Programs Books

I'm a guidance counselor in the Philippines and i bought this book before i started working in a high school. Most of the kids who seem to have difficulty telling me their thoughts about faith, about losing hope about family would resort to openning the book (book cut) and for some reason, getting the right answer to their problems.Most kids feel that God is just around through this book.It made them feel that God has his ways of showing them that "God Loves Me" is real. I believe that's all they need to feel... they are loved by GOD.

I thought this book was fantastic. It's very inspirational and perfect to read again and again at any time. And because its quotes are from the fantastic t.v show its even better.

So far I have read through the entire book twice, and each time I have found a different quote that strikes me in some way. Whatever type of day you are having...whether it be good or bad, this book is an inspiration. It has a little something for everyone. And it's small enough to carry along with you in a backpack or briefcase so you have it with you whenever you need it!! :-

This is a very inspiring book! I've read it many, many times myself and still find a quote or two that makes a difference in one small way or another! It's a great way to lift of your spirits on a bad day, or brighten an already great day!

This book is the second from the hit drama Touched By An Angel, and is as good as the first one. It features alot of the "simple", yet truthful messages of God and His love for mankind that are spoken each week by the angels on the show. No matter what trial or situation a person may be in, they will find healing messages from the quotes in this book. My all time favorite is: "God created us all in His image. There are no second-class citizens, no minorities, no human being greater or lessor than any other. We are all the same in His eyes."

I thought this book covered some very practical ideas. A lot of the stories found in the book were a bit surprising. He truly made a turn around with some of these kids. He also admits that not everything worked.

At times I found myself getting a little caught up with his sense of an ego lingering through the pages. I almost felt as if there was a bit of bragging going on. Although I think he is a man who deserves to boast since he sacrificed a lot of time and money to help others, not mention often putting his life at risk for his kids.

I gained a couple of good ideas about how to get kids inspired to do things, to build up courage to do the right thing, to ask more of parents, and most of all to emphasize strong morals and values. I'm not talking about religious morals, he vaguely mentions them, I'm talking about being a good person and fighting for justice in your daily life.
He talked about sacrifice, work ethic, respect, integrity. I even learned some things about these values myself. It's what this nation educational system is lacking and I'm glad he brought up!

One thing I found faulty with his system: he had the option of kicking kids out of his schools if they chose not to comply with his standards. That is one very significant option teachers and parents usually don't have.

However, he emphasized parents roles in their children's lives. I would definitely recommend this to parents, because he acknowledges that more often than not bad behavior is caused by a weak structure at home, reading this would only help. He really brings these kids back from the dead as well as some families in the process. I'm glad someone finally acknowledged the growing problem of education systems: the lack of care or concern for these kids BEYOND the classroom.

Mr. White doesn't claim to have a system to cure all of the schools' ills but he certainly has a good start. He also makes the statement that today's kids aren't any worse than we were but just the boundaries aren't as well defined as we had back in the 50's and 60's.

Mr. White does admit to his failures, not every one has coming through his doors went out a better human being but many are able to shop where they want and get ahead instead of stuck in the same dependency cycle.

His rules are simple. He outlines them in the book and how he applies them. He told a story on the radio about a wealthy parent pulling her child out of an expensive private school to attend his charter school. The usual method of admission to his school, Mr. White jokes, is 2 felony convictions. The wealthy parent was impressed with how the kids behaved and were learning much more than at the expensive private school.

Now there is a caveat here, Mr. White's school is only 30 to 40 students with himself, a probation officer, and another teacher in a tough part of town. The teachers and the students spend the whole school day together talking about personal issues as well as the educational topics.

Mr. White has taught in regular schools and admits he has as many non-contract renewals as awards, so everything has not been a bed of roses. He says the biggest key is the administration backing up the teachers and principals. The parents need to talk with the teachers - so this isn't just a teacher working against the system but creating a support system for the students.

paul white has made it simple...just do what is already available to do..the kids will get there if we let them and encourage them. this is a must read for everyone...

i passed this book on to some teachers and adminstrators...they tell me there is a waiting list to read it.

well done

There's tendency as a veteran teacher of twenty-five years to think I have all the answers about how to run an effective classroom. White's Rules is a reminder that what is basic in life is also basic in the classroom. The classroom must provide more than academic instruction; it must be a place where teachers establish the primary values and morals that their students need to survive in the world outside the classroom. This book shows how teachers can demand bedrock solid values of their students and reap the rewards of mutual respect that such values create. White's Rules is not just a book for inner city teachers and their "incorrigibles" it is also a book for teachers like me in the suburbs with diverse middle class kids. The combination of strict consistent discipline and unconditional love is a formula that works. I recommend this book to anyone looking to find what's essential and what works in the classroom today.

I agree with the many points that White makes. Kids will naturally test limits and so clearly defined limits with significant consequences are necessary. But while enforcing rules that students must be punctual, not swear, and not dress like a gangster are worthwhile, the later half of the book is the most important. Teachers should not simply teach kids academics, they also need to teach morals, how to live right, to care for others, and to make a difference. While his rules might not be able to be enforced so strictly everywhere, I think they can be modified and adapated for most schools and other similar organizations. The book is motivational and encouraging, I recommend it to parents, educators, and anyone who works with groups of adolescents.

This is an excellent book on the fundamentals of Microsoft Windows Operating Systems up to vista. The author definitely is an authority on the subject, and the book is pretty easy to follow with the C/C++ samples.

Particularly I like the chapters about the workings of DLLs. And the explanation of Windows memory management is also very clear.

Perhaps the book can be made a little thinner or use somewhat lightweight paper as I found it is pretty heavy to carry around.

In all, this is a very good desktop reference book if you are windows developer. Even though those RAD platform such as .NET make our life easier and enable us to make a good-looking app quickly, still, from time to time, you'll find a some level of understanding of how windows works help you write better code.

I am very satisfied with this book.

This is a comprehensive source for learning the inner working of the Windows. If you say i know Windows programming, i want to hear it from you again after reading it. Excellent. Must have in a bookshelf...

I like 5th edition of this famous book. They returned I/O part that was not present in the 4th edition. The book has all updates for Windows Vista new API features. This book is worth reading even for advanced developers.

What I don't like about this book is its size: because of thick paper the book is huge and it is hard to carry it around. Unfortunately, all Microsoft Press books suffer from this.

Also the book is missing information about in what version of Windows different API first appeared. Now the book says most of the time that API is supported on Windows Vista. I would also like to see it directly in the book whether the function is supported in Windows CE.

I have been programming for over 10 years, but my Windows specific C++ programming is relatively weak due to inexperience with it. Note that if you are in the same boat, you will need additional resources (web based, help files, other books) on top of this book as this book assumes you are already proficient in creating Windows apps.
They make no attempt to tell you otherwise, it is an expert level book - but even if you already know C++ well, there is much Windows specific details that this assumes you know.

Great book and very useful, just not entry level, so know that going in.

I'm a beginner in Windows programming and I'm glad I've found this book. I like how it focuses on "whys" and the correct usage of the described system elements. The authors also give enough details about specific APIs so, if reading for an intro, it's possible to follow without having MSDN handy. The code samples are very helpful, especially the mini-applications. The book doesn't concentrate on diagnostics/debugging though, you'd need some other volume for that.

No review here since the book hasn't come out yet, but I am sure it will be an excellent source of information regarding its stated topic.


SWEATY B!

I've been searching for a book like this for quite a while. I was primarily looking for a book that explained how to use Windows Media Player. Other books would skim the surface but this one goes into detail for people who enjoy organizing and listening to their music in various ways. When the author finishes teaching you the in's and out's of Media Player, he's just warming up. The author then goes on to explain how to set up your computer for music to get the most out of it, how to record from analog sources into your computer, how to use portable digital players (such as I-Pod), ripping CD's and burning them, downloading and purchasing music, listening to the radio via your computer, and finally setting up your own computer-based, home recording studio and using it. whew!! I'm a professional musician and even I learned things from this book. Besides explaining the main topics of the book, Mr. Williams goes into detail well enough so that you don't feel like you are left hanging. Before this book came out you would have had to buy maybe three or four different books to cover the same information. It's well worth the price in my opinion. For someone who is wanting to get involved with any or all aspects of Digital Music and looking for a starting point, I highly recommend this book. Well done Mr. Williams.

What a charming book. I picked it up in a bricks-n-mortar retailer who shall remain unnamed... then slammed it down before I let my fingerprints mar the surface and be forced to take out a loan to pay for it. I would recommend purchasing the book, chock full of informative, helpful, and timely advice-lets here and saving a pretty penny, though. It's not like I wanted to buy the store... just this excellent tome of digital wit that will help the user navigate the recesses of Al Gore's Internet (does he have that phrase copyrighted yet?) and remain out of prison and without "severe monetary penalties" (or, more succinctly, consequences and repercussions).

This is a pretty good reference book for anyone who is just getting into digital music.

It is particularly focused on the Windows Media player. There is also useful information regarding ripping and burning CDs, creating a computer jukebox, portable music players such as IPods, etc. The author also discusses the different formats for storing/playing digital music and the online services that offer downloadable songs for each.

Overall, I would say it is pretty good as far as being a beginning resource for one's digital music needs.

This book saved my life. Covered every aspect I needed it to.

This book is excellent for the beginner, who will get many good advices, and there are also tips for the intermediate-level user. However, for higher-level things, this book would not answer your questions.

My biggest deception was that it doesn't cover (at all!) Word macros. For every topic you would like to know deeper (like macros), the author ask you to read another book: Special Edition Using MO 2000. I care if I should have bought that one instead.

The feature I liked the most is the introduction of Office's bugs or "weak points" (to give it a name), that is, for example, settings that are just supposed to be but you need to do indeed.

Just starting with Office? You'd love this book. Looking for solutions to big troubles (being not a beginner)? Continue searching, please.

This book is probably the best, most comprehensive teaching aid to a software program that I have ever read. This book has made transferring from WordPerfect suite to Office 2000 as easy as it can get.

Microsoft Office is clearly a passion for Woody Leonhard. He loves the suite for what it can do, but minces no words when it comes to taking Microsoft to task for what he considers [poor or useless] design decisions. He writes in a first person style that is refreshing, and dosn't talk down to the reader.

Most importantly, he starts with the premise that readers (and users of the program) are smart. He has little patience for design or settings that he sees as "dumbing down" the program for the masses. He makes specific and for the most part intelligent suggestions for changing the program interface and defaults to make it useful. In particular he recommends toolbar changes that mirror what actual users need as opposed to "gee wiz features"

Leonhard is highly opinionated in his choices, but he is not autocratic. He explains the reasoning behind a suggestion so a reader can say, "That's good" or "I think that won't work for me".

This book is probably *not* for the user who routinely buy "______ for dummies"

I think the strongest feature of the book for me is the unevenness of his topic coverage compared to the many other books on the market. It is not easy to categorize it as a beginner's book or an advanced book because the depth of coverage on any particular topic varies tremendously. If Woody Leonhard thinks a feature is extremely useful, or something that will be used repeatedly, his treatment may be exhaustive-going beyond even the typical coverage in an advanced book. He may thus skim features he considers of marginal utility. He is also excellent in explaining important features that are made unnecessarily difficult by poor design decisions by Microsoft.

Woody has little patience with cute feature names chosen by Microsoft--like "my computer" or my documents"--and he is free with his displeasure. Having worked with many of Mr. Leonhard's books, I recognize that his choices about what to lambaste are not always correct. While he is pretty good about seeing the diamond in the lump of coal, sometimes his annoyance can make him slow to see a useful paradigm shift buried in seemingly unuseful changes. Paradoxically, he sometimes he jumps on something new and is overtaken by his gee-wiz enthusiasm and don't see real problems with the concept or implementation.

If you have no patience to ready any book or manual, and you just want a encyclopedia stlyle reference this may not be the best book for you.

This book is perfect if you are already familiar with your computer and you need to quickly come up to speed on Microsoft Office 2000. I was already pretty expert with Word but used Excel like it was Lotus 1-2-3 with a different interface. I went through the Excel portion of Woody Leonhard Teaches Microsoft Office 2000 and it turned me into an Excel enthusiast and an almost expert user.

Specifically, he introduced the auditing toolbar right off the bat as a beginner's feature. Other books treat this as a very advanced feature. But Mr. Leonhard was absolutely correct. I now can trust my spreadsheets and especially know very quickly what I have done wrong when they don't work. This one insight that no one else provided was, for me, worth the price of the book.

If you are going to only buy one book on Office 2000, you may want to spend some time in the book store reading through a few topics to get a feel for Leonhard's style--nd decide whether it is compatible with yours. I imagine that some could consider his lack of bland objectivity to be an impediment. Others may find his idiosyncratic writing style tiresome and sophomoric. It's also true that unless you are a total computer novice, "you can't go wrong" with Woody Leonhard's book. It gets the teaching job done.

I don't always buy one of Woody Leonhard's books as my first book on a subject, but if I have two on that subject, inevitably one will be his.

I wasted two nights trying to get E-Mail to operate under Office 2000 Outlook program - all to no avail. I was in E-Mail contact with MSN support and got no help; they actually gave me incorrect instructions. I was then ping-ponged around between two Microsoft support numbers. Finally, this book arrived via UPS from Amazon. With the book's clear directions, and a little patience, I was able to get E-mail going. I had other texts but they were useless in solving a "simple problem" like E-mail installation under Microsoft Office's Outlook 2000 program. My hat's off to this guy. It's an exceptional book.

I have bought previous books by this author, but this one is just his greatest piece of work. Every one should own this book . It simple OUTSTANDING

Introduction

What is worship? If worship in our daily lives means a consecrated lifestyle that aims to glorify God, how then should our corporate gatherings look like? And further, what makes our corporate gatherings any more worship than glorifying God in the other six days of the week? Worship by the Book is a compilation of essays that seeks to respond to such issues that concern today's church. By looking back into the past to see how previous generations have done corporate worship aright, the authors look forward into the future to what biblical corporate worship should look like.

Edited by D. A. Carson (research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), this book incorporates a biblical theology of worship in the opening chapter by the editor, which is then followed by three application chapters written by pastors from differing denominational backgrounds who set out to show how they have applied the principles of such a theology of worship in the practices of their local church. In unveiling the varying practices of different church traditions, what arises from the pages is a portrait of what worship by the Book looks like.

Summary

Chapter 1, "Worship Under The Word," D. A. Carson attempts to provide a theology of worship, despite the fact that there are many challenges in doing so. The author admits that worship has caused much heated debate in the contemporary church (11), that there are many diverse theologies of worship available (13), and that even though the word worship itself is found in Scripture (14), it is still hard to construct a theology of worship when biblical theology and systematic theology may give us different definitions. Be that as it may, Carson endeavors to examine the English word worship (18), as well as the underlying Greek and Hebrew words (19) and then follows with a brief examination of recent scholarship that show the challenges of writing a theology of worship (19). He gives respect to the work of Andrew E. Hill, and most adamantly confesses that the work of David Peterson's Engaging with God is the "volume that most urgently calls for thoughtful evaluation" (23).

Sympathetic to and borrowing from much of Peterson's biblical theology of worship, Carson then goes on to finally defining worship, and the rest of the chapter is a full explanation his definition. His attempt at a definition is a long paragraph whose opening sentence is the precursor for its expansion: "Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so" (26). Carson's citing of Edmund Clowney's list of corporate worship elements from the New Testament shows that he advocates for certain distinctive elements in corporate worship, though there is no biblical mandate for any particular ordering of these elements (48-52). The author concludes his chapter with some practical implications(58-63): the importance of avoiding misconceptions and hindrances of worship, authenticity for the sake of evangelism, the fact that we cannot incorporate all worship elements into one corporate gathering, and the danger of denominational hindrances to faithful worship.

Chapter 2, "Following in Cranmer's Footsteps," Mark Ashton (vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in England) provides an overview of the Church of England's effort to remain biblical in all of its corporate worship gatherings, and yet faithful to the tradition that has been handed down through Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. While this central liturgy book of the Anglicanism has kept the church biblical since the mid-sixteenth century, Ashton confesses that there is no longer just one common Prayer Book in the Anglican Church. "There is an abundance of new liturgy, but no doctrinal consensus at its heart. This has created an identity crisis for Anglicanism" (66). In showing that Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer achieved a rare combination of being biblical, accessible and balanced (70-75), the author consequently calls for a renewal of such legacy and for the church to take responsibility to bring the Bible back to the center of corporate worship. Employing the standard that flowed from Cranmer's work, Ashton exhorts readers to examine if their worship services to see if it they are biblical, accessible, and balanced (80-88). He follows this analysis by looking at various aspects of Anglican worship services (88-103): variety of services, service structure, music, prayers, drama and testimony, leading the service, notices, size of congregation, length of service, and church building, furnishings, clothing, movement, as well as the church year. Ashton then concludes with a brief overview of particular services in Anglicanism, and the need to retain faithful worship in all of them (104-107).

Chapter 3, "Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom," R. Kent Hughes (Senior Pastor Emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois) shows the reader how he came to his Reformed convictions without any denominational ties. He argues for worship that is more than just Sunday - "day-in-day-out living for Christ, the knees and heart perpetually bent in devotion and service" (140) - and how a life of worship enables Christians to worship freely and authentically in the gathered setting. After providing a brief look at the seven distinctives of worship in the Free Church tradition (preaching, Scripture, prayer, singing, sacraments, simplicity, and vestments; 142-46), Ashton then argues for six distinctive aspects of Christian worship that would foster mutual edification: worship is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, is consecration, is wholehearted, and is reverent (149-166). The author concludes his chapter with a brief how-to about corporate worship music, advocating six important factors: music serves preaching, develops maturity, is everyone's responsibility, that musical selection is important, that musicians must be prepared, and that the congregation is the chief instrument (166-172).

Chapter 4, "Reformed Worship in the Global City," by Timothy J. Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City) takes a detailed look at the worship wars that are plaguing much of evangelicalism today. Keller provides definitions of the two main sides at war, "Contemporary Worship" (194) and "Historic Worship" (195), and then posits that "we forge our corporate best when we consult all three--the Bible, the cultural context of our community, and the historic tradition of our church" (197). This three-pronged approach to worship provides the foundation for Keller's overview of worship in the Reformed tradition, favoring John Calvin's theology and liturgy of worship over and against the large variety of Reformed worship perspectives (199-208). The further author traces Reformed worship to its historical roots: simplicity as its voice, transcendence as its goal, and gospel reenactment as its order (208-217). Keller's three tests of Reformed corporate worship (doxological evangelism, community building, and character of service; 217-221) aim at determining if a corporate worship gathering is well-balanced in being both contemporary and Reformed (221). He also deals with the attitude and heart of those leading corporate worship (223), weekly preparation and planning that is involved (226), and the significance of having a guideline for choosing music for worship services (236).

Critical Evaluation

Engaging With God is a unique book on Christian worship in that it presents a well-organized analysis of how three different church traditions have sought to put the principles of a biblical worship theology into practice. Each of the three extensive chapters that follows Carson's chapter on worship theology include appendices that give the reader a behind-the-scenes look at how the author's church has planned their corporate worship services, as well as additional articles that are incorporated within the corporate worship gathering. This allows the reader to not only see theology in practice, but it gives worship leaders and music ministers examples of biblically faithful worship liturgies to incorporate into their own church setting.

For example, Keller includes liturgies within his chapter that his church has used in the past, ones for classical and contemporary worship services, ones that are more Calvinian in manner and ones that are less; his appendices include a full worship service outline (240-248) and prayers his church has used for leading those not taking the Lord's Supper (249). Hughes' appendices should also be very helpful to readers, as they not only include his Free Church's liturgy and worship service outlines from morning and evening services, but also detailed commentary for each, and three helpful articles on the wonders of worship (189), reading the Word (190-191), and the danger of equating music to worship (192). Mark Ashton's appendices similarly provide extensive commentary to the worship service outlines that he includes (109-135), but from the Anglican church he oversees.

While these appendices are the muscles that allow this book to stand out from amongst the plethora of books on worship available today, it would have been more helpful to see a wider range of church traditions represented, like churches from the Baptist tradition, the flourishing Reformed Charismatic family of churches from Sovereign Grace Ministries, or the third-wave Pentecostal Hillsong Church from Australia. Such may extend the length of the book to be too long for one volume, but it would be greatly beneficial to see Carson's theology of worship at work in other diverse church traditions.

Of a minor note, Mark Ashton's chapter employed some archaic vocabulary that may be unknown to non-Anglican or lay readers, and British idioms that would be unfamiliar to an American audience. For example: hobby-horses (84), interlopers (86), emendation (91), vetted (94), vestry (96). It would have been beneficial to see those terms edited out or explained, especially Anglican Church terms like "collects" and "notices" which are termed differently in North America.

Conclusion

In spite of these minor faux pas, Worship by the Book is both convicting and uplifting. It is a book that will convict senior pastors, music ministers, and worship leaders alike to evaluate and re-examine their corporate worship services for their biblical faithfulness, evangelistic effectiveness and mutually edifying abilities. By providing a theological framework of worship and practical examples of churches that worship by the Book, it uplifts the reader to find hope in and through corporate worship gatherings that center around the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Churches in need of worship recovery, as well as those simply looking to refresh their service liturgies, will find plenty of biblical insight here to sustain them into the twenty-first century.

I appreciate the comparison and contrast found within this book of the various worhip styles and the philosophy behind each one. Such exposure only makes it obvious where our commonalities lie, and what is at the heart of true worship. Each contributor does a fine job in this regard, but such an approach has its drawbacks. The temptation to become syncretic is always here with us as we search for a way to worship- we might succomb to pick and choose what appeals to us, rather than what would please God. We often do this without any realization of the "why" of what is being done, and thus lose our way, so to speak. These authors are deeply steeped in their traditions, and are less likely to fall into such a trap, but those who are reading such brief, though well written overviews, suffer from a lack of background that is important for such wanderings.

Too often, when Christians discuss worship, they go little further than arguments about styles of music. The "worship wars" that have plagued the modern church are a prime example of this. Many churches have fallen apart and many Christians have been deeply hurt over styles of music. Churches that have sought to be progressive and contemporary have often done away with hymns, throwing away hundreds of years of Christian tradition in the process. Other churches have refused to sing any song written in modern times, indicating an irrational bias towards days gone by. In the process worship has come to be nearly synonymous with music. Church services are often structured around a time of worship, led by a worship pastor, and this is followed by a time of apparently non-worshipful teaching led by a teaching pastor.

These worship wars are a terrible distraction, for as believers who have access to the New Testament we know that worship extends far beyond music. Worship is to encompass all of life rather than only select parts. Worship by the Book is an attempt by four men, D.A Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes and Timothy Keller, to unravel the meaning of worship as well as to suggest ways that corporate worship, done as the church gathers together, can be most meaningful and most faithful to Scripture.

The book begins with an essay by Carson entitled "Worship Under the Word" in which he builds a framework around which each of the other authors will write. The heart of the essay is a lengthy definition of worship and a twelve-point examination of this definition. It is an unusually long and detailed definition of worship, yet one that for precisely those reasons is exceedingly useful.

Following Carson's introduction, each of the three co-authors is given one chapter to provide insight about worship within their tradition. The first of these is Mark Ashton, who is vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, England. His essay is entitled "Following in Cramner's Footsteps" and he proposes that the Anglican Church recover the principles Cramner used to draft the Book of Common Prayer. He suggests each aspect of a worship service needs to meet three criteria: is it biblical, is it accessible and is it balanced? Despite coming from a tradition that seems far removed from mainline evangelicalism, I suspect the bulk of believers with agree with most of what he writes, at least until the final paragraphs where he writes about infant baptism and presumptive regeneration. I was a little bit concerned about a vague, underlying spirit of pragmatism that seemed to lie under the surface of some of what he wrote. Within the sample services, for example, is an outline of a guest service in which they have dumbed-down their Bible translation, opting for the Good News Bible in place of the New International Version. Despite this, there was much within his essay that was of practical value.

The second essay was written by Kent Hughes, pastor of the College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. At the heart of Hughes' essay, "Free Church Worship," were his six distinctives of Christian worship: it is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, consecration, whole-hearted and reverent. I especially appreciated his emphasis on reverence, as this is sorely-lacking in many contemporary churches. He closed with some useful thoughts on music in corporate worship.

The final essay was written by Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City. Keller is seen as a trend-setter within the Presbyterian Church of America, so I looked forward to his essay which was entitled "Reformed Worship in the Global City." Keller contrasted and compared contemporary worship and historical worship and proposed a middle-ground, but not one as simple as an even distribution of elements from each. His essay was built around an examination and defense of the Reformed worship tradition. He examined its variety, sources, balance, core, traits and tests. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of the service structure at their church and the cycles of praise, renewal and commitment.

While it was generally a strong essay, it seemed to come apart a little at the end. The author wrote about the importance of including unbelieving musicians in the worship team as a way to evangelize them, arguing that God's common grace given to musicians brings as much glory to Him as do believers using their talents in His service. I much preferred Kent Hughes' take on this same issue. In the previous chapter he wrote "Musicians must see themselves as fellow laborers in the Word and must lead with understanding and an engaged heart. Those who minister in worship services must be healthy Christians who have confessed their sins and by God's grace are living their lives consistently with the music they lead. The sobering fact is that over time the congregation tends to become like those who lead." I was also a bit disappointed by the content of the bulletin inserts of Redeemer Church that were included within this essay as they seemed to favorably quote Mother Teresa, writing that the most important need of the poor is to be wanted.

Despite a few small missteps, I found this book fascinating and convicting. I would encourage any pastor or worship leader to buy this book and to read it through at least a couple of times. It will provide valuable insight into planning worship services that will lead believers into a time of worship that goes far beyond the music. Worship like these men describe is becoming increasingly rare. I hope this volume can help many churches recover worship that is done by the Book.

This book is worth buying for the insightful introductory article by Don Carson. He argues that there is a place for corporate worship and that church is more than sitting in a holy building and having my own little quiet time with God, or only meeting for teaching or encouraging others. In his theology of worship, he guards against some of the extremes we find in evangelical churches today. The reflection on David Peterson's "Engaging with God" is stimulating. Some have used Peterson's book to argue that in the New Testament meetings were not for the purpose of worshipping God. Carson points out that though the book shows that worship in the New Testament is meant to be a whole of life thing, and not just something Christians do on Sundays, Peterson still "wants to talk about ... corporate worship in the regular 'services' of the church."
The main sections of the book are written from a variety of perspectives, from formal to fairly free, from liturgical to extemporary.

Interestingly, the article by the minister from the more liturgical background, Mark Ashton, argues from his knowledge of Cranmer [the creator of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer] that churches should have more flexibility and freedom. And the articles by those from a less structured eccesiology argue for the use of some liturgy!

And Carson suggests we should be using the best of the ways of worship from our brothers and sisters around the world, without becoming self-consciously Multicultural for the sake of it.

Highly recommended.

"Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due." (D.A. Carson)

OK, my knee-jerk reaction to this book was, "Finally, some THOUGHTFUL words on worship!" But let's face it, books on evangelical worship are a dime-a-dozen these days with little new being said and a lack of thoughtfulness (not sincerity). As for books on worship and the theology of worship: the standard has been significatly raised.

Not so with this book! Dr. Carson's introductory essay alone is worth this book. But, there is a lot more that it offers: following some insightful remarks by the editor (Carson) there are three theoretical/applicable studies written by Mark Ashton (Anglican -- Cranmer), R. Kent Hughes (Free Church), and Timothy J. Keller (Reformed).

Each writes from their own tradition (as a pastor), providing a semi-apologetic and a passion for the approach. Further, each writer includes sample services to help show what each tradition "looks like" in practice.

I recommend this to:
1)those tired of reading the same old stuff on worship
2)those unfamiliar with the theology of worship (this is a good intro)
3)those unfamiliar with different doctrinal/denominational traditions
4)church elders and leaders who plan worship
5)those desiring more...

I recommend this book to my screenwriting students.

Alan Armer will take you through every step of creating your screenplay masterpiece with the most valuable and practical advice you could ever wish to have. His words are worth reading to anyone who cares about the craft of screenwriting.

I was most fortunate to be a screenwriting student of Alan Armer's at Cal State Northridge and I can tell you this man knows ALL when it comes to the subject of writing and how to inspire people to follow their dreams. His books are probably the most valuable tool any screenwriter could have. If you are serious about your writing, you will buy this book.

Alan armer lays out the fundamentals of screenwriting in an easy to understand and apply way. Since reading the book I have taken three classes from him. He is incredible and his book can only improve your writing. It's worth the price!

I've been a professional television writer for twenty years, including "Remington Steele," "Hill Street Blues," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," and "Early Edition." I have won an Emmy and Golden Globes for my work and have taught at UCLA Extension among other places. For my money, Alan Armer's book is the best guide to the actual work of professional screenwriting that exists. This is the real thing. It is honest, wise, and free of jargon. It contains useful exercises so that both instructor and student can concentrate on the work at hand rather than spend a lot of initial time and emotional energy discussing an aspiring writer's personal work, a process which often puts unnecessary and unfortunate obstacles in the way of learning the craft. Armer doesn't try to sell you any shortcuts, smake oil, or magic formulas. Quite the contrary, he encourages you to open your mind and imagination through the discipline of solid craftsmanship. He understands the process of writing. He gives many examples about what works and what doesn't and explains why. He includes priceless interviews with some great writers. It's simply a marvelous textbook from a great teacher, a lovely man, and a master practitioner of the art.

Absolutely essential source of information for those who are serious about using XSLT in general and 2.0 in particular.
Viktor Melekhine

This is the definitive work on XSLT & XPath, in a new format that will stand the test of time. The 4th edition contains new background material about the development and history of XSLT & XPath.

Some web content for the downloads was not present on the book download site, but this was addressed quickly when pointed out, by the author.

My only wish is that Michael Kay would write a book on XQuery now...

Everyone working seriously with XSLT will want this book. The fourth edition is newly updated and improved. Not only has it been corrected to reflect the design of the current XSLT and XPath specifications (which were not final when the 3rd edition went to press), but also it has been redesigned for usability, with much better indexes and navigation apparatus. No more casting about to find things (although you may still not resist a few post-it notes here and there). XSLT and XPath are now in one volume (a big plus); the lighter pages and hard cover make the book serviceable as a reference text in regular use. It sits open and will wear well (provided you use it for its intended purpose and not as a coaster for your drink, which will be tempting since the book will be there open on your desk).

But the book's strengths are unchanged. Complete and comprehensive, coherent, realistic, clear, with worked examples. No one knows this technology better than the author, who has served on the XSL Working Group and edited the XSLT 2.0 Recommendation. Long-time observers will also confirm that he is also one of the best in the business at explaining things.

The only thing less than positive to say about this book is that beginners may find it intimidating. Don't. Just supplement it with a treatment aimed at you such as XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly)) or anything by Jeni Tennison, and keep the Programmer's Reference ready for the summary comprehensive view, or when you need to go deep.

I have seen many decrepit copies of earlier editions of this book used by industry professionals. This one looks to be good for a long time to come.

This is an excellent update. The writing has improved. And as a reference,
I am glad the previous 2 volumes are now compiled into this single volume.
Also, I appreciate the hard cover to help reduce wear and tear. And I appreciate the thinner paper to keep the thickness/weight down.

You won't easily find any other book on XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0. The reason is very simple: Michael Kay is the expert on the subject, he has been publishing xslt references for almost a decade now. Currently he is the editor of the XSLT 2.0 specification at W3C. He is also involved the XQuery and the XML Schema Working Groups, also at W3C. He has developed the Saxon XSLT processor. This book (like its predecessors were and its future versions will be) is the definitive reference on XSLT.

The third edition was in two separate books, one on XSLT 2.0 (XSLT 2.0 Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer)) and one on XPath 2.0 (XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer)). If you are serious about XSLT 2.0, you also need the information on XPath 2.0, as it is a sub language of XSLT 2.0. So you would need both books at hand. The current book contains all of the material available in the two predecessors, and more.

I could have survived on the two books, but tired of taking them from my office to my home and vice versa, I ordered the new edition and I am enjoying it very much. After using the new edition for a week or so I have come upon quite a few improvements, for instance the chapter on regular expressions contains more information and is better structured. Examples have been updated and as have been the appendices covering the processors. There is a new appendix on the Altova processor.

I should also mention the quality of the paper, the binding and the price, they are much better than the two previous books together.

As a reference, the book is complete. It contains a clear description of all the elements of the standards and lots of (tested) examples. There is also much material about the design backgrounds of both standards (and of others like XML Schema and XQuery).

The book is extremely well written and a joy to read.

The book is aimed at developers and should not be used as a first introduction to XML transformation technology (unless you are an experienced programmer). If you need an introduction to XSLT (in its context) check out one of the other Wrox books like Beginning XML, 4th Edition (Programmer to Programmer) or Professional XML (Programmer to Programmer). One could also try Beginning XSLT 2.0: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: from Novice to Professional), it has good reviews. In any case if you are seriously interested (even as a newbie) don't buy anything from before 2004, it will not include the 2.0 functionalities. If you buy something published after 2004 check that they really updated the book and not only the title.

Bearing in mind that this book is written for people who already know XSLT, it's probably the best and maybe only book out there. There are lots of starter books but I couldn't find another advanced book. I haven't needed a lot of information contained in it, but I got more than I bargained for in the chapters I did use. It's probably not much of a reader, more of a reference book to pull out when you're stuck on a tough problem.

If you're trying to learn XSLT, this book isn't for you. Perhaps try the author's web site or any of the other resources out there. I'm a learn-as-you-go kind of person who picks up things very quickly, but this book would certainly have confused me if I didn't already know what I was doing.

This book does not teach you the concepts of XSLT. Rather, it truly delivers on a promise of providing answers to common problems. While often books use code to only illustrate the concepts explained, "XSLT and XPath On The Edge" has tons of real world code, some of which I was able to use straight from the book(without changing a thing).
I believe this book really helps to bridge the gap between just understanding the basics of XSLT and using it for real life, practical applications.

my first impressions are

a) this book sits right next to Michael Kay's book, as it is a great
reference to when u have specific problems i.e. ' How do i format dates ? '
and ' How do i group ' and 'How do i use keys'.

b) the level of examples and techniques is a step above introductory.

c) the latter half of the book delves into framework issues; modular
components, extending XSLT, functional modules, and

grouping
sorting
numeric manipulation
string and text manipulation

general formatting
character encoding and entities
the above subjects are all detailed in a concise manner, perfect for
reference

the following subjects are an indepth read;

framework: quite a large amt of discussion of how to break apart into
reusable elements

client side msxml: this will get the novice going

server side proc with cocoon: this will get the novice going

overview of XPATH: very detailed overview of more medium level techniques

using extensions : the clearest illustration and techniques of extending
xslt that i've read

overall i can highly recc.

cheers, jim fuller

This is an excellent XSLT/XPATH resource! However, please be aware that the "Unlimited-Edition.com" website/resource is no longer available! A big reason why I bought this book was for the updated content it promised. But, that was 2001, this is 2006, and any updated content that may have been available is no longer accessible.
Still, this book can stand on it's own feet, and is an invaluable resource, all by itself! Highly recommended!

If you are looking for a book on dealing with real world XSLT scenarios and organized accordingly by scenario. This is the book for you. Jeni (Author) is by far one of the leading XSLT experts out there. It is rare you find someone that can explain complex topics in a manor that is both concise and readable. Buy this book and it will stay with you through any project you are using XSLT on.

If you find that you come home and collapse in front of your televison every night because you're "too tired" to do anything else, you should read this book.

This book should be required reading for every worker, manager and supervisor.

It was not too long ago that a 30 hour work week was predicted to become the norm for most US whitecollar workers. The average workweek today is almost 50 hours long. Layoffs, downsizing and the fears these management strategies instill have caused people to put in more and more time to survive, hoping to stay ahead of the next cutback.

This book explains why that reasoning is not only wrong, but achieves just the opposite result. This book suggests that a worker who goes home on time and has fun both on and off the job is more creative, more productive, and more successful.

A radical concept well worth exploring.

I first came across this book more than 10 years ago, when as a doctor I was asked to give a lecture on stress management. It was life-changing for me, both at work and in my leisure time, as well--because it taught me how to play again, and to allow myself to enjoy sports at the same time I was driven to excell.

I recommend this book all the time to colleagues, patients and students. And I'm now buying a copy for my teenaged daughter, a competitive athlete who is combatting burnout. These skills should be graduation requirements for every high school student.

This book made me realize that so many Americans take their work as the only thing they have in life to give of themselves. But they take for granted the most important aspect of life ... themselves and their loved ones. Read this book and you will realize that there is DEFINATELY a lot more to life than work. I enjoyed the book for that realization. I felt though that the suggestions were not as detailed as I would have liked and wished it had gone deeper into applying it to your everyday life. I guess the book is written to take you to the door, and you are the one that has to open it. I am recommending this book to friends. :)

This book changed my life when it first came out... I brought my toys to the office and started taking regular juggling breaks. Using some of the strategies in the book, I transformed myself and my team. Now, years later, I've found myself rediscovering the book, and sharing it with my new team -- although I'd incorporated many of the strategies into my work and home life, I'm re-applying some of the forgotten messages and strategies. This book is nothing short of life-changing. I also love the illustrations! The ONLY negative I have about the book is that I think the original larger format was a better package -- that edition had a very fun color road map / chapter listing on the inside covers that added a great deal to the look and feel of the book. (I was happy to find that the content had remained the same.) I recommend this book to team leaders as well as team members. DO THE EXERCISES!

I was very tired of work, when I found that book. The title made me curious. Actually I wanted to leave my job, but while reading I realised, that it was not only the job, it was me. I would have the same troubles everywhere. I now try to make some changes in my life and will see how it works.