 5 leadership and takes you into 5 practical pathways for becoming a serving leader. Excellent read.

A very well written, thoughtful and practical book that courageously tackles the challenge that all successful leaders ask themselves at some point in their careers- "OK so I have made a big impact on the numbers- and achieved my goals- but why do I still not feel satisfied?" The authors correctly point out that it is all about what you give to others- and not just to impact top or bottom lines in business- but also to impact the communities around us. Those who have not really dug into what a Servant Leader is- and does- may well have their exising paradigms upended. Servant leadership is NOT about being spineless or too nice- it IS about setting a very high standard and holding people accountable- but also caring about and investing in them to help them to hit and surpass this high mark. Having been a keen student of leadership over the past 20 years, I have seen trends and fads come and go and many leaders rise and fall. What I like best about The Serving Leader is that its principles are timeless and fad-proof. One will never go wrong being the type of Servant Leader described in this book- and they may become the leader who has the type of impact that they never dreamed big enough to conceive. A great read!

This book is truly exceptional for anyone who wants to be able to truly understand the heart of servant leadership. If you are ever able to meet Dr. Stahl-Wert, you will understand that he does not just write about it and talk about it, he lives it in his own personal and professional life which makes the book even more real. Do not read this book unless you are ready and willing to commit to the call to servant leadership and what it can mean for you and your organization.

Jennings and Stahl-Wert know what they're talking about. Unlike many "leadership experts," this book rings absolutely true. A very moving, honest, hopeful story that helped me a lot. Thank you for getting to the deeper heart of leadership.

I saw 2 of Chekhov's plays in college and I honestly don't remember them. Glenn Close appeared in one I remember, but beyond that I was obviously distracted. Nothing could have prepared me for the perfection of these stories. I have never read a collection that had such an impact. Chekhov's clear-eyed world view peers at tiny physical details in the lives of the characters to see into their souls. They are tragic heroes in common clothes.

Chekhov looks on without judgment. His attitude is humane and liberal. No matter how foolish his subjects, his attitude is never condescending.

I hadn't realized it until I finished Pevear's forward, but Chekhov begins to slip subtly into stream of consciousness in several stories. This and many other innovations make Chekhov a pivotal figure in fiction writing. He is certainly under appreciated at present.

(I can't compare it, of course, but the P&V translation is another gift.)

Anton Chekhov is largely known for his plays (The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya), but he is also widely regarded as a master of the short story. However to fully appreciate these stories the reader should be somewhat familiar with the state of fiction in Russia during the last half of the 19th century as well as social and political conditions in the country at that time. Some knowledge of Chekhov's personal history and his philosophy of life is also helpful. Lacking these insights one is likely to find these stories to be excessively negative and depressing.

One difficulty in reading this book of his best short stories is that the first few (50 pages or so) are unrelentingly depressing; death and unrequited love being the main themes and they are told in Chekhov's spare style. A Boring Story is a longer and more interesting piece. It includes some aspects of Chekhov's philosophy, and while it ends on another depressing note, there is still an element of hope present. Ward No. 6 is perhaps the best of these stories, as well as the longest. It tells of a hospital in Siberia with a ward for mental patients. The story centers around a doctor (Andrei Yefichmych), a decent and compassionate man who gradually descends to the depths of the place. Along the way he has an interesting exchange with a mental patient, Ivan Dmitrich. The doctor suggests that one can be happy anywhere, even trapped in a prison, and cites the example of the Greek philosopher Diogenes who so distained material things that he lived in a barrel. The patient disagrees strongly, shouting, "I love life, I love it passionately!" He adds, tellingly, that maybe Diogenes would not have been so happy if he had had to live in a barrel in the wintry cold of Siberia!

The other stories in the book treat of a variety of people and situations from all walks of Russian life. While despair and a sense of hopeless fatalism remains the main thrust of many of these stories, there is also an element of hope present. Chekov keeps coming back to the idea that the future will be better. Some stories, such as Anna on the Neck, even have an element of humor. The last story, The Fiancée, perhaps sums up Chekhov's view of Russian life. In this tale a young woman living in a small town becomes engaged to a local man. A guest from the city, Sasha, starts to talk with her about how empty her life will be if she marries this man. Gradually she begins to come to this realization and in the end leaves to move to St. Petersburg to have "a new, expansive, spacious life, and that life, still unclear, full of mysteries, lured and beckoned to her."

I have given Chekov a rating of 4 stars, rather than 5, because, compared to Guy de Maupassant and O. Henry, his stories do not sufficiently express the full range of human emotions. Both of the latter masters of the short story infuse their work with humor and even broad satire and this is the stuff of life as well as the dreary world that Chekov inhabits. Yet maybe Chekov is reflecting the reality of Russia in his time. In any case these stories are well worth reading.

A true master of the form of the short story, this collection of stories illustrates the full depth of Chekov's range of subjects and characters: serfs, bishops, doctors, merchants, coroners, in the country, city, and in between. There seems to have been no area of Russia where Chekov did not have an intimate, exhaustive knowledge. Every story is finely crafted, concise yet exacting, detailed yet brisk. Chekov manages to juggle these mutually exclusive elements of the art of short story, giving most of the stories the feel of longer, fully treated works in a very tight space. Simply put, Chekov well deserves his designation as one of the great masters of the short story.

This is the first series of works that I have read by Chekhov. I wanted to read some of his shorter works before beginning reading his novels. Now that I realize how much I enjoy his stlye, which I think other people will like as well, I am looking forward to reading his larger works. I very much liked the insight into the Russian culture.

Chekhov simply astonishes. "The Lady with the Little Dog," one of his most famous stories, is rendered splendidly by Pevar and Volokhonsky. I don't know of any other writer who captures the confusion, fear and excitement of romantic love as well as Chekhov does here. The last line is perfect.

Can't go wrong with Spurgeon. I bought these volumes for a deeper study of the Psalms, and so far they have been amazing. There's more for each psalm that I can really get in to, but that which I do has been all that I could hope for: reinforcing lower view of self next to high view of God; the only kind of perspective that brings any real sense of hope and encouragement.

Spurgeon is still the best. This 3 volume set is essential for a deep and meaningful study of the Psalms. Great for teaching and preaching research. I'm happy to have purchased it and I recommend it highly.

While Spurgeon's magnum opus is neither technical nor devotional it can meet either of those needs. It is inconceivable that anyone would have an interest in the Psalms and not have these volumes on the shelves.

This writing has really opened the book of Psalms. The teaching of Spurgeon is just beyond words.

This is a great commentary series on the Psalms and has the same feel as Spurgeon's sermons. Great resource for any teacher and pastor to prepare in study for the Psalms. Very detailed, which I can't say the same for other commentaries done during this same time period.

The price once again shows how many people have lost interest in both commentaries and our past church saints.

If you are going to be going through the Psalms in your own study or teaching you should definitely have this at your disposal.

Easy read...good clean story line, the characters pray to god, but its not the heavy religous stuff, more realistic, when one stops and says a quick prayer. Enjoy the fact that sex is left out of the story but that the author builds a relationship between the characters. The story line keeps you picking up the book.

When Darcy the spy meets Cougar the Navy SEAL, the chemistry is unquestionable. The romance builds through stolen moments sprinkled within the thickening suspense that follows the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This novel has a strong plot that is examined from the viewpoints of both the military and the CIA. There is intense action as well as thought-provoking intelligence. This is one of Dee Henderson's finest projects!

Yes, that about says it. Dee Henderson uses good syntax and an interesting plot to give you an all around good book.

I could not put this book down. The first book took me over one week to read. Just couldn't get into the characters. But the last two I could not put this book down.

I love strong women characters the kind that do not need to be saved. You got that from this book she could ultimately take care of herself but it's better to work as a team to catch the bad guy.

I enjoy reading but believe there are too many good Christian writers out there to read much of the secular trash today. I used to think it was safe to go to my church library to get good reading material--WRONG!! They are interested in getting best sellers, etc. I enjoy a good novel that keeps my interest without the foul language, the sleeping around, etc. Don't get me wrong-- sometimes there is a purpose to these topics in the book-- like observing how the Christians around them have witnessed to bring them out of their sinful lives. Think you know what I mean. Dee Henderson is one of those authors that I can count on for a good clean story--exciting and clean. True Honor was no exception. It is a wonderful love story and both main characters happen to be Chrisitans. Throughout the entire book both Darcy and Sam look to the Lord for guidance and strength throughout trials. If is evident from the first moment they meet that there are "sparks" between the two of them. Do they act on those sparks by hopping in and out of bed? No! This is a thrilling story of espionage, danger, murder, terrorism, friendship, relationships, families and patriotism. It is also current-- as Ms Henderson's story begins just prior to that day in history we recently lived thru--9-11. An easy read that you won't put down until you are finished.

A quote from Isaiah sums this book up the best. "If you go the wrong way - to the right or to the left - you will hear a voice behind you saying. 'This is the right way. You should go this way.'" Isaiah 30:21

Integrity and Character are two of the milestones you will pass as you follow McManus' journey through "The Gauntlet". In this age of immediate gratification, McManus reminds us that our faith takes time. One of the biggest takeaways I got from the book, was how we view poverty and sufferring. Character and Integrity are forged in the furnace of suffering and trial. Yet it is not our suffering and trials that define us, it is that which is forged from them.

I recommend this book highly.

If you've attended church and read the Bible, you've heard all these ideas before. Uprising makes all the pieces fit nicely together to make all the religous concepts make sense as God intended, not as many churches have taught.

"In this daring book Erwin Raphael McManus points the way to a life overflowing with passion, freedom, destiny and human creativity-" (from the inside book cover).

So just what is this "way" that McManus points us to? And just how Biblical is his (and the publisher's) attempt to cash in on "The Purpose Driven Life" bonanza? After all, the book's inside flap begins with "...a life of passion and purpose is the cry of every human heart."

From my reading of the book (and from his own words), McManus' bottom line, in a sentence, is this: If we will seek to develop the qualities of honor, nobility and enlightenment (following the pattern set by Jesus), our lives will be changed from "imitation and mediocrity into [lives] of passion and character...that will forever change the world!"

Quite a tall order and quite a promised outcome!

In my opinion, Mr. McManus has simply given us another Christian self-help volume-in addition to the hundreds, if not thousands, already available on the Christian bookshelves of the world.

Please allow me to quote extensively from the book before commenting upon its shortcomings. I want to present an accurate picture of the author's thesis.

(From the book cover flap:) "...reach your fullest potential as a human being" "What would we look like if we became like Him?" "This is the ultimate destination to become the person God dreams of."

"God formed us in His image and then breathed life into us. His life in us is sustained by His character. When we lose the character of God, we lose the life of God in us. But to have His character, we must first die to ourselves, because to become like Him is what it means to really live." p 6

"...this book is a quest for life...a quest to regain what was lost in the fall." p 6

"Our quest is to have God's character formed in us..." p 9

"...course set before us offers the freedom that comes from a discipline of the soul." p 16

"...the pursuit of character." p 16

"...the cry of our own soul screaming, `I want to change!' " p 18

"What do you do when you can't stand the sight of yourself?...you can't escape who you are. ... But you can become someone else. ... One thing is certain-you need to change. ... Change into what? From who you are to who you can become only with Christ." p 19

"To want godly character is one thing; to know how to acquire it is quite another." ... This journey's course is set by none other than Jesus Christ. The path is unveiled by His footprints. To choose His way is to engage in three quests that will not leave us unchanged-a quest for honor, a quest for nobility, and a quest for enlightenment." p 20

"...you alone have to desire to change." p 29

"He (Jesus) promises that if you and I follow Him, we will become like Him at journey's end." p 34

"In the pages ahead we will walk a path marked by the footprints of Jesus." p 36

"You now stand before a gauntlet. The destination you seek requires that you pass through treacherous terrain...three quests: a quest for honor, a quest for nobility, and a quest for enlightenment." p 39

And so forty pages into his book, McManus sets about to convince us of the virtues of godly character development to attain our "fullest potential as a human being."

Is this truly what God wants for our lives? Is this God's solution to the sin problem-the sin of greed, self-centeredness, impatience, etc. Will this "quest" for honor, nobility and enlightenment change our lives from lives of "imitation and mediocrity into one of passion and character...that will forever change the world"??

Hogwash.

Let me be clear that this is not a personal attack on Mr. McManus. Instead it is an attack on a false and dead-end approach to the Christian life.

Let's start dissecting this unbiblical path to "the ultimate destination." From the book cover flap: "...reach your fullest potential as a human being" "What would we look like if we became like Him?"

This, dear reader, is the very same proclamation which was used in the garden of Eden to precipitate the fall of man!! "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God..." (Genesis 3:5). We are NOT to become "like God." We are to be expressers of the life of God through abiding as a branch in Him as the life of the Vine (John 15). This is a RESTING in Him rather than a "quest" for character traits which imitate His life.

On page six McManus says, "God formed us in His image and then breathed life into us. His life in us is sustained by His character. When we lose the character of God, we lose the life of God in us. But to have His character, we must first die to ourselves, because to become like Him is what it means to really live." "...this book is a quest for life...a quest to regain what was lost in the fall."

Hold on here. "His life is sustained by His character"?? I think not. Rather His character is sustained by His life!! His character is the outflowing of His life. There isn't something called "character" which is sustaining God's infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent life. McManus seems to imply that the presence of God's life in us is dependent upon godly character and godly behavior on our part. If we just "die to ourselves"-our ungodly character traits-we shall begin "to really live." McManus thinks that "what was lost in the fall" was godly character traits!! His quest for honor, nobility and enlightenment is a quest to regain what was lost in the fall.

Of course that is not what was fundamentally lost in the fall. It was "spiritual identity" which was lost in the fall. Adam and Eve accepted the belief of an independent selfhood and acted upon that lie. What is needed now is not a quest for godly character traits by fallen or even "saved" humanity, but a dying to the false sense of self (identification in Jesus' crucifixion) and a spiritual re-birth (identification in Jesus' resurrection). This exchanged life produces God's character in our lives-because it's HIS character-filled life rather than our false sense of life. Rather than a "getting" of godly character, it is a realization of the present fact of being "complete in Christ" already. There is a vast difference in these two approaches to true spirituality.

McManus reveals his lack of understanding of what is commonly known as "the exchanged life" in the following quote: "What do you do when you can't stand the sight of yourself?...you can't escape who you are. ... But you can become someone else. ... One thing is certain-you need to change. ... Change into what? From who you are to who you can become only with Christ." p 19

As I read this, McManus wants us to become godly with the help of Christ. But this approach to spirituality denies the new creation and Paul's revelation of "Christ Who is our life" and "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Only Christ can live a godly life. The natural man cannot become godly. And "Christ Who is our life" need not go on a "quest" for honor, nobility and enlightenment-they are inherently a part of His life.

We are "complete in Christ" and the path to attaining "honor, nobility and enlightenment" is to be still and come into the realization of our oneness with God the Son and God the Father as the answer to Jesus' prayer recorded in John 17:21-23 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;...."

No mention in this prayer of any "quest" in order to "forever change the world." Until Christians understand and experience the difference between the external "quest" for godliness and the inner realization of the truth which sanctifies and makes free, publishers like Thomas Nelson will continue to make money on self-help books like this one.

Every morning I read a chapter in my quiet time with God and was challenged. This book is thought provoking, causing you to look at your faith and who you are as a follower of Christ, and then to embrace that or change direction to gain greater insight.

It's a book that every believer should read. It's a book that every person seeking to know God should read.

T. Suzanne Eller, author and speaker

Erwin McManus is one of the most compelling Christian authors I've read in a long time. He shares his heart and is transparent about his strengths and weaknesses and how God is changing him. He has a vision for the church today, that we assess what it is we are doing, why, and what we could do to better serve Christ. But the church will only change as individual believers catch the vision and are transformed. Read this book if you are ready to grow!

As a publicist who has worked on the journalism side like T.S. Peric, I learned that he "gets it". I devoured this book as a refresher for myself and to learn what others are doing to generate publicity for their clients. I found Peric's tips and advice sensible, simple to understand and applicable to any product or service. It's one of the most thorough and user-friendly books about publicity that I've ever read.

"Wacky Days" is a book that leads you through the many steps you can take to obtain huge amounts of free publicity.
Anyone who has a business, product, or book is sure to find this will become their Bible to return to time and again gleaming nuggets of information from it's pages.
The author uses examples from his own experiences to show how it can be done. The information can be easily adapted to fit your need for publicity.
An interesting and entertaining read that is a definite keeper which will sit on my reference shelf to be used whenever I am doing publicity. In my opinion, Tom Peric does for publicity what Dan Poynter does for self-publishing.

Great book on ideas and practical ways to generate PR for any type of business. From straight-forward tasks to some strategic planning like offering reporters story ideas for future reference or how to get seated on a Board, Peric' has something for everyone in Wacky Days.

Highly recommended.

Wacky Days... explains how to get free publicity and to be recognized as an expert in your chosen field. Mr. Peric' shows you how to approach the media through Tip sheets, professional looking Press releases, and of course the names, dates, and e-mail addresses needed to create your very own holiday!( Mine is going to be "Buy a piece of thrift store art day", 3rd Thursday in June!)his book is a must read if you spend money on advertising your business.
If you are an independent publisher, like me, YOU MUST OWN A COPY!
All fans of Dan Poynter should have this book right next to The Self-Publishing Manual.
Everyone else talks about getting publicity, but Tom holds your hand, and takes baby steps until your goals are reached, 37 small chapters.

His journalism background has really given him a true insiders edge.

At the end of the book there is a section that explains how to affordably hire Mr. Peric' himself by drawing up a plan from Wacky Days..., gathering up media list, writing your press release and allowing T. S. to assess the plan.
This book explains what journalists love to write about,(People and Ideas)

He also explains why stories get written (they were relevant, useful, or interesting!)

I fully recomend you buy this book.

I've never met or spoken with Tom Peric but as I read this book, it felt like I was listening to a trusted friend give me step by step advice on how to publicize my business. I liked his straightforward writing style and how he educates and empowers the reader so that even the most media-shy business owner can read this book and apply its suggestions about how to publicize his or her business. A great book, you'll be glad you read it.

Ellie Kay does a masterful job helping families manage finances. In fact, the book should be titled, Family Guide to Finances, because she has the whole family involved! Having been raised by immigrant parents whose values helped me to become a responsible spender, saver, donator, Ellie's book still offers reasons to keep reading--from the eight money-saving/spending personalities (including, Love Ya Louie and Balanced Betty), resources for saving money online, keeping track of what we spend, to the Money Pyramid (starting with 10% FUN money). Most of all, her stories and digressions make this a real page-turner filled with valuable nuggets.

Written with light humor, this book on a serious subject is a delight to read. Ellie writes as if she is sitting across a cafe table, drinking coffee with you. What makes the book fun to read - and interesting so you keep turning those pages - is that Ellie uses experiences from her own life and turns them into lessons for readers.

The advice Ellie gives in her book is rock solid and makes perfect sense, and she doesn't just tell you what to do, she gives the reader steps on how to do it.

This book is not a "How to Get Rich" book. It does not delve into the dark mysterious sometimes boring world of the inner workings of stocks, bonds, banks or international finances. "A Woman's Guide to Family Finances" is a book that tells, step by step, what a woman can do to get herself out of debt and into the black in the most painless, easy to understand methods possible.

Chapters begin with interesting information, usually a personal experience Ellie has had. She then tells the lesson she learned from her experience. Then she lists the steps taken to correct the problem or make the success discussed.

I would recommend this book to any woman, no matter what stage of your life you are in. Young and just beginning to "I'm too old to change" (which I don't believe is ever true).

Only an absolute madman would give his wife the keys to the family finances!

Unfortunately, I had to learn this lesson the hard way. Growing up in a liberal democrat household, my parents told me all this nonsense about how men and women should co-pilot the marriage. When I did eventually get married, I carried out my parent's instructions. I told my wife she didn't have to change her last name, went to all her feminist happenings, and last but not least, I bestowed upon her the family wallet.

I was a complete rube!

Even though, being a man, I made almost twice as much as she did, she spent all the money! Whenever I would come home from a hard day's work, there would be bags from Bloomingdales, Macy's, Bath and Body Works, and every other store women frequent, all over the house! My wife spent me into the poor house.

If that wasn't bad enough, when she found out my money was gone she split! There I was alone and in debt thanks to my parents silly liberal ideals. I went to them and asked them how their marriage worked with such flawed thinking. Then they sprung it on me. "We never were married, son. We liberals have evolved past that archaic pastime." My father stated sternly.

"Then you never gave her control over the finances?" I asked naively, eyes wide with innocence.

"Me? Give your mother control over the money? You gotta be putting me on. That feminism stuff is fine on paper, but I wouldn't recommend actually trying it out." He walked away with a sadistic chuckle.

This book gives practical advice to any woman interested in getting control of family finances, whether she is married, single with kids or on her own.
It also includes help for financial recovery for the deeply in debt and for the suddenly unemployed.
Divided into two sections, Ellie Kay jumps into the hard truth with "Where Did All The Dough Go?"

Ms Kay's description of the America's normal family:
1. Married with two children
2. Modest home with a 30 year mortgage
3. $40,000 annual income
4. Savings account with less than $500 in it
5. $8,000 in credit card debt
6. Two car payments
7. No household budget
8. No long-term retirement account
9. They want their children to go to college


Where they hope to be One Fine Day
1, Paid off mortgage
2. Paid off credit cards
3. Nice savings account
4. IRAs
5. Kids sent to college
6. Retirement

And where they will actually be if they continue their financial habits shows a vast divide that hits all too close to home for many of us.

Ellie Kay asks, "What are you willing to do today in order to make your family's financial dreams cone true in the future?"

She goes on to show the different personalities and emotions that drive financial decisions. Chances are you will find yourself in one or more of these personalities as I did.
But, take heart, she gives practical ways to break free from the destructive spending cycles that accompany each of these personalities.

After facing the hard truth of who we are and how we spend, we get to take action in Section 2 "Money Management For Everyone"
In this section there are action steps such as Ten Tips to Save Ten Bucks in Ten Minutes (or less) and establishing a household budget, based on The Fifty Thousand Dollar Pyramid
This section is packed with useful information about everything from choosing a mortgage to garage sales and Ebay.

The last chapter brings home the spiritual reason for being financially secure. - So that we can give generously, in very practical ways, to those in need.
I enjoyed Ms Kay's entertaining sense of humor, which got me through even the painful areas of `self-recognition' and 'plastic (credit card) surgery'.

Do you dream of the day when . . .

. . . Your credit cards are paid off?

. . . You have a savings account and an IRA?

. . . You can take a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation?

Then A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is the book for you. Written in an entertaining, easy-to-read style, Ellie Kay will teach the reader how she took her family from over forty-thousand dollars in credit card debt, to being completely debt-free in two and a half years.

Ms. Kay shows in easy to understand chapters how to budget, how to save on essentials, how to go on a debt diet, and how to weather financial set-backs, including losing your job and looking for a new place of employment.

I don't usually like to read how-to books, but this book reads like a good novel. I had to keep reading. I learned some really valuable tips and relearned others that I'd forgotten and am looking forward to putting my new budget into operation.

A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is a book to read through once, but then come back to time and again as you are ready to make more financial changes. She advices you start small and build your way up so you don't go into shock and stop trying to save money. Whether you are a born spender or saver, A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is a book for a keeper shelf to be read and studied over and over. I'd recommend having your teenagers read it too, especially if they are soon to be on their own.

=== reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

Simple. Consciouness. Presence. Each time I sit with Leonard's books, no matter how often I have read a passage, it speaks to my soul.

This is a wonderful book, but it is best understood if one first receives his own direct spiritual awakening by connecting with the Power of God. I was able to receive this contact through the association of Subud. Reading Leonard's books helps guide me in putting my spiritual experience into practice. I recommend all three books.

This book is a definite help to understand the play of unconscious mind in life. The smooth flowing poetry like sentences run around the themes of man's reality perceived through conditioned mind, childhood experiences and formation of unconscious mind, passing reference to collective unconscious mind, man's fear of the unknown, relationships Vs relating, looking for unconditional love and acceptance, fear of rejection, fear of failure, unconscious beliefs, emotional pain etc.

Author's definitions on the three levels of consciousness viz. level of mind, level of Being (Christ Consciousness), and level of Eternal (God consciousness), and five keys to awakening provide the beginning lessons for a seeker interested in specific instruction.

References to words and phrases, on pages 5, 72, 161, 229, 249, listed at the end of this review, such as 'God and my Being', soul, past incarnations, future lifetimes, 'moments of transcendence', 'offer yourself to God' etc go against the only ultimate Truth of 'Only God Is'. This contributes its own confusion. This is more so because the author does not make himself clear about 'God Consciousness' in comparison to 'Being Consciousness'.

The author's note on Page 8 recognizes its purpose as:

The words in the book are powerful.
They can inspire you towards your own
awakening or they can act as a guide
for those already on the path.
Some of the words
need to be meditated upon.

Comments on Christianity and its psyche built on the past, on page 93, is a very interesting observation:

Christianity is a major obstacle to the
awakening of human consciousness.
There is a very simple reason for this.
To awaken, it is necessary to let go
of attachments from the past and
move into the present moment.
The present moment is the
doorway to God and the Eternal.
Christians are focused on the past.
On Jesus.
It is time to take Jesus
down from the cross.

Please read a few other helpful sentences from this book, below:

Page 55

I think.
Therefore I am not.
I think not.
Therefore I am.

Page 58

The present moment
is never involved in thinking.
Whenever you think,
you must be thinking of something
from the past
or something in the future.

Page 61

If you give up the dream,
you also give up the nightmare.

Three levels of consciousness:

Level of mind (Page 68)

At the level of mind, the focus is on the past
and the future, which are constantly projected
onto the present moment.
The reality of the present moment is never truly
experienced and the illusions projected
by the mind are mistaken for reality.

Level of Being (Page 69)

You are focused in the here and now,
experiencing the reality
of the present moment.
You are free from the bondage of the past.
You have no anxiety about the future.
Life is lived in freedom and joy.
You have become grounded in silence.

Level of Eternal (Page 69)

Very little can be said about this level.
It cannot be described or even imagined.
It is what Jesus refers to
as the Kingdom of Heaven.
There is no time.
Everything is in perfect harmony.
It is the realm of Gods.
God. Silence. Eternity. Oneness. Union.

Page 92

God consciousness is the final
stage of the journey.
Christ consciousness indicates that
you are almost there.

Meditation:

Page 75

The aim of meditation is to bring
the whole play of mind to consciousness.
If you really understand the nature of the mind
and if you see clearly what it is doing,
you open the way to transcend it.

Enlightenment:

Page 79

Enlightenment is an ongoing process of allowing
everything up from the darkness of the
unconscious mind into the light of consciousness,
until one day, the darkness has disappeared
completely. You are fully enlightened.

Helping:

Page 85

Be very wary of allowing your ego
to become involved in helping others.
The ego always has a hidden agenda.
It is subtly trying to place itself
above the ones being helped.

Page 105

Repentance is not true repentance
if there is any sense of
spiritual reward.

A Bird's Eye view of the Mind:

Page 128

The beliefs which were formed in early childhood
about yourself, others and life are programmed
into your mind, at an unconscious level,
and define you and determine
your experience of life.

. . . .

Page 129

The more you are watchful in a spirit
of unconditional love and acceptance,
the more you will become awakened.

Keys to awakening:

Page 142

The most important key to awakening is to be
unconditionally loving and accepting
of yourself at the level of mind,
which includes all those things
you would like to change about yourself.

Page 143

The second key to awakening
is to allow your emotions full expression.

Page 144

The third key to awakening is confession.
If you confess these qualities to some one
who is absolutely non-judgmental,
and who is fully present,
it helps you to own the quality
to which you are confessing.

Page 145

The fourth key to awakening is to accept
full responsibility for yourself.
This will release you from the world of
expectation, resentment, blame and guilt.
It will lead you into total freedom.

Page 145

The fifth key to awakening is to let go.
Dance.
Lose control.

Looking back:

Page 232

If you must look back into the past,
then look back with understanding
and compassion.

. . .

Your parents didn't know anything about
unconditional love and acceptance
because they had never
received it from their parents.
And their parents had never received it.
So you can see that
no one is to blame.

Page 233

It just happened, because of the degree of
unconsciousness at a collective level.
All that can be done now is that you take
responsibility for your own awakening
and the chain of unconsciousness
will be broken, at least for you.

Page 234

Whenever you are lost in the mind,
don't try to sort it out.
Don't try to fix yourself up.
Just ask yourself,
"How do I return to Being?"

Page 235

When you are caught up in
something at the level of mind,
the way back to Being is simple.
First clearly identify what it is
that you are caught in.
Is it jealousy, fear, unworthiness
or something else?
Identify it. Feel it. Own it.
Express it. Confess it.

Confusing statements that confirm reality of Individuality:

Page 5

God was an allowing God who filled my whole Being with an overwhelming sense of unconditional love and acceptance.

Page 72

And it is not just the child
who is walking behind you.
All the identities from past incarnations
are still with you.
The seeker. The pirate.
The highwayman. The sage.

Page 161

Repentance must be true repentance.
It must be felt in your heart.
It must occur at the level of soul.

. . .

The rest of your life will have to be a living
demonstration of the truth of your repentance.
It must continue into future lifetimes.

Page 229

In moments of transcendence,
I disappear and only God remains.
In those sacred moments,
I know that God is and that I am
and that God and I are One.

Page 249

The highest form of prayer
is to offer yourself to God.

* * * * *

This author is very poetic and the many of the passages in this book are extremely inspiring. Just reading his writing in incredibly soothing. The author believes that there is a simple way to reach an awakened and enlightened state of mind. Though this sounds appealing to people in our modern fast food/fast everything/instant gratification culture, I feel that this may be a little too optimistic. I think that although we can all experience temporary states of mind like this, this is not the same as the state of mind reached by a person who has reached this state through many years of experiences in life. Toru Sato in his book "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" explains this long and emotional process in a very clear way. I'd highly recommend this book if you are interested in personal growth and happiness.

I purchased this book because of the high ratings given by Amazon reviewers. What I found when the book arrived was 256 pages that could easily have been put into 50 pages or less. There are many pages with a sentence or two in the middle of the page. The author states that the words are so powerful that they need that whole page. I think it was to extend a short manuscript to an appealing length. There doesn't really seem to be a theme, other than the author says he has had religious experiences and what he has learned is in the book. I would have liked to have known what the religious experiences were. I perceived the book as a collection of awakened-sounding phrases and attempted parables that didn't seem to go anywhere. The other Amazon reader reviews on this book are much clearer and more interesting than the book itself.