Jim Krusoe sits on the weathered edge of reality to describe the view from both sides beautifully. His writing is sharp, original and entertaining. He captured a jaded reader's belief in the surreal tales layed out here, and left me wanting more. Fantastic.

These stories are so different. The author succeeds at making the reader believe entire imaginary worlds. A very interesting, different, read.

Jim Krusoe's Blood Lake and Other Stories is the wittiest collection of tales I've ever read, and more. For on top of and above the wit is a style and voice, and occasional whopping metaphor, that make for dizzying satire. Krusoe's fictional worlds compare to those of Kafka, Donald Barthelme, and Raymond Roussel, his reviewers observe. Some of his characters resemble the posturing, fraudulent whackos found in Woody Allen. Then there's the morphine addict pharmacist who buys at zoo auction a female gorilla that becomes his lover; and the unlucky night nurse who confesses, "I like hospitals and I like the sick, and of all the times that I can be with them, my favorite is the night shift, those hours from eleven to seven, when everyone's asleep." "Another Life" is a story whose narrator, an elderly bear, resides at the National Institute of animal Narrative, where he was "... trained by well-meaning scientists to operate a typewriter." In these tales there is thundering satire that smacks of the saturation bombing carried out over 200 years ago by Swift, yet has been terribly silent since. Simultaneously erudite, sobering, and farcical, Blood Lake and Other Stories will make you laugh, cringe, and cry, as Krusoe the writer does so many things so maddenlingy well.

If you want to read any book about Christianity (besides the Bible), this is the place to start. Boice is an unusually clear writer; he writes so that the average human can understand him but his thinking is deep enough that most pastors would appreciate his insight. I've read most of CS Lewis' work, and like this book better than Lewis, and I like Lewis! The book is also well indexed, so that it is easy to use it as a reference.

Obviously Boice has a Presbyterian bent, and though I disagree with some of his conclusions, I still highly recommend this volume. Apparently this used to be a 4-volume work, but it was shortened into one. It is very easy to read, so the layman could get a lot out of it. Boice attempts to give different positions for the issues, offering more than just his viewpoint. Overall, though, he remains very evangelical, and while we can certainly discuss our differences, I appreciate the flavor in which this work was written. Boice is kind but to the point. No doubt that it's long for many laypeople--more than 700 pages--but again, as the cover says, while it is comprehensive, it is still very readable. This book would also be good to keep on the bookshelf and look up theological issues as they come up.

This is a great perspective on Christianity. Its easy to read and easy to understand. I can always find a answer to any question that I need.

This is all-star lineup of conservative Christians of differing confessions, but united in call to the church of today to repent of its adultery with our heathen culture, and to return to God's Word, to have our consciences tied to the Scriptures as Luther stood and would not recant, move or be moved.

Series of essays delivered at conference, with a common theme: let God's Word change the culture rather than the culture changing the world.

Horton, Veith and Wells are always thought=provoking writers, and their contributions here are a continuance of that.

This book is edited by James Montgomery Boice and Benjamin Sasse. This book addresses what the reformation in Martin Luther's day did for the church as a whole, and for each Christian individually. Dr. Boice points out that the Reformers spoke of salvation by "grace alone." He states, "Here they wanted to insist on the truth that sinners have no claim upon God, that God owes them nothing but punishment for their sins (p. 11)." He then points out the Reformers taught God saves the sinner, "Only because it pleases Him to do it (p. 11)." From here Dr. Boice starts from the top down on why Christianity is in the state it finds itself in today. He points out that, "Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separted Scripture from its authoritative function (p. 15)." He then states that, "Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music (p. 15)." The contributors that write a chapter a peice are, David F. Wells, Ervin S. Duggan, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Gene Edward Veith, Michael S. Horton, Sinclair B. Ferguson and W. Robert F. Godfrey. Some of the chapter titles are, "Our Dying Culture, The Living Church, The Reformation of Worship and Reformation in Doctrine, Worship, and Life." This book attempts to examine the problems in the church as a whole and to give answers to the problems. In today's church where everyone seems to try to keep the peace and say everyone is right, the authors address the subjects rather bluntly at times. It has to be that way because no one seems to want to take a stand for biblical truth. R. Alber Mohler Jr., in his chapter quotes Blaise Pascal who said, "It is as much a crime to disturb the peace when truth prevails as it is to keep peace when truth is violated...But at no time is there a time for truth and a time for error, for it is written that God's truth shall abide for ever. That is why Christ has said that He has come to bring peace and at the same time that He has come to bring the sword. But He does not say that He has come to bring both truth and falsehood (p. 62)." The authors of the chapters in this book address different problems in the church and supply the answers to those problems. This they do admirably to get the church as a whole and each individual back into right relationship to God. They succeed completely, only if your willing to read, accept and put into practice the truths they try to bring back to the church. Be prepared as they try to be diplomatic but are harsh in places for a reason. I highly recommend this book. Every pastor should have a copy as well as every household in the church. The question is, are the readers willing to stand comfortably where they are, or, are they willing to move back to biblical Christianity? I vote for the latter, Do you?

God is calling His evangelical Church back to its Reformed roots. This book is an excellent "read" for anyone interested in objective truth over subjective experience.

This book by Dr. Boice (Ph.D., Basel, Switzerland) was a rich, fresh read for those suffocated by pluralism and relativism. When looking at the decay at the world, one is excited to read that the same decay was present before the Reformation. Dr. Boice expouses the same hope for today.

Dr. Boice expounds the five reformational creeds (Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo GLoria), the impact that they had on their world, and the possible impact that they can have on our world. Boice notes the dangers that plague our churches and our homes, relativism and pragmatism, and how each of these creeds, immersed in Scripture, provide the elixir for our dying land. Also with these Scripture Creeds, he shows the impact that Reformation minded saints can transform society.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not as deep as many of these type of works (as scholarly as he is, Boice is a pastor and communicates as one), making it a readable work that can be read in a busy schedule.

Anyone wanting a good introduction to the doctrines of grace from a Reformed and Calvinistic perspective must look here. It is reliable and easy to read. It is geared towards the laity so anyone can pick it up and read it. The section on the 5 solas of the Reformation is very well-written.

The late James Boice was a great asset to the Kingdom of God. His books communicated great truths in an understandable manner. His last book, released almost a year after his death is no exception. With grace and gentleness, yet with a passion for the truth of Scripture, he examines evangelicalism today. His conclusion is that we have lost much of the Gospel in our churches. The lives of many Christians differ very little from the world around us! He looks back to the truths of Scripture that transformed the church during the Reformation, and says that we must return to them if we hope and truly long for revival today. We need to recover the great Reformation and Biblical doctrines of Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone and Glory to God Alone.

Here's a sample:

"No people ever rise higher than their idea of God. Conversely, the loss of the sense of God's high and awesome character always leads to the loss of a people's highest ideals, moral values, and even what we commonly call humanity, not to mention the loss of understanding and appreciation for the most essential Bible doctrines...We deplore the breakdown of moral standards in the church, even among its most visible leaders. But what do we think should happen when we have focused on ourselves and our own, often trivial needs rather than on God, ignoring his holiness and excusing our most blatant sins? To listen to many contemporary sermons one would think man's chief end is to glorify himself and cruise the malls." (pp. 151-152).

Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? is a much-needed reminder of what we should again believe, and why it matters.

The most impressive thing about Boice's work here is his ability to interweave historical, orthodox theology with his interpretation of the Biblical text. Too often there is one without the other, resulting in dry, crusty beliefs that lack spirit and passion-- or, on the other hand, a tendency to get lost in the moorings of the Scripture, and getting trapped in one's own agenda or "canon within the canon." Boice articulates the importance of the great beliefs of the faith (the ascension, for instance) and how our neglect of them as influenced our reading of Scripture, our articulation of the Gospel, and, subsequently, the power of the Message we proclaim (or lack thereof). I don't know that this was his agenda when he began writing or not. Nevertheless, it is certainly a welcome by-product of this work and the Church will be the better for wrestling with these concepts.

Dr. Boice's commentary on Acts will be enjoyed by historians and Christians alike. He lends valuable context to this chronicle of early church history. Along the way, he examines the daily peaks and troughs of life in the first century church, and highlights Luke's own historical accuracy in retelling the journeys of Paul. From Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth, it is an oddesey not to be missed. A must for pilgrims yearning to learn more, or sceptics that would like their hard questions about the accuracy of Acts addressed.

I really like the Today's Issues series, and this is the best I've read of them. The series contains a similar booklet called Is Jesus the Only Way? Why two books on this subject? This one treats the problem from a theological perspective while the other treats it from a scriptural perspective. My preference is strongly with this version, as I find that non-Christians tend not to understand the "because the Bible says so" explanation.

Dr. Rosenbladt defends the sufficiency and necessity of Christ's atonement not just from salvation through other religions, but also from the semi-Pelagianism of believing we can make ourselves worthy to receive Christ's gift. There seems to be a trend among Christians to believe that through righteous living we can make ourselves acceptable to God, or that God grants us salvation because of our faith. Dr. Rosenbladt exposes the errors in these ways of thinking and expounds the true Gospel message that salvation is a free gift from God for the sake of Christ's suffering alone.

If brevity is the soul of witt, then this book is filled with sagacity. With so many opptions available to a person living in a consumeristic society, Christ Alone may seem a bit old fashioned. DR. Rod minces no words in his affirmation that Christ alone is the center of all that is related to the church and its witness in the world. He strongly affirms the place of Christ centeredness in the Word and Sacraments. Perhaps the greatest challenge to the preacher living in such a postmodern age is the challenge to one's faith. This booklet will challenge your faith. Do you really believe that Christ alone, in the Word and sacrament, is the sufficient power of God unto salvation to all who will believe? The pragmatism and church growth practices of the day, hover over the contemporary church, like the morning mist on the Smokie Mountains. Rosenbladt drops the gauntlet by appealing to church leaders to stand up for Christ, and plackard Him as the only means of salvation. Christ is not our lover, therapist, finacial advisor or even our moral example. He is more, so much more. Humanity's greatest need is to be reconciled to God and Christ is the only mediator. This makes Him our Lord and Savior alone. Everything else that Christ may provide is merely icing on the cake. As it has been said;" Anything this side of hell is grace." Therefore all we truly need is Christ, and Christ alone is all we need. This booklet will challenge one to stand on Christ as our true sufficiency.

What are the costs of following and obeying Christ in this post-Christian era? The late Dr. Boice unflinchingly outlines what happens to the true Christian as they face today's challenges and temptations to compromise. Not for the social "Christian", this book will warn as well as encourage. Must reading.

This book is a very quick and easy read. But don't let that fool you. This book packs quite a punch. It talks about how Jesus defined discipleship and what Biblical discipleship looks like.

This book is also practical. The author uses real-life examples from his own life and the lives of others. It is obvious the author has a very clear understanding of the topic of discipleship and wants the reader to have an equally clear understanding. He talks about what the Bible has to say about discipleship, the lack of true discipleship in the church today, what true discipleship looks like, the cost of discipleship (in my opinion, this is the most challenging,chapter of all) and the rewards of discipleship. The author also discusses unpopular subjects such as repentance, humility, obedience and dying to self as key components of discipleship. The author also takes a very strong stand against the notion of "easy believism" which is so prevalent and popular in American Christianity today.

This book should be required reading for every Christian. Especially new Christians. But veteran believers will also benefit greatly from this book. This book will break you out of complacent Christianity and will get you outside your comfort zone. In my opinion, this is one of the best books on discipleship out there.

The title of my book is "Rosa Parks:My Story".The story takes place in the South.The most interisting factin the beginning of the book is that rosa lived through racism.When Rosa was going to school predjuced people would throw things at her.At the end of my book the most important fact is that she wasan activist in the N.A.A.C.P.Also she worked toward ending racism, and she is still living today.

Rosa Parks was a Black woman who lived in a time of unequality. Blacks were being treated as though they were lower and were lost of the many priveleges that white people had. Well, Rosa Parks didn't let what they thought get in her way. She stood for what she believed in and stuck by it all the way. By refusing to sit at the end of the bus, Rosa showed me how strong, independent, daring, and brave she was. She knew of the consequences yet it didn't stop her. I really admire her.
This book came across me after my friend Catherine read it and recommended it to me. She told me that it was a good book and that I should read it. She told me that it would touch my heart and would help me see Rosa Parks in a different way. Seeing the cover, I knew that it would talk about one of the most important events of her life-the incident at the bus.
I enjoyed this book very much. My favorite part was when she refused to sit at the back of the bus.She demonstrated acts of bravery and courage. She showed them that she was equal and that no one had the right to treat them differently. That event also proved that small acts can make big differences in the world. One little protest made a positive change in the way of the world. This helped me want to be more active in our world. I realized that the blacks had to go through so much to be where they are today. It helped me appreciate them more. This book should be read by everyone!

Rosa Parks: My Story is about this lady named Rosa Parks. She refused to move to the back of the bus. She went to jail because she refused to move to the back of the bus. Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee and was named Rosa after her grandmother, Rose. What I liked about the story was that she had the courage to stand up to the white people and policemen. What I didn't like was that the police had to take Rosa to jail, but they didn't want to. They said it was wrong.

I love alll of the Anne of Green Gables series. They are so vividly written you find yourself wishing that you were born as Anne a hundered years ago on PE Island. I would have happily endured all her hardships for all the wonderful moments in her life, and the fact she married Gilbert Blythe! It's so well written that you actually feel that you know Gilbert and I actually found my self falling in love with him! I've read the series 2 times. The first time I couldn't stop thinking about Anne. I read Anne, I tried to live like Anne and I dreamt Anne. Anyway, although I love all 8 books almost equally Anne of the Island is just a little better. And although it's romantic it's definitely not just a romance. Anne of the island includes wit and humour that makes it an all-round perfect book. If you're an Anne fan you havvvvvve to read this. I could not describe how wonderful it is in 1000 words. Anne of the Island is truly a book you CANNOT put down. After reading this I recommend you read all the rest of the Anne of Green Gables series (there are 5 more book,) although you'll probably be rushing to buy them anyway.

Anne Of The Island is a great book. It is about a girl with dark strawberry-blonde hair. She goes off to college with her friends: Charlie, Gilbert, and Diana. She makes some new friends and one of them, Priscila which is Pris for short, they meet in the graveyard across from the college. She meets many men she thinks she is in love with, including Gilbert, but when the propose to her she finds out she really doesn't love them that much. She even turns down the man of her dreams. So, it is partially a love story. She was adopted when she was young by Marilla. Now they have taken in twins when their mother died and their only relative can't take care of them. The younger one is Davy, who is always asking questions and getting in to mischief. He especially likes to bother his twin sister, Dora. She is always quiet and quite lady-like. They all live on Prince Edward Island in Canada. If you want to know the rest, you can read the book for yourself. Happy reading!

If you like the Anne of Green Gables series this is the best one in the whole thing! Anne of the Island has something for everyone! Anne Shirley leaves the small town of Avonlea to attend Redmond collage.. There the novel introduces you to a character who is extremely funny named Pricella! (Hope I spelled her name right). In this novel Anne falls in love with a fellow school mate, while her long time friend Gilbert Blythe finds a love interest as well! Do they end up together at last? Read the book and find out! This book is definatly for people who liked the movie "Anne of Avonlea". They are without a doubt slightly similar, but the book is definatly better!

Boise really explains Calvinistic views well in this book. He draws off of scripture and not just philosophy. My main problem with the book is that Boise tries to go beyond what needs to be covered. If he would just stick with verses that are plane spoken he'd do good. But he takes a lot of verses that are kind of gray, and tries to force them into his Calvinistic views. This is not good exegesis. It really weakens a Calvinists argument when you try to fit verses into your theology. Boise would be better again, by just sticking with the verses that clearly point to the doctrines of grace. Overall this book is adequate, but if you come at it from a mind seeking truth you will see where he does force his meaning onto verses. If you come at this book as a Calvinist, you'll cheer as he uses all verses to support his argument. If you come to it as a Arminian, you'll be swayed when he shows the clear cut verses that show how God elects, but you'll be repulsed when he forces his belief on the not so clear verses.

I bought this book with a desire to understand more of Calvinism. I came at it with, I believe, an objective view. Boice expounds convincingly the Calvinist texts, redefines the TULIP acronym so that it is more clear and precise, and gives direction on how a Calvinist lives.

As other reveiwers mentioned, Boice does a good job on the easy texts and leaves some wanting on the hard texts (see Michael Horton instead). Also Helpful are the verses of the hymns that Boice composed before each chapter. In the final chapters Boice (and Ryken) attempt to refute the claim that Calvinists are the "Frozen Chose" and points to history and the example of 10th Presbyterian Church as signs of a lively Reformed faith.

Final Analysis.
If one is a seasoned Calvinist or Arminian, then this book probably will not be anything new for you. However, for a new Reformed or an Arminian wishing a debate, this book will be interesting. For those more seasoned, try Michael Horton's Putting Amazing Back into Grace.

James Boice and Philip Ryken present a cogent, easy to understand
presentation of the Reformed faith. The church today generally does not read church history and are therefore not aware of the doctrines that were preached and died for. This effort plainly
expounds the profound deep truths of the Bible without losing its
audience. I highly recommend this as the beginning book for anyone dealing with the issue of God's sovereignty. The question truly is "Who birthed you into the kingom; yourself or Jehovah God?" If "every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights", salvation is one of those gifts and comes "from" God and not ourselves. The question that this book helps answer is this: is man TOTALLY depraved or partially wounded? Ephesians 2:1,5 says "you who were dead, God made alive". This book explains in simple language one of the deepest truths of the Word of God.