G Books

My father read this book to me when I was a little girl. I loved the book, and I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture given by Mr. Sears before he passed away. This was a wonderfuly humerous book written by a wonderful human being, and I recommend it to everyone.

I read this book as at about the age of 10. It is so wonderful, and i would definately recommend it!

I love William Sears as a human being without ever having met him. Although he has passed, when I read any of his books I feel he is speaking to me as if he were in the room. God Loves Laughter was the first of his books that I read. It started me on a journey of appreciating all of the simplicity and beauty life has to offer and I will always be grateful to Mr. Sears for giving me that.

Thank you, Mana

This is a fun book, easy to read and very amusing. It is the story of William Sears, at one time a presenter of American TV sports and children's programs. His story is full of humour as the title of the book suggests. First published in 1960 it is as popular today as it was then, having been reprinted many times.

Bill Sears was an inquisitive child, growing up in a time when adults did not like to be questioned about most subjects, especially the existence (or not) of God! He sought out his grandfather and much of this book is about the special relationship and love he shared with him. He could and did talk with his grandfather about everything and was able to ask questions and receive answers which stimulated and encouraged him to pursue a boyhood dream.

Grandfather had a farm and a horse and buggy and young Bill Sears delighted in these surroundings and in his grandfather's company. Sears recounts how as a mischievous child he frequently got on the wrong side of his father! His curiosity about the Bible and his desire to read it by torchlight under the bed covers cannot but make you laugh! Grandfather was a rebel. He had time for God but not the churches. Sears grew up in the Depression in Milwaukee and struggled to make a living. He became a successful writer eventually but, as he says, he became like everyone else: get up, go to work, go to bed, die!

He felt there had to be something more to life. He had married and had two sons but his first wife died. Then he met and married Marguerite who helped him in his search for the meaning of life and the meaning of a boyhood dream in which he saw a man, bathed in light, who beckoned him to follow him. Weird or what?!

He read about the Baha'i faith and was convinced that he wanted to be part of it with his family. He had become very successful and earned a lot of money in America but life was a rush and he wanted to get off the treadmill. He did. He and his family went to live in Africa. His life changed, he found happiness, travelled all over the world and wrote this book!

I had read this book more than once and love it!

Born in Minnesota in 1911 of an Irish father, Sears made his father nervous from the time he spoke at six months. At 18 months he knew words that his father didn't know and had his first dream. By the time he was five he was making his father's life a misery with his inordinate interest in God so he was sent to Sunday school. "Let the boy worry Father Hogan for a while. I pay my pew-rent regularly and hardly ever use it. Let him earn the money." But this only opened up an abundance of new questions for Sears to ask his father. We follow Sears through his childhood with a laugh on every page. Much of the time he is bounced between mother, father, priest and grandfather as each give their interpretation of God, his dreams and his conviction that he would travel the world telling people about God. He started his writing career one summer before graduating from grade-school after reading a poem while having his hair cut. He sold his masterpiece for $7.50 and skyrocketed to fame.

After marrying and having two sons Sears entered a bleak period in his life when his wife died and his youngest child had to be placed in a sanatorium. He had been pushed further from his dream and more into a world that cared very little about the things of the spirit when he was offered the first of many jobs at a radio station. One day a vision of loveliness walked into studio A and five drooling men watched her through the big studio window during the interview. "It was the most wonderful lunch I ever ate. I have no recollection of the food, but her voice was Pablo Casal's cello." They went for a drive and Marguerite told him about Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith. At this point the one subject Sears never cared to discuss was religion, having investigated every religion, sect, cult and belief he could find in East and West. For three years Sears had not mentioned his dream to anyone and he only told Marguerite because he wanted her to know all about him before asking her to marry him. She gave him a book - a record of the public talks given by `Abdu'l-Baha during his visit to America from the Holy Land before the First World War. Inside the fly-leaf there was a tribute to Baha'u'llah by Leo Tolstoy, who had written: "The whole world is seeking the solution to its problems. There is a prisoner in `Akka, Baha'u'llah, who has the key." "I began to read. It was about two o'clock when I found out why Marguerite had become so excited when I mentioned my boyhood dream. I felt a stab-like thrill myself as I turned one of the pages and saw the date: September 20, 1912. It was the very day and year of my first dream."

At their first Christmas, with sons now reunited, Marguerite read the words of Baha'u'llah about Christ to show that as a Baha'i she believed in Jesus: "When Christ came into the world, He shed the splendor of his glory upon all created things. Jesus it was who purified the World. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him." They stopped at Lookout Point above Salt Lake City. "A premonition of what I was about to see began to grow on me. I stepped to the ledge, and there lying below me was the magic city I had seen so clearly in my dream." When they got home, Marguerite showed him a photograph. "I looked into those same haunting, tender eyes. I saw the white beard, soft as silk, the flowing white robes, the smile of eternal kindness. I was deeply moved. This is the man." She said, "That is Abdu'l-Baha."

Sears could no longer ignore what was happening to him; he read extensively and traveled widely to discover the truth for himself. He has written the detailed story of his discoveries and the steps that led up to it in `Thief in the Night.' The title is taken from Christ's quotation about the hour of His return when, "Catching mankind unprepared and uninterested, `He shall come like a thief in the night.'" Originally he called the book `The Case of the Missing Millenium' for it turned out to be one of the most absorbing and exciting mysteries imaginable. No one had been able to solve the mystery for over a hundred years, when suddenly the answer fell into his lap. Professor Edward Granville Browne of Pembroke College, Cambridge University had written about the rise of the Bahai Faith: "I feel it is my duty, as well as pleasure, to bring the matter to the notice of my countrymen. In my eyes, the whole story seems one of the most interesting and important events that have occurred since the rise of Christianity." Professor Benjamin Jowett of Balliol College, Oxford, wrote in similar vein: "It is the greatest thing to come to the earth since the days of Jesus, the Christ. It is too great for the present to understand it, but the future will understand it." Sears had found the meaning of his dream at last and declared himself a Baha'i. He put aside a well paid television job and fulfilled his promise that "if ever I found out the truth about my dream I'd go all over the world and share the news of my discovery." But that is the story in another book "Black Sunlight."

Godschild Covenant
Godschild Covenant, written by Marshall Masters, is a very unique, poetic and uplifting book. In it, Mr. Masters shows great insight into the immense strength of the human spirit, insight which many people alive now have been unable to notice, whether it be because of their busy lifestyle or their aspirations toward a specific goal.
From beginning to end, Godschild Covenant demonstrated moving, poetic tenderness. While restricted by circumstances, the story of the sexual love between Anthony and Tanya was shown to be heart wrenching and full of the emotional beauty of a love between two soul mates.
This unique book is futuristic, yet full of truth. It uplifts the reader from the normal, mundane, everyday existence to a place that all of humanity will eventually reach. Ahead of his time, Marshall Masters is giving humanity a message, a prediction, which will soon come to pass. Meanwhile, Marshall, with his mastery of imagination and narrative skill, leads the reader through entertainment to the truth of a realistic, yet hopeful land, the land of the Godschild Covenant.
This story surpasses all other novels and works of fiction.
It is an immensely rewarding journey; it is so inspiring, so enticing that it makes one want to reach the last word of the book, while still feeling sorry for the fact that the book is drawing to an end.

Ming Friedman
April 27, 2003
...

This is a superb novel!

Marshall Masters has excelled himself with his first foray into fiction. With vivid imagination he has successfully combined the genres of action, thriller, sci-fi, murder and romance into one, fascinating, action-packed, hard-to-put-down book.

The characters are so life like and the environment the book is set in is so real-to-life, that I was completely drawn in, feeling as though I was actually there, experiencing every moment and emotion.

The story focuses on the power of the human spirit and it's will to survive in the face of desperation and destruction upon Earth. I was taken on a journey with Anthony Jarman, a seemingly ordinary but spiritually gifted man who struggles to accept his new responsibility within society as an ELMO (End of Life Management Officer); joined him on his dangerous quest to find his one and only son, kidnapped by extremist politicians; and followed his gentle, heart-wrenching discovery of true love with his soul mate.

This is a powerful and uplifting novel, which will provoke readers to ponder the actual reality of a higher realm of existence; a topic, which is so often taboo in today's society. It has elements of historical fact; describes scenarios that almost mirror current real life events and takes the bold step of sending out a message to readers about our own future and what it may hold.

A must read for all avid bookworms!

Godschild Covenant, the return of Nibiru, presents the reader with a rip-roaring good read combining the best of several genres. Classification is difficult as it's as much a science fiction novel as well as an adventure novel. Combining the two genres as well as including several aspects of new age spiritualism and being able to hold the whole thing together would seem rather difficult in perspective. Marshall Masters has managed to do it all. From factual technical aspects to fine points in descriptive narration the author manages to do a top job. Recommended for all ages this is a fine debut novel.
Howard Crawford - April 2003 Darringtonoutback.com

Mobipocket Review
http//www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/BookDetails.asp?BookID=11321

Godschild Covenant, written by Marshall Masters, is a very unique, poetic and uplifting book. In it, Mr. Masters shows great insight into the immense strength of the human spirit, insight which many people alive now have been unable to notice, whether it be because of their busy lifestyle or their aspirations toward a specific goal.

From beginning to end, Godschild Covenant demonstrated moving, poetic tenderness. While restricted by circumstances, the story of the sexual love between Anthony and Tanya was shown to be heart wrenching and full of the emotional beauty of a love between two soul mates.

This unique book is futuristic, yet full of truth. It uplifts the reader from the normal, mundane, everyday existence to a place that all of humanity will eventually reach. Ahead of his time, Marshall Masters is giving humanity a message, a prediction, which will soon come to pass. Meanwhile, Marshall, with his mastery of imagination and narrative skill, leads the reader through entertainment to the truth of a realistic, yet hopeful land, the land of the Godschild Covenant.

This story surpasses all other novels and works of fiction. It is an immensely rewarding journey; it is so inspiring, so enticing that it makes one want to reach the last word of the book, while still feeling sorry for the fact that the book is drawing to an end.--Mobipocket.com

I wish to add one more statement to an earlier review of Godschild Covenant.

Marshall's insight from Godschild Convenant that described the 3-Gorges Virus shows exactly what is happening in China - the spreading of SARS. According to the Indian News, China has created this virus from its Bio-weapons lab. This is another of Marshall's phrophetic warning from his book.

Chris Ledoux was a 1970 and early 80 rodeo star. If you have ever wondered what a bare back bronc rider goes through to win the National Finals Rodeo bareback bronc riding championship this book is a must. The author David Brown takes you through the early days when Chris was just a kid watching his childhood rodeo stars perform where he got the desire to be rodeo bronc rider himself. Chris started in Little Britches Rodeo, then High School and College and on to be a professional rodeo star where he endured low pay, bad rides, and severe injuries, all the way to the NFR where Chris finally wins the Gold Buckle in the bareback riding to fulfill his Gold Buckle Dreams. This is one of my favorite books.

I've rodeoed for a number of years and been a Chris LeDoux fan for even longer. This was a great book about how much it took him to win the world. I passed it on to my younger brother who read it and thought it was great. It was a sad day in rodeo and country music when he passed away.

this is an awsome book about chris ledoux's rodeo day's it has some very cool pictures you may or maynot see anywhere else, this is a must reed,for any of you chris ledoux fans out there. sadly chris is no longer with us, but he will always live in our memories of his rodeo days aswell as his music. long live chris ledoux a real cowboy.

This is a look behind a legend - something I'm sure he'd deny. Chris left this world much too soon, but this covers his early days before Nashville took note through his name being mentioned in Garth's song. For Chris fans or rodeo fans...excellent book.

Anyone who's every rodeo'ed or thought about going do the road, pick this book up, through your rigging on and hang on for a wild 8 second ride!

As both a former rodeo cowboy and long time Chris Ledoux fan, I found this book a very excellent read!

As Goodyear's liason to the Zeppelin Company, Harold G. Dick had unprecedented access to the ships, the information, and the people who defined this "golden age." He speaks with authtority because he was there. He can relate unique statistics on the performance of the Hindenberg in trans-Atlantic flight because he flew as a officer/observer. He speaks about the personalities of Dr. Hugo Eckner, the chairman of Zeppelin, and his son Knut, because he enjoyed the friendship of both. He also touches upon the rise of the Nazi Party, since he was a direct witness to propoganda flights (and some more harrowing events). (His photographs of the damage sustained by the Hindenberg as it attempted to lift off on such a flight are unique; Nazi officials confiscated all others, but he managed to hide his film.) His access was unique, and so therefore is this book.

This book is a first-hand account by Harold G. Dick who was the only American ever to be allowed into the Zeppelin-Luftschiffbau operations. His experiences between 1934-1938 and his extensive notes of that time provide the reader with a fantastic understanding of the complexities and excitement associated with these graceful giants of the sky....Wish I had been alive at that time to see them!!!

One of the best airship books written as the author was directly involved in all aspects of the zeppelin program. No book written so far exceeds this one in illuminating the operations and organization of the passenger airship effort. Pictures never before seen are included. The story is told in context with the political situation of the time. A must read book.

An excellent book that appropriately combines historical, technical, and personal detail.

Harold Dick wrote an enticing account of his time with the great airships. He had complete access to the entire program. They even let him assume flight control resposibilities. The right man was in the right place at the right time.

Wow! This is a real gem of a book. I picked it up without knowing what to expect from a Batman spin-off about Renee Montoya, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by the deft writing and dark, gritty drawing. The reason behind why Montoya's enemies outed her is pretty twisted, showing that the insane mind doesn't realize its own craziness.

I really liked the feel of how the plot was carried out. It was well paced and kind of gave me the feeling like I was watching a cop drama movie or TV series. You could really get a sense of the tone, inflection, and emotion in the character's voices by reading the dialogue. It's nice to find such tense drama in a book.

There is not too much Batman in this version of Gotham City, but Renee Montoya's story kind of leaves you going, 'Batman who?'

Who cares about superheroes? Gotham cops are a million times more interesting. Rarely in comics will you find writing and art of this quality, especially together in one book. Renee Montoya is the most interesting, emotionally complex character that DC has produced in years. See the rest of Gotham Central as well as 52 and Crime Bible for a continuation of her story.

All the characters play out their roles in perfect pitch. The story throws Montoya's life through the wringer and the reasoning behind it just feels, well, twisted enough to make sense in Gotham. I liked the gritty cop's-life tale-telling style and the art complimented the story well. Overall, I loved this particular issue...

Gotham Central: Half a Life is about Gotham cop Renee Montoya. Montoya comes from a traditional Hispanic family. Her parents own a grocery. Their constant concern is that their only daughter is not eating enough, and when is she going to get married and give them grandchildren? That is a big problem for Renee, who is a lesbian and secretly dating a female chef.

When photos appear at work, Renee is mocked and scorned by her co-workers. Her brother confronts her - doesn't she know this will kill their parents? Tell them the photos were doctored, begs Renee. But things go from bad to worse when Renee is framed for the murder of the creep taking the photos. If she didn't do it, who did? And what does Two-Face have to do with this?

The story is right after the year-long No Man's Land storyline that took up the entire Batman comic line for the year of 1999. The beginning of Half a Life contains references to life during and after the federal designation of Gotham City as a condemned disaster area. Highly recommend the five No Man's Land GNs if you haven't read it.

Half a Life is the second story arc of a continuing comic called Gotham Central. And Gotham has never looked this gritty since Miller left for warmer climates. Michael Lark, who deserves immense amounts of money for the unbelievable work that he does, provides artwork that is to die for. It's dark and taut and each panel is perfection. Greg Rucka provides us with a very, very excellent character in Renee Montoya. She is tough as balls, intense, and very human. This is powerful storytelling.

Gotham Central has turned out to be one of the best comics in the past couple of years. Pushing Batman and his cast of crazy villains to the side as cameos and giving us the meat of the cops lives and cases provides hours of riveting reading. And rereading. Because these stories have depths and nuances that you didn't pick up the first time, trust me.

BTW, highly suggest Bruebaker and Lark's Scene of the Crime GN. Good stuff there too! Really good!

Overall, a truly wonderful asset in approaching the beautiful, enigmatic mystery of predestination and free will. Fr. Most's reasoning is sound and clear, giving the reader summaries after each chapter. Fr. Most presents strong arguments for the conclusion that God's plan includes in it each persons free response to grace, which is given to each man unendingly and given with the sincere and true intent of salvation. Other systems in Catholicsm, and Reformed thought, that pretend to universally distribute grace, but actually universally distribute inadequate grace, ultimately are inconsitent with God's true, universal love.

This book really opened the door for me to coming into the Catholic Church. I have studied alot of different theologies, from Calvinism to Thomists in the Catholic Church. I have never found a book that explains Justification in such a way that it grasps all the strong points from each and fits in perfectly with the bible and our form of Justice. This book does both, a great book for the Catholic understanding of Justification.

Fr. William Most has written a very scholarly and comprehensive book about the topics he proposed in his title. The book attempts to find an orthodox, Catholic view that reconciles free, autonomous human will with divine predestination. This is not an easy task, especially when we consider that the well established theological traditions within the Church, namely Older Thomism and Molinism, have already spoken on the issue.

OLDER THOMISTS:
1) Negative reprobation without foreseen demerits, just as a consequence of the seriousness of original sin
2) No autonomous, but secondary freedom. Physical premotion
3) Difference between sufficient grace and efficacious/irresistible grace. God gives everybody the ability, but not the application
4) Principle of predilection
5) Denial of God's real, vehement and universal salvific will
Most charges them with Calvinism and with making God the author of sin; with a faulty interpretation of Rom 8 and 9 ; with metaphysical concerns that are not faithful to the biblical text and to the Church's magisterium. More specifically, Most distinguishes between an internal economy (grace and mercy on all) and the external economy (privileges on some) and claims that Rom 8 and 9 apply to the external economy. See #117.

MOLINISTS
1) Divine foreknowledge (scientia media) as the cause of predestination: predestination after prevision of merits
2) Man's cooperation with grace
Most criticizes the Molinist idea of God predetermining a certain world order, independently and regardless of man's freedom and response

After rejecting both schools of thought's views on these topics, he sets forth his own view. There is no irresistible, infrustable and efficacious predestination of individuals to salvation. Election is truly universal, open to all, and so is final perseverance (which is not merited or owed). Predestination is corporate, to full membership in the church, not individual, to glory. God owes it to Himself (not to us) and freely bind himself in the covenant not to reprobate someone without prevision of his sins. Thus, non-election is always a consequence of God's foreknowledge of one's personal and willful sins. Those who do not resist God's grace are predestined. What does non-resistance mean? See # 82. The absence of bad decisions, not the presence of a good decision. See #139-144. So Most believes in predestination before prevision of merits but after taking into account absence of resistance. Now, God's salvific will is truly sincere, vehement, and not just a velleity, or a wish, as Augustine ("the very father of the system of negative reprobation before consideration of demerits" p. 283), Banez and older Thomists are inclined to think. God wills to save everyone, but because of their demerits he does not save some. Reprobation before consideration of demerits is incompatible with God's salvific will. GOD DOES NOT PASS ANYONE BY. Otherwise, if everything was pre-arranged, all exhortations like Ps 80:14 and Jesus's lament over Jerusalem would be meaningless.
Irresistible grace is extraordinary, not God's usual way to deal with all of us (p. 162, 167, 200). God can and does us sufficient grace in a salvific manner (which is how non-Christians are saved). Perseverance depends on free will.
Escape from dilemma: either God determines or is determined. Neither. God keeps into account omission of resistance to grace.
Difference between after and because consideration of merits; merits as condition, merits as cause.

Quite simply the single best book on the topic available today. Absolutely decimates Calvinism, but without resorting to polemics. If you can buy just one book to help you understand how grace, predestination, and free will all come together, this is it. Examines all the key passages, all the key thinkers reflections on the questions, in a systematic way to shed light on perhaps the hardest questions facing theologians. You WILL gain a greater appreciation and insight into the bible from reading this book. Cannot be recommended too highly.

I read this book after I finished Father Garrigou-Lagrange's timeless work on the issue of predestination. It just so happened that Father Most was a student of Father Garrigou-Lagrange and could not fully accept the Thomistic system of predestination that he espoused. Therefore, Father Most set about to understand the issue of predestination and grace and this book is the product of his study.

Coming from a Reformed Protestant background I was inclined to give this book a lower rating, but I was impressed with Fr. Most's reasoning and argumentation. As far as books on grace and predestination are concerned, Most's book is one of the more coherent and well argued literary works available. Therefore, I believe the book itself has some merit, but it still did not convince me that the Reformed interpretation is incorrect or invalid and I will explain why.

First, I will tackle just a few of the weaknesses I saw in this book. Most begins the work by delving right into the issue of grace, predestination and the salvific will of God. Although this is the major element and focus of this work, I still believe that a cursory examination of other relevant issues such as man's spiritual depravity would have been helpful. Since Most is attempting to argue against a Thomistic/Calvinist system, he needed to show that man is not spiritually dead in sin and that he still retains the capacity to respond to God. This book just assumes that man still possesses some semblance of free-will because Most argues that it is within our power to resist grace or to omit resistance.

Next, his attempt to deal with Romans 9 was very unsatisfactory. Most simply says that these verses deal with the external economy of temporal placement and vocation, and not with the internal economy of salvation. Yet, if you look at the beginning of Romans 9 Paul is dealing squarely with the issue of the eternal salvation of the Israelites. When he picks up with the theme of Jacob and Esau, Pharoah, and God's initiative to bestow mercy on whomever He wishes in verses 6-19, the Apostle gives us no indicator that he has shifted focus from his original train of thought. Furthermore, even if Paul were discussing the external economy in those verses, he is doing it to prove a point about the internal economy which is the primary focus of this passage. Paul uses the example of choosing Jacob over Esau, as a comparsion for God choosing some for salvation while overlooking the rest.

Although Most attempts to deal with some problem passages, he completely passes over John 6. His silence on this passage speaks volumes, because it is basically conceeding that these verses cannot be reconciled with his soteriological system. In John 6 Jesus shows that the church is given to Him before they actually come, and that everyone who comes is raised on the last day. This is much different than Fr. Most's notion of being able to impede and resist God's grace. According to John 6, all who are given by the Father and drawn, inevitably come to the Son and the Son will raise them all up unto eternal life.

That being said, I think Fr. Most's work also had several strong points. Father Most's solution to the problem of maintaining the absolute gratuity of predestination while affirming man's ability to distinguish himself is interesting and unique. Placing predestination after lack of resistance but before works still maintains it's gratuity, albeit it is a little dark, and allows for God to keep His sovereignty. Also, I believe that Most definitely showed that this was the opinion of not only Aquinas, but also a majority of the chruch fathers.

Fr. Most's explanation of how lack of resistance is not a work was very interesting, but I still thought it could have been explained better. I could see what he wanted to say, but I thought the distinction was still a little gray. If one chooses to resist, then doesn't one also choose not to resist? Although he says that when under the influence of grace one can just let it operate unhindered, this explanation left me wanting a clearer explanation. His explanation made it sound like an individual would receive and be transformed by grace without even realizing it.

Finally, I really enjoyed his treatment of the distinction between the divine intellect and the divine will. You can't emphasize one of these divine attributes at the expense of the other like most theological systems do. I understood how both are equally attributes of God's character and need to be held in balance and each given their proper respect. Also, his treatment of God having recourse to eternity to know future events was enlightening.

Overall, this book provides a solid defense of a more free-will based soteriological system; Sadly, this is something that is sadly lacking in much of the literature that is produced by free-will theologians. Although I believe that the book had it's deficencies, it also had it's strong points as well. Ultimately, the book did not convince me of the error of Calvinist theology, but I do believe that it educated me and helped me to better understand the intricacies of such a system.

This is one of the best self-help books for trauma because it teaches useful skills. I'd recommend it to anyone who is struggling with nightmares, flashbacks, spacing out, etc. It's more for child abuse survivors, but I think the exercises would work for any kind of trauma. My therapist likes it too, and we work on these skills together.

This has been a wonderful tool to have. It is a must have for therapists who work with PTSD,DID, and any clients who struggle with grounding, reality testing, impulsive bx, etc and have been through childhood abuse. I had been stuck with a client on safety issues and the safety chapter in this book was a hit with my client. Very Helpful!! Growing Beyond Survival: A Self-Help Toolkit for Managing Traumatic Stress

Easy to understand guidebook with exercises and great explanations. Helps traumatized people and those with PTSD to learn coping skills and to develop trust. The author points out that trust is essential before the person can start to heal or learn better ways to handle relationships and the problems of everyday life. Geared more towards people who were abused as children or adults in relatioships, it still has many useful tools and lessons for people with Combat PTSD. Probably most useful in combination with group or one on one therapy.

EXTREMELY helpful for anyone who identifies as a "survivor" and is ready for the final stage of healing.;.becoming a "TRIVER"...
all the tools fo what it takes to MOVE BEYOND (The best revenge is a life well-lived!)
I highly recommnd it

This book has all types of exercises and teaches many techniques on coping, containment, imagery, journaling, and much more. I would imagine any trauma victim of child sex abuse would find this very helpful but it is an excellent resource for those with dissociative disorders - DID. It encourages everyone on the inside to be involved and has exercises to try to develop Coconsciousness with other alters & mapping your system. Too much information to list everything.

This is an honest journey of a man searching for God, but he didn't have any idea that what he has been searching for was right there in front of his very eyes. On one of his objections to the Catholic church, "The bread and wine --which we call communion--is a symbol to remember what Jesus died on the cross....and church shouldn't refuse it to anybody." I guessed he missed what St.Paul said very strongly,"he who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks his own condemnation; and for this reason many of you are weak, and ill, and some have died" (1Cor.11:29).

How could we be guilty of such a very harsh punishment if it's just a mere symbol? How could we be CONDEMNED to DEATH? It doesn't make sense unless you discern that it is truly Our Lord's Body and Blood, St. Paul means by "without discerning", eating the body as if it were a "symbol"!... or as if it were worth less than a million dollars!... and because of it, not only you do no have life, as Jesus said in Jn.6:53, but you are eating "your own condemnation", "you eat and drink judgment against yourselves"... really strong is Paul!... and he is right!

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16). So when we receive Communion, we actually participate in the body and blood of Christ, not just eat symbols of them. Paul also said, "Therefore whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. . . . For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Cor. 11:27, 29). "To answer for the body and blood" of someone meant to be guilty of a crime as serious as homicide. How could eating mere bread and wine "unworthily" be so serious? Paul's comment makes sense only if the bread and wine became the real body and blood of Christ.

I suggest he goes to a good catholic apologetics website [...] or just read the "Early Church Fathers" by Jurgens. Most protestant converts to catholicism were surprised to find out that early christianity didn't have any similarities with their modern-day protestantism. Related, most of Tim's conclusions in his book were from some protestant misconceptions or from his own shallow understanding of the true teachings of the Catholic Church!

The author as the title indicates grew up as a Catholic. His transformation and the events that caused him to leave the religion that he grew up is very remarkable. Since I grew up in a Protestant household, it was a challenge to relate to all of the Catholic Church tradition described in the book. However, the author, Tim Lott, provides an excellent historical background with just enough detail to explain Catholic doctrine and history in a very understandable discourse. I found this background and historical perspective not only valuable, but interesting as well. If you are trying to understand Catholic tradition, this book provides an excellent explanation in an easy to understand manner. While it could also serve as a guide for a small group study, it also serves as an excellent resource for understanding Catholic tradition and background. After reading this book, someone without a Catholic background will have a much greater understanding of Catholic tradition. It will also explain why it can be so difficult for someone who grew up Catholic to change faith. A must read for any couple struggling with faith issues.

Simply put, AMAZING.
This is a must read for anyone who was brought up as I was (catholic) but struggle with believing in all the "traditions" of the church are Divinely inspired. Tim Lott finds a way to put into words all those thoughts which have been running around in my head for many years. It's good to know I was not alone.
DJ Fisher
NECC member
Louisville, KY

Tim's book is perfect for those inquisitive minds who need to hear the truth about growing up in the Catholic Church without all the political diatribe we are exposed to these days.

It is a must read for those of us who didn't have the benefit of being raised Catholic, and also for Catholic's who are looking for more. More information, more freedom of thought and a more direct, closer relationship with God. This book does not, however in any way demean or insult the Catholic Church. It is simply about a fresh approach to religion and free thinking.

I enjoyed reading every word in this book! Author hits the nail on the head regarding the experience of growing up in the Roman Catholic Church and then becoming a Bible-believing, "born-again" follower of Christ. He explores the conflict created in doing so, both in one's family and in one's heart. A must-read for those who love Jesus and are questioning long-held beliefs in growing up Catholic.

Character is key. This is what Lori Armstrong seems to understand perfectly. Julie Collins, already such a strong character in Blood Ties returns even more full-fleshed. Julie is cranky, smokes and drinks a lot, engages in shallow sex, enjoys rock music and is one tough woman.
The convoluted plot starts out with a missing persons case. Looking for this Native American kid the dead bodies start to turn up quickly when the mob gets involved and rival casinos take on each other. Also love blooms for Julie in the person of the shady owner of a biker bar.
Although the book is a bit too long (almost 500 pages) there's enough action and surprises to keep you entertained.
I loved the characters, the action and writing. What could make this book even more perfect was maybe cut it down in size somewhat and trim a few plot elements.

I'm glad I read this novel. I read it several months ago, and I'm still glad, so that's a good review from me right there. I didn't read the first novel in this series, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of Hallowed Ground. Great pace, great characters, satisfying ending, and the writing shone throughout. The main character, Julie, is an interesting blend of traits and a complex balance of hard and soft. I thought it would be difficult to keep her consistent for the entire novel, especially with all she was dealing with, but the author pulled it off.

No kidding, this book kept me sitting in a chair all day and into the night. I've been waiting for the sequel to Blood Ties and I wasn't disappointed. It was a great read! I can't wait for the next book.

I had been awaiting Ms. Armstrong's second book in the Julie series, and I wasn't disappointed!! "On Hallowed Ground" is filled with excitement and action with every turn of the page -- I had a difficult time putting it down. I loved it. How soon is book #3 coming out???

I read Blood Ties months ago and couldn't wait for HALLOWED GROUND to come out. Boy was it worth the wait! The relationship between Julie and Tony totally made the book for me, but the action and adventure kept me glued to the book when I should have been feeding my kids. The mystery had me guessing right until the very end, which is how it should be. This was a fantastically exciting read and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Although a philosophical work, I found this book immensely stimulating and made me want to read more and more. Its gradual development of the concepts, its clear and essential interpretation of the Greek philosophers' sayings, along with its references to their works helps the reader to achieve a great deal of understanding. To sum up, the references to the Greek philosophical terms, which are very well interpreted, make the book an illuminating and useful guide for any student of philosophy.

This little 'Handbook of Greek Philosophy' introduces the reader to all those authors who have become a staple of any history of European philosophy: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics.

The author had the good idea to devote nearly half of the pages to the Pre-Socratics from Thales to Democritus. As a result of this, much of what we know from Plato becomes better understandable, and besides this reader's awareness of the wealth of thoughts debated before the rise of Socrates is much heightened.

The term 'handbook' is a bit misleading, since this is not a magisterial work bringing several pounds of heavy scholarship onto your desk. It is more aptly called 'a first guide to the origins of European philosophy for the uninitiated.' However, this should not devalue the book. The book radiates the charm of old diaries and notebooks. There are many valuable nuggets strewn throughout the text, so one gets hooked and reads on.

There are some minor technical weaknesses. Readers looking for a synoptic vision which puts all things in their proper context and builds a grandiose web of cross references will be disappointed. But the bottom-line is: Read this book and you will have not wasted your time but on the contrary gained a strong feeling of what philosophy is all about and how the Greeks did it.

From the countless citations an intense feeling of immediacy develops, of being near to the sources from where philosophy once sprang like from a well of fresh water. What looks like a weakness turns out to be a strength: The author is not standing in the way of getting at the sources of original insight but makes you go there yourself.

I have to admit that I am no specialist on Greek philosophy, while the author seems to be. Thus I cannot evaluate the quality of the selections. But this does not change my evaluation as a reader that the book deserves close reading and will repay study.

Because there remains much to be improved in technicalities as is cross-referencing and index etc. I gave only 4 stars this time.

Finally I found the right book, which helped me to understand the main concepts of ancient Greek philosophy.

I am a student of philosophy and I have had many difficulties in understanding the Greek philosophical terms and concepts. This book with its countless citations enabled me to understand all these terms like logos, phronesis, doxa, episteme, nous, eudaimonia etc. Due to its essential reference to the most of the Presocratics I could finally grasp the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of Plato and Aristotle. The author does not only show the way to discover the Greek wisdom through the innumerable fragments, but he also helps the student to do a further research into the enormous work of Plato and Aristotle, since he quotes the references of their work related to certain topics.
Really amazing and helpful work!!

I find most of the reviews really enlightening on the qualities of the book; so to say ` an excellent guide and interpretation of Greek philosophy and not a mere collection of translated texts of the Greek thinkers'. However, I would not agree with such a discriminating proposal as `to rewrite the book in native speaking English', unless we mean to suggest that Leibniz and Beckett's excellent writings in French and Wittgenstein's works in English should be rewritten by a native language speaking person.

The author, by developing progressively the concepts and due to his brilliant interpretation of the different philosophical schools of thought, leads the reader to gradual comprehension of the Greek philosophical conceptions. The `Doric' style of the language (poor), following the Greek philosophical tradition, does not interfere with the reader's understanding, but on the contrary develops a feeling of immediacy and prompts the student to go on and to search through the original writings of the philosophers by himself. All that makes the book valuable as a guide and introduction to Greek philosophy, because it increases the reader's awareness of philosophical questions and consequently it is getting more people interested in philosophy.