Spirituality Books

Initially, I bought the Praying for Purpose book to infuse my daily quiet time (plus it was on sale). I was enjoying Praying for Purpose so much that I decided to take the advice at the front of the book and read Pathway to Purpose as the foundational book. Significant time elapsed between my buying the book and actually reading it--mainly because the longer chapters were daunting when combined with my hectic schedule. Nevertheless, I knew I need to really delve into it because I am at a watershed period in my life. Well, once I began reading I was drawn into the contents. I was particularly struck by the author's relation of her own story. She writes with strategic candor--sharing vignettes of her life with precise relativity to the principle being shared. I was not able to fully relate to the first 2 chapters but I appreciated their advance wisdom. I am still working my way through both books because ever so often I stumble on something that takes me a few days to "soak in." Nevertheless, I've enjoyed Pathway to Purpose so much, I bought copies for each of my Women's Ministry Coucil members. I would totally recommend it!!!!!

I found this easy to listen to but not of much help to any pathway to purpose for me. It was interesting and did get some ideas from listening to it.

This book is excellent for doing exactly what the title predicts. It has certainly been a pathway to God's purpose for my life. I am slowly discovering the passions that God has placed in my heart and connecting them with, what else but, His purpose for my life.
Carole

This book is one of the most significant books I've read in awhile in regard to helping me honestly evaluated God's place in my life and my own motivations for serving Him and relating to others. This book makes me feel like I want to sit with the author and discuss at length the concepts she brings forth in her book. Ms Brazelton must be an awesome mentor.

If you are wondering about your purpose or or ust plodding along day to day, this is for you!!!!!

A wonderful book for silent meditation.
I prefer this book over The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.

Having been a long time Brother Lawrence fan I was leery of adding Frank Laubach's journal entires to this ancient classic. I was wrong. Laubach is a modern master who takes Brother Lawrence's simple way and brings it into the 20th century. After reading this short missive my friend and I have agreed together to practice the presence of Christ in everything that we might try this simple and beautiful way ourselves. Read this short guide and commit yourself to walking in the light. It's worth it.

Excellent book for those who believe we exist for the glory and honor of God. It will help you get to the point where your agenda no longer controls your life. It will be his agenda that controls. Two classics in one book.

I've read this book twice already and each time I read it, feels like the first time. This book is really intense. It made me realize how far off the mark I was with keeping God in my thoughts more often than I do. It's a life long practice, but once you read this book you'll never forget it and will keep coming bak to it at least once a year. It's also an excellent book to recommend to others who feel it's impossible to maintain God's presence all the time. The first time I read this book I became so much more aware of how little I think about God through the day and have been working on this practice ever since. I can honestly say I'm making progress. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a closer relationship with God.

This book I believe is a must read by any Christian desiring to live an others centered self sacrificial broken life style before the Lord. This can only be acomplished by staying on our cross and allowing God to have all of us. Practicing His Presence will help us stay focussed on God through out our day. Learning from Frank Laubach and Brother Lawerence's experiences at trying to live this life style can be a blessing to all of us. If you want to know what Heaven will be like, read this book. Because in Heaven we will be in God's presence all the time. So shouldn't we be practicing it here on earth?

Myles Munroe is an excellent author and this book will give help you with what God has given you to do. My goal is read all of his books, all of his books are great, he's one of my favorites.

If you want to really, fully understand how and why one is given a Christian spiritual gift like purpose and vision you will truly enjoy reading this book....it's hard for me to put it down...and I'm only into the 3rd chapter. Myles Monroe has been given a rare gift of explaining the actual "mechanics" of various spiritual gifts in terms that are so plain and understandable....I've read his book on prayer as well "Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer" it was TERRIFIC!! I can't wait to order another one of his books when I get through with this one.

I can't get enough of this book, every page is an "aha" moment. It's taking me to the next level. I think the book was written just for me, answering/addressing the questions I've had & couldn't seem to figure out the answers.

Myles Munroe has done it again! In his own uniquely simplistic way of informing people who are searching, of the principles in scripture which help us to move forward in the purpose that God has given each of us. Munroe shows us how to identify the talents that God has given us and to utilize them to our fullest potential. This book along with the study guide helps the reader to remain on track in regard to prioritizing what is really important in life. The fulfillment of our individual purpose for being. It's not about competition, it's about purpose!!

I had the opportunity of taking a class on this book. The book is awesome. It made me think seriously on somethings I wanted to do in my life. One statement in this book was, "Stop procrastinating and hoping you will eventually get somewhere in life. Decide whether you're going to get a curse or a blessing." Revelation 3:15-16

I decided I would rather have a blessing and began to focus more towards my purpose in life. Knowing that God is my source and He would never give me a vision or assignment that I am not equipped for.

I also liked the Chapter Principles at the end of each chapter (ie. "If you don't have a plan, God doesn't have anything specific to direct you in.").

I just finished reading the Prophet's Way.. I was absolutely entranced. All that I have read, combined with our first real energy crisis in California has really made me wake up, although I feel more like I'm in a daze thinking about all of it.

I never thought about vegetarianism in this way it is presented before. I never knew that a meat-eating lifestyle perpetuates the disintigration of our earth and reaches out to harm so many areas. "Diet for a new America" is what I'll be reading next.

Here we follow the author's "adventures" in several different parts of the world, usually following his spiritual / sociological / ecological mentor who picks up worms in the rain and puts them safely on the grass. The mentor says if you want to be a great spiritual leader, "... begin with the smallest work, a tiny act of compassion for the least of the least. (hence, the worms) And do it in secret." And be a vegetarian.

The book is anecdotal (and wanders off the subject a lot) with spiritual and socio-ecological themes. My favorites: a discussion of lapis lazuli (my favorite stone) in praise of its "spiritual purity" and a very important discussion regarding television's harmful impact on children -- not for its presence, but because too much television means a lack of reading to kids, which actually causes a deficiency in the brain's ability to develop the visualization of what they hear and imagine.

It's worth your time. ....

This book left a strong imprint in my being. I was very moved by its true stories about the magic of living by faith and total self-giving. The author lays his life on the line again and again, and his example draws us to do the same, for the sake of a humanity and a planet glorified by the Love of God.

Not every theory and spiritual exercise in this book resonated fully for me. But there was much food for thought in the author's ideas, and much usefulness in his exercises. Most important for me however, was the living example of people making a real difference in the state of the world, by being true to their deepest convictions, and being a Light of Godly service.

The life of Herr Muller is truly an exceptional example of esoteric spirituality, combined with very practical, energetic service. Hopefully, his example will become less exceptional, as more people catch the fire of transformation that this book serves.

This is a true journey of finding compassion and love for all life and putting the discovered empathy to work in hopes of guiding humanity out of suffering and healing the ravaged Earth. Hartmann has traveled the world and lived amongst the most lacking and depraved of humanity, yet is able to help them and glean wisdom from these experiences. He explains his affiliation and wisdom learned from Masters Stanley and Muller, two very intriguing men. Teaching our children well and "humble actions" that all can easily embrace are well delineated.

This is a book that should appeal to everyone from the religious, agnostic, humanist, and ecologist. Be forewarned, though, that one might feel compelled to read all of Hartmann's books for this man has much to offer! His, "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up To Personal and Global Transformation" is highly recommended, also.

Thom's book cracked my heart wide-open. It' clearly the definitive journey of our time: waking up to the possibility, certainly the responsibility, of reaching toward a maturity of Soul. This journey takes you into the Suffering of the World. From the Hunt Clubs in Bogota, Columbia: those who hunt children for sport. To the poverty of Africa, India, and the diminishment of the integrity of the Earth itself.

This is a book that you FEEL to the Depths of your Soul. It shakes you and changes you.

After reading the book several years ago, it was my honor and privledge to visit with Thom and his mentor Herr Muller in Germany, and walk the Prophets Way Path. It was a moving and life affirming moment. It launched me to embrace a suffering world.

I now work with At-Risk kids taking them into the wilderness. I listen to their stories. Hold their pain by affirming and mirroring the best in each one of them. We are all linked in a common humanity and that is the message of Thom's book. It affirms the best in each of us and asks us to CHANGE.

Relax, You're Already Perfect really opened my eyes to the fact that I can do whatever I want and be whatever I want. The techniques were very powerful and easy to do, and they really work! I've recreated my life and am continuing to grow each day.

I read this book more than once and noticed that the second time I read it, it was much different. After doing the exercizes for a while, not only my impressions of what I was reading changed, but my whole life changed. I am deeply indebted for the awareness this book has brought to me and I recommend it to everyone.

I've read this book now three times and I'm going to read it again. Every time I read it, it speaks to me in a different way -- seemingly reading my mind as to what I need each time.

I've read tons of books on spiritual awareness and am amazed that even though some of these messages were not new to me, they were expressed in a most powerful, enjoyable, practical and enlightening way.

I truly believe this book will be remembered as a guide book that helped raise the consciousness of many, many people.

What I loved about this book is that it actually works as a primer for everything that is at the heart of the healing message I share! As an energy therapy practitioner on the look-out for books to support my work, I was happy to find that in this one book Bruce Schneider gets to the core issues and questions that those on the awakening path are facing. He did it in clear digestible language and NOT TOO MANY words, not veiled in goopy new age tired euphemisms. From the title throught the last page, I found clarity, comfort, empowerment and joy! YEA!

I hardly know where to begin when attempting to describe to you how life-changing this book truly is for the disciple of Christ. I must tell you that I would not say that about any book. So... you know that this is not just any book. This book unlocks the key to understanding true discipleship and the way by which revolution will first come to man and then to the church.

This book was originally a series of lectures given to Chinese church planters/workers. However, to recommend this book only to a select few would be absurd. This book is for all of those who have made Jesus Lord. The title of the book may be a bit ambiguous. You may be thinking... "What does that mean?" Had Dietrich Bonhoeffer not already used, "The Cost of Discipleship," I believe this would have been an appropriate title.

Scripture teaches us that man is spirit, soul, and body. Nee explains how God created man to join His Spirit with man's spirit (i.e. the center of a man). The spirit is to govern the soul of a man (i.e. thoughts, emotions, will) and then the body. He calls the spirit of a man the "inner man"; the soul--the "outer man"; the body--"the outermost man." Before the inner man is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, a man's spirit is inopperative. His spirit is there, but in fact... it is dead! The soul then tries to function as only the spirit can do. Thus, the soul produces flesh! Man is then a frustrated being.

Nee submits that most Christians live a "mixed" life. The Christian life is to be a Spirit-led and a Spirit-driven life. The Holy Spirit has regenerated the spirit of a man and is to continue to be the power that controls and governs him. However, many Christians allow their soul to interfere with the Spirit's work. Again, this produces flesh! The Spirit is hindered from joining with man's spirit while the soul of a man is not in full submission to the Spirit. (For a better understanding of what this looks like, read Nee's "The Normal Christian Life.")


Nee's "The Release of the Spirit" is about man's soul (i.e. thoughts, emotions, will) being "broken" in order for the Spirit in a man to be "released." He will base his claim on Scripture to prove this point. (e.g. 1 Thess. 5:23; Lk. 1:46; 21:19; 1 Pet. 1:9;22) Jesus said, "He who loves his life (psyche-soul), will lose it." The outer man must be continuously broken before the Spirit is released through a man.

Nee speaks from experience. There is absolutely no way a person can speak on this subject with not having first identified its activity in their own life. Nee wonderfully describes the battle going on in each Christian. Our soul wants to govern, but the Spirit must rule for God to be glorified in us. The only way this can happen... is for you and I to be broken.

Nee's conclusion is this: God has ordered our lives. The hardships, the trials and tribulation have passed through his hands first. They have come to us to break the outer man! Therefore, if you want to be used up... if you want God to get all of you... you must first be crushed! The one who is willing to suffer the most... is the one who will be used the greatest by God. This is the Christian life.

Nee writes, "Only those who have learned some lessons can serve. You may learn ten year's lessons in one year, or you may take twenty or thirty years to learn one year's lessons. ANY DELAY IN LEARNING MEANS A DELAY IN SERVING. If God has put a desire in your heart to serve Him, you should understand what is involved. The way of service lies in brokenness and is connected with your accepting the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The measure of your service is determined by the depth of discipline and brokenness."

I don't know about you... but I would like to learn ten year's lessons in one year. If I must be broken and crushed to be used greatly by the Lord for his glory... then so be it. Christ was bruised and crushed for me. It's the least I can do for him.

This book is Watchman Nee at his best! I will read this book numerous times throughout my life. I recommend reading "The Normal Christian Life" for an even further understanding of the true Christian life. May Christ's church be broken for the release of the Spirit!

Nee classifies the spirit as the Inner Man, the soul as the Outer Man and the body as the Outermost Man. The spirit is God's dwelling place. Our human nature, good or bad is in our soul. The goal is to have the spirit govern the soul. The soul must be broken, won and mastered by the spirit.

Some Scripture he cites:
Luke 21:19
In your patience ye shall win your souls.

1 Peter 1:22
Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:

1 Peter 1:9
receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls.

Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Ephesians 3:16
that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

2 Corinthians 416
Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
(I always rightly or wrongly thought the outward man is the body, but he is referring to the human nature decaying as the spirit is strengthened.)
All The American Standard Version which he uses.

Later on he takes some liberty in translating a couple verses in Hebrews.

The beginning was somewhat eye opening and I was looking forward to the book.

However the book is repetitive to an extreme. He constantly reiterates how the outward man must be broken for the spirit to be able to work in various ways.

He also believes there is a point where there is a sudden breaking and then the spirit is free as long as we abide by the Spirit. This is reminiscent of a "second anointing" and also reminds me of books like Absolute Surrender by Murray (I know that will offend a lot of people) and others. Although Nee says that it can be a sudden break followed by a gradual one or gradual followed by sudden, on pg 73 he says the problem can be solved. I would prefer to think of this as a life-long process with the spiritual battle going on constantly.

Although God uses everything for the good (Romans 8:28) I'm not sure I subscribe to the theory that God Himself directly sends every calamity our way as he says.

This is the first book by Nee that I have read. I learned some things but thought these concepts could be explained more succinctly. Despite this I'm looking forward to reading his three most popular works.

An amazing book if you want to grow to spiritual maturity. Others have described the book better that I could ever do.

I read a lot of books. This book is different in one very amazing way. I first read it at age 17. And at age 46, I've read it about 20 times. Every time, I remember reading these things but they don't mean what I thought they meant the last time I read it. Very much like my life the challenges are similar but the lessons learned are new.

It's also the one book I keep giving away.

Another great piece of work by Watchman Nee revealed and imparted by the Holy Spirit! Nee has a simple and yet effective way of touching the deep area of our soul with his writing. A must read for all that want a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

then you are ready to read this book. The Holy Spirit revealed to me via this book that the He must come out of you. This is the only way you will affect His Church, yourself, your environment, and the world. Otherwise, everything we do is dung! Meaning its dead and need to be thrown out. This book is invaluable to His Church because unless we are broken then the Church suffers from too little Christ and too much fallen souls. May the Holy Spirit prepare you for the contents of this book and may you follow it. Oh btw, you might want to purchase this book from [...] that way you KNOW you are getting the "Christian Fellowship Publishers" version instead of whatever is available (because the sellers think all the different publishers of this book have the same content).

Christel has a marvelous way with words, and she cuts to the quick - no mincing of words for her! She speaks and writes with honesty and integrity, and she has shown me how easy it is to change scripts I thought were inscribed in stone. What freedom that brings! I feel much lighter now.

Amazing! It is so easy. Out of all the books I have read, workshops I have attended, this is the only tool that has worked for me. My life has totally changed and I resonate with joy and happiness. God sent us the most spectacular gift in Christel. We are so lucky to have her as a teacher. She is the real thing.

I'm sorry, but I had to quit reading this book after page 25. Ms. Nani repeatedly regurgitates phrases and thoughts are are just plain common sense. This may be a good book for folks that need their hands held and reminded about behaviors, feelings, moments of self-doubt, etc., but attributing one's personal conflicts to some kind of competition between society (or the Tribe) and what your inner voice (also known as commmon sense or intuition) is telling you then proceeding to give you ways of quieting the conflict through the realization of these contradictions smacks of pop psychology and reminds me (at least) of a lot of realizations I made while as a young adult. We will always have contradictions in almost all parts of our lives and her approach to resolving them is naivé at best.

This book is a difinitive work on how medical intuitives can help someone understand the roles of thought and our beliefs in our ultimate satisfaction with life. It helps one understand how our inner soul needs to nurtured and given the freedom from our societal conditioning to pursue happiness and fulfillment.

This book comprehensively covers a definition of how intuitive coaching helps a person realize what their impediments are that one cannot see because tribal beliefs are subtle and so conditioned and ingrained that we hold them in our minds without knowing it. An intuitive can bring these into our consciousness and we can then "work on ourselves" and move forward with our lives.

A fantastic book to show how you canot heal without pinpointing what you are thinking that is getting in your way!

(Beginning with mine.) I read widely in this genre, and this book is truly different, likely because Christel Nani is living what she's teaching.

The writing reverberates with clarity, purity and healing.
I highly recommend it in combination with the Transforming Your Archetypes CD, which provides simple but very effective tools to aid the (admittedly uncomfortable) belief-transforming process Christel teaches.

Also, all the stories of people trying to be good/spiritual by taking care of others and ending up drained or sick themselves really hit home. The objective (rather than dramatic) way they're presented works to break the isolation of a lot of us out there who are really drained as we keep trying to "love more" (according to what we've been taught love is) and end up in increasingly depleting circumstances.

Thank you, Ms. Nani.

Sharon Schulz-Elsing. Contributing Editor, Curled Up With a Good Book (curledup.com)

In the ground-breaking tradition of The Celestine Prophecy and Conversations with God, The Serpent's Dance (Book One) by Shri Yannam is an extraordinary memoir cum novel cum self-transformation guide. Inspired by the ancient wisdom of the author's Eastern background, Yannam uncovers twenty-one secrets of self-mastery through a surreal but powerful conversation with his soul guide, who appears to him in the form of a cobra in the wreckage of a tornado's aftermath.

Review by Ram Bhandari -- Corporate Engineering Consultant.

When I got Shri Yannam's book, The Serpent's Dance, at first I merely flipped through the pages, peeking into the contents here and there to see if it'd interest me. As I did, I paused to glance at some of the so-called Serpent's secrets (in bold italicized text). But my inquisitive mind longed to dig into the details leading to the secrets. And before I knew it, I found myself reading the entire book in just one sitting...from start to finish! As I read, I realized that the book was about the author's own life transforming experiences. So it became that much more interesting.

As it so often happens to our rational minds, when it is blocked suddenly by an insurmountable obstacle, an intense process of self-inquiry begins. This leads one to discover the essential nature of self and its binding to universal spirit. The intellect dives into the subconscious, empties itself of all rational thought, and rises again to reach spirit in order to understand the essence nature of reality. This is precisely what has happened to Shri Yannam.

Traditionally, in ancient Indian scriptures, a central principle is stated before an exhaustive explanation is put forth, further helped along by parables to drive the point home. Though Shri Yannam seeks to do the same thing, there is a difference in his approach. Shri dives into the conflict first (taking the reader with him)...before both resurface again with enough wisdom to understand and dissolve the conflict in question. This is precisely what makes his writing so interesting and so relevant to our present times. Rather than use traditional parables, Shri employs the struggles and conflicts imbued in our contemporary lives. Thus profound wisdom, inherent in spirit itself, is brought forth in a manner that makes it easy to assimilate.

Review by Sara "Sally" Hostelley -- Character Clown & Certified Laughter Leader.

I am reading Shri Yannam's book, The Serpent's Dance very slowly and very carefully. There's so much to digest here...because it's so deep and so profound. I love it! I like to close the book from time to time, and reflect on the author's experience after each of the serpent's secrets. The secrets resonate with me, and take me to a deeper/higher level of awareness/understanding. Then I experience a release and find myself becoming lighter in countless uplifting ways.

Review by Shyamkumar Srinivasan -- Telecom Engineer.

The Serpent's Dance is definitely not another 'run of the mill' book on Self Help. Shri does an excellent job of relating oft repeated ancient truths (the Gita, etc. in my case) as solutions to modern day stresses. He follows a unique approach in examining our deepest emotions, prejudices, likes, dislikes. His approach is secular in nature and free from all dogma (something that is hard to come by these days). The book does not come up with a list of do's and dont's or a magic wand that will brush away all our imbalances. What it does offer are ways at better understanding and de-mystifying our own inner selves. The style followed is one of a conversation between Shri and Siddhah - an imaginary Serpent in the form of a tornado. This could easily represent the reader and the tornado within each one of us.

Shri's formulas will go a long way in helping us better understand ourselves which will result in a better understanding of the universe external to us. This book is a must for every receptive mind.

Review by Lauren Pickard -- Healer, Single mother.

The Serpent's Dance is a comprehensive dialogue between Shri, the author, and a serpent, the author's chosen spirit form representing our super-consciousness or God-consciousness. This insightful conversation explores the depths of Shri's spiritual transformation through the perspective of his personal relationships.

I came to this book during a time of deep emotional healing. Life is an anthology of relationships, and when you heal one aspect, you automatically open the doors to healing them all. As Shri shares his journey of transcendence, it's an opportunity and an invitation to heal along with him.

The greatest teachers impart wisdom by example. The Serpent's Dance offers any reader an example of how to exist within the dichotomy of life, naturally balanced. It's intimate, comical, and its' vast, colorful concepts of self-mastery are presented in simple terms, with situational references.

This book reflects the innate wisdom within each of us and reminds us that our transformation, or "shedding of old skin," is always unfolding.

ok honestly ive only gotten through chapter one so far. and based on my interpretation of what he said is that if i want to practice shamanism i shouldnt copy tradtions but make my own. That to me is like saying pratice but dont do it in the way it was meant to be done. Peopsoanlly i think you can make it your own but first you have to understand why they did things the way they did. he sends alot of mixed messages. He also said that some people hide who they are... the only reason i can see people hiding who they are and living in fear of being "exposed" is that theyre not comfortable with who they are in the first place. not that they should go shout from the mountian tops or anything but hiding who you are is like saying what your doing is wrong or bad. Persoanlly i dont like to live life with fear constatnly present. Hopefully the next chapter is better...I would however reccoment the book "the way of the shaman" by michael harner

As the author makes clear, becoming a Shaman is a rare, intensive, dedication to a way of life few modern Americans (or any other culture) would embrace. The Shamanic Journey for power animals and guides is quite another matter. My own experience closely corresponds to Cowan's. My teacher, co-Director of the Fire and Wind Institute ([...])was also a student of Michael Harner. The practice has opened new and wonderful vistas for me. Highly recommended.

Shamanism: A Spiritual Path for Daily Life is far and away the most comprehensive and far reaching book currently available for those who wish to walk a shamanic path. Tom Cowan does his best to cover all the bases and succeeds. For those who want to understand shamanism as a life strategy, this book is highly recommended.

Right from the start we're advised to put aside any thoughts of lifting practices from specific cultures, and instead focus on a contemporary approach to spirit journeys that builds on universal techniques that have worked since the dawn of humanity, along with more contemporary concepts from "modern" religions like Buddhism and Christian mysticism. How much more reasonable could a spiritual practice be? Cowan knows his subject, is an excellent writer, is thoughtful in his approach, and is intellectual, spiritual, and practical in his approach modern shamanism. Sufficiently detailed to hold a discerning reader's interest but presented simply enough to put into practice immediately, this is an excellent beginner's guide to modern shamanic practice.

And this book is already amazing. I love the way Mr. Cowan writes and how he explains things in a witty, informative manner. This is the only book I've read on Shamanism and I haven't actually journeyed yet, but I can already tell that this book will help me on my shamanic path for the rest of my life. The stories in this book are also really wonderful. All I can recommend for people exploring Shamanism for the first time is to read this book before any of the others out there. You won't be disappointed with this purchase.

This book has made me want to explore Mr. Cowan's other works.

I love Kent Nerburn's works. I have read 5 of his books. I love them all. He is deep, very intuitive. His use of imagery is awesome. What is the phrase . . . ? "Nobody says it quite like . . . (Kent Nerburn) :-)

I've read alot of Kent Nerburn's books and have a few to go. They are great little bits of simple truth for the every day journey of life. It's so easy to loose sight of the true picture...I appreciate this simple wisdom and comfort that is brought in these words and the word pictures created by this author. I'm always grateful for anything that can help me along the way. Thanks

"Life is a creative experience," begins author Kent Nerburn in his slim little volume of basic truths on which to build a life of value for oneself and others. They are, as the title states, basic and simple truths, but it is these simple truths that have been lost in the muddle and busyness and confusion of modern life marked by an embarrassment at claiming a value system. Nerburn continues in explanation of why we must reconnect to these simple truths: "We are shaping ourselves at every moment by every decision we make."

And so we are. A moment taken to consider carefully the meanings and values of topics Nerburn has chosen here are moments well spent. To ponder these truths and to absorb them clears the path ahead and moves us forward with peace and conviction.

Short chapters illustrate in clean prose the values of education and learning ("without knowledge I could not play the violin. Without wisdom, I could not play the music"); work ("we are what we do, and the more we do it, the more we become it"); money ("be a giver and a sharer... in some unexpected and unforeseeable fashion, all else will take care of itself"); possessions ("possessions are as likely to make you unhappy as they are to make you happy, because they define the limits of your life and keep you from the freedom of choice that comes with traveling light"); giving ("you have the power to create joy and happiness by your simplest gestures of caring and compassion"); travel ("if we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder"); loneliness and solitude (the first is a void, the second a sense of self-fulfillment); love ("treat what love brings you with kindness"); marriage ("if you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience..."); parenthood ("in the bondage to a child you will find a freedom you never imagined, but neither should you seek parenthood as a way to fill an emptiness in your life. A child will hold a mirror to your life..."); strength ("true strength does not require an adversary and does not see itself as noble or heroic. It simply does what it must without praise or need of recognition... strength based in love is strength people crave"); tragedy and suffering ("they are the fire that burns you pure"); the spiritual journey ("spiritual understanding never becomes deep unless you subject yourself to the spiritual discipline of practicing your belief"); elders ("they were you and you will be them"); death ("it brings us to a judgment, so it is ours to control by the kind of life we live"); and concludes with an epilogue on embracing the mystery.

"If we have played our part well - offering love where it was needed, strength and caring where it was lacking; if we have tended the earth and its creatures with a sense of humble stewardship - we will have done enough."

Simple, yes, and shining with a timeless truth.

Not often among writers do you discover anything of these valued SIMPLE TRUTHS, "In honored memory of one's Father!" My first reading came from my good-reader Friend's excerpt of Kent's neat Chapter entitled, "The Spiritual Journey."

Kent's thoroughly organized headings, uniquely begin in Learning and Education, On Work, On Money, On Possessions, On Giving, On Travel, On Loneliness & Solitude, On Love/Marriage, Parenthood, with short but potent chapters, On Strength, On Tragedy and next Suffering! I am enamored with his depth of understanding of that spiritual "tradition that seems to give voice to the music of your Spirit...(to often being) afraid to follow!"

After this shortest of his diamond-emerald Jewels, all coming from four unique perspectives, I am more than ever an admiror! After three reviews I am finally into the midst of NEITHER WOLF Nor DOG. It promises to be his education and first-hand report of dealing with his own people, in the person of his Elder, Dan asking for help in writing a book of Native American Wisdom! Retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood "Barbara377" (Fayetteville,GA United States)

This book discusses many issues concerning the problems of everyday people which have been forgetten in this modern world.We get so caught up that we lose our true selves in the book helps to give you a calm sense of self worth.It explains in depth about education which is truly what you know, giving form your heart not worrying about the rewarding glory or praise to put forth extra time that is personal,love is internal and true love is accepted.