Works Books

Whether your are an entrepreneur, VC or lawyer, THIS is the book that you must read. It's really everything that you need to navigate the entire startup ecosystem. I've been in the industry for over a decade and I still use it as a reference and encourage both entrepreneurs and lawyers to read alike. I also think it's a great resource for VCs sitting on boards to make sure they are complying with all the latest and greatest regulations.

Includes all important areas of law for the entrepreneur. Was most helpful for our incorporation. Good, short, to-the-point, comparisons of S-corp, C-corp, LLC, partnership, and sole proprietorship. Still covered all issues and is updated to late 2007. This is important because the tax-code changes frequently (last major update was in 2003), and small changes to corporate structure and court pratices happen every year. Better than "Structuring Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurial Transactions." Better than "Starting Your Own Business" by Stephen C. Harper. Better than searching for piecemeal information on websites like news.YCombinator.

Other important areas covered are Contracts & Lease, Operational Liability, and Intellectual Property. I will be using this book heavily for those areas as well.

A book that every entrepreneur should read. Read it before you start the company, it will help you a lot.

This book goes into great detail about all aspects of Business Law. Anyone who currently owns a business or is thinking about opening a business needs to read this book, or at least have it near by as a reference guide.

However, the book is certainly aimed at Corporate USA and those who are looking to start up a BIG business. If you are looking to open or currently own a Small Business, then there are better books on the market that are tailored more to your needs.

This book deserves to be on the shelf of every entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law will take you on a virtual tour of the start-up process, and beyond, from the legal perspective. As experienced entrepreneurs understand, any business is a web of relationships, many of which are detailed in legal documents. This is the case for the relationship (establishment) of the entity with the state, relationships between co-founders, relationships between employees and the company, relationship between the company and its investors, suppliers, customers, etc. The legal foundation for all of these is clearly explained, and this book includes a wealth of practical information that will help any entrepreneur to work more efficiently and effectively with their legal counsel.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

This set is the best compilation of beginner exercises and meditations I have seen yet. He combines instruction with information to help you learn as you practice. Definitely worth the buy.

Ken Cohen is clear in his descriptions - knowledgable of the material - useful in the information and exercises he describes and practices and models in the CD's, DVD's and book. The practice of qigong can be learned well through this material. He is down to earth in his explanations and demontrations, making understanding very accessible.

I bought this thinking that it was a workout DVD set. I was initially disappointed that it wasn't, but as I watched the DVDs, listened to the CDs, and read the enclosed booklet, I was pleasantly surprised. This was actually so much more. The instruction is more detailed than you will ever get on an exercise DVD. It answers a lot of the questions that have been turning over in my mind. I didn't know it ahead of time, but it was just what I needed.

This course is well organized and easy to follow. The 100 day progression is nice, and the material is organized such a way as to allow you to progress at your own pace. There are some nice guided meditations on the CDs, and the video is very easy to understand. Note that this is not like an exercise DVD. You're not going to do your Qigong along with the DVD except for to learn the moves. I would recommend learning a few techniques at a time from the DVDs, and then practicing elsewhere at your own pace and for as long as is comfortable. There is so much information out there on Qigong. This course is a great way to start!

Without a doubt, Mr. Cohen has contributed, and continues to contribute, to the expositon of Eastern philosophy within Western culture. The walls are slowly crumbling and giving way to the world of self-development and personal evolution. There are two things I would have liked to have experienced from this program. The first would be a less affective tone from the narration. In its place, I would have preferred a more vibrant, inspiring, less-coddling tone. There is too much breathiness in the narration that distracts from the presentation of the basics and has the potential of turning away readers with a more energetic vibration in their hearts. Perhaps a discussion of the more aerobic forms of Qi Gong, such as Nei Gong or Nei Jia, would have been appropriate, but the tone would have contradicted the energizing power behind these forms. Let us not forget that first, and foremost, Qi Gong was a martial art practiced by the warrior classes. It eventually evolved as a spiritual monastic practice, but the monks themselves were warriors by default. Under the despotic rule of unenlightened emperors and warlords, China's priests had a need to develop a martial defense system. As a Qi Gong and Tai Chi instructor, I find that it is a constant struggle to explain to students that Qi Gong and Tai Chi are not practices that are limited to senior citizens. Once I demonstrate Nei Gong, and/or Tai Chi fighting form, students do begin to understand what these ancient practices have to offer. The troubling thing is that most people walk about with a misguided representation of Qi Gong before they are illuminated otherwise. The second experience I would have enjoyed would have been a more global discussion of Qi Gong history and its evolution. Mr. Cohen presents his style without mentioning that there are thousands of different forms of Qi Gong in existence today. To his credit, Mr. Cohen does recognize this fact elsewhere, but not within the scope of this program. That's fine, not a problem, but the consumer can easily walk away thinking that there is only one style of Qi Gong...Cohen Qi Gong. The reader should also note that some of the exercises are incomplete and only offer an introductory sampling of the tip of the iceberg that is Qi Gong. It is understandable that there is a general, economical need to appeal to a wide audience, but the narration and title should explicitly state that all chapters are simply introductory. Nevertheless, there is much merit and reward to be garnished from Mr. Cohen's work. Practice his way and the reader will definitely see an improvement in health, strength and vitality over time. Although not a seminal opus, this product is the culmination of a highly important, and sorely needed, educational service. I encourage all teachers, readers, students and practitioners to allow this introductory work to be a guide towards a deeper practice.

This book is fantastic for college students, campus staff, or anyone who wants to lead a missional life! It is perfect for a small group!

If you are looking to get stirred up for, and getting some great practicals for implimenting a effective college ministry on your campus or in your town read this book. You will go through past leaders of mission movements, what their lives looked like, and what was the defining elements that set them apart in ministry.

This is one of the only books I have seen relating solely to the changing of a college campus for Christ. Steve does an excellent job describing his experiences working with and reaching college students, all the while giving practical examples of how any college student can find a strategic group to strive towards reaching for the Lord. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a "how to manual" to reaching the lost on his college campus.

The Fuel and the Flame gives readers practical ingredients to an on fire for Christ ministry on college campuses. Use the fuel this book provides to see your campus catch fire for the cause of Christ.

This book is as hard to put down as it is life changing. Shadrach does a great job weaving practical ministry advice into interesting real life stories. This is a must read for every college minister, every college aged Christian, and anyone serious about building God's kingdom on the college campus. Thanks Steve Shadrach!!!

I had the honor of taking a pendulum class from Ramon Grace in August of 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida. He is an awesome teacher...and this book is like having him in the same room with you telling his stories. I learned a lot from his class and this book served as an excellent refresher for me. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in dowsing.

Some great information presented in a refreshingly simple and unassuming manner. Definitely one book I'll reference again and again!

In a field so top-heavy with wannabe gurus, spiritual advisors, people who 'know' what others ought to do with their spiritual lives and precisely how they should do it, Raymon Grace is a breath of fresh air.

He's an humble, unassuming man who knows his role and does his best to pass on his quiet wisdom without spamming, chest pounding proclamations and pronouncements, New Age evangelism.

I recommend Raymon, his books, his approach to metaphysics, his work of any kind to readers, wonderers, wanderers, and all others who don't believe they yet know everything there is to learn about the workings of the self, the Universe, the position of humanity in the overall scheme of things.

We could all learn much from Raymon Grace, and we'd all be doing ourselves a great favor by doing so.

I really enjoy this authors attitude and approach toward energy work. This book skims the surface and makes me want to know more. I intend to own more of his work.

The purpose of this book is to encourage you to use your mind power essentially by intending the outcome you desire to experience. The style of the book is conversational, dynamic, open ended, which makes it particularly refreshing. You are encouraged to experiment and explore.
The author provides numerous examples from his experience and from experiences of other people of using the power of intent for healing, changing financial situation, removing obstacles and transforming the energy whether in people, places or situations, increasing energy, and much more.

I have been likewise using and experimenting with mind power all my life, and some of techniques I used are similar to the author's, some are different, but I have totally enjoyed reading this book because in the author's desire to experiment with just about anything, I feel I have found a kindred spirit. The only way to learn, to develop proficiency in using mind power, regardless of the tools and techniques used, is by doing it - by doing something and discovering what happens. The author repeats it over and over throughout the book and I totally agree with it.

At the end of the book, the author has added - in the Appendix - Dick Sutphen's talk "The Battle for Your Mind" which revolves around different brainwashing techniques. The talk starts well delineating the elements of brainwashing as used by different organizations and institutions and then it goes into describing few techniques related to persuasion and influence (there are many, many more) and the article with this talk begins to sound paranoid because the moment you dare to relax your mind, someone will mess up with it. He mentions in one breath that the spiritual purpose of a human being is finding True Self, but at the same time sounds terrified of the idea of stilling the mind so that this True Self can emerge into his conscious awareness. Until he is willing to still his mind, he will be forever seeking and never finding, because the True Self is experienced beyond the thoughts, beyond the mind. What Dick Sutphen didn't seem to realize at the time he made that talk is that we are always influencing each other with our thoughts, words and behavior and that the way of choosing your life and exercising your freedom begins with choosing your thoughts and living consciously. Unless you choose your thoughts for yourself, someone else will do it for you.

There is a little bit more to miracles than merely intending them - and that is an awareness that we are immersed in an ocean of intelligent energy, of Spirit, or whatever you like to call it, and not only immersed by also made out of and that everything else is made out of this intelligent energy - and when we use intent we are consciously working with this intelligent energy. The greater awareness you have of this ocean of boundless energy and the greater friendship, the more intimate relationship you have with it by communing with it daily, the more you can do with it.

I enjoyed reading this book. God is using us through his various callings and vocations -- the world of sociology just calls them "roles." According to Veith, faith gives our calling or vocation "meaning." Also, as Christians we do not do sinful work, nor do we desire to harm others while pursuing our calling (thus, we would not engage in office "back stabbing"). He stresses that the Lord God Almighty is using us where we are -- in the office, as parents, as children, etc. We are uniquely positioned by God Himself to carry out His purposes. We know what our duties are, and carry them out according to Biblical principles of personal conduct.
Part of me, however, is asking the questions: what about our Christian witness? What about interceding for our co-workers in prayer (he speaks more about praying for ourselves and bearing our cross in vocation)? What Christian qualities are essential for manifestation in the workplace? I have these question, yes, but at the same time I think that Prof. Veith has hit on the essentials: bearing one's cross, prayer, and resting in our vocation.
A Christian friend of mine who is perennially "between jobs" now is working in a place where sometimes he's on the front desk, sometimes he's laying tiles, sometimes he's witnessing to people and sharing the gospel message. He likes to talk about irons in the fire, and how in the days ahead he hopes to be doing 'more.' I told him about vocation (having just read Prof. Veith's book) -- that he was serving the Lord in the here and now by these various activities. His various duties TODAY are his vocation. He was immensely encouraged when I said that. His outlook immediately brightened. My conclusion: Prof. Veith's work provides us with essential understandings for pastoral encouragement. Amen.

This book is excellent for showing the relationship between vocation and how God works in the world. It gets to the point in multiple ways, allowing the reader to clearly see that vocation is an important doctrine that Christianity has seemed to put in a drawer and forget. Veith's writing is clear. The book moves and does not become bogged down in what could be a ponderous subject. I was reading this book based on a group review of the book and was very surprised at how useful the book is and how well Veith coverd the topic. This is a msut read for anyone who is wondering about their role in life or has to answer the question, why did God put me here?

Veith, as in his other books, does an excellent job of expressing theological concepts and their applications for the lay person. This book pulls a lot of things together for the lay person who struggles in finding meaning in 'love your neighbor' outside the context of the church setting. We rarely hear about how we can serve the Lord outside of the church organization. This books researches and applies the doctrine of vocation, as understood by Luther and our reformation fathers. It gives new meaning to 'love your neighbor' in everyday life. A good read for those who want to see how God works through us and for us through the mundane tasks of everyday life.

My nephew is a missionary. I do all of the finances and paperwork for him, but somehow that seems pale compared to the work a missionary does. It is so easy for those of us who desire to serve God to see that those 'in ministry' - those who are pastors or missionaries or evangelists or music leaders - somehow have a more important role in God's Kingdom then the rest of us. Gene Edward Veith reminds us that there is no role more or less important in the Kingdom. Further, no matter what job field we are called to, that is our place to be serving God, and in that place we are serving God! A good read for anyone who has the struggle of restlessness about their vocational place in the Kingdom.

Well written, a little slow but full of usefull information

The title says it all: "Trombones" represents the preservation of the history of the community backbone of prayer, persistence, and strength. The poetry gives some insight to the suffering of the elders, and speaks to the continuing fight for the full parity of the AfricanAmerican community in a country that was literally built upon the bleeding, sweaty backs of my ancestors.

Amazon is to be commended for participating in this historical preservation of a works that I would recommend as mandatory reading for generations to come - regardless of religion, gender, or color.

My soul is galvanized everytime I hear or read James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones. I have directed student perfomances of this deeply moving African American text. "The Crucifixion," for example, tells the story of how Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior,my Friend, suffered death on an old cross so that I might have an opportunity to be more sensitive to the hurting. The "Prodigal Son" urges me to experience and, thus understand, that I must live with a redemptive consiousness. And, of course, I am compelled to understand, through the poem "Go Down Death" this reality: God does call His children home. Those who have suffered "long in the vineyard" are deserving of rest. For sure, God's Trombones is a poetic tribute to an experience that is Christian and African American. I thank James Welson Johnson for creating this poetic masterpiece. Let's continue to read it; let's perform it. Let's live within the context of the spirituality of the voice. Amen!

God's Trombones is a beautiful expression of the themes of the Southern black experience and God's constant, personal presence in their lives. The themes he chose were expressed in sermons and in Gospel music. For the black person, God was aware of their struggles, would bring them out of "Egypt" (slavery) and would eventually take them to their home "over Jordan". Death would be a gentle freedom for those who were weary (as in "Go down Death").

Johnson's introduction explains that he was trying to express the fervant Southern black preacher with his pauses and emphases. He has done both well.

This is a book to be read for its beauty and inspiration, but more important, it shows (theological inaccuracies aside) how an oppressed people trusted in God's gentle hand, and God's constant love for even the "least" of his Creation.

I recommend this for historians, teachers, lovers of poetry, and for its spiritual content, anyone seeking inspiration.

My dad teaches Sunday School and was looking for this book to incorporate into his lesson plans. I found it here at Amazon and fell in love with this book. Absolutely wonderful to read and very profound. Exceptional!

While James Weldon Johnson's theology is not always orthodox ("God thought and thought" - who could put a new thought in God's mind? unless it was God and, then, God would not be God - this insight compliments of E.V. Hill in his sermon "When Was God At His Best?"), JWJ's poetry and, especially, his Preface displays the harmonious beauty of a long tradition of African American preaching not generally known or appreciated outside of African American circles. If one really wants to become familiar with and, indeed, edified by the godly reaching of E.V. Hill (now deceased), Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Robert Smith and a host of unknowns who preach with substance and, sometimes, in the "whoop"ing style, then, Weldon's book is a must read. May Christianity never lose what God has brought forth in a substantial style which stirs heart, mind and soul.

I purhcased this book for my mother and she absolutely loves it. Then one day she showned to my Aunt (a retired nurse) and she wanted to buy it too. It's a very informative medical book using terms/phrases people can easily understand. I highly recommended adding this book to your library.

I recently purchased the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide and have found it to be informative and easy to use. The book fulfills our need for a quick reference book on ailments and treatments. This book is priced less expensively than some of the other medical books available. It provides good value for the cost. I recommend it to individuals looking for a comprehensive, informative, easy to read, home health guide.

I think that everyone need to read this book to find out the best way for family healthy life.

Chock full of great information - a suggested book to keep on your bookshelf.

This is an excellent, affordable resource to have in your home. It is very easy to use and self-explanatory. We love it!!

I went to a Sarah Vowell talk. She talked about American History. She had a fascination with Puritans. She disparaged "Sinners in the hand of an Angry God" and Edwards. I wanted to ask her if she will read any other book by Edwards. If so, she would realise that his portrait of the beauty of God and of Holiness is far more powerful than his view of Hell. He is one of the greatest thinkers that the North American continent has ever produced and Vowell was judging him on one short sermon.

Don't get me wrong. This book is dry in spots. The language is a little convoluted. He is so systematic and precise, I wanted to skip ahead, but that would have been a mistake. It took me forever to get through it. I read it because Piper recommended it, but I stuck with it because my soul was being fed. Even in the first few chapters where he is setting up his argument, he throws out sentences about how we should enjoy God, how we should not judged others, and how we can better live the Christ life. He taught me how I should enjoy God and how I should more accurately view salvation. Every body should read this book and read it slowly. The prose lulled me to sleep and then he gave me another insight into the Christian life I never thought about before.

I like Piper, but this book is far better than anything Piper has written. This is one of the main sources where Piper derives his "Christian Hedonism." People criticise Piper because they think he is flippant. They think Christian Hedonism doesn't address suffering and other aspects of the Christian life. They should read this book. Our enjoyment of God and our desire for God is what sustains us in our suffering. It is a thirst we will never fully quenched. It is a well in which we will never reach bottom. Piper's theology is not new and it is not shallow. He draws his theology from the deepest and most thoughtful writers of Christian history. "Religious Affections" will deepen your walk with God.

The Religious Affections is probably the most profound analysis of spiritual experience ever written - and by the most brilliant philosopher/theologian to ever come from North America (and possibly the English language).

Jonathan Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening with which he was closely involved. He wrote as both a friend, defending the authenticity of revivals - and also as a critique, warning against putting trust in things which were not certain signs of genuine Spirit-wrought affections.

His treatise takes three parts. In part one he defines his terms and gives twelve reasons why genuine religion (i.e. Christian spirituality - "religion," in Edwards day, did not have the negative connotations that it carries today) consists much in the affections. The affections, for Edwards, are more than mere emotions - they are the strong and lively inclinations of the will, seated in the human heart.

Part two discusses twelve things which are not certain signs of true religious affections. These are things which Edwards warned should not be trusted as evidences of grace OR discarded as evidences that the Holy Spirit has NOT worked in a saving way. They are not indicators one way or the other.

Part three is the most lenghty and examines twelve things which are signs of a true work of the grace, wrought by God's holy Spirit in the heart. This is where Edwards is at his best - carefully, logically, biblically, and passionately describing the true evidences of regeneration. His analysis is keen, his thoughts clear, his argument orderly, his scholarship extensive, his knowledge of Scripture profuse, and his understanding of the human heart profound.

This particular edition - produced by Yale and edited by John Smith - is the best critical edition in print. The introduction and notes on the text are very helpful, as Smith summarizes Edwards' arguments and backgrounds the Puritan writers and their books which Edwards quotes in Religious Affections. This volume also includes Edwards' related correspondence with Thomas Gillespie from Scotland - this being the first time the complete correspondence has been printed in the same volume with the Affections.

This is not an easy book to read. Edwards takes getting used to. But it is very worthwhile. I'm currently reading it for the third time and I continue to find it useful. I highly recommend it for pastors and preachers and all Christians who yearn for a personal and corporate work of the Spirit in revival and spiritual awakening.

This is one of the three Edwards works every Christian should read, along with Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and The Prevailing Notion of the Freedom of the Will... (the original title was a mile long!). Sinners is the shortest read, then this, then Freedom. This will help you understand the Great Awakening from Edwards perspective, while kindling in you a passion to know God more intimately.

This is one of the great devotional Christian classics of the 18th century, but it still packs a mighty punch today. It began its life as a series of sermons preached by Edwards to his Northampton congregation in 1742 and 1743, and was first published in 1746. Edwards discusses the place of religious fervor and feelings in the Christian life. For those who prefer a more staid and serene Christian existence, Edwards discusses the prevalence of such scripturally based affections as love, joy, desire, compassion, and zeal. He concludes this opening section by asking how can people sit and hear about "the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in His dying agonies, His bloody sweat, His loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory, - and yet be cold and heavy, insensible and regardless! Where are the excesses of our affections proper, if not here?"

After this stirring salvo, Edwards then addresses those who have gone overboard in emphasizing emotional experiences by giving 12 false signs which are thought by many to be indicative of someone who is experiencing true religious affections from God. Many people trust in the depthness of their emotions, the zeal for doing churchwork, the experiences they have had when a scripture verse came to mind, the appearance of love in a person's life, etc, but these things in and of themselves are not conclusive proof of God's divine grace.

Then in the body of the book, Edwards discusses 12 clear signs that God is at work in the life, and the chief sign is that there is a greater appreciation and love for God for who He is and not primarily for what you can get from Him.

Another sign that you are expression truly divine religious affections is that you continue to live for Christ every day. If you have one or two days in church where you feel genuinely inspired and then go back to living a life of sin, then you have not experienced a genuine awakening from God, because when God awakens you, you will be changed forever. Everything you do in life will be motivated by a selfless love for God and for His divine qualities and a selfless love for others.

This book was a shattering read for me because I have often looked upon the religious experiences in my life as proof that I was 'in the Lord,' or proof that I was walking with the Lord, when in actuality, a changed life is the proof.

I should also say that the book is a bit wordy. Many sentences are almost a whole paragraph long. You really have to concentrate to get the main idea in certain portions of the book. The reader not used to 18th century writing might have to adjust to these long and sometimes meandering sections.

But you will be greatly rewarded if you give this book the time and study that it deserves.

An essential work on Christian faith and its natural manifestation in human emotion. Written by arguably the greatest Calvinist preacher to ever live.

There's considerable thought put into this book. It puts many current and widely acknowledged ideas on their heads with reasoning anyone can understand. If you're struggling with relationship issues, this book is for you.

This book is very helpful to anyone who has been hurt deeply in a relationship. The book is not just about affairs. It is helpful for both the offending party and the victim. Well - written and easy to follow with advice that is easy to put into practice.

This book hit the nail on the head with how I really felt in my situation. I only wish my therapist and my husband would read this book. It spells out exactly what a person needs to hear and feel in order to genuinely forgive and reconcile.

This book clears up many of the common misconceptions about forgiveness and is very validating. It's a good resource for both the hurt party, and the offender.

There are four ways to responding to a hurtful offense.

Cheap Forgiveness -which is often granted too quickly, issues are swept under the rug, usually this is done when the hurt party fears rejection and just wants to keep the peace. Issues are not resolved, healing doesn't occur, trust is not rebuilt and resentment builds.

Refusing to Forgive- Refusing to forgive, no matter what the offender does to try and earn forgiveness. Refusing to forgive breeds bitterness and cuts you off from resolving the situation.

Acceptance- This is done when the offending party is no longer around or refuses to show remorse. It's the hurt party's way of healing and moving on and not letting the situation eat them up. Can happen with or without reconciling, usually, acceptance with reconcilliation occurs when the hurt party lives apart from the offender.

Genuine Forgiveness- the most healing, fulfilling form of forgiveness.

It's commonly believed that Genuine Forgiveness is a one-person job. That it's granted unilaterally. Or that forgiveness is unconditional. It's none of these things. Abrahms-Spring talks about how Genuine Forgiveness is a two-party transaction, and requires participation on the part of the offender, as well as the hurt party. Genuine Forgiveness IS conditional, because the offender must earn forgiveness, show remorse, repentance and want to reform. It means the offender must acknowledge the hurt party's pain, show empathy, apologize without making excuses, justifications or throwing in qualifiers ("sorry, but...") and work to earn back trust.

When genuine forgiveness is not earned, all you can offer is a cheap substitute. (Cheap Forgiveness) Genuine Forgiveness occurs when the victim no longer has to hold the wrongdoer accountable for their actions, but the wrongdoer holds himself/herself accountable for their actions.

Forgiving is not an all-or-nothing type of thing. It's a common myth that someone needs to forgive 100% or not at all. Not true. You can forgive 5%, 95% or any number above or below, or in between, depending on your situation.

The writer also teaches you how to forgive yourself.

There are many references to infidelity in this book, but this book is good in helping one to forgive any type of wrongdoing or betrayal.

Dr. Janis Abrahms Spring has written a wonderful book here. She talks about refusing to forgive, which breeds bitterness, and Cheap Forgiveness, which is "an inauthentic act of peacekeeping that resolves nothing." This is usually comes about when the hurt party is fearful about losing a relationship with someone who hurt them, or where the hurt person believes quick forgiveness is what's required by their spiritual beliefs. Ultimately, Cheap Forgiveness is a position of weakness. It doesn't build trust in the relationship or heal the hurt person. It just sweeps the offense under the rug.

Genuine Forgiveness, according to Dr. Spring, is the most fulfilling type of forgiveness but requires the participation of both the hurt party and the offender. It's a transaction, and is conditional on repentance and restitution on the part of the offender. In other words, the offender has to acknowledge the pain the hurt party felt, apologize genuinely, non-defensively and responsibly, and work hard to regain the trust of the hurt person. Only then can the hurt party offer the offender Genuine Forgiveness -- a vital building block for future relationship between the two.

But sometimes the offender is not available to participate in forgiveness. She might be dead, or he might be unwilling to admit that there was a wrong committed or deny that he has any responsibility. What then? Dr. Spring offers a third way -- a beautiful, thoughtful, helpful third way -- Acceptance. This is a path toward healing which the hurt party can travel alone. In her book, Dr. Spring suggests ten steps to get to Acceptance of the offense. By working through each of these steps, a person can learn and grow beyond the pain, beyond the hurt, and move on.

Forgiveness is not always as easy as some would like to think. For those who have been victims of a deep hurt, this book provides insight and a way forward without platitudes and simple panaceas. Through personal experience, I've learned that forgiveness is a process, and that responses to injury are more varied than simply "forgive" and "not forgive." Spring proposes that there are four possible responses, two of which are healthy, and two of which are not. She describes each response in great detail, its benefits and harms, and gives both victims and offenders a road map toward Genuine Forgiveness.

Like Schleiermacher, Otto wants to theorize a religious faculty completely distinct from the rational, moral, and aesthetic faculties. The object of this faculty is the "holy," which is fearsome, mysterious, and fascinating. Most importantly, it remains essentially distinct from the rational, moral, and aesthetic, which means that any language we use to talk about "numinous" reality will always be analogical. This is important because "the religious" as a distinct category has been under threat since the 18th century (or since Spinoza) by other discourses that effectively explain it away. Otto's contemporary, Freud, was about to deal the religious yet another heavy blow by reducing it to a vestigial remain of infantile narcissism. By only allowing an analogical relation to other discourses, Otto wants to preserve the religious from this encroaching secularization. Of course, it is not certain that his own theory is not a secularization. He does not, after all, make room for miracles (in the strong sense).

I'll admit I was a little surprised at the heavy Christian turn at the end, only because Christianity seems to tame the wildness of the "tremendum" and the "mysterium." All in all, a fascinating and useful read.

The first time I ever stumbled on the word "numinous" was in a doctorate that proposed to analyse vampires as "numinous entities". Then, reading CS Lewis, I again crossed that word's path, and eventually, I decided to read the real thing.

In very short, the numen (from which the word "numinous" is based) is the mysterious, overpowering, and terrifying aspect of the Deity. It is "non-rational" in the sense that it is not to be grasped by concept and ideas, but something to be felt in one's flesh and soul, like actual fear, awe, and majesty.

Otto focuses on that aspect too often neglected by some religious people themselves: the mysterious and unknowable. Fanatics have a tendency to consider only that, to the expense of the rational side of the Deity. But both similarly denature It.

While this book is a classic, and a worthy reading for anyone interested in the subject of God and the studies of religions, I will say that, personally, I seem to have missed out on some of the things mentioned in the book. Maybe I badly read certain parts, or maybe the book is complicated and dense enough that a second reading is required to clearly understand it all. Or both.

In a way, Rudolf Otto gives mysticism the kind of analysis it deserves, and re-establishes those more obscure areas of religiosity as something worthy of our consideration, and undeserving of our scorn.

The best way to read this book is to HAVE READ IT in a state of obsession years ago and find that its general mood and the texture of its ideas exert a subliminal and subconcious influence on one's concious thought. Taken in parts it contains many assumptions or assertions that are actually quite disputable but in general, as an aesthetic device, it is necessary reading for any spiritual seeker. It is certainly a welcome anti-dote to those spiritual guides that make God out to be a divine butler waiting on his chosen humans beck and call. It also suggests a wilder and more flamoboyant spiritual universe than the one portrayed in so many lesser works. God, if he or she exists, is a wild, ecstatic, and uncontrollable force that transcends the vulgar, petty humanizations we force upon him or her.

The student of human religion is generally confronted with a serious problem; unlike say, science or philosophy, religion is much more strongly dependent on the subject and the social and cultural beliefs in terms of knowledge, practice and belief. It is harder as a historian of religion to divorce any 'essence' of religion or religious knowledge from its context and practice, especially given many of the leading lights of the world's religions seem to emphasize ineffable and unrepeatable subjective experience. Yet it is vital to try and understand religion and what role (if any) it plays in the human quest to understand the universe, and also ourselves.

Otto, a Protestant theologian, offered a concept he called the 'holy.' Also often called the numinious, this was a sense of something being sacred. Holiness gave Being a special set of qualities which set it apart from the universe and its furniture as we 'ordinarily' experience it. This experience is often one of terror and fear in the prophets of monotheistic religions (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Moses, Abraham, Jesus and Mohammed) while in native and Eastern religions, it can be a sense of power or awe. In this work Otto applies the idea of the Holy to Christianity and other religions, and would later form a critical tool in the phenomenology of religion and religious experience.

This book is essential reading for any scholar of religion or philosopher interested in religion and questions relating to religion and religious experience.

Rudolf Otto(1869-1937) presents the idea of the Holy as that profound, overwhelming feeling of awe that can sometimes strike you regardless of your particular culture and/or religious affiliation, a feeling that's been a part of us since pre-historic times. He calls this feeling the "mysterium tremendum" or the "numinous" and proceeds to describe it in great detail, with examples. I liked the way the idea is first developed in a more general sense before emphasis is made of its Christian aspect, making it accessible to all people interested in the idea of the Holy and God.