Banners Books

The book's main focus is on the detailed logs of the allied ships involved in 14 encounters in the Solomon Islands during WWII at the start of the allied offensive against Japan. There is some excellent and brief commentary, which I found a very nice companion to the log records that provide the excitement and quite clear pictures of the participants. I found the book helps to point out that these battles are a reflection of the entire Pacific War - allied aggressiveness, determination, and eventually technology, education & experience (from early disasters & unwitting victories), attrition & production, and fortune, helped turn these battles in the allies favor. If the book were perfectly edited it deserves at least 4 stars, but the editing is one of the worst jobs I've ever seen. Since the text is in chronological order, obvious errors exist when times are minutes, or sometimes hours, out of place, yet the sequence of events are in the correct order. Also, when giving rosters of ships involved in an encounter, I found that some ships were listed twice, while others where not mentioned. The editing deserves only 1 star. I have a used first edition copy that I read, so maybe there were more editions that corrected these obvious errors. I do admit that I will keep the book for reference despite its flaws, and is worth reading if one is not too annoyed with those editing errors.

This book goes minute by minute through some of the most key battles in American Naval history. It pulls no punches, faulting both sides in interwoven commentary. Its style is very quirky, focusing on several minute details in spots, and including obscure facts. I put it down halfway through my first read, but have re-read it cover to cover several times since. Give this one a chance.

This was an excellent story, but there was too much to take out and not enough put in. The story itself, the idea, was great, but it wasn't enough and the end was disappointing. I had to read the entire book in one sitting just to find out what was to happen. I would love to contact the author, but have been unable to find anything. The book would be superb with a stern re-write.

I love this book, but I have to admit that I'm not an impartial judge. I know the author, and know that the book is loosely based on fact. The author has always been in touch with the spiritual world, and when she moved into this house in an affluent suburb of Boston, she saw the ghost of the young girl on numerous occasions.

The descriptions of the house, its surrounds, and its inhabitants, are very accurate. All of the characters, (and I know them personally), and a lot of the events are true, so it makes for a great read for me. I hope you enjoy it, too.

The story taught me a good lesson. It showed that if you do hard work, no matter what happens, you should still appreciate it because it could turn out good in the end. It may have been a bumpy busride, but it was smooth read!

This is a pretty good book. I think that kids will enjoy it. I've had it since I was a little kid. It's a real "Happily Ever After" tale. It's very ironic in the eyes of an older person. You'll see small ironies in the names. I ony havew one question: What happened to the bus driver's bus? Was it alright? Read this book and let me know your opinion

I love this book, however if you're a know-it-all on computers and the internet in general, then maybe not for you. The strength of this manuscript comes in the form of teaching everyday users about the complexities of the computer world and what goes on behind the scenes. We all have to start somewhere to gain this type of information, and this is a fantastic book to begin down that path. Very highly recommended! Steal this computer book!!

Good overview of network security from a very social perspective. If you are looking for tools based methodology this book misses the mark.

If you are interested in social engineering and social trends of hacking, this is right on.

I felt the book started off fairly strong but started to decline as the focus went more and more into social impacts of hacktivism.

This book provides some pretty concise details for 370 pages. It's very pratical and entertaining to read. The writing style gives you a feeling of mysteriousness. However, the writer's insights are disputable; you may not agree with all of the comments he has on things. Of course that doesn't change the fact this book provides a lot of details on several internet topics one little book.

If you are looking to hack this book is for you. I found that visual basic is a good programming language. C++,Python,Java, and many more langs will have hacks. Its up to you to learn how to write them. You must learn the programming language before you start looking at hacking, because other wise you are wasting your time.Many hackers are self driven and want to create programs and discover flaws in programs. It is my personal experience that you will not find every thing you want to know from one book. If you are seriously into Networking and Security i sugeset learning from some one who will teach you and offers classes on it (this would be hands on learning) EcCouncil is a great reference and will teach you a lot.

It's not bad, it just too basic. For some reason I had the expectation that it would be a more deep book about hacking.

Even if I had not seen this book for myself, just peeking at the inside page offered by amazon, you can clearly see there's a major problem. Everyone in the whole US knows that Ruben's last name is not Stoddard. How could we expect a factual, enlightening biography of Clay if the guy butchers something as basic as that? What moron published this garbage? Don't waste your money!

Cuz this book deserves it. It is not worthy of picking up Raleigh poo. Don't buy it. The author should be ashamed of himself for making money on a book that has so many factual errors than any moron who can operate a PC and check fansites can find something on nearly every page that's incorrect.

I don't get it!!!! Seventeen bucks ($17) bucks for a book that is only 32 pages long? In reality it is probally 16 pages worth of reading material but the print is large. Let the one star rating be for the EASY ON-THE-EYES print. I feel totally dooped. It's bad enough when music labels want to pass off a cd single full of radio edits of the dance remixes for the full price of a cd-maxi single. Now I got publishers gouging me for $17 bucks for what should be $3.99!
As for content, I think Rolling Stone did Aiken more justice then this. At least they can SPELL! (Did I endure 12 years of educational torture so I can be insulted by a book full of missplled words? Did this author go to school?) Gee wiz. Furthermore, I have learned about Clay mainly from fans websites and teenage-oriented magazines but I thought this would
be "official". It was mostly a rehash of material I already gleaned from above mentioned resourses. I cannot believe the price for this and if I were Clay, I would not want it to be released because it would be a travesty and a rip-off for my fans (IF I WERE CLAY, THAT IS!!!) who deserve more.
Perhaps this would make a kids book but I would not want to give a kid - who is being tought the RIGHT way to spell - a book so loaded with spelling errors that he/she would wonder what the point of school was.

DISAPPOINTED.

For the one who did not find this review helpful. Let me recommend Clay's book "Learning To Sing".

I am very disappointed in this book. There are many non-factual items and grammatical errors. If this book is meant for children, statements made about his biological father and his and his mother's "escape" really should've been left out.

Like many Clay fans, I want all I can get my hands on that bears his name. This is the reason I bought this terrible book. Save your money--it's inaccurate, small and pointless! It's not even good for children.

Having just read the book's excerpts provided by the links above, I intend to purchase this work. Long a devotee of literature on Protestant conversions to Catholicism, this book will no doubt help balance my personal library. One note I anticipate after reading the excerpts is that the former priests will all share one thing in common: none of them neither knew Christ nor loved Him as a priest prior to their conversion or throughout their studies leading up to the priesthood. I say this from experience as a cradle Catholic-turned-Evangelical-turned-Catholic who is now discerning the priesthood.

You will not find the same in books by Protestant converts to Catholicism. Already mentioned in other reviews, these books were written by devout Reformation-styled Christians -- many of them Protestant ministers themselves or incredibly bible literate laymen and women -- who loved Jesus with all their heart, mind and soul, before following Him straight into Rome.

I suspect that this is not the rule when encountering Catholics -- whether laymen, religious or clergy -- headed towards Protestant communities. They find the love of Christ for the first time in their lives through the witness of Protestant Christians, and are then understandably seduced into thinking that the fault for not having found it before must lie with Rome and not their own sinfulness. This book will no doubt confirm my suspicions.

If anything, it will serve more usefully as a sad commentary on the depressing state of spiritual formation in all to many Catholic seminaries and religious orders.

This book is so interesting, I couldn't put it down. Although I don't agree with Catholic doctrine, I am interested in it because I have many friends who are Catholic. The things these ex-priests struggled with are many of the things they struggled with.

This book is probally the best I have yet to read regarding the RCC. I was looking for something that my brother would be able to read that was too loaded with all the technical RCC doctrines. This gives testimony's of priests who studied and studied and still did not find salvation. The more they seeked God, the more they turned away from the RCC and to the one and only Saviour Jesus Christ. The testimonies also provide scriptures which is wonderful. This is the perfect book to give a Catholic person in search for the truth. I have not given it to my brother yet because I can't put it down! What a great book. It really helps me because I was born and raised Catholic and it confirms that when you are far from Rome you are surely nearer to God.

This is a great book and I recomend it to both Protestant and Catholic alike.It is a book for the open minded only!!!I am sorry to say that I havent run into to many open minded when it comes to religon.This book gives you a good look at the brainwashing involved in not just Catholics but any religion that requires its people to study church doctorine only and not the Bible itself.Out of each story in this book not one of these men came to know God until they picked up and read a Bible.That is amazing to me!!!!

As a way introduction, I have not yet completely read the entire book. I purchased the book from amazon several weeks ago, and when I am not reading any of the other 13 books I'm presently reading in addition to the material for my classes, I read the stories from this book.

Conversion stories have always interested me. Over the past several years, I have read several books on conversion from one Christian faith to another. _Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic_, was probably the first of many conversion stories/books that grabbed my attention. In the beginning, I read mostly stories of conversion to Catholicism (the Surprised by Truth series, Hahn's Home Sweet Rome, and so on). Eventually, as I struggled with my own faith, I began reading the Reformers. Their writings opened me up to new possibilities, and I became interested in to what they were "converting," if that's the best word. At one point I started watching the 700 Club and comparing the conversion stories on there with the conversion stories on The Journey Home (a Catholic program).

Needless to say, when I discovered that there existed a book that contains the stories of fifty former priests who converted to a certain kind of evangelical Protestantism, I was delighted. I already had read and heard of accounts of drug dealers, drug-addicts, pimps etc. becoming Christian; but this was something new, something that sounded as though it would reverberate with the original Protestant Reformers, many of whom were Catholic priests/monks.

Enough of the digressions. Thus far, from what I have read, I feel as though I have received my money's worth from the book. Many stories are uncannily repetetitive. Some may fault this in the book, but I find it interesting that so many priests converted for similar reasons. I find it especially interesting that, contrary to many stories of Protestants converting to Catholicism in which the conversion approached almost academically, noetically, the priests' stories suggest that it was something or someone beyond reason that moved them to the path on which they now walk.

I give the book four stars and not five for several reasons. Firstly, like many evangelical Protestant books written in challenge of Catholicism, the descriptions of Catholic beliefs are sometimes brief, abbreviated, and not too infrequently, unfair. Secondly, the books concerns mostly priests who converted to radical (anabaptist) forms of Protestant Christianity. I remember a story that mentions the Dutch Reformed Church, but overall it seems that conversions to confessional Protestantism might be under-represented. For example, numerous former priests in the book comment on their rejection of transubstantiation and wittingly or unwittingly tie this in with rejection of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist (something confessional Lutherans and to a lesser degree, Anglicans, would not approve).

this book wasn't horrible - the first part was actually pretty entertaining, but it got a bit tedious after a while. She lies, he discovers, she lies, he discovers...if you really want a great romantic adventure with a fabulous Scotsman and a great, strong English woman, read Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER

I am a huge Patricia Gaffney fan and I must concur with other reviewers here who give this book a tepid review. This book starts out just swell - energetic and fun and sassy...and this it all just...goes away.

Disappointing and not up to her usual good work.

Lady Katherine MacGregor's sedate life is destroyed when deserters from the English army cross into Scotland and kill her family. Vowing revenge, she becomes a spy for the Jacobite cause. She poses as a prostitute and steals a satchel containing secret documents from an English officer. She is caught, but claims she thought she was simply stealing the officer's money. James Burke, an English officer and viscount, is given the responsibility of escorting this "Scottish prostitute" to Lancaster for her trial on charges of treason. The first half of the book is a wonderfully funny road romance, as Katie and Burke match wits and exchange barbs during their journey. He suspects she truly is a spy and is determined to discover the truth. Still, he finds himself unsettled by his growing attraction to a woman he disdains as a prostitute. She slowly is forced to admit her attraction to one of the hated English. Eventually, recognizing her feelings for him, she saves his life, which sets in motion a chain of events that lands him in hot water. I love this book for several reasons, but mostly because of the fabulous characters. These are two of the most real people I've ever read in a romance. Gaffney modulates these characters perfectly. Although flawed, the characters always remain likable. In some romances, readers are "told" by the writer that a character is supposed to be arrogant, or intelligent, or some other such adjective, but the actions of the character don't really bear that out. In this novel, the personalities of the main characters directly influence their actions and the course the book takes. Sweet Treason also contains wonderful bantering dialogue that makes me laugh out loud at times, and yet I wouldn't call this book a comedy. It takes a turn to the dramatic about halfway through, and the drama is just as involving as the comedy is funny. The love scenes are fresh--I didn't read them thinking I'd read scenes like them a dozen times before. Even the secondary characters are well-developed and original. I also found the heroine's "pathological lying" to be quite logical for the story--after all, her life depends on her ability to clear herself of treason charges.

This book started out great, the first half does a good job of setting up the story. The interaction between the two main characters is funny and romantic, and then it takes a turn for the terrible. At every opportunity for the characters to grow and develop along with a premise that could have been very interesting, the author plunges the characters into more hateful acts. Instead of exploring a developing relationship between two people at cross purposes, this becomes a story of a sick psychotic love obsession.

In a romance novel the lovers have to be someone worth winning, not someone that you are sorry they got stuck with. In true Jane Eyre style, by the end of the book you can't stand the selfish, stuck-up, "heroine" who knows whats right but can't do it, and you feel so disgustingly sorry for and disappointed in the ruined "hero" that you put the book down feeling sick. Worse, you feel as though you wasted your time.

I can't for the life of me imagine why James found Katherine in any way worthy of love. What an arrogant twit she was. The ending was completely unbelieveable - she was the cause of his losing everything else he might have held dear in his life, but it didn't matter because he loved her? I thought her responses were incredibly immature and self-centered, and I felt sorry for James for being so caught up in her. This is one of the few books I've read lately where I just intensely disliked one of the main characters, and the ending didn't resolve anything for me because I didn't believe it.

Unfortunately, this book has too many cartoon-like drawings and not enough actual designs to use. The concept for each banner is fairly good but the designs were just too childish. Banners that contain just words aren't useable. Anybody can cut and glue words to a piece of fabric.

This book contains banner designs that are clear and contemporary and range from simple/easy to more complex. They are great to look at for ideas and can be easily adapted for different sizes or formats (banners, bans, posters, signs, etc.) I especially liked the fact that they are contemporary but not too abstract. Not as much "how-to" as some other books, but definitely a great addition for ideas for all church occasions.

When I ordered this book, I thought I would be getting a set of simple banner designs. I was disappointed, however, to find that these designs were not just simple--they were simplistic. The designs are so simple that they verge on cartoonish and did not have the elegance and dignity that I was looking for in a banner for a sacred space. Some of designs were so simple as to be illegible as symbols. There was one design of a light coming through an open door (at least this is what the book said it was) that I couldn't figure out without an explanation. The other thing that made this book impractical for me was that it wasn't designed with a liturgical church (or a church that follows the church year) in mind. I was looking for banner designs for Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter. This book had a few Easter banners, but nothing that was servicable for a banner to hang during the season of Lent. It did, however, have quite a few designs for personalized banners--for baptism, confirmation, graduation, and ordination. If you're looking for ideas for those events, or your church is not particularly liturgical and your worship space is more casual, this might be a servicable book for you.

This is one of the best church banner books I had used.
The designs are beautiful yet simple and flexible. The "tips and extras" included --suggestions on color and presentation are very helpful.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Walter Chantry is a brilliant and thoughtful scholar and an able workman of Scripture. I have been greatly inspired and blessed by his other books, like Today's Gospel and Shadow of the Cross. Unfortunately I was disappointed by Signs of the Apostles and believe the author simply finds it hard to get beyond his cessationist presuppositions which, in my estimation, are largely based on prejudice. As a graduate of a Reformed theological institution, I am grateful for the sound critique that Reformed Presbyterians and Baptists have provided with respect to the errors of the "second experience baptism in the Holy Spirit" teaching of Pentecostalism. However it seems to me that these same folks have little biblical basis to negate the ongoing operation of the particular gifts of the Holy Spirit that they wish to deny. While God is sovereign and it is dangerously wrong to equate the church today with the apostolic era, these facts do not mitigate against the operation of the Holy Spirit's gifts in the church today. Well meaning and godly pastor-scholars like Chantry want to protect Sola Scriptura, the standard of evangelical Protestantism, and rightly so. But they demonize Pentecostalists and charismatics and negate the operation of these gifts without the strong exegetical basis that they apply to the doctrines of grace and other core theological issues. I have never been persuaded by any cessationist argument because they are all essentially biased and presumptuous. Chantry loses his balance and reasonable handling of Scripture because he's intent, as are so many Reformed Baptists, in annihilating the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. This is little more than a quixotic adventure, since Pentecostalism will likely carry the banner of Protestantism into the 21st century with the greatest success. Rather than bashing this movement out of prejudice (and perhaps jealousy), what is rather needed is a sound exegetical treatment to guide and correct Pentecostalists within the bounds of Scripture. The cessationist viewpoint is weak and shabby, and it is disappointing when godly, brilliant writers cling to it as if it were on par with the doctrines of grace.

Without question, this is the most historically, exegetically accurate treatment of the ministry of the Apostles and their unique validating gifts that I have ever read. In a short, concise manner, Chantry lays out God's plan for the use of the miraculous gifts during the early church age. He carefully shows how I Corinthians 14:30: "Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues," plays itself out with I Corinthians 13:8: "...but where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled..." It's a rational, cogent, well-supported handling of Biblical truth in a non-emotional, straight-forward manner. He interprets human experience in the light of Biblical truth; he does not interpret Holy Scripture in the light of human experience. As Saint Peter beautifully put it, "We now have a more sure word of prophecy (i.e. more certain than mere human experience)..." If you are of the Charismatic persuasion, do not buy this book. Chantry's devastating Biblical logic will leave you with only your fallible human experience to cling to for support of your position. A positively brilliant piece of exegesis. If you're looking for truth, you can find it here in spades. Dollar for dollar, one of the best books I have purchased.

If you are looking for a biblically, theologically and historically sound treatment of apostleship--as I was--don't waste your time and money on "Signs of the Apostles." It's not that Chantry has nothing worthwhile to say: he actually includes some useful discussion about the miraculous in the New Testament. However, he is a convinced cessationist; and though he is aware of the many claims from Pentecostals and charismatics to the contrary, he regards all contemporary experience of spiritual gifts as delusion or deception. On page 37, for example, he states categorically, "All modern prophecy is spurious! God's truth has come to us in a fixed and finished objective revelation. We must not accept the new 'revelations' of neo-pentecostalism." Chantry claims to have a much higher regard for Scripture as God's inspired and authoritative word than do Pentecostals and charismatics; but Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 14:30 couldn't be clearer: "Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues." Chantry says those who seek to hear or receive personal revelation or gifting from the Spirit of God are insulting God by denying the "all-sufficiency" of the Scriptures. Chantry needs to be reminded that "all-sufficiency" is an extra-biblical claim, not unlike, for example, the bodily assumption of Mary. This book is not about "signs" or "apostles." It is a one-sided diatribe which impugns every biblical, theological, historical--and personal--reality which doesn't support the author's preconceptions.

Taken in small, topical bits, Dabney has a refreshingly strong (and very quotable) style. I admire Dabney for the way he was never afraid to trumpet G-d's truth and majesty in every line he wrote and his writings undoubtably make a worthy addition to a grand history of Calvinistic thought.

But I find his Systematic Theology to be a little too condensed. It's written in a very academic style that's suitable for a seminary classroom - after all, the book is based on his lectures at Union Theological Seminary.

So even though it's filled to the brim with useful arguments, proofs and refutations, I doubt that it would be enjoyed by the common believer, or even a thinking believer. If you're an avid collector of theological books, or an armchair theolgian, there's no question that Dabney's Systematic would be useful to have in your library. However, if you could only buy one systematic theology, I wouldn't reccomend this one.

This book is valuable on both historical and theological grounds. It represents the standard line of thinking in 19th Century conservative American theology. While at times it may appear to be dry, one must keep in mind this is how theology was normally done. To the reviewer who objected that Dabney's God was little more than Aristotle's unmoved mover, I have to admit my confusion. Dabney clearly rejected the extreme claims of natural theology (while understanding its limited value--see page 93).

Dabney is clearly qualified to represent American theology. He mastered Turretin. Indeed, he could write out an outline of Turretin's 3 volume Institutes from the original Latin. I will now list some pros and cons of this volume:

Pros: Dabney is nothing if not clear. Every chapter, while at times difficult to read, is succint and pointed. He can state a lot of truth and meaning into the smallest sentence. This allows for skillful polemics if at times difficult reading.

His chapters on the atonement and justification were probably the best. His arguments against the Socinians are more relevant now than ever before. His chapter on Union with Christ (612-617) is better than most modern treatises. He doesn't bore you down with irrelevant detail, but powerfully presents the doctrine in six pages.

Unlike most modern theologies, Dabney gives keen attention to the Law of God as a normative ethic for the Christian life. Sadly, this is lacking from most modern-day Reformed treatments. Dabney's exposition of the Ten Commandments is an excellent field-map to sanctification. His treatment on the covenant of grace, while perhaps dated because of modern controversies, is nonetheless helpful.

Cons:
The book, it is true, is dry at times. I think Dabney knew this. But to be fair, the only really dry part was the Prolegomena (e.g., the opening sections on knowledge and method). Dabney himself warned against extreme focus on such matters.

We must also realize that Dabney was a child of his times, like we are a child of ours. Before we criticize Dabney on slavery (we will come back to that in a moment), we must take the our own plank of abortion out of our eye. Who are we to call him racist when millions of babies die every year? And to his credit, he did criticise the South for *unbiblical* forms of slavery.

As to doctrinal disagreements, I do not think Dabney fully dealt with Calvin's view on the Lord's Supper, although I am more sympathetic to Dabney now than I was before I read it. Still, the spectre of Nevin hangs over the chapter.

Conclusion:
I found the book slow at first, but steadily picked up steam so that some chapters ended in a crescendo. It is valuable in that Dabney understood what a Systematic Theology could and could not do. No systematics text can function as a "timeless theology," for the theologian is called to precisely the opposite task: to apply God's truth to his own situation. This Dabney did to the fullest.

Dr. R. L. Dabney's Systematic Theology represents the height of western scholastic theology, the logical conclusion of the theology of Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas. The arguments are remarkable, the logic is impeccable, and theology is hideous. Dabney was influenced by extreme reductionism and the essesental denial of any Mystical Attribute in our Pre-Eternal Creator. If one wants a complete, accurate, and unbiased Christian Theology uninfluenced by medieval Catholic theology, may I recommend An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith written by St. John Damascene in the Eighth Century, which is available freely online.