This book is a great inspiration. It's an uplifting and great book. It makes you think about everything and has a great inpact on you. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration.

As a "cradle Catholic" who recently returned to the Church after 25 years, I have turned to this wonderful little book again and again. No, it is not the be-all and end-all books on the Catholic church and its history, doctrine, dogma and traditions.It isn't meant to be. There are many, fine books to cover that material. But this book's charming, warm style makes it easily readable, whetting the spiritual appetite to delve into the "big books" if one is so moved to do so. I have found that I can pick it up, open to any page at random and walk away refreshed! A great comfort to me as I travel "home"

A MORE PERFECT UNION

Kathleen Finley has put together the best book yet on marriage preparation. Her goal: to help each and every couple form a more perfect union. Her plan: to provide the bride and groom-to-be with skills and strategies that will facilitate the process of preparing for marriage. Her approach: warm and welcoming, intelligent and non-judgmental.

With years of experience in the area of marriage preparation, Kathleen has written a book chock full of tools to help couples build healthy, holy relationships. Clearly, she knows her audience, probably a knowledge gained through years of experience at Gonzaga University in addition to her ministry in marriage preparation programs throughout the United States. Kathleen understands that young couples need support in their decision to marry as much as they need skills to help them over the hurdles, especially in those early years of love. The breadth of Kathleen's book includes insights from experts on relationships today; experts from fields both sacred and secular: Scott Peck, Mary Pipher, Erich Fromm, Laura Schlessinger,Deborah Tannen and the Nathional Conference of Catholic Bishops. Drawing from the works of best selling authors,including her husband Mitch Finley, Kathleen aptly addresses issues of self-esteem and sexuality, communication and conflict resolution, finances, faith and fidelity, to name just a few. The breadth of this book is matched only by the beauty with which she pens the portraits of young couples who have journeyed toward the altar.

The reflection questions at the end of each chapter are thought provoking and creatively designed to lead couples into an honest exploration of their motives for marriage, as well as the strengths and weaknesses that they bring to their future together. THE SEEKER'S GUIDE TO BUILDING A CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE wisely includes a weatlth of resources that are available to young couples preparing for marriage and for those who are acitively involved in the ministry of marriage preparation. Lastly, a blessing for the bride and groom is included at the book's end.

Kathleen's work makes a wonderful gift for the happy couple, as well as for the couple struggling to be happy. Get as many copies as you can. Have them on hand for your kids, your neighbor's kids, as well as your nieces and nephews and all thier friends. It has everything they need to know about marriage. What better gift to give the bride and groom?...

What Faith Is Not is a book that takes a rather different and engaging approach to understanding and appreciating the nature of faith -- by focusing upon what should not be confused with faith. Author Mitch Finley (recipient of numerous awards including ten Catholic Press Association Journalism and Book Awards and an Excellence in Writing Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors) displays his theological and linguistic skill with his deep, soul-striking presentation of that which gives life and love true substance. What Faith Is Not is especially recommended for Catholic readers, as well as anyone else wresting questions of personal faith within a Christian context.

IT'S NOT THE SAME WITHOUT YOU: COMING HOME TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH by Mitch Finley is an interesting book dealing with lapsed Catholics and (from their perspective) how they find their way back to the Church and (from the perspective of ministry) how they can be encouraged to return. The author, who has penned a number of short books, asserts that not only must the Church work to welcome home those who have been alienated by abuse, misinterpretation, confusion, hypocrisy, and indifference, but that those people owe it to themselves to take the concrete steps to reconcile themselves with the faith of their childhood. A good portion of the book consists of anecdotes of both successful returnees, works in process and failed attempts as Mr. Finley explains the many reasons for initial alienation as well as opportunities for evangelization.

The central theme is one of reconciliation on both parts, and of the need for deep and genuine listening to the concerns and hurts (both real and imagined) of those who have become estranged. Many have turned away from the church, some for valid reasons. He encourages who have left because of the human failings of its clergy and members, to recognize that the church is much larger than its members; it is faith. He also presents several models of successful outreach employed by a number of parishes throughout the country. Returning Catholics are given specifics on how to once again become part of the life of the Church in all aspects: faith, social, community, morality. The author offers a gentle approach, offering a model for reconciliation rather than condemnation.

The book is generally well written; there are a few grammatical errors and some inconsistent statistics. However they detract only slightly from what is a good presentation of reconciliation and return.

To his credit, Mr. Finley finds devotion to Our Blessed Mother worthy enough to write a book on the subject, however, he is the type of modernist Catholic who thinks the Church began in the 1960's and everything that came before then was superstitious nonsense. Don't buy this book, but do pray for him. Instead try "The World's First Love" by Fulton Sheen or "Blessed Art Thou" by Richard J. Beyer. "The Essential Mary Handbook" put out by Liguori publishing is also quite good.

Not only Catholics but Christians are rediscovering Mary the mother of Jesus as a source of strength and inspiration. This interesting guide introduces them to Mary in the Bible, history, spirituality, liturgy, art and prayer. It inspires as well as informs. I've always appreciated the work of Mitch Finley and his newest book lives up to expectations. If you're looking for just one book to better understand Mary and why Catholics have looked up to her over the centuries, this is it.

I had hoped that more of the mystery of the Church would shine through, but instead we are given a rather slanted view which seeks to disdain the Holy Spirit's role in guiding the Church, especially with regard to the papacy. Mr. Finley's political agenda is showing. One gets the sense that the Church is a merely human institution, which is certainly in tune with the times. As Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, "it seems to modern man undemocratic, intolerant and also incompatible with the scientist's necessary skeptiscism to say that we have the truth and something else is not the truth, or only fragmentary truth.... Accordingly, there can't be one true religion either. The modern worldview takes a very dogmatic posture and excludes interventions of God in the world, such as miracles and revelation. Man can indeed have religion, but it must lie in the subjective sphere . The Church finds herself in this headwind of history." It appears Mr. Finley has caught a bit of this bug and gone the easy way, with the wind at his back. Far better if he'd connected the astonishing authority Christ gave Peter with the astonishing claims made at Vatican I. This probably relates (as everything does these days) to matters of morality. If the bishops conferences were conservative (i.e. pro-contraceptive, anti-celibacy) and the Popes were liberal, one senses that Mr. Finley might have a more favorable view of papal infallibility.

Knowing as I do the great joy which comes from experiencing the fullness of God's truth in His Church, I was quite anxious to read this book. I had hoped that the author had somehow put into words the wonderfully awesome elation I feel as a convert to Catholicism. Finley's book, however, has been brutally disappointing as it is, at its core, nothing more than a call to follow one's self before God.

We are led to believe, for example, despite one or two qualifying statements, that the source of a sacrament is primarily something within man. In fact, the Sacraments are rivers of grace flowing from God to man, not vica versa. In a manner not lost on the truly informed Catholic, but highly destructive for all others, the Holy Father's words are turned topsy-turvy before our very eyes to give the illusion that the use of artificial contraception is not immoral. Finley wholly misses the mark in his sense of the liberation which truly does come from salvation by ignoring completely the necessity of obedience to God. This book reeks of the unmistakable odor of dissension.

For honest accounts of the true joy of conversion and repentance I recommend "Surprised By Truth", edited by Patrick Madrid, and "Prodigal Daughters", edited by Donna Steichen.