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I received 3 new books from Amazon with the super saver shipping. When they arrived, they were in a large box with only a little bit of that inlatable packing on the top-nothing to keep the books from shifting around. Nothing around the books or between the books.

A christian's Secret to a Happy Life arrived with the binding crushed on one end from not being adequately protected in the box.

Love the book, not happy with the shoddy packing.

So many Christians struggle with every day life--just like the rest of the world. While some secrets place all the power on "self," which fails us more often than not, this one places all the power in God's hands where it belongs. This timeless classic stays relevant because it communicates biblical truths that make a difference for all eternity.

There are very few treatises on the Christian life written with more insight, humility, and honesty.

It is not an easy read, Ms Smith is writing in the language of her day, which is above the eighth grade level used in today's books. It is worthy of your efforts, however. The exercise for your brain, soul, and spirit will do you some good.

Kudos to Whitaker House for keeping this important book in print.

This is a wonderful book - written in a simple, clear style yet filled with deep insight. The author has a true heart for God, and writes with compassion for her brothers and sisters in Christ.

Of the reviews listed here as of this date, only one departs from a laudatory amen.

Ms. Smith has offered a perspective which I believe could be an advance for some but possibly a snare for others.

With only a an uncertain grasp of her life gleaned from surfing the net, these thoughts present themselves:

Much like Christ himself, she grew up in a religious tradition (Quakerism) that her spiritual journey required her to depart from. It is fairer to say the book has been written by a religious rebel than by a Quaker.

Again, like Christ, she looks to God the Father.

Like Christ, she attracted followers and supporters.

Like Christ, within the boundaries of loving God, she offers faith and hope. I come away from Christ with more of a sense of the importance of charity than I do after reading Ms. Smith.

Again, assuming that biographical material perused after reading the book is true, the encouragement and success of the book is understandable. However, material is never confronted which might have been had the book title been 'The Joy of Being Crucified With Christ'

An inspiring story of a young missionary woman and her complete surrender to the Lord under unbelievable adversity. God's tenderness and mercies are real in her life and it encourages every believer to move into such intimacy with the Lord. One biography you will not want to put down!

This is one of the BEST books I have ever read. The evidence of God's work in the lives of the people in the book is amazing and inspiring!!

Darlene Rose is so real in this book, just as her faith and her God are. She never pretends to be more than human, which makes her story even more amazing. This book never stays on my shelf long. I keep giving it to someone to read.

This is an excellent book about the consequences in a fallen world of holding on to the faith. It is proof positive that faith in the one and only God sustains even through the most difficult circumstances.

I read this book several years ago and will never be the same because of it. Darlene Deibler Rose's story is burned into my heart because it changed my view of God and how He deals with His children. Her wisdom gained through intense suffering rings true to what I read in Scripture, and how wonderful to hear someone whose faith has been severely tested come out on the other side and say to the rest of us "what the Bible says is TRUE!" A loving God sometimes allows us to suffer and yet never leaves us nor forsakes us, all the while causing our faith to truly grow and be perfected as we trust Him. Quite simply, Darlene Deibler Rose is one of my heroes of the faith, and her story is not to be missed!

I've been a fan of Doreen Virture's work for a long time now. I love her meditation CDs, books and oracle cards. Her messages are very loving, peaceful, beautiful, relaxing, and help me connect with the Divine Source. She uses positive archetypes such as angels, saints, fairies, etc. Her Chakra Clearing Meditation CD is my all-time favorite meditation CD.

I've tried one of her oracle cards and several by other authors, but Doreen's Goddess Guidance cards are by far the most beautiful, accurate and inspiring I've ever come across. And I've also found this deck at the right time when I'm getting into Goddess spirituality more. Goddesses seem to resonate with me probably because I'm a woman and also because they're more human, less intimidating and less mythical than other archetypes. I am in the process of reclaiming my feminine power, which is not the same as power in the masculine sense or in the negative connotation of the word.

These cards I found have been the most accurate and useful oracle cards I've ever tried for myself. They seem to speak to me directly and are in tune with who I am and where I am in my life. I find that I get very helpful guidance and insight about myself and about other people that is just so right on. I really do feel like I'm getting clear and correct messages from the Universe when I use these cards.

I also like that Goddesses from different cultures around the world are represented. There are, of course, more of the more well-known Western Goddesses and there are lots of Celtic goddesses in the deck. But it's nice to see Pele and some other Polynesian as well as Egyptian and Asian Goddesses. I'm surprised not to see that many Graeco-Roman Goddesses, though. I would have like to see more of those. I'm also a little surprised to see Guinevere and Isolt as Goddesses, I don't think I would have ever thought of them as such until I saw them included in this deck. It's great to see Mother Mary and Mary Magdelene as well. Being a New Age Catholic, I like being able to integrate my religion of origin with my current, more eclectic and wider-ranging beliefs.

All in all, I am very happy with The Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards. The artwork by different artists is just amazingly beautiful, and there are so many messages that you can find in each one. The cover artwork of the Goddess Dana is what originally drew me to this deck. It really captures the essence of a strong, grand, beautiful, powerful and serene Goddess. The gilt edges on the card make the deck feel very sacred, which they are. The words on the cards and in the guidebook are very positive and nurturing as well. I intend on using these oracle cards for years to come.

These cards are not only extremely beautiful, but inspring and entertaining as well, with interesting information about the various deities depicted on the cards. Definitely recommendable.

I bought this deck primarily to use for learning about various Goddesses and having a form for calling in their energy in ritual (I am pagan BTW) rather than as an oracle. I have several Tarot decks I use for divination and am quite happy using them for that.

I have found images on the cards lovely and quite worthy of ritual use. However, the guidebook is written purely as an oracle deck. For each card it has a message and possible interpretations, but only a few sentences per card about the Goddess herself.

As an oracle is useful, but as a healing type oracle rather than a descriptive one. The interpretations are largely suggestions to improve a particular energy flow, rather than a description of current or future situations. For example, some interpretations are "slow, steady progress is best right now", "make time to rest", and "release guilt about receiving". I'm not saying this is good or bad, just pointing out that it is quite different from a tarot type oracle.

Love the cards. I read regular Tarot - and now after i read for someone, i pull these cards out and have the client pick a card. So far - what they pick totally relates to the reading i just gave them. Awesome! Beautiful colors, feel very spiritual to me.

I am new to reading cards, and I thought I could connect with these cards. It's difficult not to! The pictures are beautiful, each goddess card show a goddess with intricate detail and soulful eyes. I felt a connection right away with these cards and so far I am really happy with them. hopefully they continue to give me positive vibes!

If you are looking for an easy set to connect with, these should jump out at you. Literally. I did a quick reading on my husband and with little skill all three cards represented a life change and forward movement, and this is exactly what is happening with him!

I am happy with these cards and look forward to using them more.

This is by far and away one of the best translations/interpretations out there. Not necessarily the most understandable for beginners. A lot of the imagery is culturally specific and can be difficult to understand without a background in taoism and other asian ideas. However, the different sections offer different levels of interpretation and understanding, which i find very helpful. With persistence and patience, the illumination is well worth the trouble. One of the best, easiest to explore and get to know the I Ching, is The I Ching Workbook, by R.L. Wing. There are some inconsistencies in the divination method, but if you can look past that, it is an excellent beginning text.

I just have a high school education but I'm spiritual. I can understand the Taroh, The Book of Runes, The Yoruba Dominos and the I ching as written by Sam Reifler or Brian Brown Walker. But this book doesn't make a lick of sense.

Dependably delivers divine insights for the mortally bound. Once you master the simple way of accessing and apply the I Ching you will be surprised to find that it delivers much greater spiritual insights with less effort than other approaches -- daily Bible banging for instance -- and does it directly in context with your need(s).

A more technical book that gives a thorough history of the I Ching, how it was used in Ancient China and contains multiple interpretations for each of the 64 hexagrams. Moving lines are defined within the definition of each hexagram with more of the ancient poetics included and the readings are probably closer to the original texts of yesteryear. Definitions of the hexagrams are more detailed than other guides but still an invaluable resource for anyone working with the I Ching.

This I Ching is an essential tool of those seeking 'God' - in eclectic form. The I Ching orders one's life... so that God may speak back to you (2-way prayer, if you will)... and to send you on a life-long journey.
Or you can just dabble.

For those coming from a scientific or agnostic skeptiszm, this book allows you to prove for yourself the emperical existance of God. Even for the scientific atheist. Really!
How?
With constant use of the I Ching an obvious question results -"Who's messing around with the coins... these things are supposed to be coming out randomly?". And you might you suppose to just whom the 'Who's" refers.

One sees that the very act of random throwing coins begins to defy probability theory. Hexagrams are received just too strikingly close to reality and certainly not randomly distributed...and I taught college level statistics and experimental methods. In my lifetime I have probably "cast the coins" upwards of 300,000 times... bit i am very old.

Record the time, date and circumstance of each throw with a graded value (1 - 10) of how close to your reality the reading relates. The resulting scattergram will astound you... into accepting that there is more to this thing than meets even the 'inner eye'. You are in touch with something that sees right through you to your inner most thoughts. And then can proceed to "arrange your everyday world".
Godspeed my felow travellers.
Godspeed.

I love reading this Bible, especially the gospels, it puts them into one story of Jesus.

The Narrated Bible puts the Bible in chronological order making it much easier to follow and understand. For example, the Gospels are intertwined to tell the story of Jesus' life. As you read the book of Acts, each epistle is included at the time it was written. This is wonderful to help anyone understand the Bible story.

I am really enjoying reading this Bible. It has helped me understand the Old Testament in a new way by fitting the books together in a logical fashion. I understand better the sequence of events.

I highly recommend this Bible as a supplement to your existing one.

This is a terrific bible! It has really made the stories come alive and has made my daily readings easier and more fulfilling. I have learned quite a bit, have noticed some great details I never did before, and the commentary has led to some good discussions with friends.

I plan to buy more of these to use as gifts.

I can't recommend this bible highly enough! FIVE STARS!

Received in good time. Excellent condition. A wonderful Bible!! Am really enjoying it.

The nice thing about this Bible is the wonderful commentaries. This is one of the only Bibles that I have read where the commentaries actually challenge the reader to put things into practice in their own life.
This is really an "application" Bible giving practical applications to the areas of the users life that are referenced in the reading.
I would like to have this Bible handy each time I am doing a study, meditation or listening to a preacher speak. It gives challenging and in-depth explanation of topics.

THIS BIBLE I HAVE READ SEVERAL TIMES COVER TO COVER. I JUST ORDERED IT IN LARGE PRINT AS MY EYE SIGHT IS FAILING. I GET COMFORT AND PEACE FROM READING IT. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE AND APPLICABLE TO ENTIRE LIFETIMES.

The bible has a lot of interesting and helpful features. The large print really makes it easier to read the great study notes. I was disappointed that the words of Jesus were not in red, I thought all newer bibles had that feature and did not even check it out before I purchased the bible.

This is an excellent study bible! The large print is great. It makes it much easier to read. I would highly recommend this bible.

I bought this Bible for myself after Christmas. I was looking for a really in-depth study Bible. I have really enjoyed using this one. My husband jokes about it because it is SO large. I think the print of the regular Bible would have been large enough, but I was afraid that by the time I hit 50 I would need the large print. I highly recommend this Bible.

This is a very informative book and a must read for anyone interested in understanding why the Bush administration is so prone to launching wars in the oil-rich Middle East region. The author, a renowned economist, is very knowledgeable about the economics and domestic politics that support such warmongering efforts. He identifies the pro-Israel Neocon movement and its alliance with the lunatics of the religious Right as important forces in the push toward involving the U.S. in wars abroad. The military-industrial complex and the strategic importance of Middle East oil are represented by Vice President Dick Cheney in the Bush administration, and are also prime movers of war.

Probably the most original part of this book is its chronology of empires and how Western civilization started its ascendency after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This chapter (chap. 16) is worth buying the book in itself. The author's style is direct and pulls no punches. An excellent book.

As an amateur student of American foreign policy, I am appalled by the wave of anti-americanism it has generated over the last few years. The policy of systematically meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, especially in the Middle East, has been most counter-productive.

There is no doubt that unbridled interventionism, often done illegally and under murky influences, is the root cause of why there is so much anti-americanism around the world. And case in point is the gratuitous violence imposed on some Muslim countries, i.e. Iraq and Palestine. This is creating tons of resentment all over the Muslim world, turning many to hatred and some to terrorism.

Tremblay's book offers a way out of this circular dilemma: Apply to the Muslim world the same treatment given to the Communist world with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. As he puts it (p. 152-53), the Helsinki Accords, signed by 33 Eastern and Western European countries, the United States, and Canada, played a fundamental role in opening up the communist bloc to liberty, freedom and reforms. I doubt that bombs would have brought the same result.

Former President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Helsinki Accords opened the door to reforms that would not have taken place otherwise. Why can we not adopt a similar approach with the Muslim world, instead of jumping all the time on the war wagon? This is a well-written and well-researched book. It is highly recommended.

People who want a condensed introduction on how the Bush administration walked into a quagmire in Iraq should read "The New American Empire". I don't agree with all of Tremblay's arguments, but in my opinion he hits the nail on the head when he identifies the real reasons why Bush II invaded Iraq, i.e oil, Israel, military bases and domestic politics. By the way, the same scenario seems to be repeating itself with Iran, with the same deception about the real reasons for intimidating Iran.

So, even if you do not agree with everything the author has to say, this book is worth a ton of newspapers articles or hours of TV reporting. The chapters on `Oil' and on the `History of Empires' are worth buying this book.

Among the many books written on the Iraq war and the Bush administration's fixation with militarism, this book by economist Tremblay is one of the most readable and most informative.

The fact that George W. Bush was planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' in that country, even before he took power in January 2001, should make people pause and think. So should the Neocon blueprint for a complete American take-over of the Middle East ("Rebuilding America's Defenses"), drafted in Sept. 2001, by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby.

Now that Iraq is a mess, that thousands and thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, the American people are entitled to know the real reasons why the Bush administration launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, with no provocation but with a lot of bad faith. All the official reasons have been proven false. After reading this book, one knows the real reasons behind one of the most foolish enterprises ever undertaken by a U.S. government abroad. I have learned a lot also from prof.
Tremblay's new blog: http://www.TheNewAmericanEmpire.com/blog.

The truth shall set you free!

Dr. Tremblay is right on target with his assessment of the direction the U.S. is heading, along with his critiques of the politicians we have in this country. It is amazing that more people don't "see through" the false facades these people present to the public, and that so many people believe the lies doled out to unsuspecting voters! I would recommend this book as a very timely read....particularly in view of the upcoming 2008 Presidential Elections

Here is a standout presentation of the ins and outs of contemporary Spanish. Examples of idiomatic usage are generously supplied, but fine points do not get in the way of the basics. Altogether an exemplary text--well-orgnized, lucid, and thorough.

When a Spanish teacher reccommended this book to me, I was reluctant to purchase yet another grammar book. However, this book is extremely detailed and is great for the advanced student. It is more than any college textbook. Keep in mind it is a book of explanations and not a book of exercises, but it does answer a lot of questions that an advanced undergraduate, or first-year grad student has.

If you are beyond the beginners level, then this is the equivalent to a Grammar bible. everything you need is in this book. Contrary to the opinion of a previous reviewer, I HIGHLY recommend that any SERIOUS student read this book in its entirety. I did it and probably will do so again.

This book about Spanish grammar is very comprehensive, but I don't recommend it to beginners. This book is aimed at advanced students. The explanations are a bit technical, but the author provides "real world" examples on how each piece of grammar is used. When I say "real wordl," I refer to the newspaper articles or the speeches the author cites.

I especially like the chapter on the subjunctive. This book provides an entire chapter to it, very important. Although, I don't like how the information is organized.

For beginning Spanish students, I don't recommend this book at all. It is too advanced. I recommend "Side by Side English & Spanish Grammar." I used it when I started studying Spanish, and it taught me a great deal of Spanish grammar.

Brandon Simpson

If you were stuck on a desert island teaching Spanish for the next year, this would be the one book to have with you. There is no close second. Even if you are not the geeky, I-love-grammar type, this is the kind of book that you open to check one little detail and 45 minutes later you find yourself still poring over other bits of information. The authors' style is completely professional, but unlike so many other volumes of Spanish grammar they manage to keep explanations interesting and clear.

The Red Book was a great read, funny and inspiring.I bought copies for two girlfriends who also love it!

I thumbed through this book in a local bookstore and every page was an "aha!" for me. It was so good to feel that someone else was on the same journey that I am, and made the path wider to follow. This book urges you to find your own connection to the divine and not believe in dogma just because it was taught to you as a child. We all have a connection to the divine and it is our right and responsibility to seek it and follow it.

I was a little cautious about getting this book. The title kept throwing me off - but the description kept calling me in. Unorthodox it is. It might be offensive to some - but then they are probably not the ones too interested in having a spirituality that beams light of any kind (sorry if that offended the traditional or conservative spiritualist). Sara is brutally honest, blunt, close to her Creator, in touch with her divine and her feminine soul, soaks up wisdom and spews it out lovingly for all to hear, live, love. I would go a step further and recommend it for men - we all long for our feminine soul to sing and dance. Sara, I'm waiting for your next one...your sequel...The Redder Book.

I grew up in an environment that exposed me to a lot of different religions... Protestant, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, etc. As I got older I found that more and more people would tell me that I had to choose one religion as the "right" religion. What was so confusing to me was that they ALL said their religion was the one that needed to be followed in order to get into heaven. This caused me to fall away from churches in general because I didn't know WHO was right and I drove myself a little crazy worrying that I would pick the wrong one. It wasn't until recently that I really started thinking about my spirituality again. The one thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to pick a religion so much as get in touch with God and my spirituality through my own set of beliefs. I was searching for books on Spirituality and stumbled on to The Red Book and I am so glad that I did. This was exactly what I was looking for in terms of teaching me about all of the different types of beliefs and practices out there and showing how intertwined they all are with each other in so many different ways. Sera Beak has a beautiful way of connecting with the reader so that you feel you are sitting down with her and having a personal conversation. The book is filled with humor and wonderful insights into spirituality and individuality. She doesn't expect you to agree with everything she says and encourages you to delve deeper into the areas that resonate with you. This book had everything that I was looking for and so much more!!! As a matter of fact, I am giving this book to my family and friends as Christmas gifts! I think everyone... no matter how young or old, male or female, can take away and learn something from this book. I just hope that she will bless us with another book in the near future!!

I bought this book on the strength of 33 5-star reviews of a book I had never heard of. I am so happy that I did this! Although it's aimed towards "young women," it really is perfectly tuned to anyone open-minded and looking for exploring the beauty and excitement of developing your own spiritual path.


A lot of the other reviewers have already done a fine job discussing what they found brilliant about this book, so I'll address one concern that you might have before reading it: What if you do have a rather rigid set of religious beliefs? I don't think this book is for you if you're adamant that the place God or your spiritual equivalent as something that must fall within codified and clearly defined rules. This book does not, and I must emphasize this, does NOT advocate anything out-there or overtly objectionable like promiscuity, drugs, insistence upon rejecting your current beliefs, et cetera. It's really about the possibility of thinking about spirituality as a very living and evolving element in your life, wherever you are right now. If anything, I think it would help you find a lot of strength within yourself, and to take a deeper dive into the beliefs that really sustain and nourish you now. Very highly recommended in a sea of bland and sometimes troubling self-help or faux-spiritual hogwash.

This colorful guide book to the reef fish of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Carribean is an excellent reference. Fish are shown in beautiful color pictures with information on size, shape, where to find them,and how they are likely to react to divers.
All the usuals are of coures here but so are many less commonly seen in guide books. Written information also includes descriptions of common variants.
An all around excellent book for the semiserious to serious snorkeler or diver who enjoys identifing what they see.

As book reader and Diver, I just love this book, It gives me all the pictures and characteristics for an accurate evaluation of the creatures I found under water. Great pictures, and outstanding charcterization of fishes.

At one time I was the head of a volunteer organization in WPB, Florida that assisted Palm Beach County with their artifical reef program. Part of the qualification was to get training in a variety of related subjects (like fish identification) sponsored by the Florida Oceanographic Society. This book served as our fish identification "bible." I no longer live in FL, but when I go diving in the Caribbean I stil take this book with me. If you need to (or just want to) know the fish of the Caribbean, buy this book.

This is a fabulous resource, and I wish we had bought it before to take with us on our trip to BVI

This is a reef fish identification book. This sounds obvious, but that really is the focus here. It's not a book to teach you about fish behavior, biogeography, community ecology, or population trends. Author, diver, captain, photographer, and attorney (!) Paul Humann took most of the 670 photographs in this book, a real accomplishment for any diver, since the result of a blurred or indistinct photograph of a fish is to... go get another.

The organization of this ID book is by fish shape. He's got 12 "identification groups":

- disks and ovals (colorful)
- silvery
- sloping head and tapered body
- small ovals
- heavy body and large lips
- swim with pectoral fins, and with obvious scales
- reddish and big eyes
- small, elongated bottom-dwellers
- old-shaped bottom dwellers
- odd-shaped swimmers
- eels
- sharks and rays

Any fish watcher would see the "logic" of this organization, although it could make some ichthyologists squirm with these sets of artificial groupings.

The book is spiral-bound so that the pages, when opened, stay open. And the clay content in the paper makes it more resistant to water dripping from your wetsuit or your hair. Just make sure you wipe it off, pronto.

Now the photos... They are very high quality, and Humann is to be commended for taking, or selecting from other photographers, pictures that really pull out the details of the various fish . For example, the Sergeant Major has the delicate yellow along the base of its dorsal fin, and those frogfish must be viewed in both a camouflaged condition and in a setting where they are contrasted with the background.

Any amateur photographer will soon discover the difficulty in getting a full, close-up and lateral view of a fish. They tend to swim away from you as you get close, giving you a great view of the tail sweeping away. These photos are the result of a truly amazing amount of patience.

In an appendix, he throws in some sea turtles and dolphins or good measure, as well as a checklist for keeping track of the reader's sightings.

My ocean diving has all been in the Pacific, and it was interesting seeing species related to my own "friends." If I get the opportunity to dive in Florida, the Caribbean, or the Bahamas, this will be the book I throw in my dive bag... in a zip-lock bag, of course.