Christianity Books

Bevere does a good job of tying together the need to respect and honor those who have been given authority over us. He challenges the reader to honor with one's heart, not just with lip service.

Our Small Group Men's Bible Study Group is using this book. John Bevere shows us how Jesus honored those that he comes in contact with. The Book teaches us how to honor others and when we honor others, they receive rewards and so do we when we honor them. At the same time we Honor Jesus and we also receive His Rewards.

It is always obvious when someone has been with the Father......
John Bevere is clear, honest and thorough in this book.
The Holy Spirit accompanies it with the conviction and hope that is His trademark.

This book brought so much to light! Things I'd known, but had forgotten the great power of, and what it really means to the Lord when we Honor Him by Honoring others!!

This book has started a series of MIRACLES in my life, beginning with a super fine adjustment to my own attitude of heart towards others, and ending up with two major miraculous changes within my soul by a move of God in three separate occasions! My entire life has been greatly blessed and awesomely affected!

Thank you John Bevere, for your part in this much needed revival of my entire personality in Jesus!Honor's Reward: How to Attract God's Favor and Blessing

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've read other John Bevere books and this one was just as good as the others. The author gets right to the core of his subject, and backs it up with Scripture. This books is written in such a way as one can apply it to everyday life, and even more so in this day and time. If you like John Bever's style, you will like this book.

I found this book just about the time the author started eHarmony. The service was not available in my area, but I felt that he had a great idea. I purchased the book in order to learn more.

I had been divorced and had sworn off men and decided I would never marry again. I read the book and was amazed at how the author took the population and showed us how the pool of potential mates was narrowed and narrowed by our location, desires, etc.

The "must have" and "can't stand" lists have saved my life. By not only learning about myself, but also by actually putting pen to paper and figuring out what I really wanted and more imporatantly how to recognize those I did not want, I was able to focus on my future.

I am happy to report that I am very happily married to my soul mate. While we were dating he teased me about this book over and over, but now he sees the tremendous benefit in the knowledge this book provides. I have continued to recommend it to all my friends and family. It worked for me and can for you too!

This book helps you really look at yourself, learn to know yourself, then you determine what traits are really important in a mate. What bugs you, what can you live with, what things can you just not stand in a mate?

This book helps you look at common wish lists for a mate and find out what matters most to YOU. Then you learn to determine if someone has these traits, so you don't waste your time on dating someone you could never be happy with.

This book makes sense, and helps people pin down what really matters to THEM. I'd recommend it highly to anyone looking for a relationship.

If you are in a relationship and its not working out, this book could also help you figure out what's wrong. This one should be on everyone's book shelves, its a great book to loan to friends and family if you don't need it yourself.

This book uses sound principals of true personality compatability.

A great book to help people identify what they are looking for when they are dating. I can honestly say that this book should be mandatory for people prior to dating! :)

An excellent guide through an introspective process, which will reveal those aspects of a potential mate that are key for you. Once you can see what is so important to you that it will ultimately make or break a relationship, the rest is pretty easy. Read it. Think about it. Second dates with people who couldn't possibly be "the one" will no longer be necessary. This was the book that made the difference for me. I give it an A+.

I am a military chaplain. One of the questions I face comes in the area of relationships. People looking around for the right one. I have suggested this book numerous times to others. It worked for me. I would highly recommend it for someone recouping after a bad relationship before going back or to another relationship.

I have found this book to be so very eye opening to myself and the Sunday school class I facilitate of 60 women. There are so many nuggets of wisdom on how we are wired for God by God to have relationship with Him that we miss because we don't see who He has made us to be. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the Word of God concerning our relationship with ourselves. How to Succeed at Being Yourself: Finding the Confidence to Fulfill Your Destiny

I have read many books by Joyce Meyers. Some are repetitive but some of us need repetition to ever get it.

I am consently reading something. Some I can put down, some I can't and this book was one of the few I could not get enough of.

This book out of thousands I have read, would be in my top 5 of best books ever written.

I do believe this book is Inspired by God. It is for those of us who are figuring out what we will be when we grow up, no matter your age.

Thank you Joyce for blessing and enriching my Walk with Christ with this book.

I was a bit disappointed in this book as it is just a repeat of so many of her other books. I guess if this is the first book by her you read it is ok, but I have still read much better. Borrow it and read someone else's--or just skip it altogether.

I must say that in conjunction with Purpose Driven Life, Joyce's books have turned my life around. Joyce gave me the tools to drop all of the bitterness and self- doubt that had been plaguing me and keeping me from working towards the ministry God called me for.

This book has been a "true gem" as an earlier review stated. Joyce pushes farther into the "just believe in yourself" mantra and illustrates how the key to succeeding in life is to trust in God, and all things will be given unto you.

"Confidence is faith in God." So true- and a wonderful eye opener for me.

In my own life, I've been called to ministry and I've feel ignorant and ill- equipped to serve others due to my lack of knowledge of scripture. Joyce points out that God wants us to come on faith and that He'll perfect us through His work and not our own. Our stepping out "before we feel truly ready" ensures that we'll lean more fully on God and recognize His work in creating who we are.

I can now approach my own ministry with confidence thanks to the words spoken through Joyce's anointed gift.

Once again, I've been moved to tears by one of Joyce's books. And I thank God for her and I am grateful that she plugged on and answered the call.

I was lead to buy this book with no initial intention to buy anything! I was going through a personal crisis but wouldn't have thought of buying a book with this title. Nonetheless I just felt I should, so I did. It became the second best thing to the Bible for me. I can't believe how much I gained.. I normally get bored halfway through any book and end up putting it down. Not this one. I've underlined so much I think I've covered half the book in my pen! It's like I need it just to keep my mind in the right direction, my thoughts where they should be, and to give me what I need to face the day with strength! It honestly gives me the tools for confidence I haven't found in any other book. I treasure this one.

This is one of the best books I've read regarding finding the path to true healing following childhood sexual abuse. The author, Nicole B. Bromley, does an excellent job of relating to the reader as she expresses her caring heart, and she clearly points out the steps that the victim needs to take in order to move toward healing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been sexually abused.

Books like this reveal that free will can be a terrible thing. But without free will people would be robots. The D word (devil) also is involved in the evil that occurs.

A must read, not only for the abused individual but for all those involved with that individual. Nicole's words touch you on so many levels. Her ability to connect and empathize with the reader is amazing. Her "voice" is honest and straight forward. She gives the reader tools that are easy to understand and use that will assist them in their healing. I highly recommend this book.

For those who have experienced sexual abuse, this is a must read. The author has walked the same journey and shares from her heart of what it takes to move toward recovery and healing. Highly recommend as a resource for young adult leaders as well.

I recently discovered the answer to this question: "ever read a book and feel like the author stole a part of you that only you knew?" My answer is yes, and it comes in the form of the book "Hush." Being a survivor myself, it was hard for me to find anyone who I could relate to because I kept my secret hidden. Once I met Nicole and read her book, all of that changed for me. Her message is one of hope and optimism while still speaking poignant truth. Nicole shows compassion in every word that's written. She does an excellent job of detailing where abuse survivors have misconceptions about the world and how to get rid of these thoughts. She also uses her own personal stories to show where those thoughts manifested themselves in her life. By acknowledging these beliefs about other people and myself I finally could start making strides to heal. I hope that everyone in my situation will also be lucky enough to feel the power of healing in their life, a healing that I have learned can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus.

Anyone who is a survivor of or even just knows someone that has dealt with childhood sexual abuse can gain much from Nicole's book. I not only recommend reading this book, but also I recommend if Nicole comes to your area you should definitely go and see her speak because it will change your life.

The information provided in the study book is very good reading, especially for women's bible study groups. We currently are using this
for our church's circle group. We also purchased the study guide. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read any of Beth Moore's books.

This book is great. It has really helped me focus on Jesus life here on earth. It has made me dig deeper to discover and wonder about the details. Beth Moore's applications of the passages have brought it to life.

So far this is my favorite Beth Moore book. I've already read it twice and am sure to read it again. She tackles a very familiar story with fresh insights just about every chapter. It's not a "preachy" book. Rather she makes you feel like you're a fellow learner with a good friend. Unlike some of her other books, this does not require looking up many references which makes it ideal to read when you're reading somewhere other than your desk at home.

I have been in numerous Beth Moore Bible studies and this is one of my favorites! This is the study of Christ's life in the form of a daily, personal study. It is 53 short chapter messages.

You can never go wrong with a Beth Moore study. She has a gift for opening the Word and revealing Truth!
I would not buy from this seller, however. It took almost an entire month for it to arrive.

The Ann Graham Lotz's book on "Just Give Me Jesus" was a conduit that provided the strength and encouragement to a homeless person.... I was just an instrument on God's behalf, that while serving the homeless people at a homeless shelter I encountered a man who had read one of the "tracks" I leave out for people to read, on the powerful message of Jesus Christ and how they can save their lives through his amazing grace. On the back of the track was a short summary about the book "Just Give Me Jesus". This homeless person wanted me to pray with him and after doing so, he pointed to the picture of the book and said while reading the track he got goose bumps and would like to read this book. I told him I would try to get him the book and will bring it the next time I come to serve. I ordered this book off of Amazon and took it to him. He was shocked I remembered and was overjoyed about receiving the book. Several others whom are in the same situation as he, also expressed a desire to read it. Their hunger and thirst for the hope that only Jesus can give was such an inspiration to me and a powerful message.... Praise God for answered prayers! It was such a blessing to me to be able to give this man this book.

Jen

I have gotten the book but have read only a couple of chapters. The book was in very good condition when I received it and I am thankful I was able to get it at a good price.

Thanks, Amazon!!

Donald (Shirley) Schlegel

I read this quite a while ago; It was my first book by this author. I never forgot her, either. Then I saw her on T.V. one day, and I noticed that her eyes were on fire by the Holy Spirit, and her adoration of the Lord encompassed every word she spoke. This author is genuine, and her writings have a tender way in which they woo and lull the reader into a deeper walk with Jesus. I simply love everything Anne Graham Lotz writes. Thank you Anne, for making our tumultuous world easier to bear with your sweet words.

Carrie Lynn Jones
Author of It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers

This book is incredible!! It's the first book I have read of Anne Graham Lotz and it will not be the last. I love her writing and relate to her on so many levels! The more I learn about Jesus, the more I agree with Anne - Jesus is all I want and all I need!

I loved this book. It gave me so many other views of how a true Christian should follow after Jesus. It was an eye opener when it came to the world view versus a Christian view of life and the tribulations that comes along with it. I am so blessed to have read this book, and highly recommend it for ALL women of faith that is struggling with their purpose and why God created them. Just Give Me Jesus is all about a woman's purpose and her role in society. Anne Graham Lotz hit it right on the point. I am a changed woman because of this book. Jennifer Rankins

Doug Moo offers a great exegetical and expositional commentary with the PNTC series offering on James. Well worth the buy, if you don't have a solid commentary on James. Nothing too crazy, and lots of compelling argumentation for his positions.

I have five critical commentaries on James (Lenski, Bruce, Woods, Martin, and now Moo). This one will more than likely be the primary source for me when I study the book in a critical fashion. He is thorough and that is what I want. If you are a preacher looking for something quick and in summary form, a smaller work might be more useful. For me, as a preacher, if I am in the circumstance where I need something quick I am already in trouble. I like the Pillar Series. Not long ago I read of one's review that was overly critical of the work on the epistles of John - I do not subscribe to that sentiment at all. It is a good series!

If you are looking for an answer to a question raised about the meaning of the book of Phillipians, you could not find a better treatment. This is a wonderful resource and fine treatment of the text. I used it in a series of sermons, and found it very easy to acess and get the gems of the book.

`The Epistle of James' by James B. Adamson, 1976, 227 pages in the series The New International Commentary on the New Testament; `The Letter of James' by Douglas J. Moo, 2000, 271 pages, a volume in the series The Pillar New Testament Commentary; and `James' by Ralph P. Martin, 1988, 240 pages, A volume in the series Word Biblical Commentary are all `full featured' and recent commentaries on the first of the short `catholic' epistles in the New Testament.

I find it amazing how different the material is in these three volumes. After 1800 years of commentary, one would expect a fair amount of uniformity in thinking about this short letter, but there is a remarkable range of differences in emphasis among the three.

Those of you who are familiar with the world of biblical commentary will recognize that all three are part of major series of commentaries. Adamson and Moo belong to series dedicated to the New Testament, while Martin's volume is an offering of a larger series on both Old and New Testaments. And, each volume is organized in a way to match the editorial style of their series. This is most clearly seen in Martin's volume, as his work is organized in virtually the same way as the much larger work on Paul's Epistle to the Romans by the distinguished scholar, James D. G. Dunn. This is no surprise, as Martin is the New Testament editor for his series, the Word Biblical Commentary.

Ranked by scholarly detail, Martin has the most and Adamson has the least, with Moo somewhere in between; but don't take from this that Martin is heavy on the Greek and Adamson has no original Greek. All three are specifically written for the scholar and assume that the reader either knows classical Greek or is willing to slog through all the Greek words and expressions. The irony here is that while Martin is the most heavily scholarly, it may also be the most accessible to the lay or strictly pastoral user, since this series divides scholarly observations into the `Comments' on each paragraph, while more general thoughts are spelled out in straight English in the `Form/Structure/Setting' section and later in the `Explanation' section following the `Comments'. Adamson organizes all his `special' or more technical topics in `Excursus' sections following his main commentary. I found this just a tad distracting, especially when I discovered some mistakes in references to these Excursus sections in the main text.

All three authors give us their own translations of the text, and all three agree on where the difficult phrases are to be found. If I were to pick a volume purely on the basis of their translation, I would prefer Adamson, as he seems to give translations that best resolve these difficult sections. But, in all three cases, the authors agree on where the difficulties lie and, in general, the nature of the difficulties.

In the three authors' introductory chapter on the author, themes, and canonical status of the letter, all three agree on the major points. They uniformly agree, for example on the belief that the letter does, in fact, represent the thoughts or writings of James, the brother of Jesus, who was head of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem up to about 62 CE. They also agree that the final form of the letter was rewritten and polished sometime in the early 2nd century, CE. The authors are also uniform in their citing Martin Luther's misunderstanding of James; however, I would give Luther credit for seeing scriptural support of many Roman Catholic doctrines, even if any sound reading of `James' shows that this support is probably stretching James points just a little too far.

On the major themes of the letter, I generally prefer Martin's emphasis on the three topics of `Wisdom', `Perfection', and `The Piety of the Poor' to the other authors' interest in theology and the law. James is clearly spending less times on these typically Pauline topics than he is on lessons for a Christian life.

Among all the other differences, it is most remarkable to see all the differences between how the three authors structure an outline of the short letter. If you didn't know better, you may think they were talking about two different writings. This is just a symptom of the fact that `James' is much less a theological argument a la `Romans' and much more a collection of lessons on prayer, right Christian behavior, and the implications of faith. This is consistent with the fact that the letter has much in common with the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew (See Martin).

One last difference I detect between the three is the fact that Martin makes more connections to modern theology of, for example Dietrich Bonhoffer, while Moo and Adamson have more citations to the great reformers, Calvin and Luther.

If I had to pick only one of these, I would go with Martin's volume in the Word Biblical Commentary series. If I were interested only in pastoral interpretation, I would go with Moo or the article `The Letter of James' by Luke Timothy Johnson in `The New Interpreter's Bible', since both refer heavily to the standard NIV and NRSV translations. If your interest is in a scholarly study of the letter, you will probably want all three.

This is Moo's second commentary on the epistle of James. He wrote his first one in 1985 as part of the Tyndale series. This commentary is the result of fifteen years of reflection on that work. The content of this commentary makes it evident that this is the mature thought of a noted scholar on the letter of James. Those fifteen years left him more convinced "that the heart of the letter is a call to wholehearted commitment to Christ" (x).
Moo provides a lengthy introduction to this epistle (46 pages worth). This introduction includes the history of James in the church, nature and genre, authorship, theology, occasion and date, and structure of James. Concerning authorship, Moo holds that James, the bother of Christ, is the author. He presents arguments against this traditional view and then answers them. The section on the theology of the book is a feature more commentaries would do well to include. He dates the writing of the letter around the middle of the 40s AD. This is important because the date of writing has great implication on the relationship of the letter to Paul's teachings. Moo does not place a ridge structure on the letter. Instead, he finds "several key motifs" which "are often mixed together with other themes in paragraphs that cannot be labeled as neatly as we might like" (45). Denying the assertion of some commentators that the letter has no unifying purpose, Moo argues that the central concern of the letter is spiritual wholeness of the readers (47).
Moo's analysis of the text is insightful. His word studies are well done. He presents a wide range of possible meanings but uses the context to determine which meaning is James's meaning. Moo also does a good job in showing James's relationship with Paul. James is not writing against Paul. James means something different by faith than does Paul. They are addressing different problems.
The format of the commentary is user friendly for the most part. One helpful aspect is that Moo's introductory notes precede the verse by verse exposition of major points and most sub-points. Moo transliterates Greek words making the commentary usable to those who do not have the advantage of knowing Greek. One slight critique concerns the chapter divisions. The chapter divisions of the commentary are based on the chapters of James. This is fine, but the table of contents is broken down by his outline. One would whish the editors would choose a method of division and stay with it. The only other criticism is that Moo's writing style can be difficult at times. These two minor criticisms in no way change the fact that this is a masterpiece. It is short at only 251 pages not counting indexes. Anyone from a layperson to a scholar will benefit from this commentary. This reviewer would recommend it without hesitation (something he does not do often).

If you want true accounts of the persecution that took place by the Heretical church of the day and those that stood stong for their Biblical belief and died for it, this is a must read.

This should be in the homes of every Baptist family, as it already is in most Amish families. As the book itself explains, it is a history of fifteen centuries of the suffering of the Baptist people and their martyrdom at the hands of the catholic church. A list of popes up to the time it was written is included in the back. It proves that Baptists existed long before Martin Luther, and were martyred for such sins as reading the Bible and Baptizing adults after they were saved. It is impossible to deny these facts because this book documented these horrors and was written hundreds of years ago, before political correctness came into being, using the records of governments most of which have since been destroyed. The names of hundreds of individual Baptist people are recorded along with descriptions of the accusations against them, their tortures and death. It is detailed, and too graphic for children.

The story of the Anabaptists is one of incredible pain and spiritual triumph. This impressive work was written in the seventeenth century and recounts the stories of many men and women who suffered and often faced terrible death for what they thought was right. Apart from individuals stories, the book contains many emotionally touching letters written by martyrs to their families and friends. The book also describes the sufferings of some of the early Christians and the later Waldensians.
The legacy of the Anabaptists lives on in the Amish and Mennonites. In fact, an article about Amish forgiveness in the aftermath of the recent tragic school shooting was one of the things that brought this book to my attention. Personally, I feel Christians of any denomination could take something useful from this book.
Overall, "Martyr's Mirror" is an extremely powerful and moving book.

A part of my family research - but brings the sadness, the strength and the Christian conviction to a very harsh reality. Something all of us from those roots need to read.

This is an excellent work and a great accompaniment to Foxes' Book of Martyrs. It is an enormous volume with much information I have not seen before.
I highly recommend it as an addition to every Christian's library, and to anyone studying the subject of martyrdom.

This book is an updating of an earlier edition, though the amount of additional material added (six new chapters and extensive material added to previous chapters!) easily justifies purchase for owners of the first edition.

The outstanding feature of this book is its excellent blend of primary texts and commentary. There is simply no substitute for reading the Church Fathers in their own words, and Aquilina does an outstanding job of selecting and editing the patristic texts most relevant to the liturgy of the early Church. Aquilina does not shy away from the ambiguity inherent in most patristic discussions of the liturgy, and provides a good discussion of the disciplina arcani and its impact on the writings of the early Fathers.

Each primary text is preceded by a short introduction which provides historical context for each author. Aquilina's prose is clear and lucid, and is easily accessible to the average reader. I would highly recommend this book to "beginners" who are interested in learning about the liturgy of the earliest Christians.

For those who are more experienced in their study of the Church Fathers, this book is an excellent compendium of primary texts on the early liturgy, and I would recommend it as a valuable resource for topical study. I have used in my own studies to avoid dragging out weightier tomes and hunting for references.

This book is an excellent resource, well-written, and should occupy a place of importance on the bookshelf.

Through the use of primary sources with minimum interjection of commentary, Mr. Aquilina provides a compelling account of the early mass. It is a challenge to the idea of a primitive and simplistic church model that instead shows us how well-formed the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist were very early in the church. From the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist to the development of church government and use of scripture, this will be a serious challenge for inquisitive non-Catholic believers. Mr. Aquilina does a fine job of letting the early church speak for itself in describing the heart of worship in spirit and truth. This little book is packed and will be a great resource for church historians and theologians of the mass. Very readable yet profound and engaging.

The early martyrs asserted that they could not live without the mass. You may find yourself drawn to the same conclusion. Be forewarned, Mr. Aquilina's passion for the early church and the mass is infectious. But you will not be sorry if you catch it. You will also want his other superb work, The Fathers of the Church, Expanded Edition.

This book is a must read for anyone who thinks that the Catholic Mass is not scriptural or follows the teachings of Jesus. The book clearly lays out and ties together the Mass of the Catholic Church with the teachings of Paul and the traditions Christ himself followed as a faithful Jew. The section of the Church Fathers, which documents the teachings of the first generation of teachers who where taught by the Apostles, clearly shows what the early Christian Church, before the reformation, believed and professed concerning the celebration of regular liturgy and Communion. An excellent resource for Ministers and lay teachers along with The Teachings of the Church Fathers
The Fathers of the Church, Expanded Edition

Every Christian should read this - it is heartening to know what we celebrate at Mass today is as it was in the early Church

I had been looking forward to reading the 2nd edition of Mike Aquilina's The Mass of the Early Christians and I certainly was not disappointed. This is absolutely a great book and I believe required reading for anybody who wants to read on the early form and development of the Mass.

Mike Aquilina takes us sequentially through history using documented sources to give us a good idea of how the Mass was originally celebrated. We of course have some idea of this from the New Testament and the book goes thoroughly through both Old and New Testament sources in reference to the Mass and we see over and over again how the Church Fathers did the same. Part of the development of the Mass is shrouded in history, especially concerning the Eucharistic celebration. Early Christians kept the Eucharistic celebration secret and seekers and catechumen were required to leave prior to the Eucharistic celebration. Early writers pretty much kept to this tradition and so often we only have oblique references to this and it only becomes more explicit after the Edict of Milan. I think this practice is a good thing to meditate on in how sacred the early Christians viewed this celebration and how cavalier we can think of it.

Despite this lack of openness regarding the liturgy there are still a lot of good clues to give us an insight into these early celebrations and we of course find that they are not much different in structured compared to our current celebrations. Part II - The Testimony of Witnesses is the largest part of the book and starts with the New Testament, the Didache and then then chapters focusing on individuals such as Church Fathers and other historical sources including some Pagan and Gnostic ones. I really like how he laid out the book because instead of getting brief texts from multiple sources we get much fuller texts from these authors when they reference the liturgy. This book is not a listing of all the texts available on the early church, but does contain a prominent sampling of them. As Mike Aquilina mentions including all of them would have made the book twice as large and I think he came up with a great compromise. I much prefer the fuller texts along with full scriptural texts.

I found some of the Pagan sources quite fascinating along with some of the early accusations made against the Christians. I had of course heard of the cannibalism charges, but some of the other charges made makes Church reporting by the modern media quite tame in contrast. The best part those are of the Church's witnesses and the insights they had towards the Mass and the view they give us of the early liturgies. This book can be used both for apologetics purposes and for spiritual reading. What I found most fascinating though was the texts from the Mass that still exist and the variety of them from the various geographical liturgies.

The last section of the book gives us a short and imaginative look at what it would have been like to go to a Mass in North Africa and a good idea of what it would have been like to go to one of these house Churches during the time the Church was being heavily persecuted.

Highly recommended for anybody.

I've read some great stuff on leadership, but "Mastering Monday" is one of my favorites.

John Beckett is not a theorist, but a practitioner. I've actually had the privilege of visiting his plant in Elyria, OH. I was deeply impressed with the way John interacts with his employees--they're family.

John is unashamed of his faith. The Bible is his source of inspiration. His use of biblical characters as examples of both success and failure doesn't come across as preachy, but prove that the Bible is still relevant for the world of work today. Ironically, John Beckett the `businessman' cites the Bible more than most preachers who attempt 'cross-over' books on leadership for the general public.

From personal observation I can confirm that John Beckett is the same person in and out of the marketplace. His godly character is particularly evident in the kind of family he and Wendy have raised. That's true success.

Surprisingly, for a man who is not a writer by profession, John Beckett communicates with remarkable clarity and creativity.

John Beckett has shown that integrating work with faith is possible---and the dividends are worth the investment.

I like "Mastering Monday" so much that I ordered a whole box!

John Beckett has a perspective of nearly 50 years in grappling with faith and work issues. His book, Mastering Monday, gives a remarkable perspective from a Biblical and contemporary setting to understand important issues. Beckett is well versed, well travelled, and has a thoughtful spirituality.

I know of few other marketplace leaders in the world as respected as John. His book should be a primer for every markteplace ministry and every church that understands the sacredness of vocational calling. Those of us who live in vocationally driven metropolitan areas will well appreciate the clarity with which John writes on the topic of calling.

We will encourage our church and marketplace networks here in New York City to make wide usage of this invaluable resource.

Dr. Mac Pier
President, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
Chairman, Fulton Street Anniversary Congress

How refreshing to find someone who has a positive, creative angle on business! Whether you are a CEO or simply in the work force "Mastering Monday" is essential study to help pave the way to a fruitful and fulfilling experience for those looking for a balanced family, community and business life.

From the outset "Mastering Monday" steps right into the nitty gritty work situations that regularly grab newspaper headlines tackling issues like .... personal conflict....union confrontation....attempted takeovers....global fall-out of bad business, etc. this leads into John Beckett focusing the reader on essential management policies and practices, the need to rethink relationships, as well as the balance between work and family, employee health, safety issues, and the bottom line in the balance sheet. This book sets out a corporate roadmap that spells out vision, mission, core values and principles essential to forge a balanced corporate character of your business.

"Mastering Monday" is designed to help businesses in the work place to bridge the gap between faith in God and everyday work bringing these two worlds together. John boldly relates some well known Biblical examples of godly personalities who set the highest standards of outstanding leadership from Noah to Jesus. There is a compelling chapter spelling out the end of business where God's principles of integrity and equity are ignored. John illustrates his point with some well known examples of corporate collapse due to business excess, pride, abusing influence in the workplace and devaluing people, with the subsequent impact on the business community and society in general.

In the final chapters John lays out five rock solid structural building blocks for a business based on sound Biblical principles that transcended time and circumstances. These principles cover areas such as....a sense of purpose....core values....the importance of people....stewardship in business and what it means to serve. Again John uses practical examples of these principles which have dynamically effected many spheres of today's business world and the benefits they have brought, not only to individuals but to the community by and large.

Momentum for change is touching hundreds of corporations and organisations as they rethink how they can live out sound Biblical principles in business in seeking to integrate faith and work. This is a genuine move of God potentially changing the whole landscape of work as an integrated part of living out a Christ-centered life naturally in the business world. I would highly reccommend "Mastering Monday" to every one involved in business and management.

Noel Bell.
Retired partner of Noel Bell Ridley Smith, Architects and Planners.

As a sequel to John Beckett's interntionally acclaimed LOVING MONDAYS, we're now empowered with a practical handbook to help us engage the marketplace for Jesus Christ with enthusiasm and hope, doing so effectively and with significant impact for Him -- thanks to Beckett's tried-and-proved insights. Playing on words ('mastering" = serving the Master), the author speaks to practical issues related to various facets of daily Christian discipleship. But he does so from the unque perspective of his years of leadership as one of America's most successful Christian CEOs. Yet, he writes in such a gentle and winsome manner, that anyone seeking to live faithfully for God's Son in the weekly challenges of the business world will find great encouragement, while at the same time gaining key principles on how to integrate faith and work so as to doing nothing less than bring glory to God. As far as I know (and I've spent 30 years traveling the Church worldwide) there is not another book out there today that speaks so directly and forcefully to any follower of Jesus in the markeplace the way MASTERING MONDAYS does. I highly recommend it. And while you're at it, if you haven't done so already be sure to follow it up by reading LOVING MONDAYS. To be joyful citizens of God's Kingdom in today's world, you need to experience both: the "loving" and the "mastering". The Lord Jesus deserves both. Thankfully, Beckett shows us how.

John Beckett has accurately captured many of the struggles and tensions Christians experience daily in the marketplace. Aspects of the author's journey are common to many Christians. His chapter "Integrating two Worlds" will be a help to any Christian in the marketplace -it is an issue that continually manifests itself. The phrase "I found that my growing faith was often relevant to work issues - but the reverse was also true. Workplace issues challenged and strengthened my faith, occasionally more than I anticipated." provides an encouraging perspective. The author shares his own experiences in this realm - in a transparent way that should be encouraging to all who read.

The section "Companions on the Journey" provides a number of biblical stories and characters from which much is to be learned and applied to our work world today. These are not one size fits all stories, but the characters and illustrations the author selects will provide much to think about. This is mixed in with some stories of contemporary business leaders and recent situations they have faced and their responses.

Finally, a discussion of God's workplace agenda and what theme's the author believes are critical in this discussion. In light of some recent business failures (more specifically failures of leadership) - this section does a good job of connecting the themes to "good business". It is a reminder of what really matters - and some encouragement to have the courage to do the right things.

This is a pretty quick reading book, but I don't think it is a read once and put it on the shelf. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it every year or so to remind myself of proper perspectives and to be encouraged in my work.