At last, the huge module (96 pages!) that covers the adventure of Alias in the Forgotten Realms - the heroes (levels 6-9) awaken to find curious blue sigils wrapped around their skin - what could this mean? Worse, their "mark of Cain" makes them VERY intriguing to some horrific evil that they'd rather not contend with... this adventure will teach your players paranoia in a way that only life-threatening fun ever could. :)

For those of you who have wondered if D&D was simply Hack & Slash this will give you a true insight of the game. It truely is one of the best fantasy books I've read. This book and those of the forgotten realms are good solid reading matierial and though some may consider it "Bubble Gum" I don't.

I read this book and I loved . this is a book for all fantasy lovers and it is good for anyone who doesn't have anything better to do as well.I liked the characters and how the author made them seem like real people. I also play AD&D so I can relate to this boook. this book can only be described by one phrase. THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!!.

Christian Mythmakers is a good overview of some of the thoughts and ideas of various Christian fantasy writers. While the chapter on John Bunyan is basically little more than a summary of Pilgrim's Progress, the rest of the book is interesting and thought provoking. The chapter on Charles Williams is a "must read" for anyone interested in or confused by Williams' work.

This book is a fascinating look at ten Christian mythmakers, that is authors who have used the power of myth to convey Christian truths in a new way. The narrative begins with John Bunyan and his seminal Pilgrim's Progress, continues through George Macdonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and finishes up with Madeleine L'Engle, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel, and Hannah Hurnard.

Professor Hein begins with a short biography of the author, and then proceeds to explain the author's work, examining its theology and significance. I found this book to be quite fascinating, with the author giving me a look at these masterpieces of Christian literature in a way that I had never thought of before. If you are a fan of any of the authors above, then I highly recommend that you get this book!

I had the privilege of taking courses under Dr Hein in the early 90's at Wheaton. He is a very knowledgeable teacher and has great affection for the people he is writing about in this book. If you have any interest in these authors, this book is a must read. I wasn't aware that he had written this book when I came across it looking for books on George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis. As an Economics major, I somehow ended up taking four Lit. classes from Dr Hein because he is such a good instructor and passionate about his subject matter.

There really is no feeling like that of picking up an as-yet-unread novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is one of delicious certainty: you will be entertained, you will be informed, and you will be charmed. Unfortunately I can only expect to have this experience a couple of more times in my life, as there just isn't that much left of his that I haven't read anymore. Alas, alas, alas.

The locale in this one is the wild English/Scottish borderlands in 1598. Although England was mostly settled and Scotland was mostly settled, the midlands--under the jurisdiction of neither--were not, and bands of thieves and brigands--reivers--roamed about, terrorizing the countryside.

For characters there is Luis Guevara, the teller of the tale and the meek priest of the Dacre estate, located in the middle of these badlands; there is Lord Ralph Dacre, the white-haired, crimson-clad Red Bull, Lord of the Estate, and scourge of the thieves; there is Lady Margaret Dacre, sharp-witted, fire-breathing, and newly come to the estate after the untimely death of her father; and there is finally Archie Noble Waitabout, a broken man, thief, and he who proved to be the Great Lady's protector.

For plot there is the death of the Red Bull, "shot . . . through with calivers, nine balls in his body, and he let die by the roadside." Lady Margaret, bred in courtly London, comes to the estate and on the date of her arrival finds that the thieves are already attempting to reinstitute their filthy blackmail on her timid villagers. Those charged with helping her find excuses not to, for various reasons, but primarily because of their unstated fear of the dreaded Nixon clan. She turns to the imprisoned Waitabout, who in exchange for his life, agrees to go to the village and defend it.

For language, there is the incomparable GMF, this time using the lingo of an educated Scot of the 16th Century, duplicating the feat of his bravura linguistic performance in Black Ajax. And there is his descriptive power, here, the narrator's first view of the village: "A sorry pack they were, the men-folk stout enough but dirty and ill-clad, the women as slatternly as I ever saw, and if there were three pairs of shoon among them it was enough."

And the description of the battle itself, enough to make your blood run cold: "There was a great commotion about the bearded Nixon, him that was the leader and called Ill Will, and they tugged him all ways, some saying he should hang and others for having at him with their blades . . . they dragged him to the great dunghill that lay beside the cattle pen, and there heaved him up, and drave him down head foremost into the filth, and held him there."

There you have it, another great GMF novel, this one without the romantic playfulness of the Flashman novels, but still with the driving narrative, expert use of the language, and superb research. You cannot go wrong with this author. He has easily reached the stature of his heroes: Stevenson, Doyle, Sabatini, and Dumas. Indeed, he may stand above them.

After reading QUARTERED SAFE OUT HERE, the best personal world war two recollection I have ever read about the British campaign against the Japanese, I was extremely interested in learning more of the history of the people he led, the Borderers. (The Engish charged and the Germans ran. The Germans charged and the English ran. The Kings Own Borderers charged and everybody ran.) I then read STEEL BONNETS, Fraser's history of the people he had led in that war. It was fascinating. I wondered why he didn't write one of his great stories based on what he had researched. Then I found out about CANDLEMASS ROAD. I ordered it and awaited it with great anticipation. When it arrived, I went through it in an afternoon. I have rarely been so disappointed by a favorite author. I want the publisher to slap Fraser on both cheeks and tell him to " march right back into that room and finish the book". What was written is better than anything Fraser has ever written I know, from my reading, that Fraser admires CAPTAIN BLOOD as a great adventure novel. I agree with him. The story he wrote here is as good as anything written by Sabatini and it left me with a feeling of great dismay when it ended before its time. What he sets up here is one of the great hisorical novels.

But it ends up feeling like what could have been an appendage (here's what I think it might have been like) to STEEL BONNETS. If you are a Fraser fan, order it and enjoy. If you are a Border fan, order it and enjoy. If you are an historical novel by a reliable author fan, write to the publisher and demand that the author be required to to tell us the end of the story of Lady Dacre, the Broken man, Wattie and the Bailiff. The use of the English language is some of the best I have ever encountered ( I am an O'Brian fan) and the rendering of the Scottish the most accessible since Farnol.

This is both a review of The Candlemass Road and a sharp disagreement with the previous reviewer. I have read all of Mr. Fraser's books, (save only Quartered Safe Out Here), and count Mr. Fraser as one of my favorite writers. He is a master storyteller, who grabs readers and pulls them along, with breakneck action alternating with insightful looks into humankind - often in the same sentence. And, of course, Mr. Fraser is funny. The Pyrates may be one of the laugh-out-loud, funniest books ever written.

The Candlemass Road is by far George MacDonald Fraser's most powerful book. In a few short pages, Mr. Fraser sets the premise, the scene and the characters. While loaded with tense action sequences,this is primarily a study of character and of situational ethics. It is a study of a uncertain land in an uncertain time, told through the eyes of an aged, flock-less priest. The story is based on the horrors faced on a daily basis by the inhabitants of the Borderlands between Scotland and England at the end of the sixteenth century - the history of which was ably explored in Mr. Fraser's The Steel Bonnets. (If you enjoyed that book, you'll love this one.)

The protagonist, young Lady Margaret Dacre, must use all of her wit and power to protect her folk from a band of Scots reivers - on the very day she returns to her ancestral seat after seventeen years at Court. Lady Margaret uses the tools available, and learns a valuable lesson about life on the borders, and the "custom of the country".

The previous reviewer felt that the story ended just when it was getting going. I could not disagree more strongly. The book ended because the story ended. One paragraph more would have been too much. The reader does not need to be told what happens next.

The characters are fully developed; the action is intense; the interplay between the main characters is electric. This book grabbed me on page one, and left me shaking at the last word. This is a fabulous book. Buy it so Mr. Fraser will write more. Then read it. Then read it again. Five stars.

Good adventure novel. Interesting characters, especially the "human" ones. I thought the hero, Malcolm, was too good to be true, too "saintly" to be real. The ending leaves you hanging though. I hadn't known when I started reading this book, that it is really Book 1 of a two-part story. Make sure you can get hold of the second book "The Marquis' Secret" before you started reading "The Fisherman's Lady".

This book was my introduction to George MacDonald's adult fiction, and I think his best! Don't miss the sequel, The Marqui's Secret. As a child I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, John White and MacDonald's writings and developed a love for the keen insights and deep thoughts in MacDonald's novels as well as his inspirational books. Interestingly, he was the spiritual and literary mentor for both Lewis and Tolkein. They are not a lightweight romances like modern authors tend to write, but classic love story both men and women read and enjoy.

Excellent reading! This was my introduction to George MacDonald's books. Not a soppy romance as today's authors tend to write, but even one that men would enjoy reading for leisure! As I am a GREAT fan of C.S.Lewis' and Tolkien's writings, I was fascinated to find that both these author's drew a lot of their inspiration from MacDonald's writings. I have since read "The Princess & the Goblin", "The Princess & Curdie", "The Golden Key", and "The Light Princess". My husband is currently reading Phantastes and we have also bought Lilith, still to be read. I look forward to getting "The Marquis' Secret" if I can, as I really would like to follow the full story!!

I love this book so much that I have re-read it many times. It is a beautiful story of overcoming obstacles, increasing one's faith, and the redemption of mean-spirited people as they recognize goodness and truth and leave their unkind ways. It makes one's heart leap for joy with its Christian message. The writings of George MacDonald had a major influence on C.S. Lewis, and you will understand why when you read this Victorian classic. This edition is especially good to read to children as the confusing Scottish dialect has been simplified.

Sir Gibbie by George Macdonald
The first time I read this book, I found it long, boring, and dull. I didn't understand why everyone else who read it thought it was so excellent. So I really thought hard about it one night, and made up my mind that I would keep reading it until I understood the message. Finally, it came to me, and it was so overpowering that I broke down and cried.
Gibbie is a young, mute boy with an alcoholic father. He has a kind heart and is extremely gentle. His good friend, Sambo, is murdered, and he runs away. Gibbie is just a small boy in a large, cruel world, and he is treated badly by everyone on his journey but one woman, Janet. The variety of places he lived and the things he had to go through really taught me that not everyone has a full roof over their head, or enough clothes to cover more than a few body parts. This book gave me a lot to think about, such as the fact that some children are abused and don't show it at all to anyone. Or that most people just make assumptions about things that they know nothing about. I realize that I am guilty of these things, as everyone else is.
This book was very compelling and I learned a lot about grace and mercy from it. The forgiveness that Gibbie shows his father towards the end is unbelievable, and I thought it was amazing that a tiny, mute boy could show so much more faith, wisdom, and emotion than anyone I have ever met, or read in a book. The story definitely had an impact on my view of how the world treats people and how the smallest child (who isn't even real) could change your life. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone - it is extremely good!

Lindskoog has a special taste for coincidences, unexpected connections, odd synchronicities, and the like. In this book she indulges her taste to the full, with enjoyable results. For those who already have some direct knowledge of Lewis, MacDonald, and Dante, this book will fill in blanks that they did not know, maybe, were there.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the connections between MacDonald and Mark Twain. Perhaps Lindskoog's case that _Sir Gibbie_ influenced Twain's _Huckleberry Finn_ by provoking its author should be taken under consideration by Twain scholars. I think it is a strong one.

The book is, as its title indicates, in the way of a potpourri, rather than a unified case. There is no connection here to the Dark Tower controversy explored by Lindskoog in her book _Sleuthing C. S. Lewis_.

Curiosity, tenacity, and dedicated truth-seeking have produced this delightful book. There is fresh meat here to nourish doctoral candidates for decades. The work's clarity of expression, depth of argument, breadth of illustration, humour and thoughtful tutoring are worthy of a session with Oxford's Inklings. Lindskoog's Primavera discovery alone would have ensured her a welcome there.
Lindskoog writes about certain literature by three men--Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), George MacDonald (1824-1905), C. S. Lewis (1898-1963). Sharing a belief in a changeless universe ordered by a loving God, their highly rational works and complex symbolism have a timeless appeal. Each engages in a "dialect of desire," leading the reader into the universal appeal of the Christian's certain hope in the Message of the Suffering Servant. (But each
is greatly enjoyed by readers who don't care about or accept their religious beliefs.)
This book is a collection of 23 essays. Due diligence unearthed the influence of Beatrix Potter on Lewis, Lewis' anti-anti-Semitism in the GREAT DIVORCE and George MacDonald's stories with dual meanings and prophetic warnings. But most of the book is taken up with some truly startling, sparkling, and sober revelations which also enlighten and delight.
In the due-diligence type, Lindskoog traces meticulously and with great originality the surprising connections of these men with each other and with events, art and authors before and during their times. In Beatrix Potter, whose books he read as a child, Lewis found "at last, beauty", intense desire, and pleasure "in another dimension". In "Where is the Ancient City of Tashbaan?" geography and politics combine to provide the background Lewis used in THE HORSE AND HIS BOY of the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. (Lindskoog learned from Brad Brenneman that THE CHRONICLES are for sale in Tashkent in Russian translation.) In "All or Nothing: A Newly Discovered Lewis Essay", she paraphrases the text of a Lewis article that Perry Bramlett discovered and generously shared with her.
Only Dante was active in politics, but politics was the bane of each. Dante was framed as an embezzler and banished from Florence; MacDonald lost his church when accused of preaching "unbiblical" universal redemption, and Lewis, scorned by Oxford for his popularization of sacred concerns, left for a warm welcome at Cambridge. Indeed, if Germany had invaded England, Lewis might have been killed by the Nazis for writing of "subhuman dwarfs in black shirts called the Swastici" in THE PILGRIM'S REGRESS (1933).
Lindskoog reveals surprising evidence that in THE GREAT DIVORCE (modeled on Dante's DIVINE COMEDY) Lewis' "Beatrice" (Sarah Smith) is a Jewish woman overflowing with heavenly love. As a bonus, Lindskoog and others had noted the resemblance of the Sarah Smith hymn to OLD TESTAMENT Psalms. Lindskoog credits Joshua Pong for pointing her to Psalm 91, Lewis' obvious source.
Using cognition and noting coincidence, Lindskoog takes us ever further up and further in toward the connection among the works of these three authors and others. Each points, whether in canto or correspondence, verse or prose, with relentless consistency toward the eternal fountain. It's this reliability which helps Lindskoog uncover Lewis' debt to Sadhu Sundar Singh,
for example, in THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH. "Links in a Golden Chain: C. S. Lewis, George Macdonald, and Sadhu Sundar Singh" ends whimsically with circumstantial evidence for a mystical passing of Sundar Singh's mantle on to MacDonald and from him to Lewis.
In "Roots and Fruits of the Secret Garden", Lindskoog shows us the historic links between MacDonald's CARASOYN (1871), Frances Hodgson Burnett's THE SECRET GARDEN (1911), Willa Cather's MY ANTONIA (1918) and D. H. Lawrence's LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER (1928). Colin as shepherd boy, Colin as a motherless, crippled child, and then, thanks to Barbara Reynolds, Colin as a
crippled adult. Animals, gardens, invalids, rescues, moors, and wise women figure in one after the other. (Lawrence's book, however, is stunted by its narrowing, inward-looking worship of physical love with no link to spiritual reality.)
Equally fresh is "The Salty and the Sweet: Mark Twain, George MacDonald, and C. S. Lewis". The Twain and MacDonald families had traded hospitality, books, and a proposal to write the Great Scottish-American novel together. Twain's children, fond of MacDonald's AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND, asked their father to invent stories about its hero, Diamond. Although co-authorship was never realised, Lindskoog shows that Twain bought and read MacDonald's SIR GIBBIE while writing HUCKLEBERRY FINN. She
traces some remarkably specific contents of SIR GIBBIE that Twain included in HUCKLEBERRY FINN. She explains her convincing theory of why Twain did this.
Something "difficult to see" over the centuries is revealed for the first time by Lindskoog in her masterful analysis of Botticelli's Primavera as an "intentional Christian allegory," a tableau of Dante's sacred Garden of Eden at the peak of Mount Purgatory, with Beatrice at the center. Because it is a NeoPlatonic painting, this scene also appears as a tableau of figures from classic mythology.
Lindskoog also leads the casual reader or the scholar through 50 new insights of hers into specific phrases in Dante's many-faceted DIVINE COMEDY. Her 20 non-biblical discoveries involve, among other things, astronomy, animal husbandry, geology, geometry, sexual ethics, metaphysics, and church
politics. The other 30 are even more striking; all are Biblical allusions or illustrations of Dante's that have been overlooked or sadly misunderstood until now.
Dante, Lewis and MacDonald deal with the kind of death that leads to rebirth. Writing to point the way of faith, not deeds, through secular snares toward heavenly reward, each put into verse "things difficult to think." The timeless gift of all three is summarised in Lewis's praise for MacDonald's ability to trouble "the oldest certainties" and shock "us more fully awake than we are for most of our lives."
Closely reasoned, wittily presented, and based on solid evidence, Lindskoog's book rouses and enlightens her readers, cheerfully acknowledging the threads that others have contributed to her tapestry of discoveries. I hope the inevitable doctoral theses which will follow her leads exhibit the same integrity and credit the fertile source of their inspiration.

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I have just finished this novel and I was very pleasantly surprise at how good it was. The first couple of chapters are a little dull, but as the story gets moving, it is as good as any of George MacDonald's other stories. Now there is quite a bit of Scotch dialect and the story focuses more on one event than do some of the author's other works, but I found the spiritual insight very, very helpful. This book was the next to the last one that this author wrote. And he wrote it when he was 71 years old, so it represents an entire life of spiritual development.

The story revolves around a young preacher, Mr. Blatherwick, who because he is self-confident and prideful, makes a very big mistake which dogs him like the hound of heaven throughout the story. He refuses to face himself, his faults and his need for a redeemer until his conscience almost drives him mad. He had become a preacher to make a name for himself, and in reality he had nothing to offer and everything to hide.

The characters here are very sympathetic and well drawn. We follow a grieving young girl, a compassionate older minister from the neighboring town, the wise shoemaker and his daughter, and the dissapointed and alienated parents of the young preacher. The ending is quite a shocker.

James Blatherwick, the only son of Marion and Peter Blatherwick, is an arrogant, self-centered, independent individual who is firmly convinced that he requires no outside assistance, not even from God. He is proud, self-possessed and has no doubt that his intellect will guide him through the direst of circumstances.

It is, while disappointing, not at all surprising that such a one as he is preparing to enter the church as one of God's ministers. Is he dedicated to God, does he revere the Almighty Creator, are his motives pure and altruistic, does he ache for the lost, hurt for those who hurt, cry with those who cry? Not hardly. The ministry offers him the opportunity to display his intellectual prowess and scholastic achievements as well as provides a vehicle by which he may readily obtain prominence, position, power, influence, and a quite comfortable living with minimal exertion-not unlike many pastors, priests, and ministers who I have personally had the distinct misfortune to encounter in this century.

Rather than called of God, for he does not know God, to minister to His flock, Blatherwick has chosen the ministry as a profession. He cannot minister, for he cannot love. He cannot heal, for his heart knows no compassion. He cannot do anymore than repeat, from the pulpit, the words that he has memorized, the words that hold absolutely no meaning for him, the words which he himself does not truly believe.

There abides, however, a loving and patient God who will take whatever steps He deems necessary to redeem and recover His lost sheep. While Blatherwick feels himself quite safe and secure within his thin veneer of pride, the Almighty begins to work.

There resides in the same town in which Blatherwick is comfortably ensconced, a humble cobbler and his daughter, both, having never attended seminary, know more of God than Blatherwick could have conceived possible. It is through the love, patience, understanding, and lives of these two children of God that Blatherwick begins to enter the 'fiery furnace' of redemption and repentance.

The redemption of a single soul is, indeed, a process of rebirth, for intrinsic to this procedure is often to be found agonizing and excruciating birth-pangs. It is doubtful whether it could be accomplished otherwise. The old must die, and he does not die willingly, while the new struggles midst cries of pain, sorrow, and suffering to the surface. As the new birth is taking place midst the death of the old, there are prayers innumerable ascending toward the Throne of God. The angels and saints in Heaven, the children of God on earth-all participate in this glorious event.

You are cordially invited to attend both the death and the rebirth of James Blatherwick. In attendance there may be many with whom you have had no prior experience. I ask that you pay particular heed to one old cobbler and his loving daughter, Maggie. I also request that you not be shy, for this is truly a wondrous occasion. The Blatherwick family will be only too pleased to welcome you to the birth of their new son.

The dialect which popped up over and over in Donal Grant was tricky and difficult. Sometimes one can guess the meaning by the context. "Muckle" of the time it is difficult to do that.
The author does a significant amount of moralizing all through the story, and sometimes his points of doctrine are downright weird! They definitely cannot be called orthodox views by any means.
The story, nevertheless, is filled with intrigue. Somehow that was enough to keep my attention through all several hundred pages of it.

. . . seems to be my favorite. Has a lot of different sermonettes that appeal to me, and truth that has satisfied me when I was searching for truth hungrily. I remember the last chapter particularly. There are some beautiful pictures in this book--I guess you could call it "mystical". In the "scary" parts, I remember Donal's courage; and I admire Donal's boldness in various situations throughout the book. Donal wasn't afraid to respectfully disagree with others on doctrine. This story is vivid in my mind and I love it!

I have just finished this book and I do think it is my favorite one by this author. Be prepared, because it is some 800 pages long, but you are never disappointed either with the story line or the author's spiritual asides which read almost like a devotional. The main thrust of the story is about a young tutor named Donal Grant who leaves home after finishing college and sets out on foot to make his way in the world to a nearby coastal town in Northeastern Scotland. He meets a shoemaker who becomes his spiritual mentor, and finds employment and lodging in the nearby castle. As the story progresses we meet a reclusive, drug addicted uncle, his beautiful but spiritually dull niece, and his spoiled and brash son who is up to all kinds of naughty flirting with the shoemaker's daughter.

The most appealing part of this novel is the element of the supernatural which Mr. MacDonald brings in. There are ghost noises, somnabulisms, secret rooms and passages, murder, scandal, and ghost stories and legends. Ghosts to George MacDonald represent part of the vast region of the Spirit which exists beside and beyond our own, and he never posits their accual existence. They are never a source of evil power or fear because all things exist by the power and will of God.

Get this book, it is well worth the very low price. There are parts (perhaps 15%) which are written in Scotch dialect, but it makes the book that much more interesting that you have to use your brain a little to recognize what is being said.

So George MacDonald is the only named person -- well, forget Napoleon -- to appear in CS Lewis' *The Great Divorce* and with Jack's recommendation and clear respect, I finally found some MacDonald stuff -- supposedly -- only to find out that it's a compilation. Too bad Mr MacDonald wasn't clever enough to put this compilation together. I'm sure his work would have been much better. And that's the beef I have with this book: after all the hoopla about MacDonald's greatness as a writer/thinker, Phillips thinks he can improve on his work? Phillips' claims, "The fictional readings ... are not mere additions to the meaty sections of the text; they are equally vital to the reader who would learn ... ." ("Introduction", pg 13) Excuse me. Is Mr Phillips so inexpert that he doesn't know that even a merely good work has its own flow that is seriously disrupted by insertions? And that's the problem with Phillips' compilation: the insertions are merely distracting. They might be good, even great, but why do they have to interrupt? Put them in an Appendix so that I can just read MacDonald. But then I turn to the back of the book to see what else I can get of MacDonald's work from Bethany House, and I find that there's a bunch of stuff. All "edited for today's reader," and renamed; again, presumably, for "today's reader." Let's see. Macdonald wrote about 100 years ago, but must be brought up do date. Somebody has a fat head. Pulleeeeese, just give me MacDonald.

So I give MacDonald a 5+, Phillips gets a zero. Averages 3.

I fell in love with George MacDonald's novels as a college student. When I discovered this book a few years ago, it was a treasure! Combining the best of George MacDonald's sermons and essays on the heart of the Creator with selections from his poetry and novels that illustrate the concepts, this book is a great devotional and insight into God's heart. I don't always agree with every ounce of MacDonald's theology, but he makes his case with sound reason and has a knack for making you dig deep to discover the truth. Great stuff -- read it!

A great approach, a timeless treasure. If you are around Christians, or just plain old folks who are afraid to think or who are always trying to find the right legal formula for Salvation, or just think that they know it all, introduce them to this book. I found it a breath of fresh air after digesting another excellent book, "Bible Doctrines A Pentecostal Perspective". It provided a balance.

From the onset the best quote I found in this book "knowing the Heart Of God" is, "To hold a doctrine or an opinion with the intellect alone is not to believe it. A man's real belief is that which he lives by".

This and establishing the principle that Intimacy can be increased by Obedience, is the base argument for the Holiness Pentecostal way of life towards Sanctifaction and Holiness. Isaiah first chapter verses eighteen and nineteen are often cited for conveying this idea. I found it an excellent primer to convey and discuss the Christian notion of obedience for a wife or betrothed which has nothing to do with the idea of obedience in the contemporary world. And for the man or husband, I showed why the attributes of God should be mirrored through him as God's image in a relationship. This book is about establishing a relationship with God.

The title struck me because I just realized how fragile an omnipotent God's heart can be. Through my suffering I understood how I can see God's heart broken. Jesus wept, as I. I believe he still weeps. Try preaching "Intimacy Through Obedience" at your next women's meeting and notice the climate change. Notice how the end result will be for the hearers to merely fall back on opinion which the author has a great deal to say about.

Although the staunched legalist may find the fiction, counter-arguments and exegesis debatable. For those truly led by the Holy Spirit to find the perfect truth this book gives a gentle nudge in that direction with a touch of humor. In the end the only action needed is simply to know God through Our Lord and Great God Jesus Christ and obey him. Does not the scriptures say, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him"? This hearing is obedience.