Resources Books

I purchased this entertaining and well-written book a couple of years ago. It has served as a step-by-step guide as I have made the transition from the traditional classroom to online learning.

From basic learning principals and definitions to specific "how to" examples and checklists, this book has it all and delivers it with a sense of humor that will have you chuckling aloud and keep you engaged, interested, and wanting to learn more. I continue to use this book as a resource, returning to it again and again, whether in need of a reminder or looking for inspiration to help me move forward.

If you are considering making the journey to online learning, this book will provide the light to help you along your way.

In 150 pages, the authors lay out the key information both HR/training practitioners and web-geeks need to work together successfully.

Written for the non-technical HR practitioner who needs to understand both the training concepts and the technology choices she will be faced with, this book also provides a technical reader (me) with the language and central concepts used by training professionals to develop their courses.

I could see this text being used as the starting point for an project team comprised of HR professionals, trainers, and web designers to build on -- each member of the team required to read it to establish a common framework and language. A few hours spent reading this up front would save countless hours of 'churn' later on in the project.

Very few of us have the time or the patience to read a non-fiction book front to back. We want current information, solutions to the problems we are experiencing today, and answers to questions we can not answer ourselves. We want to find these golden nuggets of information quickly and easily and, we do not want a lot of theoretical or academic fluff.

"Making Sense of Online Learning" meets those requirements. The Shank and Sitze book and companion website are perfect "just-in-time" resources for anyone involved in online learning. Whatever your level of experience and expertise with online learning, I am sure you will find lots of useful and insightful information in the book and the website. While I have designed, developed, and taught various online courses, I still found the book and the website valuable. I know it will help me, my clients, and my students. Thanks, Patti and Amy!

Jackie Dobrovolny, Ph.D.
Instructional technology consultant & IT faculty at University of Colorado at Denver.

The audience for this book is the person who wants to take their first step into traditional online learning. And by traditional, I mean self-contained courses and the management systems that support them (as opposed to deeper simulations or integration with knowledge management or ERP or CRM systems, etc., etc.,) For these people, the tone, the content, and the sympathy are dead on. Before going to a conference, or reading any deeper books, or subscribing to any of the current magazines, or meeting with your boss or advisor, this should be required reading.

Like many instructional design professionals, I struggle to stay abreast of the lighting-fast developments in online learning. Replacing the comfortable and relatively stable vocabularies and design considerations of yesteryear are rapidly evolving media, terms, technologies, and standards.

Both veterans and novices alike may now know a great deal about some things and very little about others. We need resources that can help us fill the gaps in our understanding and enable us to speak intelligently to our clients, colleagues, and employers. We also need simplified ways of explaining these topics to our audiences.

Patti and Amy have provided just such a resource. By peeling away the jargon and complexity in an even-handed and measured way, they have clarified many mind-numbing subjects. Along the way, they have taken care to point out universal considerations, such as the importance of designing for usability and building training around real-world challenges. They have also provided excellent checklists to use when considering the acquisition of expensive technologies, such as learning management and content management systems. These tools alone can help organizations avoid costly and frustrating blunders.

Patti and Amy have successfully blended sensible guidance; classic learning theories; online learning terms, definitions, and applications; and many excellent resources into a "must read" book and companion Web site. Readers will hardly realize the plane has left the ground by the time they touch down gently but firmly at the end of a smooth and delightful journey.

This is one of many books that I own by Mark Minasi. Every book of his is well written and easy to comprehend. I've gotten several atta boys from my various individuals within my company due to his books. If I need an answer to an issue, I CAN FIND IT in one of his books.

Bottom line, I highly recommend Mark's books for IT Professionals and novices alike. If ya don't know it.... You will!!

This is a "So far" rating. "So Far" I've read the W2K Professional Book and about 1/4 through W2K Server. Like ctboone said "These books are MASSIVE". If I recall the introduction says that these books are NOT intended for study for MCSE exams, however some people used these as a tool for MCSE, and "so far" I strongly agree. I wanted to get some spoon-fed type info, since my NT4.0 background is very limited. And that's what this is, I think. I find myself almost in a "conversation" with the text, like Mark Minasi and the other authors are standing there talking to me. There have been helpful comparisons of W2K topics to every-day life scenarios. There are many print screens of install/config processes. I think the books are ideal for getting familiar with W2K and or using as a "how to" resource. Sometimes while reading I find I get a little lost when the books says "click on Start, then programs, then click on accessories, then click on ...and so on". That type of info would be more valuable if I were actually doing it at the PC. Which is why I wish the info in these books were setup with a self-study system with actual training demo's on CD. I plan to purchase Alan R. Carter’s Windows 2000 MCSE Study Guide System to maybe get more of a "classroom approach" in pursuit of my MCSE/all around knowledge quest and use these books (Minasi's) to explain what other self-study books may not cover or explain very well. And "So Far", Minasi's Resource Kit may be matched but definitely NOT beat for this. No Certs, 1/2 A+ , Master's in "Wanna Be". ...

I am somewhere in the middle of my prep for 70-240 and eating up this Resource Kit as if it were choice chocholates instead of four volumes. When I learned that a sixteen-pound package had been shipped via UPS, I ought to have had a clue. These four books are MASSIVE. And better yet - Minsai writes coherently. Very coherently. He is the first person I have come across who could explain unattended installs, answer files, etc. in something that approximates the English language. Minsai not only does an excellent job of explaining the Windows 2000 o/s, he very clearly dileneates the changes and the reasons Microsoft has for making the changes from earler versions of Windows NT and Windows 9.x. The Server volume alone is over 1500 pages. The print is small. It is slow-going to read - not because Minsai is difficult to understand (quite the opposite) but because he packs so much information into every page. Microsoft should hire this guy to write all of their technical documentation. Even when Examcram comes out with a quick cram review for 70-240 (or the four sequenced tests if you are new to Windows enterprise networking, EVERYONE who wants to be certified ought to purchase this 4-volume set and read it and read it and read it again. A cleaner, clearer more exhaustively complete compilation on Windows 2000 (complete with a review of the differences between NT 3.5x, Windows 9.x and Windows 2000)will never be written. In fact, amongst technical volumes, a more coherent more exhaustive series will probably never be written. At last, a technical writer who can and has proofread his work and who has complete and total mastery of the subject matter! If you want to learn Windows 2000 enterprise, buy these four books. Buy these four books if you buy absolutely nothing else. Yeah - they may represent an absolutely monumental amount of work just to read and digest. But believe you me, they are worth their weight (16 pounds) in gold. Probably platinum. CThomasBoone, CNE, MCSE, MCP+I, ctboone1@hotmail.com

Mark does it again. This guy made me cancel my windows 2000 training classes. I have read his articles in Windows 2000/NT magazine for a few years now.

This set takes you inside the innerworkings of windows 2000. Mark shows you how to get things done in win2k, but also gives you a peak at how the simple tasks are performed.

This kit is best read by those familiar with windows 2000 and is perfect if you want to become an expert.

This Resource Kit is the Resource Kit of resource kits. Don't bother with the Microsoft kit. Mark has a way with disseminating information to humans in a way that most authors can't. The four volumes are packed with tips, hints and solutions for anyone who administers a Windows 2000 network. It's an excellent reference kit as well. Highly recommended! Thanks Mark for your humorous, witty way of teaching!

This book is helpful for healing abuse victims of any age, but also is helpful in preventing abuse. Verbal abuse is addressed as well as physical abuse. It describes warning signs of potential abusers and has sample forms to screen future employees that will be around children.

This book is an outstanding resource for understanding what abuse is and the steps required to overcome abuse through faith and forgiveness. I purchased the Mending the Soul Workbook that goes along with this book from the Mending the Soul website.

This book has been and will continue to be, a very helpful resource for me to use on my own road to healing.

I highly recommend this book.

I am a Christian survivor of incest. I have read many books on dealing with and healing incest issues. This is the first book I have read that presents material for Christians, and it has had a profound effect on the issues I have faced. Not only does it address the nature of abuse, it also addresses the aftereffects of abuse: shame and powerlessness. In my opinion, the most important section of the book is The Healing Path. It gave me hope and explained the steps needed for the survivor to know God can indeed heal the soul.Other books address the mental and emotional aftereffects of incest. This book addresses the most important part of abuse: the damage it does to the soul. As a believer in God, it gave me a path to follow to heal my soul. For anyone raised in a church and felt abandoned by God because of incest, this is a must read.

This book really helped me to view forgiveness & reconcilliation from a true biblical perspective. Joe in the previous review states it so clearly & logically, especially in the last paragraph of his review. I think we can unintentionally draw people towards us that continue this cycle of emotional abuse. By abandonment, betrayal, lies or avoidance which can be the most difficult to overcome. With any abuse or negative issue in life, our self-esteem can take quite a hit,it also makes us feel if we are not forgiven or loved by someone & how can God love or forgive us? that's why the recovery is such a challenge & this book deals with this healing process, moving forward & growing in Godly love.A very insightful encouraging positive biblicaly based book that deals directly with many of lifes challenges, especially the very common emotional abuse so many of us have experienced.I highly recommend this book.

This book, written by on of the foremost experts on abuse and recover in the country, provides great insight on the healing process and provides hope to the wounded. Dr. Steven Tracy has a remarkable way of packaging truth and love, enabling those healing to move at their own pace while at the same time challenging them to grow. This book is written to the professional counselor providing a framework for guiding another through the healing process. However, it is just as readable by those suffering from the lingering pain of abuse, providing a refreshing breath of hope as one heals. I highly recommended this book to professionals, lay counselors, and especially suffering individuals. This book will become an indispensable part of your healing library if you are suffering from the pain of abuse, know another who is or provide help to those who are.

This truth about how to learn still stands, while so many notions have drifted away and died. As someone who adores children and has mentored many, I've observed again and again the demonstration of Papert's points. And because he's such an odd duck -- having expertise in both technology and learning/development -- the book can offer practical examples of how this understanding can be actually applied. I'm so grateful that people are still seeing the value of this landmark book.

Mindstorms is not just about the programming language called Logo. It is about Turtle Graphics and it's application to education. The author explains Turtle Graphics which is combination of programming and geometry. He then puts Turtle Graphics to use explaining how to do draw complicated shapes with it. Finally the author explains the theory behind his insights which is built on the contributions of Piaget a important researcher into the way children understand the world. I greatly enjoyed this book. Papert explains how to combine the process of programming with the process of learning. He shows how to make what is cerebral into a concrete process that children can understand.

This is a book that anyone interested in present-day education of children everywhere should find time to read. For a few weeks, in the summer of 2001, I introduced teenagers in the W. E. B. DuBois Scholars' Program, held on the campus of Princeton University, to the Logo computer programming language invented by the author of this book, MIT professor, Seymour Papert. A leader in the DuBois program sought me out to congratulate me and quoted the students as having repeated over and over that they were ecstatic about what they were learning in my class and that it alone was worth their live-in participation. Indeed, I saw the glow in their eyes and a strong desire to be explorers with Turtle Graphics. Ditto for when I joined fellow volunteers from the MIT Alumni Club of New York City to employ Lego to guide the learning of robotics at Hunter College Elementary School for gifted students in upper Manhattan.

There is something engaging about the constructivist learning philosophy advocated in Professor Papert's books, beginning with the first edition of this book, [1980]. The open secret was that these students directed their collaboration with the computer in their own journey to discover knowledge and this book explains the confluence of ideas from science, mathematics and modeling that brings about this immersion. When a child can learn, in one week, how recursion works in mathematics, a topic normally taught in graduate courses in computer science, someone has donated a gift!

The challenge to teachers looking for traditional instructions for students in this setting is that this approach is relatively rule-agnostic and that makes some people feel uncomfortable. There is a chapter titled "Instructionism versus Constructionism" in a book, The Children's Machine, Papert's follow-up progress report on learning, after more than three million computers had been employed in American elementary schools, thirteen years after the ideas in Mindstorms were first published. For more adventurous K-12 students, opportunities to use legions of turtles, acting simultaneously, to model and simulate complex, dynamic systems like traffic jams are provided within a related language, StarLogo, and the results are startling and sometimes paradoxical.

At the risk of being immodest, I volunteer that one of my sons started his education in an atmosphere implementing Papert's ideas -- MIT's Tech Child Care Center -- in 1977 and went on to graduate from Stanford University in 1996. This environment galvanizes and sustains the curiosity, creativity and imagination of children - preach it to all who would listen!

This book provides an introduction to Papert's thinking concerning the learning and teaching of math. Prior to developing the LOGO language described in this book, Papert worked closely with Piaget in Switzerland for 5 years. While in Switzerland, Papert observed many of Piaget's experiments with children and the development of their understanding of mathematical concepts. Following Piaget, Papert believed that the math learning that the child comes to know best and that stays with the child always comes from experience and cognition, not from explicit teaching or rote practice. He noted, however, that there were certain mathematical concepts that children should come to know, but that they wouldn't ordinarily learn from experience alone because they might not come across these ideas in ordinary life. This is why he invented the programming language LOGO--a toy that children could play with, experiment with, manipulate, and through doing so, gradually come to call their own the mathematical concepts needed for their games.

To make LOGO attractive to kids, he included a "turtle" as the central figure of the language. The turtle carried a pen that could be used to trace the turtle's movement through the play area or on a computer screen. The challenge was for kids to write programs in LOGO that would instruct the turtle how to move and when to use the pen so that it would draw shapes in the forms that they wanted. When the turtle didn't make the shapes they wanted, they were instructed to "be the turtle," in order to understand the turtle's perspective, and to figure out how they needed to adjust their programs. According to Papert, even kids who showed no interest in math in the regular classroom began showing dramatic improvements in their math skills when given a chance to play with the turtle. Unfortunately, when turtle math was first introduced, many teachers tried teaching a turtle math class the same way they taught regular math class, with lectures and assignments. In doing so, they lost the playful aspects of the program, and kids didn't relate to it as well as they might have if the teachers had followed Papert's guidelines.

When turtle math was first invented, Papert's team created a small robot turtle that kids could play with and program. In the years that followed, the programmable turtle eventually developed into the Lego Mindstorms programmable brick, which doesn't quite sound as cute and fuzzy, but actually allows even more creative play than the turtle, since kids can choose what kinds of forms the robot should take. One of the more fascinating aspects of this book is the historical documentation it provides of Papert's thinking at the time, and his reasoning behind LOGO and turtle math. When an idea for a revolution in teaching methodology goes from just an idea, to a system that is being used for teaching engineering and science in classrooms around that world, and is even being sold successfully in regular commercial channels as a toy, it's worth getting to know better, as can be done through reading this book. Teachers in classrooms using Lego or other robots could benefit greatly from reading this classic book detailing the early history behind programmable robots and the way Papert envisioned them being used for learning.

This is the best book I have ever read on how to assist people to learn for themselves. Papert began his work by collaborating with Jean Piaget, and then applied those perspectives in a self-programming language designed to help children learn math and physics.

Papert explains Piaget's work and provides case studies of how the programming language, LOGO, can help. He provides a wonderful contrasting explanation of the weaknesses of how math and physics are usually taught in schools.

I learned quite a few things from this that I did not know before. People are very good at developing theories about why things work the way they do. I knew that these theories are almost always wrong. What I did not realize is that if you give the person a way to test their theory, the person will keep devising new theories until they hit on one that works. What is usually missing in education is the means to allow that testing to occur.

An especially imaginative part of this book were the discussions of how to create theory testing solutions that are much simpler and easier to apply than any school problem you ever saw in these subjects. Papert works from a very fundamental and deep understanding of math and physics to reach the heart of the most useful thought processes for applying these subjects. It is thrilling to read about what you have known for many years, and to suddenly see it in a totally different and improved perspective.

Another benefit I got from this book were plenty of ideas for how to help my teenage daughter with her math. She is very verbal, and Papert points out that math seldom teaches a vocabulary for talking about math. As a result, she memorizes a lot and gets dissociated from the subject. I got a lot of ideas for how to encourage her to personalize the concepts and problems by moving her own body. From that I realized that I often solve the same kinds of problems by recalling physical situations I have been in. But I have failed to help her make that connection because I was unaware of it on a conscious level.

If you want to improve as a learner, help others learn better and faster, or simply want to understand more about different ways to think, this is a great book. I hope that all teachers get a chance to read and apply it.

Enjoy learning more!

This unique and fascinating book by Dr. Cox has important implications for development practitioners and academics interested in political ecology as well as ethnobotanists. The challenges faced by the people of Falealupo village in choosing between preserving their forest or building a school for their children are typical of the environmental trade-offs that many people in developing countries feel compelled to make simply to achieve, by our standards, a minimally acceptable standard of living. The solution presented by Dr. Cox, in which social networks are built such that people willing to invest in the preservation of ecosystems are put into direct contact with those people overseeing these ecosystems (without government or NGO intervention) has important lessons for people interested in promoting "Conservation-with-Development" approaches to economic development. This text also illustrates the complex ways that the human imprint on ecosystems is embedded in power-laden social networks and that change involves contestation and negotiation of power within these networks. This book thus holds important insights for those interested in political ecology. (For those interested in these topics, Dr. Cox's contribution to People, Plants and Justice - Charles Zerner, ed., Cambridge University Press, 2000 - makes an informative companion-piece to Nafanua.)

Finally, as a person who has lived in Samoa for several years as a volunteer teacher and as someone who conducts ecological research there, I find Dr. Cox's presentation of the people of Samoa, shown from a more personalized perspective rather than an academic one, to be open, honest and fair. He avoids falling into the trap of romanticizing or essentializing the people as "ecologically noble savages" that live in perfect harmony with their environment that has become so common in depictions of indigenous peoples in the popular media. When I read the book, I often saw the Samoa that I knew from my own personal experience.

First I must say that I am not saying that ethnobotany is boring. I am just saying it seems boring to me and it might to others, but even if you know nothing of botany and have little interest in it you will find great interest in this book. It is a fascinating narrative and Paul brings you into the Samoan world as well as a palagi really can.

I had a chance to hear Paul Cox speak and he talked about how the rainforest became his mother. The book starts with the death of his mother by cancer. He travels to Samoa to search for a possible cure in the rain forest, his quest however becomes to save the rainforest from the forces of globalization. I think the most compelling issue of this book is the positive and negative aspects of western scholarship when it comes in touch with another land and culture.

Paul is a very good storyteller and makes you want to continue reading.

This was an outstanding work. I am a palagi who has been married to a Samoan woman for 9 years and have had extensive dealings with Samoans for 14 years. We visited Western Samoa in 1988, so I have seen the culture first-hand, as well as my state-side exposure with Samoan American organizations. I could almost see myself interacting with the people as he related his accounts... although my 50 or so word Samoan vocabulary can't be compared with the author. He truly captures the essence of Samoa and its people.

This is a most interesting book, the story of how the author came to live in Samoa,and fell in love with the people and their tropical forest environment. When faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, namely the destruction of a huge area of tropical forest, the author recounts his experience in helping to save these sacred lands--through purchasing the logging rights from the outsiders who were beginning to bulldoze the forests, and turning the control of the forests over to the local community. The book is filled with fascinating stories, and the people and their forests come alive in its pages. I was particularly moved by Cox's account of living through a typhoon and barely managing to save his family and Samoan friends as the waves continued to pound apart each of the shelters that they took refuge in. A wonderful narrative of live on this remote Pacific Island, of botanical studies, conservation and committment to a cause. Truely this book will be an inspiration for people who are looking for real life heroes--in this case the lineage of elderly healers who have been the guardians of their sacred traditions for thousands of years, who worked with Paul Cox to ensure that their plants, many with profoundly important uses, would be preserved for future generations. I gave this book to several friends. It is, quite simply, a wonderful read.

This is a most interesting book, the stody of how the author came to live in Samoa,and fell in love with the people and their tropical forest environment. When faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, namely the destruction of a huge area of tropical forest, the author recounts his experience in helping to save these sacred lands--through purchasing the logging rights from the outsiders who were beginning to bulldoze the forests, and turning the control of the forests over to the local community. The book is filled with fascinating stories, and the people and their forests come alive in its pages. I was particularly moved by Cox's account of living through a typhoon and barely managing to save his family and Samoan friends as the waves continued to pound apart each of the shelters that they took refuge in. A wonderful narrative of live on this remote Pacific Island, of botanical studies, conservation and committment to a cause. Truely this book will be an inspiration for people who are looking for real life heroes--in this case the lineage of elderly healers who have been the guardians of their sacred traditions for thousands of years, who worked with Paul Cox to ensure that their plants, many with profoundly important uses, would be preserved for future generations. I gave this book to several friends. It is, quite simply, a wonderful read.

This book is wonderful. I paid full price for it and would gladly do so again in order to give it as a gift to others. I highly recomend it.

I have owned this book for several years and read it cover to cover, most parts more than once. It is a good read and I like the way it is set up, and the author's enthusiasm is appreciated. There is much good information inside, but unfortunately, there is misinformation to a degree that I think is inexcusable. For example, the drawings of "evening primrose" actually show primrose, which is a totally different plant in an entirely different family. But the text clearly describes eating the root of evening primrose. So it seems like he didn't even know what evening primrose was, had never tried it, but copied his information on how to use it, even the description of its flavor, from another book. The text sure makes it sound like he's had experience from the plant. I think its disingenuous and a disservice to the reader. This is the most glaring example of many errors. Otherwise, it is a good book.

I was amazed at all the information this book gave me. I have learned so many things, to see all the bounty we can have in our own backyard! Practical and easy to read. I recommend this book to all nature and food lovers.

I haven't met many people who can point out at least ten different plants in the average yard and can tell you how to cook them. Mr. Henderson does an outstanding job of identifying wild, and not-so-wild, edibles common to almost every neighborhood. His recipes are easy to follow and delicious.

Even if you are not planning to run right out to the nearest shrub and harvest its leaves for dinner, I recommend this book. Mr. Henderson's prose is worth reading, whatever the content. His witty, humorous style enlivens a book full of excellent information.

The Neighborhood Forager is a very informative and enjoyable book. It not only tells about the plants in our backyards and by-ways but gives historical information, recipes, warnings and dyer's tips.

Mr. Henderson writes with humor and personal anecdotes which makes the book a good read even if you're not into foraging.

It has been so difficult for me to find books which even attempt to reconcile modern Christianity with Yeshua's VERY Jewish roots. This book is a good "starter" if you are seeking Jesus/Yeshua within his Jewish context. There are a great number of footnotes explaining various Hebrew words and historical references--and which also point to other texts of interest.

I had to loan my one and only copy to a very good friend of mine who recently became a Christian. As soon as she saw the book, she wanted to read it.

Those of the Jewish faith may disagree with Christian sentiment, but they cannot deny Yeshua's roots in Israel and Judaism. This is a book both Christians and Jews can read together.

the book goes into long renderings of the author's opinion regading the effect of miss translation. would have been better to go over more translation in space available.

David Bivin's new book, New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context, is a most helpful book. I have never traveled to Israel and, being a gentile Christian, I am not all that familiar with Jewish customs. Consequently, having a straightforward explanation of Jewish customs of the first century is most interesting and helpful in interpreting the NT. One read of this book is probably not sufficient to gain full advantage.

There was a bit of overlap with Bivin's previous book, Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus: New Insights From a Hebrew Perspective with Roy Blizzard Jr., but probably not as much as I might have liked. I really liked the first book and wanted more material on the implications of Jesus speaking Hebrew (and being translated word-for-word into Greek) when I ordered New Light. As it was, I enjoyed the review of first century context every bit as much as the implications of Jesus speaking Hebrew.

Although Bivin's book had numerous insights that I cannot attribute to any other author, the one insight that sticks in my mind is about fishing in the Sea of Galilee:

**Until the introduction of transparent nylon nets in the mid-1950s,
**trammel net fishing was done only at night. In the daytime, the fish
**could see the nets and avoid them. Their miracle [of Jesus in Luke
**5:4-8] was that the fish swam blindly into the net (Bivin, p. 75).

Reading Bivin's book has led me to do two things. First, I searched for and found a Hebrew translation of the NT that I can use to study along with the Greek NT. BibleWorks 7.0 includes such as translation and I hope to start using it side-by-side with the Greek NT during 2008. Second, I have also begun gifting serious friends with copies of New Light to spark their thinking and encourage discussion.

I hope that you too will find New Light worth the time to read and study.

Stephen

This is the second book which David Bivin has authored. His first book was co-authored with Roy Blizzard. This book is quite different in that it is a series of articles Mr. Bivin has written about Jesus' viewpoint on Scripture as related to Jewish society dictated by Torah. The articles are short, easy to read and understand and definitely provide a new perspective on familiar topics, e.g., discipleship, prayer, divorce and remarriage, to name a few.

Since I have been exploring Hebrew roots through Messianic theologians and exegetists, I've come to realize how much heritage is missing from my spiritual life.

Mr. Bivin's book has contributed more information and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge about their religous heritage and traditions.

This book is very eye opening because it reminds you that, although there were other cultrual influences around Jesus, Jesus was a Hebrew and a Jew. Therefore, he should be understood as he was in the the Second Temple period. Bivin does repeat some of the things he says in the other version of this book. Therefore, buying this book is sufficient to see his point of view on Jesus. Great buy!!

I've been trading for over twenty years, including a period as a floor trader on the Chicago Board of Trade. Even with that experience there are tips and tricks in this book I found useful to the point where I employ them daily. To be complete as a reviewer I will say there is a lot of pretty basic stuff from my point of view, but still well worth reviewing since some of it I had forgotten.

Well written, easy reading, well organized

Online Investing Hacks is an excellent introduction to the world of investment. Though the title does contain the word 'Online', I would say that the general information the book provides on investing is not limited to the online realm.

Overall, I was very happy with the book, and found it incredibly useful. Though I do have several investments (401K, some stock, mutual funds etc) I would hardly consider myself an authority on the subject. This book provided very detailed explanations and tips on various forms of investment, from CD's to Index funds, and everything in between. While the experienced investor might not glean much from reading this book, anyone just getting started will find it an excellent reference, and resource.

The format of the book is similar to the other books in the 100 * Hacks series published by O'Reilly. There are exactly 100 hacks, or topics, which are spread across 9 chapters. Each one is an individual entity and can be read and understood without reliance on any of the other hacks.

One minor annoyance I had with the book is that it is geared toward those of you who, for some reason or another, run Microsoft's Windows OS, or have access to Microsoft Excel. Luckily, of the Excel examples that I played with, Open Office's Calc program handled them with minimal tweaking.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest, but is unsure of what to invest in, or needs some tips on making the most of preexisting investments. Those of you who enjoy research and building your own stats and graphs will also find parts of this book rather intriguing, as it covers data acquisition and manipulation with Excel in great detail. It will make an excellent addition to my reference shelf, and I have a feeling it will be well thumbed through in a very short time.

It seems like everyone is involved in investing in some form or another. While I always felt like I should be investing too, it was never clear to me how to begin this process. After all, it's my money. How can I be sure I'm investing in something that will provide some sort of reasonable return? This book is an excellent resource in answering some of those questions and putting the new investor on the right track.

This book is written in the same format as the other "hacks" series by O'Reilly. This format is very easy to read, and the format makes it very easy to find answers. Rather then having to read the book from cover to cover, the reader can pick out topics they are dealing with, read the answer, and move on. Since many of the people interesting in a book of this nature will likely have little time, the book's format works to its advantage.

The book begins with some basic introduction to the stock market and tips for selecting appropriate stocks or mutual funds. The whole middle section of the book deals with data analysis. The author discusses how to understand a company's balance sheet (e.g. what that P/E ratio means), how to spot companies in financial trouble, how to pick a good stock, and even how to trade. There is also a good discussion on minimizing the effect of taxes on your little return on investment.

The author even goes further and gets into a discussion on financial planning. In addition to discussing debt reduction, the author also talks about IRA plans and different strategies for saving for your child's education expenses. I think my favorite part of this book was the discussion on different education savings plans. The author discusses the ins and outs (as well as tax consequences) of each of the plans, and provides some examples illustrating the fact that it's better to start saving earlier than later.

This is an excellent book, not just for its investing advice, but also for its sound financial planning. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in increasing their wealth, saving for a rainy day, or simply saving for future financial goals.

Online Investing Hacks by Bonnie Biafore (O'Reilly) is one of those books that can pay for itself in short order, as well as over and over.

Chapter list: Screening Investments; Hacking Excel for Financial Analysis; Collecting Financial Data; Analyzing Company Fundamentals; Technical Analysis; Executing Trades; Investing in Mutual Funds; Managing Your Portfolio; Financial Planning; Index

I worked at Enron from 1998 through 2001, and spent plenty of time during that dot.com era following my stock portfolio. I watched my Enron stock value go from incredible value to a point where it cost more to sell the stock than it was worth. I won a few bets (face it, that's what they were) on a few dot.coms and lost many more. What could have been an incredible nest egg, isn't. This book would have been a lifesaver if I had read and paid attention to it a few years ago. Biafore shows you how you can analyze and invest wisely using a variety of tools available to everyone.

If you're an Excel user, you'll find it an invaluable tool for analysis. She'll show you how you can use it to create financial charts (#13), calculate compound annual rates of growth (#26), and use rational values to buy and sell wisely (#36). #39 - Spot Hanky Panky with Cash Flow Analysis (using Enron as an example) would have literally saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars had I known about it. Even if you don't care about the investing tips, the hack on downloading data via Excel web queries (#7) was something I didn't know how to do (or that you could even do it!). The book has a little something for everyone.

As with all Hacks titles, you probably won't be interested in every single item. Some may not be applicable to your situation or may be too complex for what you care to handle. But all it would take is one hack to work out and change your investing for this book to pay huge dividends. If you do your own investing, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

This is one of the most useful books on investing that I've seen.

The excellent chapter on fundamental analysis alone is worth the price of admission. Plus there are chapters on technical analysis, mutual funds, asset allocation, financial planning, investing in bonds etc, all equally well written.

Hope the author writes a sequel to this book covering topics not covered here (eg. topics related to options trading).

A required title in any serious investor's bookshelf.

What a great book! It should be read by every Christian from now until the end of time. Every church should do an evangelism study using this book as a guide. So many of us call ourselves Evangelical but how many of us evangelize? Sadly, very few. This book will wake the church up! In it John uses lots of Biblical references and brings them to light with a great understanding and entertaining true stories that teach and motivate. It's one of the few books on the subject I've read that puts the Holy Spirit first and shows us how we can be used by a God who wants people to know Him more then we want them to know Him. Get this book right now! You won't be sorry!

1 Star = I've been robbed!
2 Stars = Why'd I finish it?
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

This book by John Wimber is a must read and a great introduction to the world of power evangelism. John Wimber was the founder and International Director of the Association of Vineyard Churches, and he died peacefully on November 17, 1997 in the presence of his family. He was sixty-three years old. His book, Power Evangelism, has now been a widely accepted primer to power evangelism, and the term "power evangelism" has been used to describe "a presentation of the gospel that is rational but that also transcends the rational (though it is in no way 'irrational' or anti-rational)." The book hosts many testimonies that encourages any believer to see that power encounters can be a part of his life too.

Power vs. Non-Power Evangelism?
The term "power evangelism" has some implications to it. Does it mean that other forms of evangelism do not have power? Does the power of the Holy Spirit only manifest through signs, wonders, and the gifts of the Spirit? Romans 1:16 tells us that the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. The question would then be on how the gospel carries such power, and Wimber writes that the answer lies within what salvation means, i.e. the coming of the kingdom of God. Power is defined as "the ability, the strength, the might to complete a given task" and authority is "the right to use the power of God".

Evangelicals assert that the proclamation of the gospel message has intrinsic spiritual power, which is an assertion that Wimber does not deny. In fact, any system or force that must be overcome for the gospel to be believed is cause for a power encounter, and unbelief is part of that system or force. However, Wimber's point is that power evangelism was one of the normal kinds of evangelism in the early Church and has surfaced throughout the history of the Church with remarkable results. Hence, we should pay more attention to this form of evangelism, especially when it reaps results more efficiently and effectively then other forms of evangelism.

Evangelicals have also historically been concerned with the evangel, i.e. the "good news of salvation," but have not looked closely enough on the medium by which the evangel is communicated. Pentecostals and charismatics have been accused in the past of focusing too much on the gifts of the Spirit, healing, prophecy and intimate worship that evangelism had taken second place and the lives of believers are not grounded theologically. I believe that what we need to come to an understanding is that evangelism and the good news of salvation has to be preached, but the medium of this preaching is not just mere words, but in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Spirit, signs and wonders. Wimber brings this point across through numerous testimonies that the most effective way of evangelizing is through the power of the Holy Spirit. Power evangelism would bring the spiritual-decision process on the Engel Scale from a -10 to a -2 in a matter of minutes, as compared to long discussions, arguments and persuasions. In fact, in most third-world nations, a careful apology of the gospel does not bring a person to Christ as compared to power evangelism. Unless they know the reality and power of God, there is no need for them to convert. Hence, such power evangelism necessary, and is the proclamation of the kingdom of God in the fullness of its blessing and promise (which has also been called 'salvation').

Do you need to be Baptized in the Spirit?
I am encouraged that Wimber did not claim that power evangelism is only for those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. I recognize differing theological viewpoints and Wimber's writing is able to hold the tension between Pentecostal and Evangelical views. The testimonies in this book does not claim that the people who were used of God in power evangelism were baptized in the Holy Spirit, but the opening account of Scott does show that he was baptized in the Spirit, and the closing account of a Methodist pastor showed that he had been empowered with the Holy Spirit.

This would lead to the question as to whether one needs to be baptized in the Holy Spirit to be used of God for power evangelism. Wimber's own testimony seemed to show that one does not need to be first baptized in the Holy Spirit for power evangelism. He described his evangelistic efforts from 1963 to 1974 as "under 'normal' circumstances... but occasionally I led someone to Christ in an unusual way," having remarkable insights into their lives (word of knowledge). It was not clear whether he was baptized in the Spirit or not at that time, but I am left to believe that even one who has not been baptized in the Spirit can be used of God for power evangelism. Even Wimber's definition of power encounter does not specify the baptism in the Holy Spirit as criterion, and likewise we should not.

What does the Bible show us?
When looking at the life and ministry of Jesus through the gospels, we find that He spent a large part of His ministry raising the dead, healing the sick and casting out demons. Wimber asked himself three important questions - (1) How did Jesus evangelize? (2) How did Jesus commission the disciples? (3) How did the disciples respond to the great commission?

The gospel of the kingdom has two aspects to it, (1) proclamation, and (2) demonstration. We begin to see that there is no dichotomy between evangelism with signs and wonders in the Bible. Jesus' job description can be found in Isaiah 61:1-2 or Luke 4:18-19, and He did not just preach, but demonstrated the kingdom. When John asked if Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus' response was not with logical proofs, but by demonstration of power in what that He had done (Matt 11:2-5). When Jesus commissioned His disciples, it was a commission to do exactly what Jesus had done. The disciples responded by doing as Jesus did, and the people around knew that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). We can see this even when Peter raised the dead in Acts 9:36-40 that it was a reflection of Jesus raising the dead in Mark 5:37-42. It is through this that the "greater works" (John 14:12) of Jesus may be fulfilled. I believe that the greater works are not in terms of the quality, but in terms of the quantity.

Christians Today
Why is it that many Christians today still do not move in the power of the Holy Spirit? Wimber suggests that the "proclamation of a faulty gospel will produce faulty or, at best, weak Christian." He goes on to claim that the faultiness lies in the consumer gospel, where the seeker seeks for his needs to be met, rather then the costly gospel of Christ's death on the cross. Does this mean that everyone who comes to Jesus with a need would end up a weak Christian? I believe that for whatever reason a person comes to Jesus, it is a starting point, but the issue is on the church and discipleship, where the emphases on Christianity is focused on being good (behavior) rather than being God's. Wimber testifies that when you become God's, you will become good.

Christianity has to also go back to being a relationship with God where each person learns to hear from God, and not a list of do's and don'ts. We have often taught that God speaks through His Word, the Bible, and that is not wrong, but there needs to be an increasing emphasis to hear from God Himself today. Wimber notes that most Christians miss out on exciting and powerful experiences in their lives either because they are not listening to God, or because of their inattentiveness, God is silent.

Wimber also mentions that Christians are too often searching for methods, formulas and principles that will open the power of God to them. However, the heart of power evangelism is not a method, formula or principle, but it is to obey God when He leads and guides. Wimber says that divine appointments are an integral part of power evangelism. "Divine appointments are occasions on which God chooses to do his works through our obedience, faith, hope and love. They are His works, acts to which we add nothing." His testimony of Kerry, I believe, is similar to what many of us have gone through in the past, i.e. sensing we should speak to a particular person on a word we sense is coming from God but we give all the reasons for not delivering the message. Hence, power evangelism is the conscious co-operating with the Holy Spirit in our evangelistic efforts, even if it seems absurd or may cause embarrassment.

Wimber came to the conclusion that if an experience such as healing was commonly found in Scripture, but yet not part of his own experience, something had to be wrong with his approach. I am greatly encouraged by Wimber's testimony of what he went through, and in similar fashion, it encourages us to keep pressing on to see God move through us.

Our Worldviews Affect Our Actions
Wimber gives a very important and interesting section on worldviews. Worldviews are defined as "an explanation of how and why things are as they are, and how and why they continue or change... the basis for evaluation, for judging and validating experience... provides psychological reinforcement for a society's way of life... [and] provides integrating and adapting functions for new information, values, philosophies and experiences." No worldview is perfect, and every worldview has blind spots. Because the western worldview has an 'excluded middle' of an inability to see how religion and science interact, this same 'excluded middle' includes the influence of angels and demons on everyday life, the Holy Spirit's intervention in divine healing, signs and wonders, and spiritual gifts. We need to change our worldview to having a Christian worldview with an eternal perspective, an awareness of power and evil influences, and a Biblical concept of truth. Because our worldview affects everything we think or do, including our theology, we need to be aware of what our worldviews are, how they affect us, and the need to consciously change them to align ourselves to how God sees things.

I am encouraged by the tenacity of John Wimber, who prayed for 10 months without a single person getting healed, and that is the kind of tenacity that Christians need to press in towards.

Wow! What a book. Love Wimber or hate him, you got to read this book. It is a life-changing book written with a scholars insight into the philosophical and biblical underpinnings of our faith. There are four premises that Wimber argues: First the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan are in conflict and Christians have been drafted into Christs army to do battle against Satan. The church does not exist to minister to the saints, nor does it exist to provides programs, it exists to set the captives free. Every Christian is a solider. Second, evangelism is meant to go forward in the power of the Holy Spirit. Wimber argues that in the West, we have intellectualize the gospel to such an extent that we tend to rely solely on reason to persuade people to come to Christ. The Bible, however, tells another story. We are to go out into the world with the power of the Holy Spirit. Third, our worldviews affect how we understand Scripture, including passages about signs and wonders- most evangelicals tend relegate to New Testament days anything that cannot be arrived at empirically or proved by reason.

If you are a fan of R.C. Sproul, you will appreciate Wimbers analysis of the Western World view. He argues that most westerners are incapable of attaching cultural significance to spiritual ideas and events. It is not that they are hostile to spiritual things, but it is as if they have a filter that removes religion form the public consciousness. They just cannot see how religion can have an impact on economics or politics. Wimber calls this the excluded middle. Because of the secular western worldview, even most Christians have difficulty believing in the ability of God to intervene in the physical universe. Case in point- Healing. Most evangelical Christians will acknowledge that God can heal disease, but in their heart of hearts they find it difficult if not impossible to accept either spiritual causation or healing of diseases.

Wimber also points out how our Western World view affects Christian discipleship. We have abandoned the apprenticeship model used by Jesus for the classroom model of modern education. Evangelical discipleship concentrates on what one knows.. We are taught church doctrine (the authority of Scripture, the deity of Christ, etc.) and very little time is spent molding a life. The New Testament model of discipleship emphasized who one is, rather than what one knows. It focused on building a life, rather than gaining knowledge.

I would make this required reading in every seminary and Bible College. It is that good. You may not agree with everything Wimber taught, but if you do not read this book, you will be missing truth that will transform your life.

John Wimber is able to make complex ideas reachable. He was able to stop theorizing and start attempting. Through his classes and eventually his church he saw many saved by the power of God instead of just through Apologetics. In my opinion in the near future this method will become more and more common. People need healing, the prophetic, words of knowledge in their life. They dont need a logical understanding of the rightness of the bible. They need God in their life. And John Wimbers books can help you understand how to do that.

What I was looking for was a book I could use to teach a class on relationship evangelism. Furthermore, my ideal is a book that addresses post-modern people (especially Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers) with their common aversion to embracing any exclusive or absolute truth. How can you show, and not just tell, the good news?

In my view, such a book needs to combine both scriptural foundations and practical models. If the book hits this target, the reader will gain a few memorable approaches and build lifelong habits.

This book, unlike most on the subject, includes:
1. Discussion or review questions at the end of each chapter
2. Application exercise(s) at the end of each chapter

Net: If you want more results, this book remains in my mind one of the best ever written. It is well worth the effort spent trying to find it.

What an impressive, Christ-focused primer on prison ministry. The author is an ex-offender who knows how to bring the Gospel to the incarcerated. Great refresher for those who have been at it for awhile and an even better introduction for those who are beginning to hear the call to go inside the razor wire.

I conduct a weekly bible study in the local state prison and before I went in I ordered this book and it was so very practical and put me at ease right away with the experience. Highly recommend

The first time I read "Prison Ministry" resulted in it being a major part of planting a seed in my heart for what is now one of my biggest passions. I've since read it two more times and each time words of wisdom have taught me something new or reminded me of some old.

Lennie Spitale is not hype or as Duncan Miller says in his review does not sensationalize but is sincere in his sharing and giving truthful insight to the world of prison ministry. If you, your church or someone you know is thinking of or doing prison ministry inside the walls or outside (mentoring former inmates, consoling families of incarcerated loved ones) I strongly recommend this book.

I too have met Lennie and he is as real as his book reads and the book is a reflection of Lennie's heart.

It gives you a wide range focus on the mindset of inmates from why they turn to crime and for some why it is so difficult to leave, how prison life effects them in regards to family and other loved ones and much more.

If you have a passion to serve the lost you'll learn from Lennie's own words that this nations prison are one of the most if not most plentiful harvests.

This book gives you incredible insight to the minds of men in prison. The book is written in such a way that those who are not involved in prison ministry can use it as an inspirational book. It reinforces in practical and understandable terms that we are all fallen from grace and we all require redemption.

I bought three books on prison ministry, have experience with one on one prison ministry and mentoring, and have attended the Prison Fellowship VIP (Volunteer In Prison) Training.

Lennie Spitale's book is the best I've read yet. It gives virtually all you will need to know if you are considering prison ministry, already involved in and form of prison ministry, or just curious about what life behind bars is like. Spitale is probably one of the most authoritative writers on the topic, having plenty of experience of life from both sides of the fence.

He was a rebellious child, joined the military and was jailed a number of times before discharge. After discharge from the military, he served many years in prison on multiple incarcerations before turning his life around and going straight. Since his release, he has spent at least 25 years in prison ministry, and founded an organization dedicated to preparing others for prison ministry and chaplaincy.

This book has all the information and warnings any prospective prison ministry volunteer could need, as well as all the heart breaking and compelling motivations to become involved. It is easily readable, neither deep mind bending theory nor shallow boring fluff. Of all the books on the topic I have read this one is the most value for money.

If you only buy one book on the subject, this is the one that will give most value.