Publications Books

I like to read the old books about golf. Five Lesson from Ben, Swing the Clubhead, etc.

I like this book, it provides insight about how to play really good golf. I have read over couple of dozen golf books and this is certainly the one in top of my list.

In comparison of new golf books versus the old ones, I found that there is more fundamental skill that descripted very clearly for the old ones. Maybe, it is because in the old days, if you need to play well, you can only rely on the technical skill, but today, you can sometimes rely on the technology. It is not easy to find those secret from the new published books.

Probably one of the best instructional books on Golf every written. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in learning more about the game of golf or improving there game.

This is a simple book that I have read and reread for profit and for pleasure many times since I was a teenager working as a caddy and golfing as often as possible. Although I was unable to play too much golf during the past summer on account of a hospitalization, I know that I will be rereading this succinct primer over the winter in anticipation of hitting the links again next Spring.

Tommy Armour writes with precision and grace. His brief book is truly intended to help the novice golfer and contains valuable advice that will help these players take several shots off of their scores. It is filled with basic instructions that are easy to understand, commit to memory and implement. I always found the material on assuming the proper stance and employing the proper footwork to be most beneficial.

To a small degree, some of the advice contained in the book, which was published fifty plus years ago, may be somewhat dated. Armour was writing in an era when golfers still used actual persimmon woods (driver, brassie and two spoons), not oversized drivers and forgiving metal woods for their tee shots. New technologies have allowed professionals to hit drives that would have been unimagineable in the past. Long drives once measured two hundred fifty to two hundred seventy-five yards. Now, many top players can exceed those distances. Nonetheless, apart from the instructions on tee shots and hitting a driver, much of the material contained in the book is still relevant for contemporary golfers.

Armour discussed realistic strategies that will help most ordinary players eliminate strokes from their scorecards and improve their enjoyment of the game. I am an enthusiastic, but not particularly consistent golfer, but I still try apply these common sense lessons whenever I play. Armour was an advocate of scrambling and not quitting on a hole despite a bad tee shot. You could recover from a poor drive and still try to make a one putt par.

Tommy Armour's great strength as a writer is that he explains things in nontechnical language that can be clearly followed. Diagrams and charts are basic and kept to a minimum. Unlike so many other pros, Armour also had a sense of humor: on the subject of putting, he admitted that he was not an expert by any means and, apart from imparting some essentials, he simply recommended that his pupils stick with whatever works for them!

Armour was a tournament champion, who later went on to have a successful career as a teaching professional and club designer. The popular Armour line of clubs is still being manufactured today.

If you prefer to pay for golf instruction by the pound and insist upon illustrated diagrams and stop sequence photos, this book is not for you.

When I bought this book, I was looking for something that would really step up my game. I wanted to be consistent. Armour's book can show you how to be truly consistent at golf. This book is aligned with Hogan's theory on golf instruction. So the rationale since Hogan got so much success using his technique, it must work. Many golfers don't realize that Hogan had awesome flexibility and talent to get away with using his technique. If you don't have the body of Hogan nor the flexibility get the following:
The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better by Patrick Leonardi. The isbn is 1933023090. I used this last book and I don't have much flexibility and I improved right after using the techniques in Leonardi's book. I went from an 96 stroke average to about a 88 stroke average within 7 weeks. I play twice a week so this definitely says a lot. All I have to say is that this book works.

Bear in mind that this is a book originally published in the 1950s. It's widely regarded as an all-time classic, but it's now very dated. Armour was an excellent player (one of the great iron players of all time) and a superb teacher, but some of his theories are no longer in vogue. I can tell you that way back in the early 1960s this book, through Armour's focus on the hip turn, transformed me literally overnight from a beginner who sliced the ball to someone who has fought a hook for the last 40 years. I bought this updated edition strictly for its sentimental value, and I wouldn't foist it on someone who was serious about achieving his or maximum potential because a GREAT deal has been learned about the golf swing since this was written (and today's equipment demands a different sort of swing anyway). However, if you've played for awhile and just can't seem to get the hang of the golf swing, this book is so straightforward that it may be just what you need. You'll end up looking like Julius Boros rather than Tiger Woods, but odds are that'll be a major improvement if you're now shooting over 85. Armour was a transplanted Scot who was very eloquent, and this book is a pleasure to read for that reason alone. Some of his most basic wisdom ("THINK WHAT TO DO -- that's concentration in golf") still sticks with me every time I play. A ROUND OF GOLF WITH TOMMY ARMOUR, in which he steers his 90-shooting friend around the course in 79 by making him play within his limitations, is also excellent.

This is truly a wonderful and need to own book. It gives (in plain english) a how to explaination on applying the eight fold path to your life. There are examples of what each step means and how it works in the real world and caring advice on how to deal with setbacks should they occur. Truly a book for beginners and advanced students. My thanks to Bhante henepola Gunaratana for giving us such a wonderful book.

Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness-Walking the Buddha's Path
The book is extremely clear and poignant. As long time pratitioner of Vipassana Meditation it quite refreshing to come across this book written in plain English of which even a non meditator would be inspired to investigate his or her life. I sincerely wish that if any one reads this book that they experience the richness of visiting Bhavana society .org and go on a personal retreat to bring the richness of the books' message home.
In Loving Kindness
Stan Grier
Wellness Consultant
[...]

Mindfulness and loving kindness are a couple of great approaches to living advocated by these ancient teachings made into cakewalk reading. When I go back to older more traditional interpretations they feel stiff and inhospitable. For the secular reader especially I think this makes for a pleasantly palatable on ramp to Buddhism.

Upon my studying of Theravada Buddhism this was my 1st book I read. I'm so glad that it was as it has helped steer me on the correct path. I strongly suggest this book and its sequel.

Well written and imparts another aspect that is more specifically written and allows various insights and lessons to come to fluition.

I highly recommend this book by itself, but more importantly, as an additional reference to compliment your collection.

Creo que uno de los libros mas lindos que he leido. Es un libro que podes leer a cualquier edad, tendo 18 años y recien lo lei.
Es una aventura muy linda que algun dia espero poder leer a mi hijos :)
Les recomiendo este libro a todo mundo.

It is definitely the best book I have ever read, and I read many great books throughout my life. I read it about six times, the first one when I was little. I still remember. Now I got it for my own children. It has amazing principles, and wonderful teachings. I wich we could all see life the way "El Principito" does. What a great lesson!

It's been one of my favorite books since I was in 6th grade, great life values in this story! Great for kids! and people of any age.

This is a lovely story, and I wanted to own the book to follow while I listen to the story in Spanish on my ipod. Children's stories in Spanish are a delightful way to study for the mid-level student.

T.William Waltrip, M.D.

A BOOK THAT INFLUENCED MY LIFE

The book that has influenced my life is "The Little Prince". This book iis basically about a little blond boy that meets an adult with who he will become friend, somewhere in the world, dunno where.He discovers, during a trip, adults, who will allow him to understand adults world and life on hearth In the begining of the story, the pilot crashes in a desert and thers were the story begings.This story has many characters, but the two main ones are the pilot (the narrator), and the little prince.One of the main settings are the dessert were the pilot meets the little prince, and the planet were the little prince lives, but this story has many settings.

I read this book because my mother told me that every kid must read this book, so she gave me the book and i read it when i was almost 12 years old. This book has influenced my life in many ways. Every time i read this book it makes me think, about pepole and friendship, it makes me cry, laugh, and be a better person and a better friend. It also makes me be more pacient, and this is a thing that im not so good at, but every time im in a cituation were i have to be pacient, since i read that book, I have teach myself to try to understand people, and why they are like that. This book is in a prose/chatter way written, in this way it was easier for me to understand the meaning of the words. This book you have to read it more than once to get the meaning of the words.



By Avira Arreola.

This is a great book for boosting morale on any campus at any level. The ideas are fresh and enlightening for building relationships and team building. This book would be a great way to boost staff development, and active participation from all staff members.

This is a wonderful resource for Staff Development. If you are tired of having teachers yawn through your important presentations, this is a book full of ideas to help add fun to your work. The activities keep the audience involved, listening and learning throughout your presentation.

This book gives the administrator and anyone who supports the teachers in a school some great things to think about and ways to help the teachers on a day to day basis.

thanks for a wonderful job, the book and the service is excellent. well done

I had the honor to see Ms. Connors speak at a teacher conference this past week. I was feeling a bit jaded over the profession of teaching after completing my second year of teaching and after completing a research study proposal on the sad state of teacher retention due to low administrative support. I was at an oh-too-typical low point...

Ms. Connors' words (both in spoken and written form--I flew through her book after listening to her speech) really hit home. This is a book that every teacher and every administrator should read. It gives simple solutions that could and would make a big impact upon the current state of education today. I encourage every person involved in teaching students to read this book and think about the roles they currently play and the role they could play. THANK-YOU MS. CONNORS for humorously yet seriously pointing out both the problem and the necessary solutions.

Infidelity is a life altering event for most people and can be a horrible thing to try and find reconcilation with. This book offers insight into the many different aspects of it. It can't change the situation for the people who are the dealing with this issue but it does help to answer some of the millions of questions that plaque the minds of those afflicted by this most heartbreaking event. It is certainly worth the time it takes to read.

This book is truly a "How to" on getting through what may well be the worst time in your life. It is written in plain language and offers advice on other reading and selecting a therapist, if you feel that you need one. No one expects to find themselve in this situation and this is a great guide to help you deal with the pain and move forward.

I thought this book was a tremendous resource in helping me better understand my perspectives on my relationship. It provides valuable information that helps the reader develop language for positive communication, and also offers insight that can be helpful in trying to understand your mate's feelings and motivations. It helped me organize my thoughts and gave me the vocabulary to clearly define my emotions, my expectations, and my situation. I would recommend this book to anyone who has had an affair, who has considered an affair, and especially to any individual whose mate has had an affair.

This book lays out a very tough subject in an approachable way. I felt much better after reading this guide. As the recently betrayed I was looking for so many answers, and this book pointed me in the right direction. My cheating spouse also found this a helpful, "easy" read.

This is a brief and succinct book on the subject of infidelity. While much of the material is addressed to couples experiencing marital difficulties, the counsel and advice provided is helpful to unmarried couples in long term relationships also. Too often, the term "infidelity" is used as a polite euphemism for adultery. While infidelity can include adultery, a more narrow term which has both legal and moral implications, infidelity is really a much broader concept that relates to betrayal, disloyalty and faithlessness. Infidelity is all about breaching trust. As Lusterman correctly observes, while adultery always involves illicit sexual activities in violation of marital vows for at least one of the parties in the triangle, infidelity can encompass even purely emotional affairs that do not necessarily include sexual intimacy in all instances. Someone who maintains that a long time confidant is just "a good friend" may very well be involved in infidelity nonetheless by violating the exclusivity of another relationship with an innocent third person. One may be engaged in infidelity through dishonesty and unfaithfulness alone. Since communication is a key element to the success of any meaningful relationship, constant lying or omitting to speak the truth often rises to the level of infidelity. While many couples are able to rehabilitate their relationships by renewing communications after an episode of infidelity is exposed and improve themselves in the process, Lusterman warns that such recoveries are impossible with offending individuals who fail to admit their faults despite evidence to the contrary and who refuse to express any remorse for the harm that their actions have caused to others. The best one can do in these instances is to admit the obvious and move forward. Lusterman has a doctoral degree and a lengthy career record as a therapist. This concise book addresses the pain and shock that often accompanies the discovery of infidelity, often after lengthy periods of suspicion, and methods for coping with the hurt and recovering a sense of one's own self esteem. In an era in which many people rely upon the Internet to maintain regular communications and in which long distance relationships are increasingly common as a result, one needs to be prepared. Bad things sometimes do happen to good people. Lusterman's book is a valuable reference tool. It may even serve to promote a sense of healing for some people who have been victims of infidelity and allow them to forgive those who committed the acts of infidelity.

This is a readable, practical, and deep book. It's one of those books which teaches or refreshes Java and OO theory and practice as you read. I am also reading it for pleasure!

This is a great book. It is directed at users of JUnit, the Java unit testing framework. But in my mind the book gives sound advice for solving your programming problems in general, not just for Java or JUnit testing. It stresses the importance of unit testing, programming to interfaces instead of implementations and just simple common sense. The author is clearly passionate about his field and extremely experiences. The combination of enthusiasm and experience comes through on every page.

This review also appears on StickyMinds at http://www.stickyminds.com/s.asp?F=S767_BOOK_4

JUnit Recipes is a comprehensive tome of practical methods and techniques for the opensource JUnit tool to develop automated unit-tests for Java/J2EE applications. The book is split into four parts: Building Blocks, Testing J2EE, Additional JUnit Techniques, and Appendices. The Building Blocks cover the basics of using JUnit to create basic tests, organize and manage test suites and test data, running JUnit tests and reporting the results. It even includes a section on troubleshooting. Testing J2EE covers XML, JDBC, EJB, web components (including JSPs), and J2EE applications. Additional techniques include testing some well known design patterns, using JUnit add-ons and JUnit libraries (like GSBase). The Appendices include complete solutions (including code of course), some short and sweet essays on testing, and a modest recommended reading list.

The organization of the book flows very logically and the writing style is very clear and easy to follow. Along the way many insights into important design principles and testing techniques are revealed: the reader will learn about the "Hollywood principle", the Open-Closed principle, design patterns, POJOs, Mock Objects, Private and Parameterized Test-Cases, Abstract Test-Cases, Self-Shunts, and Spys. The book's coverage is very comprehensive and touches on many other popular Java/Enterprise projects and frameworks such as Struts, JBOSS, Prevayler, XDoclet, Tomcat, XPath, XMLUnit, HTTPUnit, Ant, Jakarta, and others.

Even though JUnit is often associated with "Agile" development and much of the wisdom apparent in the book applies to agile Java development, the book is useful to any Java developer on any Java project (agile or otherwise). The book also goes into considerable detail, with working code examples, to spell out exactly how to perform and apply the techniques it describes.

The book's primary audience is Java developers. Java Tester's will still find some good nuggets of information but it's quite clear that Java programmers and developers are the target audience. This isn't some high-level theoretical book mostly of concepts and ideas. This is an imminently pragmatic guide that not only conveys a great deal of highly practical wisdom but also clearly and comprehensively walks you through the explanations and the code to accomplish and apply the techniques it describes. The book is also not a "How To" for coming up-to-speed on setting up and running JUnit.

Another book from the same publisher, "JUnit in Action" is a great overview on learning more about the basics of running and using JUnit and on using JUnit to tackle a number of basic challenges with unit-testing Java and J2EE code. JUnit Recipes has some overlapping material but pretty much "picks up" where "JUnit in Action" leaves off, and JUnit Recipes goes into much more breadth and depth of coverage of JUnit methods, practices and techniques and use with other Java projects and frameworks.

I would say JUnit Recipes should probably be required reading for anyone attempting to use Java, J2EE and JUnit in the real-world.

This isn't necessarily the best introduction for absolute beginners (I would recommend /Pragmatic Unit Testing/ for that), but it is required reading for server-side Java, as most other reviewers have pointed out. But it's more than that--it's one of those rare computer books that transcends its subject matter. Why? Because it can make you a better programmer. While some of the credit can rightly be given to unit testing and Test-Driven Development in general, Rainsberger's book makes you /see/ better ways to write and refactor your code. The breadth and depth of examples is astonishing--he convincingly shatters "but it's too hard to test that" arguments with well-researched, non-trivial examples. In fact, I'd say that this is almost a better J2EE tutorial than most books about J2EE proper.

I'm withholding a star for one reason: the book doesn't cover GUI testing tools like Jemmy, JFCUnit, or Abbot/Costello. These JUnit extensions are ripe for a book with this depth; it's just too bad that this couldn't be that book. Other than that, I find that I turn to Rainsberger's book far more often than any other testing book or online reference.

Rainsberger does a very good job of detailing the techniques to unit test difficult code; including xml, ejb, servlets, jsps etc.

Chris Penczak is THE man. About two years ago, I found myself seeking spiritual truth. The possibility of magick always intrigued me, so I signed up for a Transcendental Reiki I weekend class. That was an amazing experience.

After that, I found myself attracted to DM Kraig's "Modern Magick". The one thing that bothered me was the lack of Eastern inclusion in Western ceremonial magick. I felt pulled toward magick overall, but did not want to see my Reiki attunement and knowledge go to waste.

One day, at a small local bookstore, I saw the purple cover and title "Magick of Reiki". It was love at first sight. I've scrubbed some of the symbols against some of the Hebrew letters and symbols of Kaballah and found some striking resemblances, particularly with "The Ark", one of the symbols found in the Appendices of MoR.

This book, combined with another book about generic magickal training such as "Practical Magic for Beginners" by Brandy Williams, or "Initiation into Hermetics" by Franz Bardon, will have you turning your healing Reiki into a full-blown spiritual ascension system.

Thanks Chris,
Sean

I am currently reading this book, and I find it awesome and objective. It is well written, easy to follow, and I am learning a few extra symbols from other lineages, which will become handy once I start teaching next month... Thanks, Christopher.

I appreciate his straight-forward, common sense approach to Reiki. I recommend this book to all my Reiki friends.

As a pagan I was drawn to this book because of the title. I have been initiated into the traditional Usui system of Reiki. I've read other books on Reiki and found this to be very refreshing and open-minded. It resonated for me because the author is able to explore many views in a sensitive manner. Quite a different approach from what I had been exposed to in my training and experience with other practitioners and teachers.
I like that he includes many other symbols to work with. My favorite "alternative " symbol is the OM.
Based on reading this book, I will purchase one of his others. His writing style makes the topic very accessible and clear.

This is a good book for those interested in the similarities between reiki and wicca. I had a good knowledge of Reiki but little knowledge of wicca before reading this book. I gave general knowledge about both subjects although leans more towards new reiki learners. I did not like the fact that it gave all the reiki symbols together. I follow my master's beliefs and believe that the 2nd and master symbols should only be learned after attunements, so I note to tell someone to skip those pages if desired would have been nice. Otherwise, if you are not bothered by that, a good book. Also gives some New Reiki symbols, but I would have desired a little more info about them. Also, be sure to check the distant reiki symbol. It does not correlate with the one my reiki master gave me, but of course there are discrepancies out there about this symbol, so follow whatever your heart chooses-author says this alot which i do like, some authors push their beliefs on the reader and chris doesnt. overall, a good buy!

I am a parent of a son who is almost 12, diagnosed a few years back with bipolar and ADHD. I am continually looking for books to help me along this journey. This is a must read book for any parent of a bipolar child. It is written by a mother - and it is very candid. It makes you realize as a parent that you are not alone in this struggle. It has given me renewed hope as we have to face the future. I highly recommend this book. After I finished reading it, my husband is now reading it and I have been telling everyone about it.

I had the pleasure of discovering Kate McLaughlin's, Mommy I'm Still In Here, a memoir of a mother's efforts to hold her family together during the crisis of having two of her three children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Then I had the good fortune to interview her.

The book was moving and frightening, but ultimately hopeful and eminently practical. There is no adult demographic that I can think of that wouldn't benefit from this easy and fascinating read. If you never need the information on bipolar disorder for the management of your own circumstances, you can only come away enlightened, more compassionate, weighed with important questions and, most importantly, buoyed with hope.

Ms. McLaughlin's eldest daughter, Chloe, suffers from the most difficult to treat cascade of symptoms, and her brother, Michael, wrestles with substance abuse issues in his low times, and yet, with their strength of family and perseverance, they've achieved satisfaction and competence in their lives. Ms. McLaughlin is a shining example of someone able to map the big picture and offers a way to develop perspective. She soars high.

All I can do is recommend Mommy I'm Still In Here.

To hear the audio of the interview, go to PsychJourney dot com.

Mommy I'm Still in Here is an incredibly thought provoking and educational account of one families authentic journey of living with Bipolar Disorder. Kate McLaughlin shares straight from the heart of here experiences of raising children with a challenging mental illness and truly illuminates the beauty that the challenges provoked. Kate's story offers true inspiration about continuing perseverance in the toughest of times and how hanging in there for the ride despite the readiness to give up is worth it.

Kate McLaughlin inspires and teaches in this incredible journey through her experiences with bipolar disorder in her children. She opens her heart and deepest thoughts to the reader to allow us to join her in the emotions and roller coaster ride she lives through. This book was a quick read and will teach you about this condition but more about how a family survives together and that there is beauty and love to be found in every experience. Her writing is beautiful, riveting, real and impactful. I especially appreciate her acknowledgements that not everyone is blessed to have the resources to deal with the ongoing trials. She is a beautiful woman, mother and author and we can only hope that she will write another book to continue the chronicles so we can all benefit from her wisdom and attitude. She shows us how to live with challenges honestly, openly, and gracefully. Thank you!

In "Mommy I'm Still in Here," Kate McCloughlin tells the unforgettable story of her family's experiences with bipolar disorder. As two of her children suffer from this condition, Kate shares a lifetime of observances and experiences, including the effect of the disease on her entire family and between siblings. The book is a wealth of knowledge for those suffering from or dealing with the effects bipolar disorder. But more than that, Kate's great strength and love for her children leave one feeling optimistic and hopeful. Kate is an inspiration to all--a symbol of hope and strength, a role model of motherly love and perseverance, and a concerned parent wishing to help others by sharing her experiences.

We purchased twenty copies which we used as a text book for a 13 week class at church, mixed men and women. The thrust of the class was to help the students know what is involved in finding, mentoring, teaching, and releasing a disciple in a one-on-one long term committed relationship. The book made a good back drop for the course in so far as it gave us a track to run on, since none of us had taught this subject before. As the teacher, I found several of the chapters to be spot on target and I used them pretty much exclusively for about half the course. Other chapters however were either weaker in content or just didn't cut to the specific deliverable I wanted to get across, so I supplemented with independent material. Several of my students had gone to the church website (Xenos) to check it out and were a little worried about the "casual" approach to ministering. Our church takes a more conservative approach and some behaviors that are considered culturally permissible, like smoking, course language, etc. we tend to frown on and believe the Holy Spirit through the process of Sanctification will cleanse the mature believer of. We therefore don't condone or model those behaviors in an attempt to woo the non or immature believer into sticking with us. Fortunately almost none of this came out in the book. Moreover, the book (and Xenos fellowship) rely heavily on "cell churches" which we also do not subscribe to. This method did come out in the book and so I had to customize the content for my class when it did. This was not a problem though. All in all, I'm glad I chose the book because it lived up to its "organic" name. That is, it got right to the heart of mentoring one on one, as opposed to many books I've seen that are more "clinical" or targeted to my own discipleship and walk with the Lord. This book definitely got us into the messy "human-ness" of one man pouring his life into another man, or woman to woman.

I really liked the book. It had the right theological framework necessary to grow God's people and care for the flock as well as providing very practical advise for helping those that want to engage in discipleship at different levels.

I found the section on professional counseling rather difficult. I lean toward Biblical counseling which empowers God's people to counsel at different levels. I cringe at the advise most people get when they see psychiatrists. The problem is real, however. You were brave enough to speak about it. I would think something not so sophisticated speaking about this might be more appropriate for the readers of this book.

Your section on quality conversation and friendship making will surely be helpful to some.

It is a good basic book that helps people trying to make discipleship work in their cell groups.
I already started talking about your book and will pass it on to some of our pastors

For a number of years now I've been working on a practical how-to book on discipleship. Dennis McCallum has beaten me to the punch with Organic Disciple Making. He's written the most practical book on how to disciple people I've ever read.

Time and time again I find myself saying, "Yup, he nailed that one; that's how it works." For example, early on the book covers the subject of modeling and its key role in making disciples. Later it delves into the practical questions of how you counsel and disciple through various issues or how you deal with blocks in their development.

For example McCallum distinguishes the difference between weakness and resistance and the appropriate response of a disciple maker. A disciple struggling with weakness generally needs encouragement, whereas a disciple who is resistant often needs confrontation and possibly discipline.

I loved that the book had a whole section on coaching and I loved that its counsel is both biblically grounded and rooted in the everyday experience of someone who leads 250 home churches. I've read so many books on discipleship and few drill down to address the questions ordinary people have as they struggle to help their disciples grow.

All of us who have committed ourselves to following Jesus and representing his name need to learn how to make disciples. It was the last thing he asked us to do before leaving the earth. If you as a Jesus-follower feel like you need help in learning how to do this in a way that feels natural, do yourself a favor and get Organic Disciple Making.

If you want to make a lasting impact for Jesus Christ, this book is a must. McCallum and Lowery give Biblical, insightful, and practical ideas on how to promote and achieve Chritian formation in others. Not many have the gifting to lead thousands. Very few are effective at preaching to hundreds. Yet helping disciple one or two other Christians is something every Christian can do.

In the long tradition of The Lost Art of Disciple Making, Multiplying Disciples, and Disciples Are Made, Not Born, Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community is designed to do more than tell about the need for making disciples of Jesus. This is a book that painstakingly provides a path from start to finish.

This book has the potential to be used by small group coaches to disciple and develop small group leaders. With today's small group ministries launching groups with leaders just a step ahead of their members, this could be a very helpful resource providing a pathway for mentoring.

In its pages you will find more than stories of how it's working at Xenos. You'll also find the practical steps needed to begin a disciplemaking ministry in your own church. More importantly, you may find the inspiration to look for one life to pour into. After all, that is the point.

I have read most of the variations and book series on the King Arthur legend (Jack Whyte, Bernard Cornwell, Mary Stewart, Stephen Lawhead, etc) as well as a good deal of background information and theories. This edition intrigued me because Jack Whyte has written the forward and he has been my favorite writer on the subject ... to a point (up to the end of "Uther"). But Rosemary Sutcliff, by far, has set the standard for the conclusion of this legend. It is realistic, and most importantly, believable. You want to know the people in this book. You can see, feel and hear what they are experiencing. Her style is intelligent, interesting and true to history. And curiously, she wrote this before any one else did. THIS is how this story should end.

This is quite simply the best dark ages historical fiction novel ever written. "Sword At Sunset" tells the story of Artos the Bear, the war leader who will one day be known in legends as King Arthur, and his valiant struggle to fend off the invading Saxons, Angles and Jutes who are descending on Britain in the wake of the Roman evacuation in ever-increasing numbers. Sutcliff avoids the swords-and-sorcery of the Arthur legends and focuses on relating an amazingly accurate and realistic-seeming tale of what the TRUE Arthur must have been like. This book is in some ways a sequel to "The Lantern Bearers", which tells the story of a Roman soldier who chooses to stay behind after the legions depart Britain in the early 5th century. Here Sutcliff's magnificent prose reaches its zenith as she describes the struggles of Artos and his "Companions" to rally the populace and raise, train, and feed their army. The language crackles with authenticity, the battles are gripping, the historical detail is uncanny, the characters are all complex and multi-dimensional. Arthur in particular is portrayed as a admirable but flawed man whose failings as a husband and father are as much a driving force of his persona as his ability to attract and lead men into war. The book also touches on Arthur's negative light in many of the saint's lives, by describing his conflicts with the church over provisioning his war band. You will not find a more believable or poetically written tale of the dark ages, though Wallace Breem's "Eagle in the Snow" comes somewhat close. This one has it all and will not disappoint true fans of historical fiction looking for a realistic, well-written novel of this fascinating time.

As close as possible to depicting the real King Arthur. Beautiful, gritty, based on history and archeology. No silly fantasy here -- no Merlin, no magic, no Camelot, no Round Tables, and no damn Wiccans dancing in the moonlight.

I read "Sword at Sunset" after reading several favorable reviews from Amazon and other sources. Now that I have finished the book, I must say that I am not disappointed. To date, this is the single best Arthurian novel that I have read.

Rosemary Sutcliff does an excellent job of portraying what the real, historical Arthur might have been like. Most of the novel is based on Nennius' battle-list, although there are clear references to other early sources, such as the Lives of the Saints. She clearly has done her research, and she even manages to incorporate some of the more legendary material from later traditions in a believable way. However, in this story, there is no magic, and no Merlin. Readers who are looking for a fantasy novel might want to look at other works, such as Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga.

The edition I read was from the 70's, and had a couple of editing errors in it, but no major problems. I assume these have probably been corrected by now. This is an excellent novel, and I can't recommend it enough!

I read this way back in the early 70's. It was one of the first historical novels which impressed me, and to this day I can still see the images Sutcliff put into my mind. No other "Arthur" has come even close to being as real as her Artos the Bear, and his post-Roman Britain. Her writing style should appeal to young readers particularly, because it is sophisticated yet accessible. I don't know how a woman author can get inside a man's head so well. That effort usually comes off feeling artificial. But not with Sutcliff's writing.