If you are preparing to take the NATA Certification Exam, this book is a must have! This book breaks down the entire test taking procedure, explaining what to expect, describing the different portions of the exam, and how to study for each one. It also includes where the questions come from, and how to approach each one. After you read and understand the test-taking process, it provides a mock test with example questions which are very similar to those found on the actual exam. Answers are provided in the back of the book along with explanations, so you can obtain an idea of how the question should be correctly answered. I found this book to be extremely helpful in my studying and preperation for this exam, and I believe that you will be as satisfied and confident in your test taking skills.

Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild is a true to life essay of being in a great wilderness area. I have recently been in the Boundary Waters. My experiences along with Gruchow's seem to coincide. This book is a must for any traveler to the Boundary Waters. For those that have not, it's a great way to leave the "rat race" of everyday life and discover an enchanting wilderness. Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild will help you to stop and discover what your true priorities really are. Gruchow will help you reach your full potential in every thing you do and find your personal meaning of life. Or for just an hour at a time. I recommend this book to whom ever can read! You will enjoy it. I know I did!

Whether you're an old voyager with a canoe paddle as worn as a river rock or someone who's just curious about the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, Gruchow's book will speak to you. The book is well-crafted, and each word must have been hand selected, but the stories still have the feel of a campfire yarn told softly over dying embers. Like the Boundary Waters, and nature itself, this book is at times profound, often educational, frequently beautiful, personally revealing, surprisingly hilarious, and always captivating. The Boundary Waters don't disappint, and neither does Gruchow.

Like a real pro, Paul Dickson has produced, actually concocted, a rich compendium of examples and answers to any query and questions about toasting and hosting. Getting a copy even helped me articulate my sincere attestations when I entertain a few close friends and acquaintances in my modest home; though frequently with coffee or irish cream or shandy, seldom with wine.

Dickson does not preach, he guides and suggests. As your reading progresses, you easily learn, comprehend and take heart what is appropriate if perfect, and then sense what to avoid or perceive what is uncalled for when giving someone or something a toast.

This book is not only amusing. It's a deliciously entertaining and concrete fount of infos and references for fledgling hosts and party impresarios. I read my copy cover to cover and felt like popping the champagne and making the wine glasses clink! For Amazon --- I've changed my e-mail address from wsimple@yahoo to w_waif@yahoo

I bartended (part time) for years and heard a lot of toasts, but no one could explain the origin of toasting. A customer bought me this book and all my questions were answered.

The text is simple and easy to follow. If you are looking for a toast for a particular situation, just go to the category index in the front pages and thumb your way through.

You will laugh, you will learn, you may even get a little grossed out. But all in all, if you love history and you entertain or like to be the life of the party, this is a great buy. I recommend it highly.

This is a fantastic resource, the best single source on toasting which I have ever come across. The introduction and "Brief History of Raised Glasses" provides a brief, gentle, and highly useful education so that you can oh so suavely back up immediately any question or challenge to the quote you've chosen from this cornucopia of highly organized toasts for just about any occasion imaginable.

The illustrations are superfluous, but the footnotes are very, very useful. At first glance a bit pedantic, they allow the user of the toast to speak (and understand) the traditional language, such as "stook," "murphies," and "banns." The different subject areas, plainly intuitive, and listed alphabetically in the table of contents include such further instructive chapters as "Hints for Effective Toasting," "Odd Customs," a "Selected Toast and Tipple Glossary," and "Skoaling." The different subject areas are also modestly cross-referenced to each other, such as the entry "see also 'friendship;' 'general;' 'guests'" concluding the "Hosts and Hostesses" section. There is also a useful bibliography.

What is missing and would have completed the book would be an index. This is my only complaint with this superb, and in my case oft-used little reference.

Reframing Paul in my opinion is a good book - not a 'nice' or 'comfortable' book, but one worth reading, especially if you aspire to having a "Berean" spirit -which implies a willingness to have your ideas about the New Testament (NT) and church challenged. But there is also comfort in this book - it gave shape to my increasing unease (over the last ~ 15 years) about the gap between what the NT seems to say - and what we do, and assert as 'biblical'. I no longer feel quite as alone.

But the book is not easy going in some places (unless you are skilled in reading Graeco-Roman philosophy/history). Someone suggested to me this reading plan: " Read chap 1, then 18, then skip 2-3 (or even 2-5), read the rest (feel free to skip around) and come back to the early ones last. They are important context setting, but a bit tough".

But where to from here? The book does not offer easy solutions. (As a former Australian Prime Minister said: "Life wasn't meant to be easy" ;-) By the way, I admired the author's transparency/willingness to be vulnerable. I think that adds to the book. A book read by humans - a book written by a human.

Mark Strom has written a critique of much current evangelical practice. He outlines the world Paul operated in, a world where elitism and abstraction ruled, he then shows how the apostle Paul challenged this world. His critique is that, ironically, much contemporary evangelical practice more closely resembles the world Paul was challenging than Paul himself. A challenge worth sitting up and listening to.

A daring book has appeared at a precipitous moment in history. Mark Strom's Reframing Paul rushes to the rescue of modern churches hopelessly lost in a postmodern world. With rare exception, that's every church! We are still trying to see that the baggage dragging us down is our own culture-a culture more dependent on the classical tradition than on the Judeo-Christian. Whenever religion gets too close to culture, tragic ignorance prevails. With breathtaking clarity, Mark Strom reveals this cultural blindness to Paul's true message. Reframing Paul is a beacon of hope for the future.

Wendell Garrett once again produced another great collection on fine furnishings and architecture. There is great range from simple colonial design to grand represented in this book. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in colonial furnishings and architecture, or who simply likes the finer things!

Ben Witherington makes a strong contribution to the field of scholarship on Galatians. Witherington shows two main strengths in this commentary. First, he makes a strong case for an early dating of Galatians, placing this polemical book solidly before the Jerusalem council. Second, he brings his rhetorical skill to the text, and creates a first-rate rhetorical framework for the letter in a remarkably readable effort. There is room to disagree with Witherington on his conclusions, especially on his early dating of Galatians, and the amount of historicity he places with Acts. Yet, one appreciates the strength of his argument, and the flow of his presentation.

This book has done for spiritual guidance what few others have done -- keep the pathway simple. Having read many books dealing with the inherent but too often untapped power that dwells within every human being, I credit author Ferrini with the ability to bring that power into understanding. Usually I'm hesitant to use the word "surrender" as readily as he does, but in the context presented it makes complete sense and I find it accceptable. Persons familiar with the complext "Course in Miracles" -- that mainstay of many New Thought religious studies -- will find Grace Unfolding an easier approach to some of the Miracles concepts. Although the book is short and can be a quick read, its chapters should be absorbed slowly and thoughtfully -- there's much more savor and understanding than first meets the eye and mind!

Dr. Jewett's book is something that anyone interested in infant baptism should read. This book examines the historical evolution of infant baptism, the scriptural arguments, and the theological arguments. It is highly informative and reads like a thesis. If you are at all interested in infant baptism, READ THIS BOOK.

The problem with this work is that Dr. Jewett makes conclusions where the evidence is not necessary conclusory. For instance, he analyzes history and concludes that infant baptism was not a practice of the apostles, yet such a concusion is just one INFERENCE that could be made after taking in all the evidence. However, it should be noted that such conclusions are probably the best that anyone could do in reaching a definitive answer to an age-old issue.

The reason for Dr. Jewett's approach is clearly that he has made his decision from the beginning. This book reads like he has already made his decision, and whatever it takes, he is GOING to push the round peg into a square hole.

However, I would highly recommend this book for two reasons. First, the sheer amount of research and information provided by the author is worth taking a look at. Second, his arguments will better help anyone to refine their thoughts, from either an experienced theologian or a novice.

My lone criticism of this book, other than I believe it reaches an incorrect conclusion, is that he should have tried to be more objective, and avoided any language that would indicate his view was already biased from the start.

This book outlines most of the ballroom dances from a pictorial point of view with the assistance of footstep illustrations. Its virtue is it is pretty comprehensive, with most of the ballroom dances discussed. Even some dances considered a little risque, such as the lambada, are discussed in the book. No doubt that professional instructors will find areas of disagreement in the advice and the patterns developed, but no book can cover all the idiosyncrasies of styling that exist in ballroom classes. A good book to have when learning ballroom, and the price is very reasonable.

Many of the dances taught in this book are international style. If you plan to dance in the USA, you should know that social dancing is mainly American style for beginners.

The book is richly illustrated with photos. However, the angle of the photos changes randomly. So if you see a dance couple facing different directions in consecutive photos, maybe they have turned, or maybe the photographer moved. You have to read the accompanying text to tell.

I think this book is a good complement for beginning to advance-beginnning international dancers. You cannot completely rely on the book to learn techniques because while it does touches on them somewhat, it mostly concentrates on dance patterns. It will give you a rough idea of what a particular step looks like and give you the name of the step. If you have learned the step before, this would serve as a good review.

THIS BOOK ADVERTISED 1300 FULL COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS. FOOT PATTERNS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN TEACHING SOMEONE TO DANCE THIS BOOK HAS ONLY ABOUT ONE DOZEN (12) DIAGRAMS AND IS MISLEADING. IF YOU LIKE TO LOOK AT PHOTOS OF DANCERS IT IS GREAT BUT TO MUCH READING AND WAY TO CONFUSING FOR A DANCER SUCH AS MYSELF WHO HAS HAD ABOUT 40 HOURS OF LESSONS. I FEEL THIS BOOK IS FOR AN ADVANCED DANCER ONLY. TOM BEHNEY