Religion and Spirituality Books

I really enjoyed this book and felt like I was there with the author. I read it and immediately re-read it. It provided information to me regarding my spritiaul path in this lifetime. We have to cut through the crust of life to find our true path in life. We have to know and believe in our feelings, and trust our feelings in our spirit.

Reading this book, especially the passage, "When something is shown to you, the universe opens up . . ." it reminded me of William Blake's, "To see the world in a grain of sand; and a heaven in a wild flower; hold infinity in the palm of your hand; and eternity in an hour." The author must have had a direct experience with something of the heavens, and how furtunate we all are that she returned to tell it.

Outspoken and direct, this book is a must read for anyone needing a complacency check. It challenges us to re-examine our own spiritual journey in a new light. Well done!

I had the privilege to attend a spellbinding reading of this work by the author at Golden Braid Bookstore in her hometown of Salt Lake City about a year ago. Everyone there was capativated by her enormous spiritual presence. Her book, a succinct, creatively-written version of her extensive dissertation work, is so visual that the reader feels as though he/she is along for the journey.

Agreed. The naysayer's clearly did not read the book at all! How do I know this? Dr. McWhorter clearly discusses the critical, patriarchal views in Chapter 7 entitled "Fear is the Real Satan". Interesting that it was male energy who submitted unaccountable negative reviews that clearly gave themselves away as not having read her brilliant work at all. I, for one, am anxiously looking forward to the day that Dr. McWhorter writes and publishes her next thought-provoking, insightful book.

Reading Dead Bunnies gave me permission to embrace my own story. By being transparent and vulnerable, the author encouraged me to let down my guard and share my story with others. Reading this book challenges readers to acknowledge the author, uniqueness, and beauty of their own purposeful and intricate story.

Dead Bunnies is the book you stay up all night reading because you can't stop laughing. It is also the book that makes you think it's time to start paying closer to attention to the events of your life. If you've ever heard Bryan Currie speak in person, I know you've wanted to sit down with him for a conversation to hear more of his great stories. Dead Bunnies is that conversation.

Bryan Currie uses a voice in his book that allows the reader to feel as if you are having a great one on one coversation. He conveys his thoughts, feelings, and personal stories just as he would if you were sitting in a coffee shop or talking over dinner. I admire an author who lets his personality shine through his writing and Mr. Currie does just that. The subject matter ebbs and flows from fun stories to deep subject matter and back again, all with skill and grace. Overall, I have enjoyed this book and continue to pick it up and read a chapter now and again, just to have a conversation.

Bryan's perception to everyday life examples of God showing up in the most unexpected places is very insightful and refreshing. This is one you will not want to miss reading. The giftedness of this extraordinary writer compels you into every twist and turn of each story and makes you think you are actually watching the events evolve right in front of your very eyes. Fabulous book!

I laughed right out loud!! This book had me laughing one minute and in sober reflection the next. The stories beautifully illustrate the basic truths that underlie Christianity. The writing style is equally appropriate for young and old. This is a must read!!!

Why 5 stars? The author admits that ID is not science and should not be taught to kids (perhaps for concerns with ideological pornography, but we'll never know). For that reason alone, this release gets 5. If only a number of the other reviewers understood that.

The rest of Gene's nonsense is taken apart as follows, but also see some of the threads for other reviews:

Chap 1: Cells look designed, like a watch.

Chap 2: Gene invents Inductive Gradualism and departs with the scientific method.

Chapter 3: Gene searches the database for design terminology, as evidence of ID. Life is carbon-based nano-technology. A 'mind' created life.

Chapter 4: Protein synthesis is similar to Morse code. We should be suspicious.

Chapter 5 Life is 'sophisticated computer machinery' like a computer program.

Chapter 6: In figure 6-1 we're asked 'do you see a duck or a rabbit?' (IDers are supposed to see a rabbit). The 'rabbits want to join ducks in the science lab', but instead the rabbits entered a hole and mated.

Chapter 7: Front-loaded evolution is a about how a brainy designer might use evolution to carry out a design. (But one could ask: maybe a bunch of designers got loaded and did a front run on evolution: with extinction?)

Chapter: 8 Gene 'evolves' IC. (Why did Gene decide not to cover Dover here? Judge Jones thought IC was just more bio-porn. Too x-rated to cover?)

Chapter 9: Design is rational, life is rigged.

Chapter 10: IDers can use a scorecard to test their suspicions. My score so far, Angelic Rabbits zero, Duck Soup 5.

Another release that would compliment Gene's humor-filled hard effort in TDM is the biochem-porn by Rana, THE CELL'S DESIGN.

No matter what you think about the ID debate, there is little doubt that a lot of smart people on both sides are writing books about it. Mike Gene (pseudonym) is no exception. When I first began reading his book and realized how inspired it was from blogs and internet chat I was fearful of a less than rigorous treatment. Happily this was not the case, and his goal (less ambitious than most) of at least making the case for the possibility of ID seemed more than accomplished.
The author adopts about as humble and conciliatory a tone as can be imagined in this contentious climate, and that helps keep the read pleasant. Much of the ground he goes over had been discussed before, but he does a better job than I've encountered, at least, of showing the strong, strong similarities between man-man designed machines and the way cells work. He did a lot of word searches which were very interesting to help accentuate this similarity. They are not conclusive and not meant to be, but they make the reader pause.
His design matrix idea, I guess based a bit on the explanation filter of other ID authors, didn't wow me, but it does allow the serious researcher a process to begin at least thinking of ways to have a metric for rating probability of design.
As for the writing style I would rate it as very good. It's not laugh out loud funny or anything, but it's certainly not tedious and it flows well. He does a good job of reiterating his central theme that a lot of the observations depend on the observer. And again, he is very gracious and non-inflammatory about the discussion, and takes the tack of just trying to get people (re: macro-evolutionists) to at least consider the possibility of design.
The weakest part of the book I thought was his explanation of how much evolution could actually be front-loaded by a designing force. It seemed awfully speculative, although I know he was just trying to explore possibilities, but even for that it seemed a little vague to me. Overall it's not a turning point work like "Black Box", but I'd seriously put it in the next level below that. It's definitely a book to add to your list if it is a topic that interests you.

A friend of mine has an overly strong commitment to things she learned when she was growing up. "Doctors say you need to drink eight glasses of water a day" is one. I ran across a story in which a leading researcher in his field told of his attempts to track down the source of that belief. He found no medical evidence for it; it just showed up one day in some magazine, and grew. He said there was no truth to it whatever. My friend's response: "I don't believe it." She wouldn't look at the source material; she already had her facts.

There's research out this week casting doubt on whether stretching before sports activities reduces injuries. I'm not going to bother telling my friend. She won't read the report, and she won't believe it. She knows we should all drink eight glasses of water a day and that stretching before exercise reduces injuries. She knows it because that's what she has always heard.

I expect similar reactions from evolutionists to Mike Gene's The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues. Everyone in the pro-evolution, anti-Intelligent Design crowd knows that

- ID is thinly disguised creationism
- ID is just negative science (nothing but picking points against evolution)
- ID has no positive research program
- ID makes no predictions
- ID relies on a "God of the gaps" approach to knowledge
- ID presents no testable hypotheses
- ID is dogmatically driven by people with a theological/philosophical agenda

Everybody knows these things. Mike Gene shows that none of them are true. The evolutionists, I fear, are not going to read it; they're just going to say, "I don't believe it." Like my friend, they will stick with what's always been "true" for them in the past.

The author says in the intro to the book that he remains anonymous so that his ideas can be evaluated for themselves, without prejudice concerning who is presenting them. It seems likely he's also carrying out some career protection, too. If he's working in a university biology department (and yes, he does know his science), it could obviously risky for him to "come out" as an ID supporter. (See his Design Matrix website for more.)

The way that he supports ID is refreshingly unique, however. He doesn't argue for a conclusion of Intelligent Design at all. He argues more modestly, for a suspicion of Intelligent Design. He would have a beef with dogmatists on either side of the issue. Quite helpfully he distinguishes between the strong evidence required for conviction by a court of law, and evidence required by an investigating detective. A detective arrives on the scene with nothing but questions. His first objective is to move toward reasonable suspicions. A little hint there, a vague clue there: these things can move him toward a theory of a crime; and from there he can begin to look for more definite signs. Eventually, much further down the road, proof may come. Mike Gene believes we should recognize ID is in the developing suspicion stage: there is no hard scientific proof of design, but there are hints and clues that raise a most reasonable suspicion, and which can lead to a search for more definite signs.

These hints and clues he summarizes into his "Design Matrix," four relatively independent factors to test for in nature:

- Analogy with known instances of design
- Discontinuity with observed or means by which evolution works
- Rationality apparent in the design of the natural feature
- Foresight apparent in the design of the natural feature

These are defined such that they can all lead to testable research hypotheses. We're not talking about black/white, unambiguous research results, however ("Evolution never could have done this!" or "Evolution absolutely could have done this, it's easy!"). Natural phenomena can be scored on a continuum, Mike Gene says; we're still in the detective stage, not the judge and jury stage. We're looking for suspicions of ID, so we should be open to gradations on the scales of the Design Matrix. Only one of them, by the way (Discontinuity), bears any relationship to the tired stereotype that ID is nothing but a negative science that resorts to god-of-the-gaps thinking.

Mike Gene wrote this book with a sense of humor. (Thank God for an evolution/ID-related book with a sense of humor!) The book wraps around a theme of the Rabbit and the Duck. It's a metaphor about our preconceptions, and the way they can color our perceptions. I won't try to replay it for you; I'll just quote the book's final paragraph, and leave it to you to read the book and chase down the metaphor for yourself:

"So as we begin our journey, these lessons, coupled with all the lessons in these chapters, must be kept in mind. We are not engaging in a Duck Hunt; we are going to chase the Rabbit. So, do you see that rabbit hole over your shoulder? Yeah, that one. Wanna have some fun? Well, grab your Design Matrix, and follow that Rabbit."

(There's much more Rabbit fun on the Telic Thoughts blog, where Mike Gene writes frequently.)

Some of you reading this "know" that ID is nothing but negative science, it's just god-of-the-gaps, and it's a mere religious ploy. You won't read the book; you won't accept that ID-related thinking can lead to genuine research questions; you'll just say, "I don't believe it." I strongly urge you to get your hands on a copy of this uniquely creative approach to Intelligent Design, and find out where the Rabbit leads you.

Is there a middle way between the design inference and natural causation? Between teleology and non-teleological evolution? Mike Gene's "The Design Matrix" gives an affirmative answer to these questions.

Take design seriously, and new scientific insights and testable hypotheses become available - so says Mike Gene. Follow the Rabbit (Gene's proxy for the teleological agent), and we shall discover things beyond the reductionism offered by the Duck (Gene's proxy for the blind watchmaker).

Regarding the structure of the cell, Gene (page 16) writes: "Amorphous vessels and balloons filled with molasses would not arouse suspicions of design. But this is not what science has discovered. Modern science teaches us that `the cell is understood to be highly organized, with specialized areas for different functions and molecular motors shuttling components around.' Hume's objection to Paley's argument certainly has not been strengthened by scientific discovery." And Gene takes the question to higher resolution, to the level of molecules, and adds: "Here we find proteins organized into large complexes that are thought of as molecular machines because they actually look and work like machines. Other proteins form tracks to connect and shuttle the molecular machines via motor proteins. The proteins in the membranes work as selective gates, pumps, and sensors. The entire intricate organization of gadgets is due in large part to the encoded information stored by the molecule of DNA."

Gene (page 22) remarks: "The debate between teleology and non-teleology is at least 2500 years old and has involved some of history's greatest thinkers. The notion that current arguments about design are nothing more than a fundamentalist reaction to the painful truth of Darwinism is a notion divorced from historical context. If history stretches back no further that one hundred years or so, it is easy to get the impression that the non-teleological perspective has been vindicated and teleology has been refuted. But if history spans 2500 years or more, consider the possibility that the non-teleological view has just recently gained the upper hand with more sophisticated versions of the same arguments from old."

Gene (page 28) notes that the blind watchmaker is compatible with teleology, for the simple reason that the watchmaker is blind: "We know from artificial selection that such evolution can be and is guided by design, where human intelligence intervenes to manipulate matings, as well as the environmental conditions of the resulting offspring. For example, the gene frequencies of the world's dog population differ from that which existed in the ancestral populations of wild dogs and those which were first domesticated. But this change in gene frequency does not mean there was no design behind the process or behind the changes in gene frequencies of the current population of dogs today."

Regarding the challenge scientists face, given the confusion of Ducks and Rabbits (i.e., between Darwin's view and teleology), Gene writes: "The investigator must have a certain level of sensitivity to detect the existence of clues, coupled with a tolerance for ambiguity.... Until the hypothesis reaches a state of high probability, the investigator must be psychologically prepared to abandon the hypothesis if the evidence mandates it." And so Gene endeavors to study the Rabbit, while not falling for its sublime beauty and while not abandoning the Duck. The two must somehow coexist.

Gene (page 45) writes about proteins, and their function: "It does not matter if biological molecules are not conscious. What matters is whether or not the biological molecules can be placed into the same class as mechanical components designed by humans." Gene gravitates to the machine metaphor that attaches to proteins, and their functions, and he does this by ignoring the issue of consciousness. Machines that hold only functionality are not conscious, otherwise a toaster would feel itself baking bread, and a computer would feel itself playing chess. Gene (page 57) runs with the machine metaphor: "Without these mechanical design functions, molecular biologists would have tremendous difficulty understanding what is happening inside the cell, planning experiments and interpreting the meaning of the results of experiments."

Gene (page 73) admits: "The fact that DNA contains encoded information in the form of a one-dimensional linear string of symbols is very suggestive positive evidence for Intelligent Design behind the fabric of life." Regarding proteins as machines (e.g., enzymes), Gene (page 90) writes: "The DNA information encodes the machines and the machines decode the DNA information. The code and the machine are partners in an elaborate dance we call life." Gene (page 100) writes: "The machine-like boundaries are imposed by a free and rational mind. Machines can thus be viewed as the physical actualization of the mind's conceptual world."

While noting that living organisms are not machines, Gene (page 102) writes: "Every feature that distinguishes a living organism from a machine fails to distinguish a molecular machine from other machines. Molecular machines do not build their own parts, do not truly `differentiate' simply as a function of time, do not undergo self-generation, and do not behave as organism; they fit in the same category as man-made machines." Nevertheless, the vital is close by given that the Duck and Rabbit are unified, and this vitality is beyond machine-like metaphors. Gene still finds a stronger analogy when nanotechnology is considered, and so the question of design goes very deep; even as the vital lurks behind the appearance of design. Gene (page 106) writes: "the consensus among the nanotechnologists is that nanotechnology can work because we already know it works inside our cells and we can learn from the cell's machines as we begin to design our own nanomachines."

Regarding the ineffable that is vital, Gene (page 122) writes: "we live in a reality where it is possible for Intelligent Design and evolution to co-exist, where evolved things can look like they were designed, and designed things could look like they evolved, it becomes clear that a design versus evolution dichotomy can be very misleading."

In treating Intelligent Design, Gene goes well beyond the machine metaphor (and my review is limited by space). The topic of front-loading comes up; an implication is given that the deck was stacked. Gene (page 147) writes: "Since evolution would proceed outward from the originally designed cells, evolution may have been endowed with various sequences and structures to increase the odds that certain future states would be found through a random search stemming outwards from this front loaded state." Gene (page 171) writes: "Cooption is clearly a mechanism that a front-loading designer would exploit." The design inference anticipated the extreme examples of cooption found in life. Darwin's theory did not predict cooption, rather cooption must be assumed to save Darwin's theory from its own demise. Gene tells us that the question returns, with deeper issues that pertain to cooption by way of a blind watchmaker.

Gene treats Behe's concept of "irreducible complexity," Gene considers the concept of discontinuity as evidence for design. And Gene distills the design inference into four categories: analogy; discontinuity; rationality; and foresight. Gene makes a strong case by keeping the Duck and the Rabbit both alive and healthy, and Gene discovers remarkable insights by leaving the question open.

How would life recognize itself without its own contrivances that only look to be designed by an outside source? Life must be able to empathize with its self, despite the heated exchanges! The heated arguments indicate the truth of what is vital and what is felt. There is only one way to design a toaster that feels itself baking bread. That we also perceive design means only that we ourselves are part of the same vitality that permeates all life; a vitality that somehow escapes our toasters of today. And so it must be that evolution finds itself when Ducks and Rabbits coexist, but what is being described is an innate vitalism.

I bought this book based on the positive reviews and it didn't disappoint me: not pro- or anti- either side of the evolution/intelligent-design debate, but willing to view all the evidence and follow it to reasoned conclusions. Mike Gene writes clearly and persuasively, citing sources of his scientific examples and evidences.

This is what science should be-- examine the detailed evidence and use our common intelligence to make hypotheses. The hypothesis of design in nature is not new: it fell out of fashion throughout the 20th century, but, with the discovery of genetics/epigenetics/cellular nanotechnology, it is becoming embarrassing for established scientists, both in research and academia, to deny the possibility of this path.

I read Sean Carroll's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo" and was appalled at his dismissal of design in nature when many of the words he used to describe his subject evoked engineering and manufacturing language.

My own opinion-- If the God of the Bible IS the designer, it makes sense that he works within the realm of science and invites us, his most masterly creation, to wonder at the intricacy of what he's accomplished. There is no intrinsic conflict between science and religion: science is invention, discovery, connection, and examination; religion answers questions of purpose and ultimate truth. Science complements religion and vice-versa.

This books was created from Master Samael's lectures on the subject of awareness and dream yoga. The book, though short is packed with so much information. Information that you can start 'practicing' as soon as you finish the first chapter. I have been practicing the key SOL for some time now so after reading the first few chapters I put the information to good work and have been able to achieve astral experiences in the short time I have owned the book. The book is good for beginners but they might have to explore some of Samael's other writings and gnostic information in general to get the full 'knowledge' from the writing. Overall straight forward and a great read, also highly recommend the 'Yellow Book' by Weor to compliment the practice of Kundalini Yoga.

Dream Yoga is short, simple, and practical. It provides methods that any sincere student and seeker can utilize in order to experience vividly, for themselves, the great reality of the Astral Plane.

I've been familiar with the Astral for a long time. However, I'm really just an exception, because most of humanity still doesn't understand that we exist in many dimensions. We only percieve this three dimensional world with the five senses, even though there is much more. If you look at the snail, you understand that it percieves one-dimensionally through sensations. The dog percieves two-dimensionally. And yet, both these animals exist within the three-dimensional plane. We know this because we have the faculties to proove it. However, these animals don't. This is the same case with higher dimensions, like the Astral Plane. There exist beings who understand that we are like the snail and the dog, without the faculties to percieve higher dimensions.

When human beings dream at night, what really happens is that we leave our physical bodies. Most people aren't aware of this because it takes a certain discipline in order to awaken the Conciousness, in order to live and breathe in those dimensions just as we do here. A person who is awakened is always aware, 24/7. In the day they are like any normal person. They have a job, kids, and a marriage. What makes them exceptional is while the rest of humanity is unconcious of where it goes at night, the awakened individual knows. He has Concious Will. He can study all the Great Mysteries of the Cosmos, speak to Self-Realized Beings, visit wonderful places, etc. (because there are less laws, including the absence of gravity, you can fly to places).

All of this is very possible. Any individual can experience the Astral. It simply takes interest, effort, and discipline. The book Dream Yoga offers such a discipline, including practices that will help one get started. It's also an excellent reference for advanced students.

This is a good introduction to lucid dreaming/astral projection. The approach given is very similar to Tibetan dream yoga, which is somewhat different from western lucid dreaming. The latter puts a scientific spin on dream travel and consists of induction techniques and self-suggestion exercises. This book, however, presents lucid dreaming in a more spiritual way: as a means of exploring superior worlds in higher dimensions.

I was not familiar with Samael Aun Weor before reading this book. He is described on the cover as a "Gnostic Master" and the founder of the International Gnostic Movement. He is the author of a very large number of books on esoteric subjects. Dream Yoga seems to be mainly aimed at people who are familiar with his teachings and terminology. For someone new to his rather idiosyncratic point of view, such as myself, the book is quite difficult and sometimes confusing. The book is quite short, 108 pages, and 30 of these pages are a dictionary of dream symbols.

Weor is definitely one of those occult teachers with his own system. He draws on many different traditions --mainly Eastern religions such as Tibetan and Tantric, but also Kabbala, Christian and Mayan. I found this radical eclecticism a little disconcerting, especially considering the dogmatic tone of the book. There is no attempt to explain how these traditions are connected and many of the terms, such as obscure (to most readers) god and goddess names, are never defined. He never, for example, explains how these many traditions are united under the banner of Gnosticism, which was originally a Christian sect (albeit one deemed heretical). I am not saying that all of these ideas cannot be synthesized, only that the reader deserves a little more explanation than is provided here. When I say Weor is dogmatic, I mean that he has a rigid idea of what is right and wrong. Although he claims that "Gnosticism is not against any religion, school, order or sect," he frequently refers to ideas that contradict his own as "pseudo-esotericism" and "pseudo-occultism." In one place he refers to those who differ on some rather obscure point as "imbecile ignoramuses." He also makes a statement that will surely offend gay people, who he sees as symptomatic of "this perverse, corrupted and doomed Aryan civilization." I am quoting some of this to give potential readers an idea of what they are in for if they choose to read this book.

Despite all of these criticisms, I don't doubt that Weor possesses some genuine knowledge and that many of the techniques given in this book can be quite useful. He points out, for example, that to master being awake in dreams, you must work on being conscious while awake. This idea is not unique to this author, but it is a valuable piece of advice. I would recommend this book mainly to readers who are already familiar with Weor's system or who are interested in following the Gnostic path (which is rather ascetic and mystical, at least as Weor interprets it). It also makes a good addition to a collection of books on dreaming. If you are a beginner to dream studies, however, you would probably do better with a more basic and less jargon-filled book.

This book is for those who want to learn to become awake in the internal worlds.
Follow the exercises and experience for yourself. It will take a lot of practice and patience, and is well worth your effort!

Knight's new book is a fascinating new age book with emphasis on hands-on methods such as meditations, oracles, and rituals. She has pulled back the veil of mystery surrounding Wicca and new age practices, explaining in clear language how to do magic, how to improve our lives and how to visualize what we really want in life. After reading this book, my life really did improve and I found it much easier to attain my practical and magickal goals. Knight showed me how to bring the meaning and purpose in my life into perspective. I'm more aware of what I need and want now and I know how to get it. Magickal thank yous to Sirona Knight and this book! May the Fae ever bless her and keep her penning new books!

Knight has written a very good book on Wicca and the New Age. I bought her book Empowering Your Life with Dreams and really enjoyed it, so I bought this one a couple of weeks later. I wasn't disappointed. I was delighted! Sirona Knight obviously has a visionary and comprehensive insight into the practices of Wicca together with the practices of the New Age. I have read alot of wicca books that are just basic wicca 101 books and are really boring. This book isn't a Wicca 101 book. It's really cool how each chapter builds on the previous chapter, and there are plenty of meditations, rituals, oracles, and affirmations to do each day. I have really empowered and enriched my life using the techniques in this magickal book. I recommend it to everyone that is into wicca and the New Age. It gave me plenty of things to do to life a better life and now I feel closer and more connected to the Goddess and God, and to myself.

Knight gives you the tools to get your mojo working and the magic happening. Cool book that uses Wicca and New Age together. This is the first book I've read that has blended the two together--very progressive, magickal, and lots of common sense savvy! The meditations and rituals are especially strong and I've had great success and I feel a lot more empowered than I did before I started reading this book.

I think everybody truly interested in Wicca should own this book and use it as much as possible. There are so many helpful things in it, meditations, rituals, prayers, and affirmations. I am working my way through the book and my life is improving nine-fold!

I read this book slowly and did the meditations, rituals, affirmations and prayers and it literally changed my life---for the better. There are alot of New Age techniques and also alot of Wiccan methods for personal empowerment in the book--methods that actually worked for me within a few weeks. I was amazed by the power of this book and I recommend it to both teenagers and adults. My teenage son is reading through the book now and he's trying the techniques too.

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.

This book is a very small but precious gem.
I will carry it with me

By this time I am into the double digits on Thich Nhat Hanh books and do,
indeed, feel he is an old friend. Published in 2006, this book is from a
compilation of talks given ten years earlier. Many of its themes will be
familiar to those who have read other books by him on meditation. In this volume, I found particularly interesting his openness/comparison of Buddhism to other religious practices, including Buddhist and Christian parallels in The Lord's Prayer. The author takes a quite broad view of the subject of prayer, which I find inviting and accessible. This fits with his always encouraging view that a calmer, more contemplative life is available
to us all.

I love the work of Thich Nhat Hanh. This book is very inspirational and I read it regularly. It is filled with important reminders that help to make sense of my life. I am giving it for Xmas to those I love.

This is a wonderful book for deciphering what prayer/meditation is all about. It arrived more quickly than expected and is in wonderful shape.

I keep this book in my purse. When stress at work is starting to get to me,
I take it out and read any page. I breathe deeply, close my eyes and am refreshed.

This book made a deep impact on me and my view of God. I believe that it is a great book for anyone wanting to get a healthy perspective on their relationship with the Lord. Get this book!

This book is a great way in understanding how we as individuals can finally enjoy God, and to invite others to enjoy Him with us. The book is very practical and gives great understandings on what it means to enjoy God. Take it and test it - see what qualities you as a person have to enjoy our Dad. Highly recommended.

S.J. Hill has written an extremely relevant book in Enjoying God. He writes as if he is sitting in your living room talking to you. Though easy to read and understand, Hill incitefully discusses the often "hard-to-grasp" concept of a loving, romantic God who pursues us - His bride. This book is highly recommended to all.

I innitially picked up "Enjoying God" being somewhat skeptical, not being sure how scripturally sound it would be. It started off somewhat slow and mildly dull and slowly drew me in. As the pages began to turn faster and faster my heart began to smile. By the end I felt refreshed with a renewed passion for my Lord. The title of this book is very appropriate "Enjoying God". This book has taken me back to my first Love in a way I was not expecting. I will be recommending this one for years to come.

This book has helped bring me closer to a personal understanding of God's love for me than any book except the Bible. The very keen spiritual diagnostics really help a person who has been hurt or who has just not broken through to the joy of knowing that God really, really loves ME! I am buying it for friends and family.

After I read this book, I could feel much closer to my god.
From the very beginning there was something going on in myself I could not describe with words.
Something very positive. After 6 month now I look back and can say my life took a better direction. More calmness,
a feeling of security and guidance which I cannot imagine
to life without anymore.
I wish everybody this direct communion and this book is a wonderful guidance for everybody.
I speaks honest from daily life of us and our God !

After I read this book, I could feel much closer to my god.
From the very beginning there was something going on in myself I could not describe with words.
Something very positive. After 6 month now I look back and can say my life took a better direction. More calmness,a feeling of security and guidance which I cannot imagine, that I have lifed
so long without of it.
I wish everybody this direct communion and this book is a wonderful guidance in finding what is in all of us.
It speaks very honest from our daily life and how much our God
desires to be a part of.

When I speak of the word "Dialog," I am speaking of my own on-going personal travelling search for communication with Diety. This book is written in such a way that it can either be an introduction to God for those who are not familiar with the critical fundamental relationship which resides within the heart, because all their efforts have been invested in an external religion...but also for those of us who are familiar with The Dialog and wish confirmation, continued connectivity and reaffirmation of our internal established relationship with God independent of an external world framework. The "Message" is always the same, no matter the avenue, when it is original and proceeds, from The Source. That message is, We Are ONE. Indeed, any kind of separation from God is of our own making.This book uses familiar Christian concepts such as "The Fall" to describe the external world mental separation we have created as a barrier to our Key Fundamental Relationship. So long as we look for God "Out There" instead of "In Here," we will continue to reinforce the barriers which have prempted our rightful and inherent relationship with God. The fundamental principle that God resides WITHIN US and that is where we must look to renew our relationship...not within the confines of external doctrines or frameworks...is central to the thesis in this book and is a continued fundamental principle of every book I have read which I know proceeds out of the Spirit. This book says...do not abandon your current religious framework if it serves you...but build within yourself, your relationship with Me, I am always HERE WITHIN YOU...and if that religious framework no longer serves you...I am always HERE WITHIN YOU STILL. It also says, if you have a religious framework as your context for relationship with Me, Our relationship is NOT complete, if you are only seeking Me OUT THERE. Establish a DIRECT relationship and DIRECT communication within YOU to ME...(Thus the analogy of the "phone."). He has said, this journey is "delicious" in more than one book! It is "time" to give up being a mindless follower to the Messengers and instead...establish a direct relationship with Me. This is indeed, a tough thing to do, when all your life you have been told by established religion, you cannot get to God unless...you do this and this and this and do not do that and that and that...and especially if you do anything without US or our permission or our consent. Yes, it takes a brave soul to realize, you do not need anyone's permission to have a direct relationship with God and no one has any real authority to limit or deny your ability to do so. If you have your eyes OPEN and your mind OPEN when you read this book, you will come out SEEING and THINKING with your heart. And that my friends, is going to get you in a lot of trouble with the world...and its going to establish a relationship which will make the world's permissions...irrelevant. Are you bold enough to take this book and really "read" it? Even if the message of this book remains unheard in you...there will come another chance, another time and place, when you ARE ready for it. I hope, the message in this book, is for you now. For me, it is a re-confirmation of what I have come to understand thru many other such texts. The message is always ONE.

Reading the book and close it, reading it again and close it again. The things I experience are eventualy not in this book but it "goes and exists" inside each one of us. Everybody knows that any spoken language is many times a poor substitute for the living energy that exists within the very core of our heart and soul. Real communication is not easy at all. So what I want to say is that beyond the words written down in this book, there is an everyday-feeling which will bring us all to understandable Common Grounds. It is a TRUE book.

This is a very challenging book. As a Christian I had what I believed to be a safe and good understanding of what/who God is. It challenged my own concepts and has revealled not a God but a parent. It made me realise how intimate this new found parent is in a simple, honest, straight forward way but with a depth I had never experienced before. It helped me understand what our relationship should be like and gave me a renewed desire to get there. There are very few books that have had this kind of impact in my life. It is written in easy to understand everyday language. Would I recommend it? Most certainly yes.

My employer asked me to read this book, and being a dutiful employee, I did. Most of the advice Senske proffers is sound common sense: Do right by your customers, your employees, and your family, and doing good will result in your doing well. The book grows out of modern management literature rather than the Bible, and Senske virtually ignores Old Testament stories that might have been applied to management training. Nevertheless, the Scripture he does use is handled sensibly and without guile. I dropped the book one star for not including an index.

Dr. Senske has outlined very practical applications for leaders of any type of organization. He outlines what it takes to be an ethical and effective leader. He explains how to appropriately respond to challenges and dilemmas that await leaders at every turn. Having served on the board of directors of Lutheran Social Services of the South with Dr. Senske as CEO, I have witnessed first hand the effectiveness of what he outlines in the book. A must read for all leaders!

Kurt Senske offers a practical wide-ranging approach to balancing the critical issues for executives - the bottom line v. relationships, and family v. career. His ascertain that Christian faith is the point that makes this balance possible offers hope for executives and their organizations, and their families. Executive Values is well researched. Senske has brought together supporting evidence from a wide range of sources in the political, corportate, and non-profit arenas.

Senske's Executive Values is an excellent resource for managers at any organization, profit or nonprofit, large or small, faith-based or secular. This well-researched, compact book lays out the steps one needs to take to ensure that a culture of "doing the right thing" occurs in an organization. He sets out examples of ethical dilemmas every manager is certain to encounter and walks the reader through the decisionmaking process.

Looking forward to his next book!

"Executive Values" clearly presents the pressures and seemingly conflicting responsibilities experienced by those in positions of management and leadership. A Christian approach to solving these dilemmas is presented in logical and humane ways. Kurt Senske gives much evidence that the "bottom line" is not the highest priority. Not only will CEOs and other executives be interested in this recommended application of the Golden Rule, but I also urge the church professionals - pastors, school administrators, youth leaders - to give it serious attention.