I Books

Awake, O Sleeper is not a book just for women with breast cancer. Women of all ages need to read this book. If we ourselves have not experienced breast cancer, someone we know and love will. Awake, O Sleeper is an honest portrayal of the fear one experiences at finding they have a frightening disease, yet it is also a story of hope found only in one place--God. I highly recommend Awake, O Sleeper!

Some people tell a story so you can hear it; Katherine Murphy tells a story so you can live it. Awake, O Sleeper ushered me into Murphy's soul in the first few pages. Not only did Murphy take me through her personal cancer walk, she also skillfully opened windows into the lives of her husband, children, and friends. Cancer wraps tentacles around the victim as well as bystanders. It takes courage to survive; it takes God to give it meaning.

Katherine Murphy lost many dreams with the nightmare of cancer but awoke with the vision of God in her circumstance, and the reality has never dimmed. As she vividly described the loss of physical strength and appearance, Murphy discovered a true identity and inner beauty. Seasons of the year come and go just as our existence depicts the same cycle; however, Katherine Murphy views life as "a world of borrowed time." She seizes each opportunity as a gift. Awake, O Sleeper is her gift to us.

Awake, O Sleeper is an honest exploration of the hatred and blessing of cancer. Katherine Murphy has chosen to buoy others with her own life jacket. I am pleased to recommend a book that will speak for a very long time.

When Katherine Murphy discovered she had breast cancer and then that it had progressed to stage two, her life was forever changed. In her book she relives the diagnosis and the battle that followed. She was determined that she would fight and win.
Fear was the biggest enemy - that she might lose her life and leave her two sons and husband. When she renewed her commitment to God, these fears were not over but there was a new peace and she could go where God would lead.
This is a great read for those with cancer and who have close ones struggling with the disease. There can be victory even in the darkest times.

Awake, O Sleeper offers a touching and honest look at the pain of breast cancer and the hope God offers as we take His hand for the journey.

With transparent candor Katherine Murphy expresses deep emotion through her diagnosis and treatment. The reality of her struggles, questions and fears will resonate as we grapple with her for answers. Her insights touch heart and soul as she shares her growing awareness of God's presence in the midst of a painful and frightening time.

We all know women touched by this disease. Katherine's honest journey will offer peace as they see themselves in the mirror, truly loved and cared for by the Shepherd of our souls.

AWAKE, O SLEEPER is more than Katherine Murphy's story of her battle with breast cancer. It is also an account of her spiritual journey toward an intimate relationship with God. Although raised in the church, it was only after her cancer diagnosis that she began to read and understand the Bible. The book's title is from a Scripture verse, Ephesians 5:14: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

It's obvious that AWAKE, O SLEEPER is written from the heart. Murphy is honest about her fears, the effects of her disease on family relationships, her doubts, and her search for truth. Several of Murphy's poems from her diary are included and they add to the open and vulnerable style of her writing. The author's descriptive passages and use of word images provided interesting and easy reading.

Murphy's story is a testimony of God's faithfulness and grace. She was strengthened through her battle with cancer, saw good arise from bad circumstances, and discovered the true meaning of life.

AWAKE, O SLEEPER will be helpful and encouraging for anyone struggling with cancer or other life-threatening diseases. Murphy provides hope by sharing her own experience and her faith in a loving God.

I'm a third grade teacher and wouldn't be without this book in my classroom library. I have almost all of Polacco's books, but my students particularly enjoy this one. My most recent purchase of Babushka's Doll was for a 4 year old friend of my family... I read it to her and we had such fun laughing about that naughty little doll. Even at the tender age of four, Patricia Polacco's timeless message of learning to be patient and considerate came through loud and clear. This book is an absolute delight!

Babushka's Doll is a very entertaining book because it let's us see how giving and demanding orders makes you feel, aswell as how being at the receiving end of all of these demands can really affect you. My daughters and I enjoyed it very much.

Polacco's illustrations are vibrant and energetic, a wonderful combination of the organic with the geometric.

It's gorgeous to look at, but really, you must read this story if you have a four year old daughter. You hear a lot about the terrible twos, but nobody tells you about the f***ing fours, when kids often get demanding and try on selfishness for size. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

Sit down with that girl and read Babushka's Doll. Her eyes will be opened.

My children love this story, and I enjoy reading it. I particularly like the illustrations. Very accurate portrayal of rural Russia--the windows, the well... I have ordered more of her books, we enjoy this one so much.

"Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural"

This book's archetypal story elements (e.g., magic, a moral, intergenerational conflict) are indeed part fairy tale and myth. A young girl, overly demanding of her grandmother ("Babushka"), learns what it's like on the receiving end when her grandmother's doll comes to life and makes demands on the girl. This is not, however, typical Polacco because there's a subtle punitive quality to the doll's incessant demands and misbehavior: "'You didn't do it right," said the doll... Natasha began to cry. "I'm just a little girl," she said between sobs. I wish you were just a doll."'

However, I think that Palocco's evocation of a fairy tale (which often contain gruesome scenes, unlike the mild consequences here), and her warm, very colorful illustrations soften the doll's "vengeance." This is not "Chuckie." And in the end, her grandmother slyly tells her that she must have been dreaming (although we are led to believe that the doll really did come to life), and we are reassured that `Natasha turned out quite nice after all.'

Palocco's large, loopy illustrations are always a treasure, and here, the pencil, pen, and acrylic bring some enchantment and a sense of fun to Natasha's "lesson."

Just because this is children's literature dosen't mean it is just for children. If you have an appreciation of literature or even if your not a big reader, this story will warm you heart with its wonderful characters, lovely story and beautiful writing. So simply written, it can be read to children, so beautiful the writing people older than 8 will defenitely will enjoy!! Randall Jarell is in my opinion, one of the kings of children's literature!

Randall Jarrell has given us a beautiful little story here of a bat and Maurice Sendak has given us some wonderful illustrations in the form of black and white drawings. There is not much to not like about this work. The children love it, and the adult reading it to the children will find it just as interesting and hypnotic as the child, if not more so, but on a different level. The text is wonderfully simple and a pure joy to read. I recommened this one highly.

We had a "bat book drive" in my daughter's class because they needed more research material about bats for a project they are doing than we could find in the local library. Instead of only purchasing scientific-sounding non-fiction, I was also looking for story and poetry books in which the charateristics and habits of bats were woven throughout the stories and poems. I read this book to my eight-year-old daughter the night before we took it to class. She demanded that I give her the book so that she could read it again herself. And, with stars in her eyes, stated that the poem at the end about a bats life was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard, and that she would be memorizing it. It was amazing how much she had learned and remembered about bats after the first time through the book. Lovely illustrations as well.

A beautiful story, beautifully written, about a little bat who composes poetry. One of the best children's books I've ever read; I order several copies at a time and give them for birthday presents.

This book is a gem. It's tender, clever, and deftly written. It's wonderful for reading aloud. I had trouble finding it for years, and I'm so pleased to see that it's available again.

I just got this book for my new baby. He doesn't understand a word yet, but I read it to him almost every night because it's so touching and sweet. I'm really reading it for me right now.

I received "Because You Are My Baby" as a gift and my three-year-old son LOVES it! He picks it for me to read to him almost every night. He loves the beautiful illustrations and the whimsical, sweet scenes of just what a mom will do for her child when the sky's the limit.

I can't wait for the next book from Sherry North!

I gave this book as a gift to a new baby to share with his two-year old sister. The little girl wanted it read over and over and adored the illustrations. Because You Are My Baby was such a huge success, I will now add it to my list of books to give to new babies.

E. Suzanne

What I loved most about this beautifully written and illustrated book is the fact that the mother is a woman who seeks adventure and partakes in non-traditional female activities, while still including her child. Book shelves everywhere need more tales about women who inspire their children through love and actions!

"Because You Are My Baby" is the perfect book for any child. My son adores this book! The writing is fresh, intelligent and fun. The illustrations are fabulous! It is sure to become a classic. We are looking forward to the next Sherry North book!!!

This is a great book for all Christians to read. It puts creation back into perspective and establishes all the solid biblical proof for why creation had to exist in both space and time. Unbelievers will scoff but in this book believers will be reminded of who they are and where they came from.

One of Schaeffer's best that I have read.He looks at the start of time for us not God, since God is eternal.It really made me stop and think. Also to look at Genesis in a whole new way

It definitely would have gotten 5 stars had it been a little longer and more detailed. Here is my report on it for a class I had:

Perhaps no chapters in the whole Bible are as important to our faith than the first eleven chapters of Genesis, discussed in this book. These chapters provide the foundation for our faith, and our understanding of reality. In this book, Francis Schaeffer examines some of the concepts which come from these chapters. He also emphasizes the need for the belief in the actual historicity of these chapters. I think it has become common among Christians to try to “spiritualize” these chapters; to say that they are not historical, but are meant to convey general truths. Schaeffer, however, sees the absolute necessity of the belief in the historicity of these chapters.
First, we have the foundation for the belief in creation by a personal God (in contrast to an impersonal one). Many, including pantheists or deists, believe that the world was created (or at least “formed”) by an impersonal being(s). However, this does not adequately explain personalness of mankind. If God is not personal, then there is no basis for man being personal, and since man is indeed personal, we would have to conclude that the belief that an impersonal being created the universe does not provide a proper explanation of reality (Schaeffer 20-21). In Genesis, however, we have the explanation: we are told that a personal God existed in a triune nature, communicated within the trinity, and specifically created the universe, and mankind, in order to communicate with us on a personal level (i.e. God talked personally with Adam and Eve) (21-22).
Adding on to this, since God created us purposefully, not as an accident, and in his image (imago Dei), we have in Genesis the foundation for the belief in the intrinsic value of mankind. Today’s culture, with its belief in the evolution of man (whether they believe that there was a God who started the process or not), has no real basis for claiming that humans are somehow valuable (46). Indeed, many have realized this, and now claim that humans and animals are just as valuable. We can see this is organizations like PETA, who often put the rights of animals before the rights of man. The refutation for this is found not only in the imago Dei of man, but in the dominion mandate, when man is given dominion over all the animals of the earth. This does not mean we should treat lightly our responsibility to care for creation, but it does mean that man’s rights should come before animal’s rights.
Also, within the Genesis account of the creation of mankind we find the creation of woman from man’s rib. This is the foundation for the unity of man and woman, the unity of mankind. Other worldviews have some problems explaining why humans should be united. After all, we do not see animals of the same species united in quite the same way that humans do. Why is it that mankind cares so much about fellow men? We find the answer in Genesis: we were created to be united (45).
Another important foundation in Genesis which Schaeffer pointed out is the foundation for moral absolutes. If God did not create everything, then we do not have a basis for deciding what is right and wrong, and we must then believe that whatever is is right (48). In Genesis, however, we have a basis for denying that what is happening in the world is the way it should be, while other worldviews cannot even claim that there is a way it should be.
We find the explanation as to why things are not the way they should be in the account of the Fall. Since that time, creation is marred and man has lost some of his capacities. If we do not acknowledge this account, we once again have no basis for saying that the world is supposed to be different. If we do not acknowledge the Fall recorded in Genesis, we must conclude that humans are the way they are supposed to be. Perhaps this is why people deny the intrinsic value of man: because they do not acknowledge that he is not supposed to be a corrupted being, they do not know that he does not act according to how he was created to act. They then see a corrupt being often bent on self-service and other evils, and, with no knowledge of the Fall, why should they not conclude that, at the very least, humans are not a whole lot better that animals? In the Genesis account, however, we find that man has fallen, but that he still retains the imago Dei, even though it is much harder to see now.
Also found in the Fall is the explanation as to why the four separations of man exist: man from himself, man from man, man from nature, and man from God. Man is separated from himself, which is seen in psychological problems (98). Man is separated from man, which is seen in wars, strife, alienation, etc. Man is separated from nature: he has lost some of his dominion over it, and nature itself is sometimes used as the vehicle of judgment upon sin (100). . Most importantly, however, man is separated from God, he can no longer communicate with Him on the level that he was created to communicate on.
However, we also find in Genesis the foundation for the belief that God can communicate to us, even though we are not perfect. Schaeffer points out that after Adam and Eve sinned and hid themselves, they communicated with God (60). Sin does not stop communication with God, it merely hinders it. We also find the foundation for the belief that God would redeem his creation. In Genesis 3:15 we hear of the “seed of woman” who will crush the head of Satan. We believe this to be Jesus Christ. Already in Genesis the foundation was being laid for the redemption of creation, and the solution to the separations of man (108).
Finally, we find in Genesis the foundation for the belief that history is going somewhere, and it not merely cyclical (Eastern thought), static (existential thought), or eternal (naturalist thought). It has an absolute beginning in the creation account, and is headed toward a set end (Revelation).
These are just some of a multitude of foundations and explanations in Genesis 1-11 for what is believed in and seen even in today’s world. There are numerous others which I did not have time to cover, such as the basis for the division of human history with Cain and Abel, the (possible) basis for mythology in Genesis 6:1-2, the foundation of languages with the Tower of Babel, etc., so I attempted to cover the ones I thought were most important. These foundation and explanations are vital to the Christian worldview, and this is why Schaeffer is vociferous about believing the actual historicity of these chapters. There are two major reasons why we must accept their historicity. First, if we do not accept these things as historical events, we lose the foundations. They cannot simply be spiritualized, because they then lose their validity as explanation for the real space-time world. Secondly, if we are Christians, we must accept the historicity of these chapters, or else our faith will be undermined. Jesus, as well as Paul and the other NT authors treat these chapters as historical events. If we deny that these are historical events, we must conclude that either Jesus was wrong, or that the gospel writers misquoted him. Either way we lost the foundation for our faith: if Jesus is wrong he cannot be God, and if the gospel writers are wrong about this we cannot know that they are not wrong about other important events which they record. In essence, we either lose the belief in the deity of Jesus or we lose the belief in the reliability of scriptures, which I would contend results in the downfall of Christianity. Neither option is acceptable, so we are left with only one option: to accept that the first eleven chapters of Genesis must be understood as historically reliable by Christians.
Unfortunately, this has not been my experience in church. I went to two different churches in high school, and both presented different views on Genesis 1-11. The first, my home church, refused to take an official position. They claimed (and taught) that we did not know whether it really happened the way Genesis describes, and that it was probably just a story to tell us that God created the universe. The rest of Genesis (as far as I know) was affirmed, but I seriously doubt that the importance of it was realized. The other church I went to strictly followed the account in Genesis, and they were militant literal, seven-day creationists. They also never mentioned the importance of that belief, nor of the rest of the belief in the historicity of the rest of Genesis. While reading, I have frequently come across interpretations which reject the historicity of Genesis 1-11. The most notable example that comes to mind is C. S. Lewis, who rejected at least the historicity of the story of Noah, saying that “Jonah and the Whale, Noah and his Ark, are obviously fabulous; but the Court history of King David is probably as reliable as the Court history of King Louis XIV.” (Clives Staples Lewis. God In the Dock, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 58.) I think that it is very important that we realize that this is not an acceptable interpretation. We have already looked at why these chapters must he seen as offering real history, and now we need to make sure that this information reaches the people in our church congregations. I have yet to hear a sermon in church dealing with this issue, which is not good, since it is the foundation of our faith. This needs to change, and we need to go back to Genesis in our preaching so we have a foundation for the rest of the story.

Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-84) was an American Evangelical theologian and philosopher whose works were very influential on Evangelical thinking. In this fascinating book, Dr. Schaeffer takes a look at the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis, which many Christian thinkers seem to find irrelevant to a truly Christian worldview. On the contrary, Dr. Schaeffer shows that the early history of man, as contained in the beginning of Genesis, is crucial to understanding why man is the way he is, and how God works with and through man.

I must say that this is a truly mind-expanding book that goes a long way towards giving the reader a truly Christian view of the man and the world that he inhabits. I mean, how is man "fallen," and what was and is his relationship with God? These are crucial questions to understanding the very foundational concepts of our religion, and the answers are contained in this book.

This is a great book, and a true classic of Christian thought. I do not hesitate to say should be read by all believers.

Christianity contains the answer to the modern man's questions. This book provides the foundation for Christian belief and the understanding of an infinite personal God who is there.

A must read...for all

This book is adorable. It is great for children who speak Spanish or English!

This is a great book for the beginner child. very short and easy read. i highly recommend

Normally I would say that my daughter is a little old for this type of book. At 5 she is a bit beyond little board books without many words. But for laying a foundation for Spanish, this book is just what both she & I need. The simple sentences allow us to see what exactly each word means, as well as get an intuitive grasp on the grammer, and the pronunciation guide in the back is VERY helpfull.

I know that we will quickly move beyond this book, but for now I view it as essential for our grasping Spanish. In fact, I plan on buying the other books in this series.

This is another book that I enjoyed by this author. My children have asked me to continue to purchase this books and they read them all the time. I see the joy and excitement on their faces as they say different words in Spanish and actually know the meaning. I feel that it is important for the and myself to learn a second language, and books like these have been able to serve as a base for my entire family. It's easy to read and grasp, and a good reference to look at when necessary. Keep up the great work Gladys and I'll keep reading your books. Learning is a continuous process and now it's become really fun!

I am bilingual and am raising my son bilingual, too. This is an excellent book and series with adorable pictures, and each page has both english and spanish on it. The back includes pronunciation guides for all the vocabulary (both for english and spanish) which is helpful for my husband, a non-native speaker. It's very hard to find quality bilingual books- I've looked around a lot and loved these so much I have even given them as gifts to friends who want to introduce their kids (and themselves) to the language.

This is such an awesome book for kids! My son checked it out so much from the library that I decided to buy it for him for Christmas. The recipes are simple, all begin (and most can end) in the bread machine. They are fun and delicious recipes that all kids will love to bake!

I had never baked bread or used a bread machine before I got this book. I have made the white, french, honey wheat, oatmeal and dinner roll recipies and each of them turned out great!

I recommend this book to anyone regardless of age because it is well written, fun and easy to understand.

(Thanks Ann)

This book is so easy to use, that i would recomemnd it for anyone, not just children. It has illustrations and very easy directions. I bought this for my first attempt at bread making and it was a great sucess!

I love it! It has recipes for every occasion and is extremely creative. It is the only bread book I use out of the twenty that I own.

My eight-year-old son now makes fresh bread for the whole family! Electric Bread for kids is a great book - the recipes are fun and really, truly delicious! It's also a terrific book for groups of kids at sleepovers or other parties. This book makes a wonderful gift!

Clutter was the rule. My office was full of it. I hired an organizer to come out and take a look and she said I was beyond hope. Patty's book solved the problem. It was logical. It was rational. It was packed with good tips. If clutter is ruling your life, this is a great investment.

This book popped up when I did a search on Amazon for another book. Being that clutter-busting is a passion of mine, I clicked on it and was intrigued by the excellent reviews. Thankfully, I checked with my local library before actually buying it. She breaks the book down into parts entitled "Ready" ... "Set" ... "Go." You don't actually get any real great information until you get to the "Go" section in the latter half of the book, and then it is only to do any in depth look at how to create paper filing systems. This may be a great tool for businesses that have out of control files or need advice on furniture placement, but for everyday household organization, it was a big disappointment. A better title for this book would have been "Office Organization 101."

Step by step guide on how to finally get organized. If you are tired of being disorganized, losing things and time, this book will help. If you are ready to get organized, I recomnend buying this book and get ready to change your life for the better. Great book Patty!

My husband (the Pack Rat!) saw this book on the coffee table. The next thing I knew, he was cleaning out the garage! Short, to-the-point and practical, if Patty's ideas can get my husband going, she can help anyone!!

Excellent Book, Patty knows her information and explains it well. I highly suggest this book to anyone who is challenged with their possessions.

Divorce court judge Vanessa Colton-Kirk presided over a countless amount of divorces in her courtroom, but she never thought she would end up in a courtroom getting a divorce from her own husband Thomas. She pushed Thomas one too many times by putting her career before her marriage. Thomas wanted desperately to start a family with Vanessa, but she always said it was not the right time in her career. The night of their anniversary was the last straw. When she came home late from a political function and completely disregarded his feelings, it was time for him to leave. Little did she know that there was more to the story than she thought. In the last attempt to save her marriage, Vanessa and Thomas were court ordered to attend a spiritual retreat. Vanessa makes sure that there's nothing spiritual about this trip, and makes poor Thomas miserable. Will her stunts cost her to lose her husband, or will she finally understand that God is in control and not her?

In almost the same situation as her older sister, Dionne was ready to get married. She thought the man that was in her life right now was the one. But then his wife and girlfriend called! Dionne was so consumed with anger that she vowed revenge against the man that she wanted to be her husband. Dionne does some things that she is not so proud of to get her "man's" attention while attempting to win him back. Dionne finds out something that will either bring her man back to her or push him away. But will she be able to survive her last stunt? Or will she pay the fatal price?

In Can I Get a Witness, ReShonda Tate Billingsley does an excellent job with the storyline. At some point in the book, you think you know where she's going with story, but then it takes an unexpected twist. This book is a real page turner because of some things that happen that you never would have thought would happen. There was never a dull moment from the start of the book to the end. You will laugh, cry, and get angry with the characters. While reading the book, you can tell each emotion and expression that the characters have. The detail of the book was great. It was not too much detail, but it was just enough to know what was going on. I would like to congratulate ReShonda Tate Billingsley on a job well done.

Reviewed by Jackie
for Urban Reviews

What a blessing!!! That's my first words I feel about this book. I love Reshonda's books. I have not been disappointed yet. I truly enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. For people who are going through in marriages and relationships, this book would help you in some sort of way.

As always, ReShonda has written a book that makes you get involved with the characters as though they were your friends. You can feel the pain that Vanessa must feel, but you can also symphathize with her husband. And her sister is the kind of friend/sister we all know that wants to get married and does not want to wait for God to send them their husband. They have to make it happen NOW. ReShonda Tate Billingsley is one of my favorite authors and she never fails to make you get involved. For Houston readers it is even more enjoyable because you recognize the places mentioned and it makes the book and characters more real.

This book is Reshonda @ her finest. This book really made me want to forgive some people for things that they have done to me. I love all of her books becuase they all have a meaning behind them. I just can never wait for the next one to come out. She is an awesome writer.

Judge Vanessa Colton-Kirk is all business when it comes to setting the precedence in her courtroom. Agenda seeking, Vanessa tosses caution to the wind and in her effort to secure a seat in the senate someday she causes a rift in her marriage. While Thomas is always bending, forgiving and easy going, he can no longer stand by and allow Vanessa to walk over him. When Vanessa finally relinquishes her pride to do after her man, another woman, who is willing to offer Thomas what Vanessa keeps denying him, has already made an appearance. Can Vanessa stop the devil from destroying her marriage, or will her divorce become another case in her courthouse?

Baby sister Dionne is in love with being in love. All she's ever wanted was a man. A man to love her, marry her and give her babies. The man currently in her life, Roland, is married, but thats in name only. While he cant say it, Dionne knows that he truly loves her. Well she hoped he did. When an ex shows up and Roland, Dionnes knight and not so shining armor, is chased out of his home. Will that be enough to convince Dionne hes Mister All Wrong? Or is love so blind that drama keeps creeping in?

"Can I Get A Witness" by ReShonda Tate Billingsley is about faith, love, forgiveness and dealing with life along with its ups and downs. I truly enjoyed this story from beginning to end and would definitely recommend this read to others. I would love an update on these characters in the future.

You can weather any storm with God in the center.

This is a great, thought-provoking book, as other reviewers have noted, and should be read by everyone who is trying to live the gospel. We read it as a family; even teens aren't too young to grasp and discuss the ideas especially if facilitated by parents or other adults. A good gift for a college student or young adult, or any (reading) Christian for that matter.

This book has been a blessing to read. Foster came through as simple, and yet profound in his writing style; there was ample references to scripture, and Foster brings modern times into perspective with long held biblical spirituality; I plan to reread this book over again.

I have read the Chinese translation of the book. In fact, the translation is sold in a set of three different books. I have read them at different times. It provides direct and biblical insights into how Christians should view money, sex and power. Richard's writing is succinct. If you want to dive further into a topic, a rather extensive bibliography is provided.

PLOT: Money, Sex, & Power, these are the three big temptations of church leadership. The early monks battled these with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Protestants today are more likely to use the tools of simplicity, fidelity, and servanthood. Foster does an excellent job exploring these three dangerous areas.

POSITIVES: Foster draws from Scripture, other authors, and his own excellent understanding of theology. This is a book I find myself coming back to again and again.

PROBLEMS: Foster is given to strong statements. I didn't agree with all of them. I found myself highlighting certain passages and writing notes of praise. I found myself highlighting other passages and disagreeing with them. This is not a problem for me. I often interact with the books I read and sometimes go back years later and interact with my own notes as I wrestle with myself. But this could be a problem with some readers, who either feel they have a handle on theology or are threatened by ideas they disagree with. Let the buyer beware.

I think this is one of the best books on the difficulty of living in a society driven by money, power, consumerism, sex and continual change.

Foster has a compassionate, realistic view of what life is really like and how to deal with it. His opening chapter, Money, Sex and Power in Christian Perspective lays out the focus of the book - it is difficult to walk the walk. He isn't focusing on the external morality of ethical behavior, but on the social implications. He offers historical views of attitudes on money, sex and power, and divides the books into sections that focus on each issue.

In a small section titled "When Good Things Go Bad," he says, "There is, of course, a proper place in Christian life and experience for money, sex, and power. When properly placed and effectively functioning, they have the ability as nothing else does to enhance and bless life." He goes on to identify what the problem is in each area -the demon in money is greed; the demon in sex is lust; the demon in power is pride. And he tells us that these really are not matters we can be neutral about in hopes that they will disappear - if we ignore them, we will be dominated by them.

How do we avoid be controlled by our own desires, instead of controlling them to our own advantage? In the Power area, Foster suggests that we face the demons within, instead of projecting them on others. In addition, he suggests that we stop trying to manage and control others, and focus on our own spiritual powers.

Foster manages to be 'proper' without being unrealistically 'prim.' Whether read by fundamentalist Christians, small "c" christians, or Buddhists, this book gives food for thought. Agnostics, athiests and many free spirits will be turned off by references to the Bible and the focus on Jesus.

I used to think you had to agree with everything you read in a book, to find it of any use. There are parts of this book I don't agree with, but I took what was helpful, and left the rest. Those who keep an open mind will find that this is not a dogmatic, preaching book, but one that will make you think.