Resources Books

Finding aides for managers which help make the complex subject of employee supervision, motivation and commitment understandable are rare discoveries. Brayton Bowen's book, "Recognizing and Rewarding Employees" is one of those infrequent finds. This book includes practical, every day examples throughout. I found it could be read quickly, a few sections at a time. It is filled with real world examples throughout which include useful tips as well as insights you will conclude could only have been written by someone who's really "been there". Reading this book would be an excellent investment for all managers responsible for achieving results through others.

Author R. Brayton Bowen takes a thoughtful approach to understanding the new generation of employees who seem to need rewards and recognition to spur their motivation. He attributes their incentive-based work ethic to workplace changes, such as downsizing and a decline in loyalty, which has tainted the work environment. Bowen proposes a variety of recognition systems, including intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, and he outlines strategies for using recognition to empower the whole person. His in-depth ideas about building motivation through recognition and rewards will appeal to anyone who manages other people, from supervisors to top executives, though he cautions that true motivation can't be bought, but must come from genuine achievement and internal drive. Since Bowen provides a thoughtful context for the workings of motivational strategies, as well offering some hands-on tactics, we [...] recommend this book to managers and human resource professionals at all levels.

Just as recognizing and rewarding customers lead to loyalty, the same is true for employees. Creating a caring culture is a tall order for employers, but it's exactly what employees want--and value. This book is brimming with ways to create that caring culture. Any business person can realate to the stories and examples. Best of all are the gray boxes sprinkled liberally throughout the book (almost on every page) that provide tips, tactics, and examples. I can randomly open the book and read one of these nuggests -- and within 30 seconds, I have a new insight, idea, or understanding. This book is a must-read for every manager who cares about employees.

The notion of leading from the inside out was refreshing and relevant
in today's world where managers often believe that changing their
behavior is sufficient. I am using the notion of Recognition As A
Whole Person Experience in my graduate management class. It is well
stated and is representative of the book as a whole. The eye-catching
icons, checklists, and sidebars make the book easy to read and apply
to practical situations. The book is very useful to practicing
managers and this is the primary group in our MBA program. I will
recommend the book to them without reservation. John T. Byrd, PhD
Professor of Management Bellarmine University

I have long believed that for the most part your company pay plan is competitive within your industry. Then by definition, you are getting paid what you are worth in your environment. As a manager/supervisor that also means that you can not reward with money. To become successful leader, your had better look in other directions.

My suggestion is using Mr. Brayton's Recognizing and Rewarding Employees as your starting point. He presents you with the tools. We all need to consider our method of using the tools.

Picture the chapter headings as your core principals. Within each principal, the author lays out methods, details, actions or thoughts to support the principals. Take the chapter content to develop your leadership and managerial style. We are all individuals and as such will use different styles. However, the core principals being presented within each chapter remain constant.

I found it helpful and easy to grasp the principals through the side boxes and the manager's check boxes.

Understand the key principals, develop the tools to fit your style and you will improve your managerial results!

Each page is easy to read, and has all the information you need for each recreation site, including phone numbers, boating allowed and more. Book is set up well, with the areas of CA split up in Northern, Central and Southern. Great info on lakes in all of California - I wish I could visit them all! I do wish there was an index to explain some of the terms. I would buy this book again!

great book...very informative...had one like it back in the early nineties,glad to find one up to date...love to say more...but i'm going fishin' !

Informative and nicely detailed maps. The cartoons are funny and the layout is like a good resume, it shows you what you want to know.

For those of us who have this quest to visit every state in America or on a more local note, to travel Hwy 101 from border to border (and not starting in the middle somewhere) or stop at every State Park and Historical Monument in CA (and get your stamp in that State Park book), this book is for you. The layout of this spiral-bound book is so simple. For one, you can flip it over just like a notebook. There is no spine or glue to break down with pages falling out from bending the book backwards so much. Secondly, the lakes are diagrammed and labeled from top to bottom, North to South. The author just knew this book would be for those us who want to start at the Oregon border and work our way down, visting every lake in CA. Lake amenities such as availability of campsites and boat ramps are listed under each lake. For those us who live for camping and/or boating this is a must-have.

Clerly illustrates the necessary info about all lakes and places to enjoy boating. Easy to understand and use. We have purchased three editions over last ten years. Always in our boat. Suggestion, use a large zip-lock type bag to keep dry. Listen to the voice of experience. Also, it is not an effective storage method to leave on top of Jeep as you drive away from lake. Has a habit of not staying on top of car for 50 mile trip home.

This is a valuable reference and will save you disappointments in chosing the wrong lake. Call ahead to the individual facilities and ask questions. This is helpful in planning trips to the lake for your family. Enjoy.

Much has been written over the past several years about teams and teamwork. For the most part, these books have concentrated on the criteria of effective teams and how to create the high performing team. Of critical concern to many is how to reward the high performing team - - - how to recognize in a meaningfull way the team's outstanding performance. This book - a first - answers that question with examples from a number of companies. If your company is actively involved in teams and teamwork, this is a volume that you need to read. It is a valuable resource.

Rewarding Teams is a helpful and practical book that addresses a topic that is very timely in our "virtual" team business world. The case study format from real organizations adds credibility and makes it very user friendly. The failures, successes and lessons learned approach is a great way to find out invaluable information that can be applied to your organization. It has certainly helped me assist my constituents in the mostly uncharted area of team recognition and rewards versus individual.

Rewarding teams is an excellent book. It offers an easy to understand and powerful reinforcement model as well as a six different types of reward plans. It also has great real life examples to prove the model and illustrate the power of rewarding teams correctly. This book is helpful for both the team leader wanting to establish an effective incentive plan as well as for the professional looking to understand the nature of team rewards. Glen Parker has done it again. This book takes a great deal of complicated information and makes it easy to understand and easy to use. I highly recommend it.

For those of us helping to develop team-based work environments, this book hits the mark. I already know the theories. What I need are some examples of how to make it work in the trenches. It provides the kind of practical, down-to-earth examples that show what really works in the real world.

This book isn't a simplistic, one-dimensional approach to recognition. It reviews all aspects of the development, care and maintenance of strong teams, and provides a clear understanding of the role that recognition and rewards play.

The first chapter is a great primer on the right way to get teams up and running. Parker, et. al. throw in numerous tips for team leaders on how to get the ball rolling, and alert you to potential pitfalls and traps and how to deal with them. Chapter one puts team rewards and recognition in the proper context.

I didn't realize how superficial my understanding of team rewards was until I read the book. For example, the book differentiates incentives from rewards, an important distinction that I have to admit was somewhat muddied in my thinking. It illustrates how rewards and recognition need to fit with the organizational culture, and show how this works in practice in organizations.

The authors use a fictitious team start-up situation in the first two chapters to add another dimension to aid the reader in understanding the principles of team development from the team leader's perspective. I found myself wondering if the authors had worked in some of the companies I was in. They clearly have "been there and done that."

Chapters three through five profile almost twenty companies to provide actual examples of how to implement the various approaches to team reward and recognition to address different situations and challenges. For example, the book goes into the rationale, philosophy, criteria and detailed administration of Chase Manhattan Bank's Service Star Program, as well as the organization's candid assessment of the program's strengths and weaknesses. Some companies are large, some small. Government, non-profit, and associations are also represented. Some use stock options, some cash awards. Some tie in team performance with individual performance reviews. Throughout, "successes and lessons learned" enable the reader to benefit from what others have done.

This is an example of the improvements one company decided to make in its approach after the initial evaluation period: - Give plants more control in choosing and tailoring plan metrics. - Encourage employees to get involved in creating goals - Shift the burden of plan communication from the corporate level to the plants

The final chapter summarizes the key principles and insights from the authors' work.

I would highly recommend this book for executives who are responsible for creating the organization culture, operating managers and human resource staffs. It should be REQUIRED reading for anyone involved in forming, leading and supporting teams because it can prevent so many problems that affect team performance.

"Certainly there are good books for compensation professionals on the technical aspects of designing incentive plans for teams, and handbooks that offer creative laundry lists of recognition ideas of individual contributors. But there are few sources for people on the firing line looking for practical advice coupled with real-life examples of how to design reward and recognition systems for teams, not individuals. This book provides practical advice and detailed examples of effective organizational unit (group) incentives, project team incentives, and recognition plans. It is for managers in organizations that have made a commitment to a collaborative culture and who want to create effective reward systems for teams...At the heart of this book are case studies of reward plans in companies large and small, in many industries, and of many cultures...Whenever organizations try to make teamwork the norm, many supporters become frustrated because the usual reward-and-recognition programs don't support it. In this book, the fictional BIZCOM Corporation and its managers show how frustration about teams can turn into success. BIZCOM's trials and tribulations are based on the authors' years of experience working with organizations" (from the Preface).

In this context, Glenn Parker, Jerry McAdams, and David Zielinski:

* describe BIZCOM, a fictitious company that wants to use a team approach to adress a critical business problem, and discuss team and organizational development issues such as vision, sponsorship, membership, stakeholders, launches, training, coaching, management style, and organizational support.

* discuss reward and recognition systems, communications and performance feedback, and training and development tools for creating a team-based organization.

* introduce an organizing model for rewards, and discuss organizational culture. At this point, they argue that "One general description of the whole organization's culture is possible, although organizations are made up of a number of suborganizational units, each with a slightly different culture. Accounting has a different culture than marketing. Manufacturing has a different culture than customer service. Hopefully, they are aligned with the overreaching organizational culture, with the differences simply reflecting the nature of the work they do". And they also argue that "One of the keys to success in improving organizational performance is to ensure that reward plans reinforce the desired culture, or at least attempt to reduce the gap between the existing and desired culture".

* define six types of reward plans: (1) individual base compensation and benefits, (2) individual capability (competency), (3) individual incentives, (4) recognition, (5) project team incentives, (6) organizational unit incentives. (But throughout the book they mainly focus on the last three plans - more detailed examination of these plans in several companies and review of their experiences see Chapters 3-5).

* summarize how you can best utilize project, recognition, and group incentive plans to improve teamwork and organizational performance as lessons from the trenches (more detailed discussion of these trenches see Chapter 6):

(1). Customize the plan.

(2). Align plans with business objectives.

(3). Send the right message.

- create many winners, few losers

- involve employees in the selection process

- trust the folks

(4). Use noncash as well as cash awards.

- noncash awards are not limited to recognition plans

- give a few big awards and lots of small ones

- pay the taxes on noncash awards

(5). Communicate, communicate, communicate.

- never assume people understand

- tell people how they are doing - all the time

- reinforce the messages

- role modeling works

(6). Create a smorgasbord of plans.

(7). Budget for recognition activities.

(8). Keep administration in mind.

(9). Payoffs are in the eye of the beholder.

(10). How plans are introduced and operated is paramount.

Finally, they argue that "There are no silver bullets. There is a good will, faith in the value of employee contributions, good business judgement, and willingness to act on a strategy of teamwork reinforced by rewards and recognition plans. We've learned how to manage financial, fiscal, and customer capital. Leveraging human capital is the challenge for the next century. Reward and recognition plans designed to encourage teams and teamwork is one way to meet that challenge".

I highly recommend this invaluable study to all executives and HR professionals.

Dr. McCormick helps us get it "right." Servant leadership is all about knowing and living this truth: One leads most effectively when serving.....and one serves best by leading. This is the biblical pattern of leadership and when genuinely lived in one's everyday world it works as long as it is congruent with one's heart. Dr. McCormick also helps us understand that for one to consistently live the pattern of leadership that one must stay very close to the One who is the source of pattern.

Shepherd leadership is not for wimps. It is for leaders who want to be both strong and servant leaders. Both emphasisze vision, teaching, and service, but only servant leadership notes how leaders most have an edge, meaning they must make tough decisions.
This book has a number of practical suggestions for today's leaders who must both listen and direct. Leaders must add new skills to their arsenal, including being more accessible, genuine, and interactive. Many challenges for leaders are included in the book with practical solutions. It is a great approach using wisdom from a popular psalms with practical applications and stories. It is tough love for today's leaders in these tough times.

I understand the aphroism is really "brevity is the soul of wit" - but this small volume demands that the phrase be recast. McCormick and Davenport take the 23rd Psalm apart and suggest some basic principles about leadership that come from the psalm. The book is loaded with examples of each of the styles or main points. But perhaps even more valuable is a series of suggestions to work with the principles established in each chapter.

I found the most interesting issue raised in the book one about Supply Side management. I have been a CEO of an organization for more than a dozen years. McCormick and Davenport suggest that the role of a leader is too often looked at from the demand side of the equation - those inevitable lists. But leaders should also consider the supply side - what excites you about the job? How does one find those niches which make the lists of to dos a bit less demanding. Many leadership jobs seem to be comparable to that of Sisyphus. But with a little attention to the supply side - those inevitable demands become less onerous.

Buy it, read it, use it!

Book Review by Robert Tunmire (from Baylor Business Review, Fall '03)

Many leaders, like me, have highly dominant personalities. We may struggle with the "softer side" of managing. Shepherd Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders from Psalm 23 gives us excellent reasoning and examples of how a "softer" - yet truthful and effective - approach can be a more effective management style.

The analogy of the leader as shepherd is a credible one, and presented in a straightforward manner. The authors clearly lay out, guided by Psalm 23, what a shepherd's responsibilities are and how that applies to a leader's responsibilities in the real world of business. Each chapter ends with two items: "Shepherd Thinking," and "Shepherd Doing," assisting with application of the chapter's concepts.

Read the rest of this review at
http://www.baylor.edu/bbr/index.php?id=10399

In Shepherd Leadership, McCormick and Davenport present a refreshing model of leadership which takes the person as a whole into account. As someone who is young in my career, I found this book valuable in helping to develop my management style and philosophy. I left business school with strategies, theories, and policy, but very little in the way of leadership practices, which left me treading water when first entering a management role.

One section that stood out for me was the shepherd leader's toolkit. The compass and the frame represent two valuable practices for leaders at any level. The compass reminds you to set clear direction to navigate through the maze of information, reports, meetings, and endless action items that you encounter on a daily basis. The frame sets boundaries and expectations for your organization while still allowing your employees room to creatively explore new approaches.

A fantastic read for anyone who's just been thrown in the deep end of management!

I read this book for an MBA class I'm taking and I was pleasantly surprised! Usually when students have to read textbooks for a class, they are boring and rarely keep your attention. This was not the case with Stand Your Ground: Building Honorable Leaders the West Point Way. My fiance used to be in the army, so I've heard a lot about the honor that is instilled in its members. However, I never fully understood that honor until I read this book. Much of the information is common sense, but you would be surprised how many people are not honorble. Dr. Offstein breaks honor down in such a way that you fully understand it and want to apply it in your own life. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in becoming a productive, successful, and most importantly, honorable leader.

Offstein's book is incredible. It really doesn't matter what you do for a living, leadership will always be critical in your life. Stand Your Ground is about understanding HONORABLE leadership. Offstein uses the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the honorable leadership that is honed there as the blueprint for leadership and success. Like a book fables, there are hundreds of snippets from personal experience and well-known events to illustrate the importance of honor in leadership. If you want to one day be an effective leader in your own life, who is respected and admired, you have to read this book.

We highly recommend Evan's book. As the largest contingency placement firm that specializes in placing military job seekers into Corporate America, we know that companies recognize the advantages of the leadership lessons imparted at the service academies and via the military at large. The quality of this training, coupled with the high caliber of the individual, is what makes these military leaders so valuable, whether they are serving our country, or whether they are making important contributions in the private sector after their service.

Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI) - Delivering Military-Experienced Talent to America's Top Companies

Quite simply, Evan Offstein just nails his thesis: truly successful individuals, leaders, and their organizations are based on a deep reservoir of moral/ethical grounding that help them to make the right decisions every single day. His numerous, down-to-earth examples hammer it home from multiple angles, and you can't help but be convinced that he's on to something here. Dr. Offstein has a gift for writing prose that is personable and easy to read. It's as if he's talking straight to you through the pages of his book much the same way he might deliver a lecture at his university.

Perhaps my favorite lesson from his book is the chapter on lifelong preparations for a MOMENT (heck, multiple MOMENTS). It reminds me of what one Army General said one time: "Your integrity will be challenged in small ways every day." it has proven absolutely true over the years, and the daily struggle continues to make sure we do the right thing by our coworkers, our kids, our wives, our friends, etc. Those who can make the RIGHT ethical choices on a day-to-day basis will be slowly building the bedrock of their organizations to guard against the Enrons, Tycos, NCAA scandals, etc. of the world.

Most of the so-called "leadership" or "management" books you'll find wasting shelf-space at Barnes & Nobles or Book-a-Million wish they could lash onto some of the truths that Dr. Offstein lays out in his concise book. Highly recommended!

I first approached this book with a bit of skepticism, as I thought its focus would be upon the "grandiose" merits of the West Point experience (which I shared elbow-to-elbow with the author, my classmate). I was greatly relieved to discover that this work is actually a testimonial to the necessity to BE a good person and leader, so important (and foreign) in a day and age where corrupt individuals realize incredible personal gains while simply paying lip service to such lofty ideals as honor. This book explains both the origin of corporate corruption and the way a leader SHOULD behave to ensure that this phenomenon does not continue to grow in scope.

I was happy to see that Dr. Evan Offstein was able to distance himself from our shared Cadet experiences and approach the book in an organized, thoughtful, and systematic fashion. He explains that good leadership begins with an honorable character and THEN extends into the leader's expertise and skill sets. I always struggled to quantify the almost intangible quality which caused me and my West Point classmates to react in horrified disbelief when we encountered corrupt individuals with an almost limitless propensity to harm and defraud employees and stakeholders. Evan has finally defined this lineament: honor, and the overwhelming need for an individual to BE a good person, rather than simply KNOW the "acceptable" or "expert" manner in which to proceed and to "DO" only what needs to be done to temporarily satisfy personal and shareholder demands.

The book is straightforward, easy to read, and informative without possessing an air of pretense or superior knowledge. I am firmly convinced that if leaders the world over would read this tome and apply its principles, corporate scandal would disappear, replaced by increased levels of profit, worker motivation, and customer/shareholder satisfaction. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

This is a very good book for people who want to become, or who are already are ministers. It gives alot of insightful information on how a church is run, as well as how to run marriages and funerals.

Some things never get out dated. This handbook/manual has surpassed the the test of time and will always be helpful to those in the ministry and or evangelism.

Excellent book. I also found The Minister's Crucible by Fred C. Rochester a great book for ministers, want to be ministers, and those already in ministry. Book books are a must read.

This is THE book to own of its type. Highly recommended to new and old ministers alike. It should be in every ministers library. I always refer back to mine.

The Star Book for Ministers is a wonderful reference guide. It is jam packed with information yet small enough to discreetly and easily carry with you. If you are new to the ministry or someone who has been in the ministry a while, it contains practical helps and information.

Topics covered include: Entering the Christian Ministry, Preaching the Gospel, Pastoral Care, etc. There are almost 100 pages of scripture one can refer to by topic (Confession & Forgiveness, Christian Love, Grief, Comfort, Beneditions, etc). This is most helpful when counseling someone.

Finally there are practical guidelines for dealing with others during weddings, funerals and baptisms as well as suggestions for ceremonies. Indispensible!

This book tells you what you need to know about those meds your children are prescribed.
Barbara V

I highly recommend this book to any parent who is contemplating putting their child on psychiatric medications. My child has been struggling on/off for the past three years with a number of issues that finally lead to an evaluation for psychiatric medication. The psychiatrist, while skilled, is unable to provide the support and education necessary to the parent to make this major decision an easier one. This book filled in the gaps. It was extremely readable and provided very helpful information regarding the various disorders and the preferred medications for treatment. While I have not yet decided to place my child on medication, this book will make the decision making process much easier.

It can be overwhelming and confusing to try and figure out which drug is best for a particular child with a special condition. This book explores all sorts of psychiatric drugs for conditions ranging from Attention Deficit Disorder to depression, bipolar disorder, etc. Each section is clear and each medication is discussed fully, including possible side effects. I've often felt like doctors haven't fully answered my questions about certain medications but this book helped me to fill in the gaps and feel confident about the choices I made for my child. The best book on the subject I've found so far (and I've looked at quite a few books).

Medication is one of the scariest aspects of treating childhood mental illness. This book provides a wealth of easily understood information. This is a great book that should be used in combination with other books that help parents handle the other aspects of treating their children's disorders. Two I recommend for Bipolar Disorder are "If Your Child is Bipolar" and "The Bipolar Child." The more helpful resources out there the better. These are books that should definately be on parents' shelves.

When parents want to know more about medications for their child's disorder, I often refer them to this book.

The book is organized by type of disorder (such as AD/HD, depression or anxiety) and by type of medication. This is good because some people want to know about a specific class of medications, while others want an overview of medication strategies for a particular disorder.

I particularly liked his suggestions on communication between parent and psychiatrist. This should help parents formulate their questions and feel comfortable asking them.

This book is also an excellent overview for medical residents and non-medical mental health professionals.

It has been very informative to us in reviewing and re organising our Cell Groups in our church. It gave us very important information thru his journey in informing and make changes as he went. Our Cell Groups were not working so which is why I bought this book to give us advise and help and we have made many changes and praying that it will work this year.. I love the real life examples which we could well relate to and identify in our own journey. It is a book once you read you want to read to the end very powerful and exciting...

Both a devotional and a how to. One may need to be a bit forgiving with Cho's choice of phrases from time to time, but the principles are sound and still after so many years, revolutionary.

"Successful Home Cell Groups" is much more than a formula for church-based small groups. It is an insightful journey into God's building the largest church in the world. Using one broken man, Cho, God has created a formula for all of us to examine, emulate and admire.

So how does a church of more than 800,000 believers grow and work? Small groups, one household at a time. Cho is careful to sharing both his mistakes as well as his successes. One of the prime ingredients for a successful home group program is evangelism. He insists that the cell groups focus on the neighborhoods and communities to reach the lost. Leadership, training, discipline, recognition, focus, and personal involvement by the senior pastor are other critical elements.

There is a careful balance which needs to be struck between control and freedom for each group to strengthen and grow. Great wisdom is shown in relying on the Holy Spirit to strike the right balance. As a senior partner in ministry, The Holy Spirit has grown the body of Christ in a miraculous way.

Recorded in this book are lessons for us all, laymen and clergy, large church and small.

There is no doubt about Dr Cho's influence on our modern day cell group and church movement. He is at the absolute forefront, his insights and heart for ministry are a huge blessing to the church international.

This book is one of the key books to read to help anyone understand the simplicity and necessity of cell groups for church life. The concepts are incredibly helpful and insightful.

This book stands alone on the merits of the principals it teaches. It is not a greatly written book but that is not it's purpose.

Readers that do not live in Korea or asian cultures should carefully apply the principles this book provides. It will work but it is based upon a different mindset that most American church goers don't have. There are other great books by Ralph Neighbor and Carl George that will also give great insight on the american chuches need to move to cell groups and how to do it with out destroying the church or a ministers career.

Dr Cho speaks as a lay person even though he is the pastor of the worlds largest church. I had my reservations about reading the book for fear that the content may be too detailed or uncomprehesible for a young aspiring cell-group leader, but Cho has written a simple to understand and inspiring guide to building, or transitioning to, a cell-based church. This book speaks of the principles of building such a church, which seem to be universal...what does this mean?...you will not be able to use excuses about your culture or your congregation. The priciples and groundwork laid out by Dr. Cho will change your perspective on church growth for ever.

Taking Note is a fascinating wander into the lives of a small but varied group of people bound by their commitment to Christianity. The author's choice of language and structure is at all times accessible and often moving; it serves to bring the reader into personal touch with those who are seeking to share their love of God. Readers who are looking for insights into the workings of home fellowship will find them here. Those who are looking for direction in their own lives will discover that they are not alone in their search. The author's sometimes reserved, often tentative, but always loving interactions with others can serve as a model for those who still seek a place of comfort and warmth.

This book feels and acts like fiction but is non-fiction. It reads like a mainstream collection of personal essays from an author who seems to be well read, but it is paradoxically Christian. Its structure is reminiscent of "The Canterbury Tales" and "Winesburg, Ohio," but it is fundamentally hopeful and 21st century in tone. It's style is modest--reflecting only a partial claim on its subjects. It gets at one of the most important questions--How should we live?--through the presentation of several ordinary people, people like you and me, who are varied and imperfect and genuine and above all interesting. And the result is quite a surprising, good read!

An interesting read -- short, incomplete sentences as thoughts make the reader feel as though she is inside the author's head. The prose is relate-able and down-to-earth. A fast and easy read.

Taking Note lets the reader slip into the lives of a group of Christians who gather for more than just worship. They offer friendship and support and continuously show by their actions what being a Christian really means. You'll enjoy spending time with these people! This is a very well written and insightful book.

Earlier reviews rightly note the refreshing character and uniqueness of this excellent book. Mr. Elkington has a gentle and surprisingly dextrous touch with language. It had the impact on my spirit and intellect that I imagine a newly discovered coffee has to the enthusiastic connoisseur. Found myself moved to tears in several chapters, marveling at God's emerging presence in the love shared by ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. Find myself expecting to discover the miraculous clothed in the mundane. Find myself wanting to take more careful note of the people with whom I'm at home.

I never tire of the details Beth Moore includes in her studies. This study of the apostle Paul is rich with Jewish insight, giving the student a complete picture of where he came from and why he was so completely sold out to Jesus!

Beth Moore Bible studies are the most interesting and easy to follow for any mixed age group. My church will going into this our second study and we have the older teen to the great grandmothers in out sessions.

This is a very deep, meaningful study about the Apostle Paul. If you enjoy Beth Moore this will be an insightful study of the book of Acts and also into Paul's spiritual strengths. "To Live is Christ" is one of her earlier studies but has been worth doing.

This study gives one a complete, Bibically sound look at the full life of Paul, including his struggles and his triumphs. As usual, Beth Moore reveals insights into our own struggles as how we too can triumph through the same Power than enabled Paul to.

"To Live is Christ" not only sheds insight on the life of a great servant of the Lord, but has led me to a new level of understanding regarding the early church. As she takes the reader through the book of Acts/life of Paul, she cross references the episles Paul would later write. The cross references provide a greater context to scripture as a whole, which I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed. I highly recommend this book!