Hearts Books

I do not have that book on hand yet.
Please, resubmit when the book would have been sent to me.

Thanks for another great book in the "Soup" series. We grandparents appreciate you celebrating us with this special book. We all need inspiration, and this book helps us all, whether we are a grandparent or not.

When I married for the second time recently, I instantly became a grandmother. And I had not had any children of my own, so now I have a whole family! I really enjoyed this book. Okay, so the soup books may get repetitious if you read enough of them. But this was the only one I've read and I thought it was good.

I just don't know how the Chicken Soup people keep putting out such great books. There are so many of them and each has about 100 stories. Where do they get all of them? Frankly, after having read three others in the series, i didn't expect this one to be special in any way, but it surprised me alot. I found that the stories had such a wide variety of experiences that grandparents have today --- some that my own grandparents could never have had. I found just a few stories to be 'blah', but on the whole, most of the stories were either really touching or made me laugh out loud. I read several aloud to my children on the phoen becaause they reminded me of 5things that had happened in our house as my kids were growing up.
This book is an affirmation of grandparenting.

This book is about the love and caring of grandparents for their grandchildren. It contains so many heartfelt emotions that were put into words so beautifully that I was touched by them very much. My friend Debby Stoner was a contributor and I was so impressed by her writing skills and how she expressed the depths of her feelings for her grandson. The book was an easy read, supplied me with hours of pleasure and was difficult to put down.

As a lifelong Beach Bum, I have read this book numerous times and felt the true peacefullness and calm I always get at the beach. We all need to embrace the Ocean and all who live in it. There are angels like Wyland who have devoted their life to preserving the ocean and this book shares some of the most touching and beautifull stories I have read. I encourage you to read this if you love the ocean,live by or dream of visiting it someday.

Many of us that were raised near an ocean feel a special connection to it. We are lured back by the soothing waves, beauty, and wonderful memories. The authors of this book effectively take you there, reminding you of the good times and the lessons learned. As you read, you feel the same sense of peace and comfort that the ocean gives. I was particularly moved by Michael Geers' writing in Letters. He movingly describes how the lessons and memories his mother introduced during childhood, continue to guide and comfort him as an adult. He illustrates how the ocean can provide us with physically, emotionally, and even, spiritually uplifting experiences. If you love the ocean and yearn to be close to it again, pick up a copy of this book. You will feel like you've returned.

This book is really excellent. I was in a diving trip in the islets of spratlys when i started reading this book. It really had my eyes fill with tears. The book not only did touch my heart but also my soul. Never did i regret buying this book!

Wow! I received this book as a gift from a co-worker who knew I was a fan of the work of the artist Wyland. I had seen the Chicken Soup series for years, but found most of the stories to be a little too similar. This book was a VAST improvement and really deserves a look from anyone who thought the Chicken Soup series has burned itself out. I was particularly drawn to the story, "The Sea and the Wind that Blows," by E.B. White, the author of "Charlotte's Web." White, a long-time sailing aficionado, realizes for the first time that he is getting older and is becoming a risk to himself by sailing alone ... and must make a painful decision to give up his beloved pasttime. He ultimately decides that the point of life is to do what you love, and in so doing, decides to continue his sailing adventures, regardless of the consequences. It's a message for everyone who has ever considered giving up on something precious. The other stories are great too -- they come from around the entire world -- but are too numerous to explain in this review. This was simply a great gift that I will treasure as long as my paperback copy holds out.

Coming across this book is much like finding a bit of treasure from the sea. Plenty of "pearls", "gold", and "jewels" are to be found here. There are lovely stories, poems, cartoons, drawings and paintings to be cherished. Each one comes from the heart. Anyone who knows the "Chicken Soup" series of books will know what to expect, each contribution is amazing. Those who have not yet been introduced, this volume will be a wonderful place to start. The ocean theme will bring close to home the importance of the ocean and our responsibility towards it. The Sea's power and mystery reaches out to each of us in all parts of the world. What sets this one a bit apart from others is the inclusion of Wyland's art and his personal stories. This is a soulful, spiritual, and beautiful man who deeply loves the sea and is doing what he can to bring that out in all of us in order to protect it for the following generations. His moving stories will bring you closer to that part of us that that love the ocean and all that live in it. Don't miss out. It is unforgettable.

Ann evokes memories of a child in an Irish family and days spent in Catholic school thinking nuns are smarter than mothers. Her younger brother Joey is sometimes cohort; sometimes torturer.
She's overweight, clumsy, holy and unholy. At age nine, she fails to develop a talent. So, prepares herself (with hilarious contrivance) to attain the Miss Congeniality title in the Miss America contest.
Her infirm Mother is often hospitalized, leaving her with kind adults who sometimes become unkind when no one's looking.
Unique to the book are Ann's brief accounts of what happened in later life following each very entertaining narrative.

This is a heart-warming book that every girl can relate to! One page your eyes will be all teary and the next you'll be giggling... once you pick this book up you'll not want to put it down as every page is a new tale, triumph, adventure or tribulation of youth!

Such a charming and funny book! Ms. Burnell perfectly captures the immigrant experience - a stranger in a strange land who finds out that the things and people in this country are not so strange after all. This book will resonate with everyone, whether or not you are Irish! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was almost sad to finish reading it. Pick it up for an easy and entertaining read.

A Child's Heart makes you laugh and it makes you cry, it is such a good read. I highly recommend it for all book lovers.

Funny and feisty Rosie captures the essence of an Irish-American childhood in mid-century Brooklyn with her hilarious yet heart-rending tales of family and friends, nuns and neighbors in the American melting pot.

This was the first of Priscilla's books that I came in contact with and I was pleasantly surprised and I got impressed later on in the book. Impressed because it isn't often that you find an American author that cites an old Swedish song. One that just so happens my parents sung to me as a child and that I've always loved highly. Being a Swede that has never crossed the ocean in that direction, I found it very helpful to read her books to get just a little peek into the native American people, that you see in various films all the time and hear quite a bit about, but never this personal. I am grateful for this chance to look into their ceremonies closely and get inside another persons experience with them, from both a native American and a non-native American perspective.
That on one hand and then Priscilla being a psychologist and writing about a western psychologist's meeting with these traditions and ceremonies, was superb to me.

So different but yet so familiar.
-Yes, she's got it all covered so well, that although Meggie recons these things are all knew and she has her own beliefs, because of her psychological education you can not help but feel that what is happening in this book is all very usual and every-day kind of things. Priscilla deals with all of Meggies questions and therefor she also deals with my own questioning as a reader. The feeling, a long time after reading her book is that it is perfectly normal and nothing out of the ordinary going on in it. Not all psychologists manage to make me feel at such ease with things the way Priscilla does, which is an excellent skill. The skill of integrating a western type of societal hierarchy with tribalism. That and Christianity along with naturalistic belief's without to much of a clutch can really be something to master.

This was a very good book, a book hard to put down. The characters are your friends and you want to keep them in your life. If you want to another read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

Many thanks to Priscilla Cogan for writing this beautiful book continuing to weave the story of Winona, Meggie O'Connor and Hawk. Not only is this a wonderful love story, but a story that allows the reader to learn about beautiful Lakota traditions.

I fell in love with this book and didn't want it to end. It was a story of relationships at many different levels. The growing love between Meggie and Hawk, the Lakota wisdom Winona shared with her Grandson Adam, and the struggling relationship between Wynona and her daughter Lucy, who in many ways rejected her Lakota heritage. It was simply beautiful, and I couldn't put it down.

If reviews had a 10-star rating, that would be my pick for Compass of the Heart.

Priscilla Cogan has brought us the second title in the Winona Trilogy, the first being WINONA'S WEB. Although reading COMPASS doesn't really reveal anything that would ruin it for the reader if she chooses to read it first, I would still recommend finding WINONA'S WEB and reading it before COMPASS.

The story is a contemporary romance and takes place on the Indian Reservations in Northwest Michigan. Winona Pathfinder is an elderly medicine woman who knows she is dying. She calls in her younger cousin Hawk, who she has been teaching and tells him to gather the family. The family is her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. As the family tries to communicate in this sad and awkward time, the author lets us hear what each one is really thinking although tradition and manners has them saying something different. We learn Winona's daughter is as much a woman of the present as her mother is of the past. And one of her grandchildren will someday carry on the tradition. Hawk is surprised when she tells him to give her social pipe to a white woman named Meggie. Meggie is a psychologist who attempted to treat Winona and convince her she wasn't dying, instead Winona taught Meggie about the earth and spiritual world. Hawk is even more surprised when Winona asks him to watch over Meggie. Hawk has dedicated his life to his people and he feels to love a white woman would be a betrayal, yet here is the wise woman he left the South Dakota Reservation for, telling him to watch over the one white woman he already fights temptation with, Meggie O'Connor.

The reader will be drawn into the enchanting world of Indian life; its myths, its beliefs. And they will see how our American Indians must balance their past with their present. The glimpse into their version of the afterworld is captivating. I think we all can learn from the different traditions and methods of other cultures. Priscilla Cogan shows a side of the Indian culture that is both mesmerizing and fascinating. Also, take notice of the Glossary of Lakota words at the back of the book.

Look for the first award-winning book in this trilogy, WINONA'S WEB, to become a movie in the year 2000.

As in psychologist Priscilla Cogan's debut novel, "Winona's Web," which was praised for its noteworthy depiction of Native American beliefs and customs, Compass Of The Heart, also invites readers into a world of little known rituals. This is a place where individuals struggle to
maintain tradition amid America's homogeneous secularity, and where spirits of the dead materialize to instruct, advise, or sometimes tease.

With a cross-cultural romance as her springboard, the author probes the minds and hearts of those with one foot in the past and another in the present. A practitioner of Native American rituals, such as pipe and sweat-lodge ceremonies, Ms. Cogan is an Irish-American who joins her Cherokee husband to teach workshops pertaining to these healing practices. Thus, she brings an informed eye to her novel's setting.

Hawk, a medicine man, has come to upstate Michigan, "to the tiny Ojibway and Ottawa reservation of Peshawbestown" to study with Winona, an aged teacher. She not only instructs but tells him of her imminent death, saying it is time for her spirit to go home. Winona asks that Hawk give her pipe to a divorced psychologist, Meggie O'Connor, who employs him as a part-time handyman. When Hawk protests that she is a white woman, Winona replies, "She is a woman of good heart."

A divorcee of 40, Meggie is attracted to Hawk, and they soon become lovers. To the obvious chagrin of other tribespeople Hawk invites Meggie to be a doorkeep at an inipi, a therapeutic sweat lodge ceremony for which the men gather in a hut heated by steam from water poured on red hot stones, believing that the excessive perspiration washes away "that which was false and unclean." It is also at this inipi that Hawk receives instructions from a former teacher, now dead and living in the Spirit world.

It is at such a point that those with less than an avid interest in the minutia of ritual may feel the story's pace flounders, as plot turns to podium for the advocacy of the author's beliefs.

Nonetheless, the blossoming relationship between Hawk and Meggie is truncated by the unexpected arrival of beautiful Rising Smoke, the medicine man's ex-wife. As old desires reawaken, Hawk believes himself to be in love with two women. To further complicate matters, Meggie discovers she is pregnant.

Winona, meanwhile, is caught between worlds, awaiting with impatience her new life as she observes the interplay between Hawk and the white psychologist. Disgruntled with the people "Back There," Winona mutters of Hawk, "What he needs is a good kick in the butt," and hisses to Meggie, "Go fight for your man! She (Winona) never could understand white people with all their confusion about what was important."

Only a return to his former home and the ministrations of another teacher enable Hawk to choose between the two women. Discarded again, Rising Smoke wrecks vengeance on an unsuspecting Meggie.

Alternating narrative voices, among which are Fritzi, a white furred terrier, proves to be cumbersome. While peripheral characters whose motivation is unclear, and whose plights are left largely unresolved tends to puzzle.

However, there is much to be learned about Native American tradition in Compass Of The Heart, and Meggie's Thanksgiving toast is a valuable reminder: "I would like us to remember that people of different races can come together, help each other, teach each other, and celebrate their differences.....Rooted in this continent, the native people taught and continue to teach respect for the land and all its inhabitants, the truth that we are all in this Creation together."

- Gail Cooke

A great romance/suspense novel. Awesome twist at the end that you do not see coming! This author spends a lot of time on detail and the reader is better off for it. Book was given to me by a friend and I could not put it down...read it in a day and a half. Great find!!

It is impossible to read this without learning something or coming away from this novel a better person. It's full of deep human insight, intense and powerful. It's an analysis of the struggle that is necessary to overcome unspeakable torment and it is not for the faint of heart. The dynamic between a set of parents was skewed, even demented, which is at the unseemly root of the agony displayed in this novel. A narcissist, who affirms his own self-worth by diminishing everyone else, has a deadly affect on the people around him. Why would people find it so unbelievable that someone raised in such abysmal hell wouldn't be a psychotic mess? This is a book for people who struggle to break free from the dysfunctional family patterns. Emotions are raw and real. No matter how undeserving parents are, it is programmed in us we must love our parents. Propelled by all these contradictory feelings it magnifies the drama of real life and that's what makes for exciting reading. The author dissects these lives and we live them, the toxic effects of dysfunction at its best, and the emotions we're afraid to look at. There's a lot more here than this though. I didn't mean to paint such a painful picture because the author also explores relationships with a delicate hand and she has a gift for showing characters strength without making them hero figures. She found a way to show the good hidden in bad without demanding forgiveness and how to show the bad in the good without condemnation. So much of the strength of the story is the cast of characters, the least of which lies with the protagonists. It depicts real life, all aspects of love, and the balance of it. This isn't in the "romance genre". I recommend it for men too. If you are a lover of love stories, this can't be beat for that as well! This is a great conversation piece and would be a perfect book for a bookclub. It would inspire a lot of juicy discussion. A lot of issues in this book keep you motivated throughout until you reach an abrupt, to the point, nowhere else to go ending. Wow! My heart was in my throat and then it exploded! ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE! Well worth your time!

What a great read...kept me on the edge of my seat with every page leading to the next. A GREAT mystery, thriller with a thickening suspensful plot. Burned a few dinners because it is one that you just can't put down. I felt like I was right there with Steph, every step of the way. It got even more exciting with the turn of every page! Give us more Linda. Wonderfully written...LOVED IT!!!!!

"Cracked hearts" kept me on the edge of my seat from the moment I opened the cover until the very last page. If you like romance and suspense - this is the perfect novel for you!

I can't remember when I was affected by a book this much! The author lays open the frailties of the "over-the top" characters so lovingly that you're inclined to almost accept their human failings. The novels greatest strength lies in it's well-researched, beautifully detailed portrait of an extraordinary cast of multi faceted, flawed characters whose intersecting lives emerge, though scarred, from personal traumas. Amazingly touching! Incredibly suspenseful! Compelling, to say the least! A remarkable portrayal of the power of love to triumph over difficult circumstances! EXPERIENCE IT!!

This book is great for those who are trying to find that special someone but keep attracting the wrong person. Dr. Sherman takes the dating process to a whole new level by getting to the core of the issue- ourselves. She teaches us how we often get in our own way when it comes to dating and that we must begin the process by first knowing ourselves. Her clever approach allows us to date consciously to attract the one we are most looking for.

I had recently returned to the scary world of dating - this book was just
what I needed to get off the couch and into the world again!

"Dating From the Inside Out" is a profound and important book. Unlike most relationship books out there, this book identifies the real reasons why so many relationships burn and crash.

As we grow, we form unconscious ideas of who we are, of who people are in general, and of how we understand the world, We use these patterns to pick mates without even knowing what the patterns really are.

Dr. Sherman helps you identify the patterns, change them when they are counterproductive, and combine these new productive patterns with the practical strategies that will make healthy relationships bloom. BRAVO!

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

At first glance, I thought that this dating book was written by a woman for women. It ain't so. The principles espoused apply to men as well as women. In the future, know yourself, like yourself and be yourself will be the golden rule for all of my relationships.

A good read. Well worthwhile.

MK

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is actually more of a workbook and the exercises in it help guide you through the thorny world of dating. Though some of the advice has been covered before in other books, the exercises are new to me. They can help you look inside of yourself to find out what may be blocking you in your love life. The book also helps you define what you are really looking for in a mate.

If you are willing to do the sometimes difficult work of introspection, I think this book can help you achieve your dreams and if you don't meet that special someone, it will at least uplift you and give you clarity around who you are as a person.

This book was a real departure for James Norman Hall, and demonstrates Hall's ability to create a series of unified but stand-alone short stories, each with a tongue-in-cheek ability to tell a (usually~!) believable story. Well, let's face it, they're all lies, but they're such INTERESTING lies!

F. Dogbody, Surgeon in the Royal Navy, has lost a leg- and each of his stories that he related in the cozy Plymouth inn as how he lost the leg is as entertaining at the last. If you're a fan of Jack Aubrey novels (as I am), you will like these stories.

The introduction about James Norman Hall is as interesting as the book. Hall, an American, fought in the trenches in World War I before America joined the war, then fought as an American fighter pilot- and was the commanding officer of America's leading ace, Eddie Rickenbacker.

Get two or three copies of this nice little book and share with your friends. They'll love you for it.

This book was a change of pace for the author, who was the co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty and other books. It is humorous light reading, with the tales set in the Cheerful Tortoise, as Dr. Dogbody, Royal Naval, meets with old acquaintances and tells tales about how he lost his leg. It sometimes rambles a bit, as tales might if told by an old-timer reminiscing. Overall, it is a good collection of stories that could probably be shared with children. So get a pint of ale, and sit down in front of the fire at the Cheerful Tortoise while Dr. Dogbody relates his adventures.

Doctor Dogbody was a navy surgeon who spent most of his life at sea on sailing ships. As long as people can remember he has had a wooden leg. Whenever old mates gather around the fire with a pint in their hand and long to hear a tale, they anxiously await the tale of how the good doctor lost his leg. The tale is never the same twice!

This is one of those rare books that you keep on your bookshelf for re-reading. I have read "Doctor Dogbody's Leg" at least 20 times. I made the mistake of letting somebody borrow it and it
has disappeared. Guess I am just going to have to buy another copy!

A beautifully written and conceived collection (or is it one continuous tale?), this book will grab anyone who appreciates great humor and skillful writing. A true test of a book's greatness, this one I was truly sorry to see end. Grab a tankard of ale, or a glass of Port Royal, and settle down by the fire at the Cheerful Tortoise. You'll roar with laughter and gasp with astonishment at the good Doctor's tales.

A must read for any and all O'brien fans. This is one the funniest books I have ever read. The good doctor spins increasingly outragous yarns and somehow makes it all seem plausible. The writing is first rate and the characters are vivid and real.

So many spend their dating lives going through a tiresome routine that leaves them both emotionally and spiritually drained. "Doing Things Right in the Matters of the Heart" is a Christian influenced guide for dating, written especially for those in turmoil over the matter. With advice for both men and women trying to find the one person with whom can they settle down and have a long, healthy relationship, "Doing Things Right in the Matters of the Heart" is highly recommended for Christian singles everywhere.

If you are not married yet, just married or married for 23 years, like myself, you would benefit from Mr. Ensor's clear explanation and application in the roles of Christ and his bride (the church)and the husband and his wife..........sacrifice and submission.
Throughout the book I was convicted of my lack of womanhood in the times I don't let my husband lead either by squashing him with my own passiveness or in my desire for control.
I am incredibly thankful that I am married to a Godly man who takes his role to lead through sacrifice seriously.

This is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Practical and to the point. Nothing spared in regards to facts and references of the Word. Love the Shakespeare too. Ive since passed this book on to friends and it has been flying all over the country like the "traveling pants". Thanks for this helpful book. I recommend any single person about to be engaged or even married already to read this book to help you get on track and stay on track.

This book is refreshingly revolutionary, disarmingly candid, and expertly succinct. It is an excellent primer on a complementary approach to masculinity and femininity. It is less daunting than the similarly-themed Piper and Grudem classic Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, making it easier to both read and recommend.

Ensor addresses a wide range of topics for a relatively short book, including sociological trends, singleness, sexual purity, and marriage. These are all discussed in the context of explaining patterns of biblical manhood and womanhood. Ensor writes with warmth, understanding, clarity, and humor. It is obvious that his knowledge of these topics has been forged in the trenches of real life.

Tim Challies, part of whose review is featured on the back of the book, writes that "this book is a refreshing reminder of the Bible's simple wisdom governing love, relationships, marriage, and matters of the heart." In essence, Doing Things Right... is just that - a light shed on the simple wisdom already in the Bible in reference to these matters. It is worth reading whether you are single or married, young or old.

Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart by John Ensor

There are very few necessary books, and fewer still are those necessary books that can be called relevant. John Ensor's newest book is both. It's necessary because the practical ramifications of living out biblical gender roles are so weighty. It's relevant because these ramifications are being mutated into grave consequences in our postmodern, subjectivist world where gender and coupling issues are consigned to each individual's heart. This in turn has led to diastrous outcomes for the young men and women of our generation, a Christian generation of passive, wimpy men and of aggressive women. Relationships formed between men and women who've confused their God-given roles and/or altogether forsaken them have unleashed upon the world's greater stage (at the massive expense of a clear gospel witness) singles seeking romantic fulfillment in all the wrong ways and marrieds breeding discontentment rather than fulfilled families.

Ensor's little book is a breezy, humorous, at times confrontational, somewhat rigorous, and always Scripturally motivated theological exercise on what it means to affirm God's intentions for the genders in singleness, in dating, in marriage, and in parenthood. Along the way he liberally sprinkles references to Shakespeare (his personal favorite and a massive channel--according to Ensor--of God's common grace in the area of love and romance), South Pacific, Casablanca, Chaucer, and Johnny Cash. By blending Bible, practical insight, personal wisdom and experience, and secular material, Ensor has carved out a vibrant little space where honest examination of our deepest heart-issues takes place, unimpeded by prudishness or self-righteousness. The author's own flaws are in the spotlight along with various statistics and real-life examples that bring the material home, into our hearts. His method proves refreshing.

Section One (comprising four chapters) is a down-to-earth theology of gender. It sets the stage for the bulk of the book, Section Two. Section One then essentially covers the complementarity of man and woman, celebrating the God-given differences between genders. Secondly, it powerfully asserts that our basic need is for "a healthy tender, passionate, enduring, mutually satisfying relationship" with one partner of the opposite sex. Early on, Ensor deconstructs the postmodern view of sexual freedom, showing us just how bankrupt and undesirable is a series of arbitrary affairs.

The chapters in Section Two each highlight the complementary "actions" of the man and the woman. This section is largely practical and as such, offers a wealth of personal insight. It's warm insight, insight gained from experience, insight that has the stains of sweat and tears, insight that reminds us that we are all sinners saved by grace and in daily need of grace to overcome pride and selfishness in order to make our relationships (dating and espeically marital) sing. The theme of this section can be stated in this way: "God calls the man to love by sacrificing his immediate desires for those of her [i.e., his wife's] overall well-being and happiness. He calls the woman to submit her more immediate desires to his overall well-being and happiness. They are like two people running to get out of the rain and arriving together at the door. `You first.' `No, you first'" (132-33).

Section Two is so challenging, so convicting precisely because it's so practical. I was reminded in each chapter that the roles of man and wife are not only to be taken seriously but to be practiced comprehensively. A little passivity for the man, a little disengagement and indifference and passing the buck to the wife, leads to the wife's frustration, bitterness, and assumption of control. But when the man "lead[s] with questions rather than conclusions" (98), the wife will more naturally have no impulse to take over the leadership reins. She will teach him by example and "appeal to his thoughtfulness and ask for his consideration" (99). Ensor sounds the trumpet to all Christian men to lead with strength and sensitivity and to all women to submit with respectfulness and trust in the sovereignty of God to work out all the "kinks" in her man. What a sorely needed wake-up call to men who want to be boys and to women who want to be men!

Section Two gets stronger toward the end, each chapter building momentum on the previous one. The chapters on purity are necessarily frank. He writes, "Unmet sexual passion brings into focus a vision for being a husband and potentially a father" (121). And again he writes, "Covenanted intimacy unleashes passion with no admixture of shame and guilt" (122). What a fresh insight: "It [umnet sexual desire in the man] drives us to solve problems and get ready. It matures us" (121)! He calls women to wait, that in waiting women receive their reward of a mature, selfless, "ready" leader-partner who will marry her sooner rather than later and who will take the relationship where it needs to go according to the Bible. He writes on this subject, "Sisters, there is power in waiting. If you give away this God-endowed power and simply act...and satisfy his lusts, you undermine God's work of maturing manhood. So part company with the crowd. Become a noncomformist. Swim upstream...Purity is the litmus test. Waiting will reveal the heart of the matter" (106).

The balance in his approach makes this book essential reading for both sexes. The premium he places on practical male leadership and practical female submission reminds us that marriage is not playing at husband and wife; it's not a game with only temporary or hypothetical setbacks. Gender theology drives gender practice and so both make or break real marriages, real families. Even with the balanced approach, this book undoubtedly stresses male leadership in the marriage relationship and in the home. How could it not when the Bible does the same? Phrases like "heavier responsibility for the outcome" of family decisions and "to provide a vision for our children about God and his ways and purposes for them" (156) fall with a climactic thud on the shoulders of all men, particularly married men. It is a sound that resonates deep within men's hearts since God has placed such manly desires there. And, as the book constantly reminds us, if the Christian man would absorb the divinely loving blows of his biblical responsibilities, he will shape a God-centered, glory-giving, joy-filled, deeply satisfied family.

God has given us certain desires as men and women; they reside permanently within our hearts; they long to be fulfilled. As Christians, these desires are redeemed; they are now able to be fulfilled in a Christ-honoring way. What will we do with them? How will we invest our hearts in matters of romance and sex? Reading John Ensor's book is a handy investment guide--one necessary and relevant for a gender-beinding, sexually confused age.

Este libro nos ensena que las decisiones que hacemos en nuestras vidas afectan no solamente la vida de uno sino a las vidas de sus hijos y las futuras generacions.

Es un libro sencillo, claro, emotivo y muy profundo, para leer, releer y meditar, pero sobre todo para no olvidar. Se lee con facilidad, pero se nos introduce en nuestra propia alma y al revés lo vamos completando con nuestras propias vivencias. Deja una huella muy profunda. Abstenerse curiosos, puede tener efectos secundarios, aunque pienso que todos positivos.

Me encanto este libro. Todas las madres y abuelas lo deben de leer. Es un libro bien escrito, facil de leer y con montones de frases y parrafos que debemos subrayar y tener presentes todos los dias. Imposible leer el libro sin relacionarlo con nuestra propia vida. Trata de la relacion de una mujer con su hija y su nieta, pasando ademas por sus relaciones con los hombres. De una forma realista, no sentimental, nos llena de ternura y de gratitud hacia nuestro nucleo familiar, aunque este no siempre haya sido perfecto.

Al comienzo cuando abri' el libro, pense' que se trataba de otra rareza ma's de la literatura. Pero, poco a poco, me fue' atrapando con su lenguaje reflexivo y tierno que, sin lugar a dudas me hace pensar que es uno de los mejores libros que he lei'do. Con razo'n es un libro internacional. Ah! Un buen regalo para las madres y abuelas.

This book is a must for every woman. It touches every part of our lives. It brushes over our hopes, dreams, regrets, mistakes and the love that makes us daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers. Susanna Tamaro uses language rich in her culture to paint one of the most touching of literature's portraits!

This is a book that you can read over and over and over again, and God will minister something new to you every time. This book took me into the throne room of God, where we had an awesome talk.
Kathy, your annointing and giftings shine brightly in this book. God is all in this book. I can not wait for the next book of this series to be released.

Cathy Heiliger has put into print a revelation of God that shares the heart of the Master and those that encountered Him. I am so pleased that she has done such a great job in writing this pictograph of Jesus and His deciples and the ones that He touches and heals.

What a blessing!

In the more than seven decades of my life, I keep re-learning what poor communicators and relaters men are compared to women. I found that this book was an incredible facilitator in this (for me) most difficult area of life. When communicating with and understanding our fellow human beings is so difficult, how much more so with God.

This book is a real blessing in perceiving the true heart of God and how deeply He cares for His creation. You are a virtual bystander in His relating to the most humble of His people in settings that ring with the authenticity of the age. Although many have been touched with "the issue" in the opening chapter, I felt more involved and uplifted with each ensuing story, culminating with "The Anointing". We are eye-witnesses to what a great God we have.

This book moved me in ways that others haven't, because I was impressed with the people in scripture as fellow human beings. It was my automatic reaction to empathize as it filled in many gaps in my understanding of the featured people. Smooth reading, a natural imagery, historically founded, inspiring and deep, it answered my spiritual quest for "more" . . . Since the ladies I work with have varying beliefs, yet are each in their own way searching for "more" from life and/or God, I think this book will gently enable the experience (and be a perfect Christmas gift). I believe we are desperate for the 'out-of-this-world' God, whom we acknowledge is caring and personal, to enter into our own individual worlds and make them entirely meaningful. This book is a resource God used in my life to do that for me.

Cathy Heiliger is true to her promise and takes us straight to the heart of things. Here are stories simple and profound. As she retells those not-so-incidental encounters people had with Jesus in the gospels, she "fills in the blanks" by allowing us to become those people and feel, experience those aspects of their lives that brought them face to face with the Master.

For example in the story "A Woman and Her Issue" we experience how her "issue" is a beautiful metaphor for the heart "issues" of our lives. Particularly impressive is Jesus' insistence that the woman realize He not only healed her physically, but He continues healing (progressive tense) her emotionally, in her soul. The short studies that follow each story take us deeper and provide us an opportunity to encounter the Great Physician in our own, personal way.

Encounters of the Heart takes us beyond "clever writing," beyond mastery of technique and convention, and allows us the opportunity to enter into the mysterious beauty and healing of God, Himself.