Saint The Books

I wish more people would read and find out about this incredible humble saint. I find him to be most fascinating!!!

I was amazed at what Kathleen Stauffer was able to accomplish with this one slim book. Care and attention are given to every aspect of Padre Pio's life, and in the most engaging ways, through stories by the people who knew him well and loved him. What I like best is that the focus is not always on Saint Pio's stigmata and many miracles, although they are certainly not ignored, but on the tremendous depth of his faith and his passionate love of God. As this wonderful book says, the miracles happened because God is real! I can't recommend it enough! I learned so much. One of the priests who knew him best said that he never saw Padre Pio do anything but pray, suffer, and help people. Stauffer says that he often said to the people that he helped, "Don't worry, lets pray." Words to live by.

More than your run-of-the mill saint profile. I really loved this book because it made Padre Pio real for me. The author manages to tell a great story AND provide a spiritual boost to the reader. Catholics so often are put on the defensive by those who really don't understand the Scriptural underpinnings of our faith. This book explains saints, Sacramentals, and Scripture in plain language while providing an inspiring, enjoyable read.

Small but mighty! Catholic Digest's Kathleen Stauffer has jam-packed this little book with real-life Padre Pio details, shared from personal conversations with friends who obviously knew him well, lending a confident credence and truly 'intimate' touch to the story. In fact, reading this book gave me the feeling of getting to know a good friend. It also evoked feelings of respectful appreciation and gratitude to his humble and sincere friar-friends for so carefully sharing Padre Pio's amazing story from the powerful perspective that "God is not magic. God is real." ~(an important reminder when discussing miracles!) And it's refreshing to have in my library an informative, personal book about Padre Pio that highlights his life story with first-hand insight, authority and credibility while adding a lighter touch. The author takes a 'down to earth' approach, faithfully following his inspirational journey to sainthood, while dishing out enjoyable 'insider info' on "Padre Pio's favorite things", boyhood stories of mischief, his quick wit and endearing sense of humor. Also included: interesting information and commentary on the phenomenon of "stigmata" as well as listings of outside resources such as web sites, --a nice touch and helpful tool for digging up more in-depth info. There are many books written on the life of Saint Pio, but this one is unique in that it doesn't present chapter after volumous chapter of heavy material, --it 'digests' all that and in just under 60 pages, manages to not only tell a good story, but inform, inspire AND make you smile. ~An interesting and welcome addition to my library, and a great gift! The size lends itself to being a perfect Christmas 'stocking stuffer', and I've already bought several.

I think that this is one of the best written books on our Saints today. Highly recommend this book for all to read.

I have been a spiritual "seeker" for a long time. Disenchanted with 18 years of "traditional" protestant theology I had sought the path of Buddhism and so-called eastern spirituality. Then a good friend introduced me to Eastern Orthodox Christianity - WOW!! I found the lid to the spiritual puzzle that I'd been trying to put together for so many years.

This book by St. Theophan is the real deal. It describes the path to Salvation. Not just how to become a Christian, but how to be transformed into the likeness of God becoming "partakers of the divine nature" - 1 Peter 1:4.

It's not an easy read, but well worth the effort. It also contains some great advice on raising children and teenagers, with pointers on education and discipline.

You can access some of the writings of St. Theophan on the Internet. Just search for "St. Theophan" and you'll find excerpts from this book and others on Orthodox Christian websites. After that you'll want this book. It's a classic.

trust your heart , you will not be disappointed

St. Theophan translated Philokalia and other works to Russian and had a vast correspondence during his 23 years as a recluse. Tha Path to Salvation is his main work in which he goes through the Christian life from cradle to grave; from birth to salvation.
The practical instructions in the book are many: starting from the beginning of the Christian life, on turning towards God and the union with Him. 'Staying within', prayer, the meaning of the 'mysteries and sacraments' are all gone through thoroughly and spelled out as the unceasing work in remembering God. The death of the tyrant, the enemy, satan, what we normally call self, is one step on the way.
Besides the instructions to the Christian life The Path to Salvation will give many clues to better understanding of the Patristic writings of Philokalia as well as to what is meant with concepts like the struggle, labour and work of the Christian life.

What does it mean to call a spiritual writer a "Church Father for modern times"? For some, it might be easy hyperbole, or hype without depth. But for someone like Staretz Theophan's translator, Fr. Seraphim Rose, who dedicated his entire all-too-short life until his death in 1982 to the acquisition of the "mind of the Fathers" through a life of prayer and spiritual effort, and who was not apt to overpraise anyone born after the fall of Constantinople, this is praise you can trust. It brings together the two areas that were at loggerheads in his soul, which are also the two forces all spiritual seekers must struggle today to reconcile: modern life and authentic spirituality. The key question, which must become a life-and-death issue for anyone wishing to make genuine spiritual progress is: how is it possible to live an authentic spiritual life in this world of sham and selfishness, desire and deceit, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, emptiness and hope?

The Path to Salvation answers that question, and in a manner so thorough, complete, effective and simple as to be almost beyond expectation. Theophan the Recluse was indeed a Church Father for modern times. He lived in the latter half of the 19th century when all the elements of modern life--rationalism, pluralism, secularism, humanism, etc.--were gathering their all-consuming force; he lived a life totally steeped in prayer and spiritual practice based on the centuries-old spiritual tradition of the Philokalia and the hesychasts of Orthodoxy; and--and this is especially important--he had a ministry of spiritual direction to thousands of people throughout Russia and the world, most of whom were not monks and recluses but men and women living in the world. The result was a way of teaching that took the reality of the Gospel of Christ, and the truths of the Epistles of Paul, as illumined by the insights of a Maximus the Confessor or Isaac the Syrian and, without losing any of that power or brilliance, communicating their essence in a form accessible to the sensibilities of people born in modern times. This book is truly a treasure among books, hidden in plain sight in a field of works of so-called spirituality that are as weeds or stubble in comparison. Find this book. Dig into it. Savor it. Take it into your heart. You will not be disappointed

Here is the truth! St. Theophan clearly spells it all out step by step so that everyone can understand it. He doesn't leave you stranded at "join a church" level. He takes you all the way to Union With God. If you really want to know about the real Christianity, this is it. You will not find better.

This is the story of a girl from Mississippi who comes of age during the 1960s after her mother, a well-known local blues singer, is murdered. Jubilee moves to California to attend Berkeley and join the hippie movement. Along the way, she learns that she is revered as "real" by her new California friends. Eventually, she comes to appreciate where she came from and her background as she begins to learn the truth of her mother's murder.

Kay Sloan is a relatively new writer, but she has an easy style and her writing is fluid and original. Some of the settings bordered on stereotype, but I think she will blossom as an interesting new writer. I recommend giving this book a try and look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

This is a marvelous second novel, by the author of Worry Beads (1991). Set in Biloxi, Mississipi, during the early 1960s, when the Beatles were building their American audience and Elvis was beginning to step aside, Kay Sloan's Patron Saint is a novel that follows the coming of age of the novel's young protagonist and narrator, Jubilee Starling. Out of the horrific circumstances of her mother's murder, Jubilee negotiates a crew of characters, including her family, who seem to have walked right out of the red dust and swamps of the delta. Along the way she learns about the Klan, young love, anti-semitism, and madness, and catches the powerful fever of moving out and away from there that marks so much of great American literature. Yet for all that she leaves behind, she takes with her that beat up old red chevy and the legacy of the old south that hangs on like a recurrent dream. When she winds up on the West coast, at college, she becomes something of the "real thing," for suburban California wannabees who have heard about Mississipi blues but never lived it like Jubilee has. This is a novel drenched in music, with a fresh take on the rock and roll that once made the period seem new, at every turn a surprise that could change everything-prejudice, bigotry, envy and despair. And that's what makes this novel so fun and great, the imagination that insists, that well, it could be different - everything.

Murder and touches of Faulkner-Welty Southern Gothic intrigue haunt the pages of Kay Sloan's long-awaited second novel. In The Patron Saint of Red Chevys the author of Worry Beads (1991) has upped the horsepower of her plot, which careens along like an unstoppable vintage pickup truck. Then, too, Sloan's characters in this taut new book -- especially the narrator, Jubilee Starling, whose very name is wonderfully suggestive (and whose given name pays homage to Sloan's fellow Mississippian Margaret Walker's celebrated novel) -- are drawn with more complexity and finesse than ever. Sloan's unerring yet offbeat depiction of the Magnolia State during the segregated 60s; her rendition of blues songs and jazzy trumpet solos belted out in Biloxi and Berkeley, CA; her sentences which are terrifically vivid and arresting, right from the start, "I'm going to kill you" -- all this, for me, plus innumerable other goodies have made The Patron Saint of Red Chevys a coming-of-age page-turner worth waiting for.

The title of this fine first novel quotes the young narrator's warm, flamboyant mother, referring to the bouncy hula girl on the dashboard of her vintage red Chevy pick-up truck. Bernice Starling dies in that truck, stabbed to death early one morning in 1963 in her own driveway in Biloxi, Mississippi, while her daughter is inside putting on mascara and her father is urging her to hurry or she'll be late for school.

Jubilee Starling, motherless at 13, has vehement loyalties. The police, of course, suspect her father. Even her older sister, Charlene, wonders if he did it. But Jubilee, who knows her father had reason to be jealous, never wavers.

Bernice was a colorful, vibrant woman with a rich, soulful singing voice. Her love of music had taken her deeper into the black community than most Mississippians approved and, in those turbulent times, Bernice was quick to speak her mind. She'd been called an "agitator" and in Biloxi in 1963, you could hardly be called anything worse.

Things do get worse, though, when another death is connected to Bernice's murder. Levi Litvak, the Jewish TV weatherman from Up North wrapped his sporty convertible around a tree shortly after Bernice was killed. It's only a coincidence until his secretary, Loretta Holliday (soprano at the Catholic church, singing student of Bernice's and abused wife) finds a letter in his desk, proclaiming his love for Bernice and swearing if he couldn't have her, nobody could.

"Imagining ways to find the killer couldn't save me anymore," mourns Jubilee, who knows the story of an affair is true. When the police release her mother's 1948 truck, she begs her father to let her have it. While other people, including her sister, find it morbid, even ghoulish to drive that truck, Jubilee makes it her own while keeping her mother with her. The truck is her freedom and her link to the past. Jubilee is always asking herself what Mama would say, what Mama would think.

The sisters have very different ways of coping with grief and the fact of motherless ness. Jubilee has inherited her mother's musical talent and in addition to the standout voice she plays a mean, bluesy trumpet. Music keeps her company in her solitary rambles. Charlene dislikes the noisy trumpet, and as Jubilee turns off the narrow path of their segregationist church, Charlene clings to it, looking for love. The church provides the social structure and public face she needs and she grows increasingly impatient with Jubilee's anti-social tendencies. Jubilee works at keeping her mother's spirit alive, always asking herself what mama would think or say or do.

Yet it's Charlene who flat-out resents Marilyn, the young stepmother who enters their lives four years later. " `Why don't you wait a couple of weeks, till the anniversary of Mama's death?'" she snaps at her father when he makes his announcement. But the girls are growing up, and their sad, sensitive father is lonely. Marilyn is timid, conventional, and not too bright. But she tries hard, and she needs him.

The sisters are on the brink of adulthood as the turbulent 60s explode in anti-war protests and the killings of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Jubilee's killing remains a subject of gossip as well as family grief. There are rumors that Levi Litvak never died and Jubilee still keeps a woman's scarf she found in the garage.

Charlene turns her back on all that `60s upheaval, preferring her personal brand of anger and hope. Jubilee gets a scholarship to Berkeley, much to everyone's dismay. From her father to her boyfriend, everyone is sure she'll be ruined for Biloxi. And Jubilee hopes they're right. But, certain she will find the acceptance she longs for in the urban expansiveness of Berkeley, she is dismayed to discover a different version of the same mean-spirited small-mindedness she left behind. Along with just the sort of education her friends and family feared. And a new story to go with her mother's death.

Sloan captures the unattractive smugness of 60s radicals as precisely as she does the acid in the sugar of the Deep South, a place where the announcement of President Kennedy's assassination brings cheers in school. Jubilee's beguiling voice is yearning, and a little lost. She has flashes of anger and sass, but mostly she takes everything in, weighing it all against her mother's voice.

Sloan's prose is deceptively simple, drawing subtleties and complex emotions from Jubilee's straightforward accounts of events in her life - inadvertently attending the fair on Colored night, playing a dangerous prank on Halloween, overheard gossip in the Piggly Wiggly, first love, second love. Sloan's portrayal of the South seethes. Like many Southern writers she has a love-hate relationship with the place and there's a mournful feel to the racial hatred that pervades the story, and a melancholy to the soft nights and whispered confidences.

This is a debut with the emotional charge and atmospheric richness particular to Southern writers. Sloan has struck all the right notes in her portrayal of coming of age motherless in the turbulence of Mississippi in the 60s.

The Patron Saint of Red Chevys was wonderful. I was really engrossed and I thought is was a great story about two teenagers, although I can't say I am that much like them, they are really believable characters. I would give it a 5

PATRON SAINTS tells the story of a people thrown into hell on earth after the worst natural disaster in American history and how a professional sports team, of all things, helped them return to normalcy. Using an oral history approach, author Alan Donnes creates a mosaic of voices that take the reader on an emotional journey from the depths of despair to the triumph of victory, not just on the playing field (which the Saints did), but in the hearts and minds of the people. More powerful than WE ARE MARSHALL or REMEMBER THE TITANS, PATRON SAINTS is the most inspiring story to come out of the Crescent City since Katrina and may well be the most inspiring sports story ever told. In the words of everyone from a 12 year old boy to the President of The United States and from players to fans, PATRON SAINTS gives us all a reason to cheer. We dare you to read about the team's and THE PEOPLE's return to the Superdome and NOT tear up. This book reminds us all why sports is so important in our lives. PATRON SAINTS is for the serious football fan and, maybe even more so for those who wonder why cities fight to get and keep professional sports franchises. Read PATRON SAINTS and see how the SAINTS gave New Orleans a reason to BELIEVE.

PATRON SAINTS is currently being developed as a major motion picture to be filmed on location in New Orleans.

This is more of a compilation than a novel. I bought this for my husband, who is not normally much of a reader, but he couldn't put this down. He read alot of it out loud to me, because he was so interested in the stories. I finally told him that I would read it myself when he was finished, which I did, and really enjoyed although I am not a football fan. Who couldn't be a fan that year? It tells the story from perspectives of all sides, and tells of the inspiration that came from unexpected places and inspired unexpected people.
This is definitely a must read for New Orleanians, who lived this, and understand what that Saints season meant to us. But also for others who weren't there and don't live here to understand why it meant so much.

This book gives an amazing and accurate account of how the New Orleans Saints inspired and motivated the City of New Orleans and its surrounding parishes. As someone who went to that Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons in the newly renovated Superdome, I cannot begin to describe the emotions I and many others experienced that night. Seeing the Saints run onto the field was my "Katrina moment." It was then that I knew things would be alright. The Superdome had always been a place to go to have fun. It was not that horrible place seen by so many people after Hurricane Katrina. To see the Saints return to the Dome turned a negative back into a positive for me. It was just one more step on the path back to normal.

That night my brother and I parked the car and began walking to the Dome. The walk took us through neighborhoods that had not yet been gutted. It took us past buildings that had water lines almost over my head. I thought about the people who walked that same path to the Dome after the hurricane hoping for refuge from the devastation. I got a lump in my throat and began to cry. This walk, however, was different. This walk was positive and determined. It was prideful, and it had purpose. We were walking to the Dome to bring it back and to bring our Saints back. Fans walking to the Dome were not just fans, we were family. We were family members from all over the New Orleans area who were brought together to welcome home a team many of us believed might never return. That night we were going to show the world that New Orleans - our home - would also return. We needed something to believe in. The Saints gave us that inspiration. We believed in them, and they seemed to believe in us. It was a powerful year.

Though I cannot even begin to describe the true emotions felt during that football season, this book does a great job. I loved reading how the players and coaches felt and how the team was just as inspired by us as we were of them. Just like a previous reviewer, I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever pulled for the underdog. It's a remarkable read.

Told through interviews with everyone from Quarterback Drew Brees to fans of the Saints who lived in New Orleans during the rebuilding of the city, Patron Saints covers one of the greatest, TRUE underdog stories in all of sports. The interviews with Saints players and coaches are fascinating, and provide a unique insight into what actually went on behind the scenes during the unlikely Cinderella season. But what truly makes this book special are the interviews with the fans; real people who convey how important this team was to the residents of post-Katrina New Orleans. Patron Saints gives the reader a "view from the gallery;" a chance to share in how the Saints' winning season was able to uplifit the spirits of an entire city where so much had gone wrong.

There are very few true sports stories this great (that of "Rudy" Reuttiger and the Marshall football program come to mind). But this book isn't just for Saints fans, or even football fans; it's for anyone who has ever rooted for the underdog.

I saw the author interviewed at a Saints pre-season game, and he stated that he is donating 70% of his revenue from the book to help childrens schools and hospitals in New Orleans. I think thats great, he wanted to tell our inspirational story and help the children of the City of New Orleans, too !

As a gay Mormon man in my early twenties, I was on the edge of suicide for many years (as many gay Mormons are). Reading this book was a major turning point in my life. I know it sounds dramatic to say that this book saved my life, but I honestly do not think I would be here today had a friend not had the courage to give me this book.

This book is a must read for anyone, especially anyone in the Mormon faith, that is seeking understanding of the often difficult subject of homosexuality.

A comprehensive and wonderful book detailing the pain, suffering, joys, and blessings of being a gay mormon. Through personal stories, sceintific studies, and offical policies, the myths and mystery surrounding this issue is brought out of the closet. A must read for anyone who knows a gay mormon or is dealing with the issues of homosexuality. I have personally found great peace and comfort in my own life from this book. As a gay mormon myself I know and understand the pain of not having the answers. Some of the answers are to be found in this book.

This book is must read for anyone struggling with sexual identity while still trying to maintain a love of God and church. Whether you are Mormon or belong to another faith this book is equally as powerful. Through the essays of gay people, their families, spouses, and clergy members, Peculiar People portrays the painful choices sometimes chosen by, and sometimes forced upon, those whose only sin is loving the "wrong" people.

Peculiar People is very empowering to those who struggle with sexual orientation, self-acceptance and self-esteem issues in the Church. It shares, through powerful, personal accounts, the struggles, strength and hope of those who have lived through the challenges brought forth in such conflict. This book shares wisdom and insight for the families of those struggling with self-acceptance. I have recommended it to many individuals.

This is the book that every person who is struggling with being both gay and mormon. It gives a history of the church's policies on homosexuals, and accounts of some of the members of the church who are same sex oriented. A wonderful read. I recommend it to all those having problems balancing spirituality and homosexuality.

As a CPA and candidate for controller of Montgomery County, PA, it is refreshing to see the long-term planning, comparison, functional issue review, and the "watchdog" functions of a controller so well laid out. Montgomery County will be well served to use this planning approach.

Please tell me it's not this easy to run a city. If all the Giulianis, Rendells, and Daleys of the world would just implement this new direction for urban america, our cities would not be afflicted with the ills they currently suffer. Every big city resident should demand that local government run as recommended in this book. Students, policy professionals, elected officials, and urbanites everywhere should make this book a part of their libraries.

I am a passionate city fan and wish every mayor in the country would read this book and implement the policies the authors advocate. There are no quick fixes to the problems shared by large American cities (crime, poverty, decay). As successful cities prove over and over, local government must concentrate on the basics -- improving schools, reducing crime, lowering taxes -- to make the city a place where people want to be instead of a place people want to avoid. If Philadelphia would adopt the recommendations of this book, the city would truly be a great one.

Jonathan Saidel and his staff at the City Controller's Office have truly revolutionized the way city government looks at urban policy in 21st century Philadelphia. This initiative demonstrates how municipal governments can spearhead positive change in urban America. The socioeconomic proposals demand serious consideration in an ever-competitive urban environment. Philadelphia can now be seen as a motivating force for improved urban life. Citizens now can view government as a partner for improved quality of life.

This book makes concrete, achievable, realistic suggestions for reform in Philadelphia which will serve as a model for public policy direction in cities across the US. Mandel, Babyak, and Volpe have written the definitive text to lead Philadelphia into the next century. PANUD also would be an excellent textbook for public policy, urban studies, and government courses at the college and graduate levels.

I recently spent a week in France, primarily looking at pilgrimage locations. Before leaving, I purchased many books: general guide books, pilgrimage guide books, specific city guide books, etc. This book was by far the most helpful. It was also nicely written and fun to read. The only thing this book could have done better is provide a general idea of distances between pilgrimage sites, or perhaps suggested itineraries. I wish I had more time! There was so much in this book I didn't get to see. I look forward to going back to France with this book- again and again.

France is not just for fashion, perfume, cuisine, romantic escapades, and wine ... it is also a country where Catholics go to visit Lourdes and other sacred sites from lives of French saints. If you plan to make a trip to France both a cultural and spiritual jouney ... The Pilgrim's France should join your Fodor before you go.

I found this book hard to put down. I have previously read the Heaters' Pilgrimage book on Italy and found it extremely useful and informative for a trip I took to Italy this year. When I heard that they published a second book, I snatched it up immediately, despite the fact that I had no intensions of traveling to Europe again in the near future. This book presents the lives of the saints in such a dynamic way that you are drawn in and before you know it, you cannot put the book down. It is packed full of helpful and practical information on each area of France, and cities of pilgrimage, as well as how to make the most of your stay. I found the extensive resources on learning more about the saints and places mentioned in the book a wonderful addition. I would highly recommend this book not only to those interested in taking a pilgrimage, but also anyone wanting to read about real people who have lead inspiring and uplifting lives. After reading this book, you cannot help feeling uplifted yourself!

James and Collen Heater have written a wonderful series of travel books for those of us seeking a more spiritual journey - or a spiritual quest of sorts. In the true sense of the word "pilgram" this book provides a "traveler" all they need to find the sacred places in France. To go where the saints and sages lived and walked. To meditate and pray in those holy places that are hundreds of years old. To feel that divine energy in those very special places - this is what the book is all about.

If you are going to europe anytime in the futre - take along not only this book but all of their books in the "Pilgrim" series of travel books. It will be the best thing you can pack for the trip.

This book is worth of your purchase! It will be money well spent - in will be "good karma"!

I personally recommend this book for all travlers to Europe and for those arm-chair adventures to dream along with the book. I would rank it higher than FIVE STARS - IF I COULD DO SO.

To book a pilgrimage to France and not pay the additional dollars for a copy of the Heaters' The Pilgrim's France is penny wise and pound foolish. I should know, because unfortunately, that is what I did last October.
At a get-acquainted meeting prior to the trip, one of my fellow pilgrims announced that she had come upon the book at a local bookstore. Some people in the group then bought it, too, but I thought I'd save money by ordering it from the library.
The library's copy was already on loan, so I left for the trip with plenty of secular guides to France, but not The Pilgrim's Guide. At times on the tour bus I read from other people's books, but that does not compare to having one's own book when visiting a sacred place. Our tour guides filled us in on generalities, but that was not to the detailed level that this book does. (Yet the reading is enjoyable as well as intensely informative.)
Being on a tour, we did not need to know about accommodations or travel directions, but it was all there, along with very, very interesting commentary on the lives of each saint and what to see at each shrine. I can not begin to imagine how long it took the Heaters to compile all the data.
Shortly after I returned home, I was able to take out the library's copy of The Pilgrim's France. I renewed it as many times as I could because it was a useful reference as I finished writing in my trip journal.
Reading it was also distressing to me, however, because I realized things I'd missed that I wouldn't have missed if I'd had a copy of the book with me on the trip. Then and there I decided to buy both The Pilgrim's France and the Heaters' other book, The Pilgrim's Italy.
I had a fantastic pilgrimage experience, but it could have been even more fantastic if I'd owned this book. Whether you are an actual pilgrim or an arm-chair pilgrim, I highly recommend it.

En esta libro el Maestro Saint Germain nos ofrece la maravillosa instrucción del "YO SOY". Fue el primer libro del Maestro que llegó a mis manos como -El libro de Oro- y me introdujo a la práctica de los decretos según mi entendimiento en ese tiempo. Se percibe el Amor del Maestro Saint Germain por el Amado Jesús, haciéndonos caer en la cuenta de la importancia de los decretos que Él utilizó en Su Ministerio. Este libro es mágico y contiene y explica el uso del "YO SOY" para cada circunstancia de nuestras vidas. Gracias Maestro Saint Germain.

En la lectura de este Libro si hay algo que queda claro es que Dios, la Presencia "YO SOY", no está limitada en lo más mínimo. Es más, de nada sirve pensar que sólo se invoca para las "cosas grandes", para eventos "espirituales" y "místicos". Me encanta la frescura de la instrucción dada aquí en la que el Maestro Saint Germain enseña a usar la Luz de Dios hasta en los aspectos más ínfimos de la existencia cotidiana del lector, quien, en último término, será quien decida hasta dónde quiere dejar que Dios penetre en su vida y realice allí su Acción.

Aplaudo también el que en esta edición de Serapis Bey Editores, se incluyan las invocaciones que se descargaran en los años 30 por el grupo de discípulos del Maestro Saint Germain de la Actividad "YO SOY".

Una de las cosas más difíciles es creer que existen otros Maestros Ascendidos como Jesús y que tengan una enseñanza práctica y sencilla. Este libro me dejó pensando mucho, abrió mi mente y mi corazón, para creen en otros Maestos Ascendidos. Gracias a Saint Germain seguí buscando más de éste conocimiento, el cual me
ha facilitado el sendero de retorno al Padre, te lo recomiento.

En mi caminar en una era pasada. este libro lo lei pero no paso nada, su lectura fue desapercibida ante la no unipuntualidad de mi vida.

Ahora en esta nueva edición encontre la llave, que el Maestro Saint Germain me regalo, para practicar y no simplente decir " yo se", sino decir Gracias a la Vida, a la Presencia de Dios YO SOY.

La practica constante de la Presencia YO SOY me genera Paz, Tranquilidad, y otra cosas que antes no tenía.
Este libro es maravilloso ante la enseñanza de tan magno ser, el Maestro Saint Germain, ya que por su constante invocación en la practica de la Presencia YO SOY, me esta llevando a situaciones que antes no podia dominar. La seguridad, protección, Sabiduría, Amor ,Fe y otros dones de Dios solo llegan atraves de esta llave personal que te regala el Maestro. GRACIAS BENDITO SER.

Finalmente se atrevió (o avino) alguien a publicar en castellano el crucial libro PLATICAS DEL YO SOY en forma completa, tal cual fuera descargado originalmente; y no la versión "alterada" de la cual lamentablemente fuera responsable nuestra bienamada compatriota Conny Méndez.

Basta con ver el nombre de la querida y respetada compositora venezolana Ana Mercedes Rugeles asociado con esta publicación para saber que estamos ante la versión correcta de este libro.

I decided to read The Politics of American Religious Identity after reading a recommendation of it by Elder Oaks in his interview for the PBS documentary The Mormons (http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f11cb868474e3110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ae411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD).

Flake's book is a fantastic read of a very fascinating period in Church history. I was struck by her account of how the Church's leadership's understanding of what it meant to be "Mormon" and the Church's core beliefs in the nature of God, priesthood authority, and revelation really came into focus during this time. In her description of these events--from the view of what I assume is a non-Mormon scholar--one can see the divine hand of revelation as God worked through President Joseph F. Smith and the Quorum of the Twelve to refine the Church and its people.

That said, it is a wonderful piece of scholarship and a enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

This is an excellent book by an expert historian on the events that began the integration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into American life. Kathleen Flake discusses in detail the three-year-long hearings to determine if Senator and LDS Apostle Reed Smoot should retain his senate seat.

This book is not only about Reed Smoot, but also about then Church President and Prophet Joseph F. Smith. Perhaps Smith is the most interesting person in the book. His 5-day testimony before the Senate committee shows the quandary of demonstrating that the church was no longer teaching polygamy without alienating church members who were then praciticing that doctrine, which many believed to be the crowning revelation of church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Perhaps today's faithful may be surprised that the LDS presidency and quorum of the twelve performed plural marriages after the 1890 Manifesto. (An apologetic treatment of this era is located on the FAIR LDS web site under the title "Polygamy, Prophets, and Prevarication.") Despite his careful statements as a witness (to the point of deception), Smith satisfies no one: not the senate, not the American public, and not the Church membership.

The 1900-era LDS church is also an interesting element in this book. The tension between the pioneer generations and their offspring over polygamy and the 1890 Manifesto fits the enduring theme of generational conflict, but also the ability of the LDS church to evolve in response to changing societal conditions.

Joseph F. Smith ultimately led the church through the transition away from polygamy and into American Life by focusing on the First Vision of the church's founder, the Prophet Joseph (who was Joseph F. Smith's Uncle.) To understand why this was effective you will have to read the book. Flake's discussion of Joseph F. Smith's eventual success in this regard is insightful and was a new wrinkle to me. Not only did Joseph F. Smith lead the church away from polygamy but he also revitalized the church's European missions, changed the policy of the "gathering to Zion" into one of building an international church; and encouraged church members to reject their isolationism and engage with their fellow Americans. Joseph F. Smith's support of Smoot's senatorial service while Smoot retained his role as Apostle proves to be a stroke of genius and ranks as perhaps Joseph F. Smith's most daring and visionary act as the President of the LDS church.

Reed Smoot is shown to be a remarkable individual. His senate career was almost 30 years long and in that time he became one of the most powerful senators and an adviser to three presidents, all the while serving in the highest quorum of the LDS church. I would have welcomed more biographical information about Smoot. Indeed this is the one shortcoming of the book.

With regard to religious bigotry in America, this book is poignant. With the candidacy of Mitt Romney, a faithful Mormon, we see the same accusations that were raised 100 years ago against Smoot: Questions of allegiance to the United States, dark implications about sacred LDS temple ordinances, suggestions that the LDS church is a subversive organization that aims to undermine the U.S. government.

It is not surprising that these repeatedly discredited accusations are once again being made by Protestant Churches and individuals. Flake shows that the Smoot Hearings were initiated, articulated, and sponsored by the Protestant churches and leading ministers of the day. Such is the state we once again find ourselves in 2007.

The drive to unseat Smoot ultimately failed for a number of reasons, including a natural inclination of Americans to allow freedom of religion, a movement away from Polygamy by the LDS church (after which the accusations against Smoot changed to questioning his loyalty to the nation), and also by Smoot's engaging personality and exemplary service as a senator.

I would like to believe we have come a long way as a tolerant nation in the past 100 years. However, it appears that we have not.

I've grown up in the LDS church, served a mission, am married in the temple, but I never really knew much about church history past 1847 and the arrival of the saints in the Salt Lake valley. I've started to become more interested in how the isolated Rocky Mountain church has grown into the worldwide organization that it is. At the same time, I'm also interested in politics, having studied law. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I found the explanation about the church deciding to reach back east across the Rockies to find acceptance to be very interesting. I also learned a great deal about Joseph F. Smith. He realized that the controversy surrounding polygamy was so great that it was taking away from the mission of the church to continue to proselytise and grow the kingdom.

It was also interesting to see how members of the United States Senate were actually arguing that Mormons didn't deserve the basic rights of citizenship that we take for granted today. Even in today's heightened sensitivity to different religions of the world, I don't think anyone would suggest that non-Christians duly elected to public office should not be seated in the office to which they were elected. Yet many believed that Reed Smoot should have been ineligible to serve because he was Mormon. Ultimately he was seated due more to political pragmatism rather than because of a true belief in the First Amendment.

Kathleen Flake does an excellent job of presenting all sides of the issues, and provides a large amount of sources in the endnotes. I would definitely recommend this book to all members of the LDS church to help understand how today's worldwide church grew from that small group of "peculiar people" in 19th century Utah.

This is a superbly written book, and one of the few works of professional, objective history that examines 20th century Mormonism. Flake's central thesis is that pressure from the US Government in the form of the Smoot hearings forced the church to abandon polygamy once and for all. Faced with the loss of its most cogent identity marker, the Mormon hierarchy needed to find a way for the Latter-day Saints to distinguish themselves from other denominations. They did so by emphasizing the restoration message contained within Joseph Smith's 1838 account of his first vision. By pointing to the vision's statement that Mormonism was a unique restoration of primitive Christianity, the Saints were able to set aside the practice that had made them unique up to that point: polygamy. Flake's arguments are basically sound, but somewhat overstated. For instance, the first vision had been used for this purpose since at least the 1880s, and she selectively sorts through the existing scholarship on the vision to skirt this fact. She also places too much emphasis on the symbolic importance of the centennial of Joseph Smith's birth and the monument that commemorates it. Nevertheless, this book easily joins the pantheon of "must read" books in Mormon history, and no student of the early 20th century church can fail to grapple with Flake's conclusions. An excellent and highly recommended work.

This is a superb book.

The book brings history to life as it clearly and cleverly recounts a demanding and difficult time in Mormon and US history. It weaves together the social, political, and spiritual themes in an easy to read and engaging way. It offers remarkable insights on how religion and politics co-mingle. It brings to life Senator Smoot and his demanding role as senator and religious leader. It offers insights into the operations of the Mormon church as it dealt with a sensitive and important issue. It offers insights into the political process at the turn of the Century and how political processes are shaped by individuals. Dr. Flake has a unique ability to bring history to life and to help us learn from this history. This book is academically credible and yet easy to access.

Insightfully written by Frank Mercadante (whose experience in youth ministry training extends to being the executive director of the not-for-profit corporation Cultivation Ministries), Positively Dangerous is ideal means to help spread the passion of faith among teenagers today. Stressing love for God, love for one another, authenticity, integrity, and making the most of evangelistic opportunities, Positively Dangerous is an enthusiastic guide incorporating mentoring, peer training, and small-class activities. Ideal as a manual for adults working with youth, Positively Dangerous is especially recommended reading for young people seeking to embracing and sharing the Good News within the context of the Catholic community.

We've all heard the expression, "You have to walk the talk." In other words, practice what you profess to believe. I liked the book because Mercadante makes a good case in Chapter 8 on "talking the walk," reminding us that evangelization is an important part of the Christian life. Too many of us are 'closet Christians' afraid to let our faith show in even the smallest ways, like praying before meals in restaurants. I like the book because it challenges us to talk the walk, and gives guidelines on how to do it.

While this is a book directed at teens, it offeres a strong reminder of what anyone can do to be a person of faith whose faith will make a difference in the lives of others. I was particularly taken with the chapter that reminded me that in order to have a strong personal relationship with the Lord that I needed to spend more time in prayer. I would strongly recommend that anyone who is interested in strengthening their faith read this book. It is a quick, easy read that will make a difference in your life and the lives of those you give a copy to as a gift.

This book will inspire you to live the great, impactful, positive and giving life all of us of faith believe in. It inspires the reader to strive for great things. It also shows us how that life is a collection of small, wonderful choices we make in every day, and every interaction. Upon reading this book you will want to share it with all your friends of faith. I ordered several copies for friends after reading only the first 3 chapters! I especially liked the fact that it's stories apply to people of faith across many religions.

I read Positively Dangerous because it claimed to offer a chance for teens to live a passionate and committed Christian life. And I was delighted to discover that Frank Mercadante has written a book that appeals directly to young people's innate desire to find an ideal that they can devote themselves to. But I was also pleasantly surprised that the book also spoke to me, a sixty-two-year-old grandfather, and challenged me to renew my commitments and revive my disciplines. Frank has a way of speaking personally and directly to the heart of his reader. He writes well, gives practical advice, and uses many examples to illustrate his points. Young people and older folks like me will take away great benefits from Positively Dangerous.