Baker Books

It is very difficult to find very good commentaries on the Psalms that are spiritually illuminating, devotional, and practical. Indeed, for some, they name, Calvin (Commentary on Psalms) and Spurgeon (The Treasury of David) to be among the best. I agree. And I also think that Boice's Expostional Commentary on Psalms is ranked up there.
1. It is SPIRITUALLY ILLUMINATING. Boice approaches each Psalm by emphasizing the main points of the Psalm without digressing into peripheral issues. He organizes and outlines each Psalm logically according to main points. Therefore he makes readers actually understand what Psalmist is saying. In many cases, he illuminates the text by simple but well thought-out exposition and modern illustrations.
2. It is HIGHLY DEVOTIONAL. This commentary is written for spiritual growth. It is not written for the mind alone, but also the heart. Boice comments in his preface, "It is my prayer that these studies may be a source of rich spiritual nurture, grace, instruction, and comfort to you as you read them (p.10)." He wrote these commentaries with that goal in mind. Therefore a reader can actually sense that devotional character of the book.
3. It is RICHLY PRACTICAL. On each Psalm, Boice addresses application to the reader. Throughout the commentary Boice generally and specifically brings the message of the Psalm to today's situation and life. So every reader will be able to use the Psalm and apply to their lives.

In sum, both pastors and lay believers can benefit greatly from this series. I use it all the time for my own personal edification and also for the teaching. I also recommend Spurgeon's "The Treasury of David."

I have to confess I an already a real fan of JMB. Recently my sunday school class decided to embark on a study of Psalms. Since I was the somewhat reluctant but blessed teacher I needed a resource other than my limited knowledge. I have always enjoyed Boice's writings...amazingly to the point,yet providing enough background to be used as a study guided in many cases. Psalms is NO exception. The best blend of a devotional work with basic scholarship and exposition. I recommend the whole series.

Thank you Dr. Goldingay for a truly helpful commentary on the Psalms. This commentary is aimed at pastors and seminary students, (Scholars will not be disappointed either). Goldingay provides a careful and fresh translation of each Psalm, a 65 page introduction and Christological interpretation to the Psalms. Each psalm is given an introduction, and notes of translation. Dr. Goldingay follows up with verse by verse comment and finally, a closing on the theological implecations. He interacts with scholarship of all eras, favorites such as Jerome and Luther, and includes many of our day as well ( Klaus Baltzer, Linda M. Maloney, Eugene H. Peterson and Walter Brueggemann; etc.) Currently, I have 6 commentaries on the Psalms, including Davidson, Terrien, Craigie and Mays, yet this surges to the top because of its ability to "stick" in my mind. Dr. Goldingay's pen is clear, reverant, concise and insightful.

Volume 1 of John Goldingay's trilogy on the Psalter is a tour de force, combining detailed exegesis with theological reflection. It begins with a fairly lengthy, but informative introduction that addresses authorship, formation of the Psalter, and the various types of Psalms. His exegesis of Psalms 1-41 is currently the most thorough available. The verse-by-verse exegesis transliterates the original Hebrew grammar, making the commentary very user-friendly for those lacking knowledge of the original language. While this commentary is an altogether solid effort, Christians desiring to better understand the use of the Psalter in the NT will find Goldingay's work immensely helpful. Pastors who love the Psalter, but don't quite know how to preach from it have a treasure trove of fine theological exegesis in Goldingay's work that guides the reader from the original OT context of each Psalm, into its NT usage whenever a particular Psalm is quoted there from the Septuagint (LXX) and finally into contemporary theological application. It will most definitely prove to be an illuminating read for anyone interested in studying, understanding and expounding the Psalter. Moving from text to sermon should be relatively easy for anyone using this commentary. Goldingay writes with the precision of a master exegete and the penetrating insight of a theologically-minded pastor. He displays his mastery of OT theology throughout and also interacts with sources as diverse as John Calvin and Eugene Peterson, solidifying the viability of his theological applications and their contemporary relevance (Perhaps Goldingay should write a homiletics textbook at some point. I'm certain that it would exponentially surpass most of the instructional books on preaching the Old Testament that are currently available!). Even laypersons desiring to study the Psalter more deeply will profit greatly from Goldingay's work. The NIVAC and WBC volumes on the Psalter are very good, but they do not combine exegesis with theological reflection and contemporary application as thoroughly, solidly and seamlessly as Goldingay does here. The section on Psalm 23 is reason enough to buy this commentary! The rest of the commentary is equally outstanding and will hopefully change the way those who read it view the Psalter itself, worship, prayer, and God himself for the better. This volume and its 2 forthcoming installments should prove to be the standard 'critical-Evangelical' Psalms commentaries for years to come. This first volume on the Psalms has certainly set a high standard for this particular specialized series; I expect nothing less from the other two installments.

The forthcoming (single?) volume on the Psalms for NICOT will most likely not be able to hold a candle to Goldingay's trilogy. Hopefully, these volumes will compel the NICOT editors to publish three equally thorough commentaries on the Psalter instead of a mere single volume. Highly recommended!!!!

This is a must read. Its a look into the life of a passionate.A mirror to the soul.

Belinda Slider-Baker expresses in words what can only be felt in the deepest part of the heart. You will smile and cry. This collection of poems is an inspiration to women in every walk of life. I highly recommend this book for personal enjoyment as well as the perfect gift for anyone you care about.

This book is all the more shocking when you realize that RIGHT NOW the taxpayer, thanks to credulous politicians like Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Dan Burton and others, is being made to pay for "medical care" that is every bit as crazy as the things in this book. Someday someone will write a book like this but it will be about *present-day* nonsense, including a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (the only center in the NIH oriented around the needs of practitioners - CAM practitioners in this case - as opposed to the needs of patients) that pays for psychic power therapy, a White House Commission on CAM headed by a former devotee of the Bhagwan guru whose group launched a biological attack in Oregon, and on and on ...

We have had a boom in interest in "alternative health care" recently, but that interest has been with us ever since there has been a medical establishment to which there could be "alternatives." In the American Midwest in the 1930s three alternative healers began a rise to financial, social, and political power. _Quacks & Crusaders: The Fabulous Careers of John Brinkley, Norman Baker, and Harry Hoxsey_ (University Press of Kansas) by Eric S. Juhnke documents the rise and fall of all three medical conmen, and gives a lesson in the dangers of credulousness.

John Brinkley was a licensed doctor, having graduated from a diploma mill. He latched on to the "gland transplant" experiments done on animals, and believed that transplanting animal glands into humans was a key for rejuvenation. "A man is as old as his glands, and his glands are as old as his sex glands," he proclaimed. Male goats were the randiest animals, so they were the tissue donors, but they turned out to be just the thing to boost female fertility and development of the bust, too. He compared himself to Jesus, gave sermons, and demonized the American Medical Association. Norman Baker specialized in cancer cures. He worked as a machinist and in vaudeville before settling down in Muscatine, Iowa. He persuaded city officials to let him start a radio station that would present honest-to-goodness down home programs as opposed to the high-brow fare coming from the cities. Baker called Morris Fishbein, the head of the AMA, the "Jewish dominator of the medical trust of America," and insisted that his clinic was a bastion for personal freedom and against the evils of urban industrialism. Harry Hoxsey proved to have the most staying power. He specialized in herbal cancer cures as well. Not a physician, he was able to enroll renegade physicians into his service, and he was bankrolled by an evangelist minister. In Dallas, he enjoyed poker, nightclubs, and womanizing, and his diatribes against interference by the AMA and the government won him friends from the political right wing.

Juhnke's tales of these colorful characters are great fun to read, even though the rascals bilked many of their patients of money and sometimes their lives. The eventual success of the AMA against them is not a pure victory; the shortcomings of the AMA at the time are examined here, too. Few people remember these quacks now. The towns that boosted them because they brought in business now view them as an embarrassing part of their histories. It is important that Juhnke has brought them again to our attention. We may no longer have such manifestations as goat gland transplants, but anyone who watches television knows that herbal cures, homeopathy, and healing magnets are still taking money from the gullible. There is still a large group of potential patients who view organized medicine (and governmental regulation of medical treatment) as some sort of conspiracy, and of course there are plenty of faith healers who are glad to have their flocks doubting the efficacy of regular medical treatment. People are finding it harder to pay for physicians, and drug costs are up. Brinkley, Baker, and Hoxsey may have eventually lost their power and their millions, but Juhnke's useful study reminds us that there are always healers ready to take their place.

This book is a very valuable teaching tool. I have been using it in my Sunday School class and for general knowledge of where to find specific scriptures. I love it!

This is a great tool if you work with teenagers. It covers almost every topic that they struggle with in today's society. Many scripture references for each topic. I highly recommend this book for anyone who works with youth in a Christian setting.

This is my second year using the Quilt Art Calendar. The size is small enough to fit in my purse, yet large enough to keep track of all those things I don't want to forget. At the end of year the calendar is kept not just for my notes but for the beautiful quilts that I continue to admire.

The new QUILT ART 2008 ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR is on the market and makes for a perfect engagement planning gift for avid quilters. Each week-long period is presented with plenty of room for write-ins and a facing full-page quilt sample in full color, with a color sidebar of detail on the piece's origins, creation, and size. A complete month view occupies a second sidebar on the bottom of each page, making for especially easy reference when setting dates.

This is my 3rd year having bought the Quilt Engagement Calendar so I obviously love it! I have found it to be useful boh as a totable- purse sized & desktop aide.

The entry spacing is very ample, allowing me to include notations on my own annual quilt/ craft project goals & deadlines, fest, shows, contests & class information, in addition to typical calendar planning entries. The spiral binding is a real plus, which I have found most useful for pulling out of a bag at a demo & jotting down notes or in notating ads on boards viewed.

The color quilt photos throughout are breath taking & awe- inspiring. As an advanced quilt designer, I find these useful in my own project ideas & planning. Whether a seasoned quilter, novice, or quilter want- a- be... or even one who simply enjoys the craft for it's art & beauty, the photos are most pleasing to all & highly useful regardless of the quilt experience or level. Quilters of all levels will find this an inspiration for attempting new techniques & challenges, while usefully tracking deadlines, UFO/ projects in progress & typical journal entries.

I recommend buying this for yourself, but also as a inexpensive indispensible gift for your quilt friends/ family or art appreciators. The price at Amazon can't be beat, and buying it well in advance is highly recommended as to permit ample time for project planning & notating craft- quilt events. I'd love myself to receive it as a gift, but alas, I am too hurried to await this from others. SO TREAT YOURSELF or SOMEONE SPECIAL to this favorite TODAY!! You'll be back for the 2002 issue, no doubt!

This is my third year having bought this wonderful desktop/ briefcase totable engagement bookelt. Obviously, returning as I have, I am VERY pleased with the booklet. The spiral binding is a REAL plus, adding to ease of entries.

The QUILT ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR offers large page entry space, with enough to accomodate all my appointments, craft/ quilt notations & quilt commitment deadlines, in addition to typical engagement calendar entries. The color photos throughout are breathtaking & inspiring as an advanced quilt designer, but also offer me similar inspirations when getting my feet wet in new techniques, design concepts & class commitments. [A good seasoned quilter is ALWAYS a novice, if lending him/ herself toward the self design aspect of this art craft.]

Used in combination with my festival calendars, show listings & quilt & craft expos, this booklet follows me EVERYWHERE, is both desktop perfect & fits nicely in a decent sized handbag. I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING IT! Also, Amazon's price on this can't be beat elsewhere.

A final note to spouses/ family/ friends of quilters or quilter hopeful's: THIS MAKES AN EXCELLENT INEXPENSIVE GIFT. [How I only wish MINE would arrive annually as such; but, frankly, I rarely wait until year-end to buy it as I want to plan my projects/ UFO's well in advance.] A PERFECT SELECTION!!

What a wonderful book to read to a child before bedtime! It reminded me of laying in the grass looking up at the stars and dreaming about things afar. The Cree legend elopes with the pursuit of your dreams, as rabbit and crane take you there.

Retells Cree legend of how Rabbit wanted to see the earth from the moon and finally gets Crane to fly him there. Crane's legs are stretched and his head is bloodied from Rabbit's hands.

One thing that sets this book apart from many is its attention to the characters. You get a real sense of who these people are-- not some cardboard cutout made just to move the story along. Speaking of story, Baker does a pretty good job in that category too. Good plot and you always have a feeling of suspense reading the book. There is romance, but nothing too explicit. The battles scenes are nice, detailed and imaginative. The author finds time to add a little humor to the story to keep it from getting too dark--which I appreciated. If you are looking for a new and different fantasy, that's not too long( just under 350 pages), then Rayna of Nightwind may fit the bill nicely.

Rayna Powel is a college student, who one nights decide to take her car for a ride, to figure out how to tell her mother that she's moving out. A storm comes up, and she swerves to avoid hitting a women standing in the street. She is caught in a strange lightning storm and she's transported to another, exotic world. She starts off in Kuara, an agricultural province. Rayna is not there long before she is caught up in a political struggle between an exiled princess named Keris and a power-hunger king named Nephredom.

Keris promised to help Rayna get back to her world if Rayna helps Keris defeat Nephredom. The only problem is that Keris doesn't have an army. So they must first journey to Soren so Keris can try convincing the leader Ciredor and his men to fight with them. Along the way, they encounter Beast- people that were turned into hideous creatures during a recent war.

The people of Taren use "Psi-magic", which is kind of like psychic powers. The story has sci-fi elements to it, but is fantasy at its heart. The author did a good job creating a world with a rich history and culture. The main characters are not predictable and in fact, Rayna often unwittingly does things that defy logic or good judgment. That's funny because she is a science major. But that is what makes her character believable and likeable.

It's was a very entertaining book and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.

I first learned of this book in an early 1990's issue of Omni magazine. After buying and reading the book, I spoke to Dr. Bellak, who had some fascinating stories to relate on his experience in this area.

At times, I think the book makes some leaps that may not be quite scientifically supported, especially in assigning certain character attributes based on facial features. Notwithstanding, the book is thought provoking and interesting reading.

Recently, my company developed a technology and website called Symmeter that uses a somewhat similar approach, and references this interesting and informative book and it's authors.

If you are interested in psychology and symmetry, this is a must have book.

I chat online and when I see a photo of a person I've only known a few minutes, this book helped me to truely read their personality. So many have accused me of being psychic, wondering how I knew so much about them. This book proves that people's faces are true reflection of their personality at that time of their life. It proves the old wive's tales are true: weak chins mean a weak personality, generous lips: generous person, etc. Your left side is your true nature, your right side is your the side you want people to believe you are. People mostly zoom in on other's right sides because the eye tends to look more left then right. You can tell easily whether it's a real smile, what personality traits a person has, trustworthiness, etc. This book doesn't go crazy making you remember every minute detail, but by looking at different quadrents of the face individually. Simple, easy & most accurate. This book contains a lot of great b&w photos people, including famous people at different times of their lives for you to practice on.
Even looking at my own photos as a child and through the years, I see how my lips changed, my cheeks, my nose even. That's why some people look completely different years later because their personality changed.