I had almost given up hope. I've seen enough translations of the Tao Te Ching to last a lifetime. I'm not interested in learning how to apply Taoist philosophy to my career. What I want is to learn more about actual Taoism, about how Taoists practice and live. Just when I was about to give up any hope of ever finding the information I wanted, along comes Taoist Master Chuang. It's an excellent book, clearly written and filled with detailed practical examples of Taoist practices, ritual, worship, and magic. I especially enjoyed the author's vivid depictions of a slew of modern Taoists. Some of the images conformed to my preconceptions, and some did not. But all were fascinating. I also think the "history of Taoism" section is fabulous. This seems to be an insider's view, something that we don't normally see in typical academic works. All in all, this was a great surprise and a great book.

Can I just get in line behind everyone else here? This is a unqiely excellent book. I highly recommend it. There are soooo many books about Daoism, except that almost none have any real relevance to Daoism whatsoever. Here we have a scholar who seems to have a deep understanding of Taoist practice. But this is a book about his training at the hands of a true Daoist Master, so I guess that's to be expected. Nonetheless, this is a real, authentic, detailed view of Taoist practice. Not highflying philosophy or navel-gazing, but real descriptions of real practices. Some of the activities described in this excellent book are astoundingly complex. It's as if someone realized the concept of yin-yang, and kept developing it without cessation for a long, long time. Eventually, detailed practices regarding ritual, spirits, magic, personal transmutation and more arose. This is basically the history of Taoism itself, as reflected in the knowledge of one intensely experienced Master, as told by his spiritual disciple. My only complaint with this book? I wish it were twice as long.

I have an MA in Taoism, and I'm considering going after my PhD. I've spent lots and lots of time reading through dusty books on Taoism, and I can assure everyone that I think this is one of the best. In an area where translations of the Tao Te Ching abound, this is one of the few works that provides real detail regarding Taoist practice. Instead of philosophy and spiritual fluff, this book really relates what it is like to be a Taoist in the world of dust. Only after reading and re-reading this wonderful book could I really begin to see how Master Chuang captures the heart of Taoism in concrete actions, and how he does this on behalf of his community. Everyone interested in Taoism should read this book!

Any young gay man who has ever tried to find a book written for them, by them, and about the issues that are important to them, knows how hard it is too find one. Sure there are coming out books for adults and coming out books for parents of gay children and plenty of books on the best hotels in Palm Springs for Circuit Party '01, but the XY Survival Guide is the only book I have ever seen that is written for young men who want clear and honest facts about homosexuality. The Guide is packed full of useful and hard-to-find information, stories and resources. It has answered many of my questions about being gay, eased many of my fears with useful information and taught me many things that have helped me live a healthier and happier life.

The XY Survival Guide is THE BEST book today. This book has helped me get comfertable with many subjects in homosexual life, and will help anyone, young or old. The book has great information including tips on coming out, dating, sex, and everything you can possibly think of ! It is better than the rest. THE BEST ! If you dont get this book today, you're missing out big time. Help yourself and GET THIS BOOK! -Great job Benjie

Hello Everyone. My name is Trevor Scott and I am a contributor to the Guide. (Page 91). I believe that this book is the most essential peice of literature to emmerge in decades. Its honest coverage and analysis of gay/bi/questioning life for so many different bois is amazing. I have been out for over a year, and I still learned from it. I only wish I could have had it when I was 14-- I know my journey would have been so much smoother. XY helps young men like myself realize how beautiful we are, whoever we are and whoever we choose to love. XY is in many cases a literal lifesaver! If you are gay -- BUY IT! If you are bi -- BUY IT! Not sure? -- BUY IT! And if you are straight and an ally I beg you to buy it, you will learn so much about the world around you. Also, feel free to email me at TrevScott@aol.com if you have any questions. THANK YOU!

"The Diaries of Adam and Eve" is a sweet, humorous and romantic piece and it had me laughing out loud one minute.......and crying the next. Mandy Patinkin and Betty Buckley are outstanding in their "reading" of Twain's words; actually, it's more a theatrical performance than a simple reading. Their expressive voices give life to Adam and Eve and provide us with complex characters full of wonder, innocence, wisdom, joy, and sorrow. There are so many wonderful passages throughout this book that I find something new to marvel at each time I listen. This recording will touch your heart.

The Diaries of Adam & Eve is an incredible representation of both sides of Mark Twain. The cynical side that most people seem to know, as well as a softer side that has largely been kept hidden.

From the unflinching stubborn "maleness" of Adam to the innocent yet knowing Eve, this book is an amazing testement of Twain's love for his ailing wife. It was her persuasion that led him to write the sweetly naive character of Eve. The gentleness of the work is very touching and may be a surprise for people who think that Twain was just a tetchy grown-up Tom Sawyer. Adam and Eve both have equal say in various "experiments" in their new world and their wonderful differing interpretations of shared events make the characters pop off of the page and into your soul.

I would also recommend the audio version of this book as read by Mandy Patinkin, Betty Buckley, and Walter Cronkite. The true musical nature of the text and the spirit of Twain's words really come to life in a spoken format and may move you to tears.

Even Mark Twain's ephemera charms. This well edited collection of separately written pieces creates the whole that Twain himself might have made. It features his most insightful depiction of a female persona, Eve, who is the one truly engaged protagonist in this glimpse into Eden. She is the seeker, the thinker, and the emotionally active partner -- in short, the whole person. It is no wonder that Eve names the animals and discovers fire, while Adam lolls in a tree and complains about her talkativeness. He is remarkably complacent for a miracle of creation. Twain imaginatively and humorously evokes the naivete and sense of wonder of these two innocents as they discover the world and each other -- learn, even, to recognize that they are human. The fact that God is just a voice, mentioned once or twice, and the Fall is the unfortunate incident that changes their lives demonstrates that Twain was not interested in a religious parable. These diaries are his reflection on the nature of male and female personalities and the bond that draws and keeps men and women together. Though it feels somewhat incomplete, the book is an enjoyable quick read. The editor's afterword recounts the history of these writings and connects the diaries to the author's own personal life, affirming its very personal nature. This is a lovely book to give to an engaged couple, a married couple, or anyone who enjoys Mark Twain's unique genius.

This book has a lot of information about security in a world where lots of people and businesses are using the internet to conduct business. Internet is a far reaching medium with lots of security concerns on the information that is spread through this medium. The book brings to readers' attentions the regulations that have already been put in place throughout the world especially in the US and the EU where the use of internet and data security issues have reached considerable levels. Projections on the use of internet as given in the book for the coming years are quite alarming that proves the need for implementing procedures to ensure privacy of information on the internet. This book provides guidelines with respect to implementing a process to ensure privacy of information transmission and storage in the internet. It suggests that the use of technology is not the only solution to provide privacy on the internet. The book suggests a process with multiple stages. These include doing a lot of research, performing audits, develop policies and plans, and finally implementing the project. With widespread use of internet by businesses and individuals in areas of healthcare, banking and finance, this book is a must. I highly recommend this book to individuals who are concerned with privacy of their information on the internet and to businesses that are required to comply with rules and regulations mandated by governments on information security in the Net.

Michael Erbschloe and John Vacca A Guide to Developing & Implementing an Ironclad ebusiness Privacy Plan McGraw-Hill 2001

This book is an essential reading for any company looking to ensure corporate privacy online. The authors, Erbschloe and Vacca, do an excellent job of providing a step-by-step guide to safeguarding customers' personal information and company secrets through the development of an enterprise privacy plan.

Erbschloe and Vacca, two of today's security thought leaders distinguish between privacy and security and the importance of understanding the differences at all levels of the organization.

Chapters two and three discuss privacy issues and sight specific cases that have occurred over the years. The chapters go on to point out how technology continues to change but the protection laws governing technology use are vague and difficult to interpret. The authors recommend seeking "on going legal counsel" for your business as the use of ebusiness continues to grow with an estimated 165 million users of the Internet in the U.S. in 2003.

Chapters 4 through 8 break down the steps necessary for developing and implementing enterprise privacy plan and incorporated these steps into four major phases.

Phase One:Organizing and research Phase Two:Conducting privacy -needs audit Phase Three:Developing polices and plans Phase Four:Implementing the plan

The authors do point out that the major challenge to any organization trying to implement an enterprise privacy plan is --working through the process of consensus building among departments and managers in the enterprise.

Moving on to the rest of the book, the chapters deal with managing, protecting, and measuring the success of your enterprise privacy plan. Checklists throughout these chapters list key areas and specific tasks that should not be overlooked. Long-term management challenges fall into modifying and evolving the enterprise privacy plan as privacy laws and policies change and as information technology solutions evolve.

All told, I think the book provides a great set of clear guidelines for ensuring a successful privacy plan; it's implementation and monitoring. Get your privacy planning efforts moving ahead by following this step-by-step format.

"Net Privacy" by Michael Erbschloe and John Vacca provides an excellent reference for understanding the privacy issues associated with Internet use. The book provides a comprehensive description on how sensitive corporate data is handled to in order protect consumer privacy and corporate liability. The book contains informative tips and techniques for securing privileged information from a business standpoint, and provides an understanding to the Internet user and e-business customer of the security precautions implemented today in the ever-changing e-business marketplace. The book goes on to provide a framework for the development and implementation of a corporate privacy plan. For an IT professional this process can be extremely useful in determining if you have each of the critical areas covered in order to protect corporate interests in an e-business environment. The book also provides great recommendations for corporate privacy protection in terms of mobile computing and Virtual Private Networking (VPN) environments.

This is a well-done book providing plenty of information about marine aquarium setup and maintenance. My mother's a librarian so I've read several books on this subject all of which seemed too trivial and uninformative or written for the professional reef tank hobbyist but this book seemed like the perfect fit for me. The author takes the reader step-by-step through the process of identifying and purchasing the necessary equipment to seting up the tank and equipment to choosing and introducing fish to the tank and of course, maintaining the aquarium. The book is very informative and should bolster confidence in a beginner looking to setup a small to midsize tank. The author pariticularly covers filtration methodologies very well focusing primarily on the highly regarded "Berlin" method. A must have for beginners and intermediate fishkeepers looking to setup a marine tank. I would recommend a more detailed book for specifically covering choosing and caring for different types of marine fish, corals, invertebrates, etc., but this is otherwise a great book.

If you are thinking about your first marine aquarium, this is a great book the start with. It was recommended by two stores I went to. It is easy reading with great diagrams and pictures. Everything from sizing to tank to suggestions of what fish and invertabrates to start with.

As with most of these books, it is not a substitute for your local expert. However, they even had advice on picking an expert that steered my away from the "big mall pet stores" to a smaller store where I found a truly knowlegable professional. I know my tank will be a success.

... covers just about everything imaginable, and does so in such a clear & concise way that there is little point in my trying to cover it again.
I am truly impressed. This so-called beginner's book scarcely rates that category; this is the very sort of information that beginners REALLY need but oh-so rarely ever get until it is too late. Moreover, it is presented in a form that beginners can understand and digest with ease. Truly a gem, and destined to be a classic.
The checklists, the explanations which make the complex simple, the techniques, the wonderful illustrations, the tips & tricks, the lists of common mistakes to avoid, ( and which species to avoid ) and the truly useful advice make this book very complete. It's 140+ pages are chocked full of good information without a lot of "fluff"; it's truly "all-meat, no filler!"
If I had to recommend just ONE book for the beginning marine hobbyist, I think that this would be the one. I even recommend it highly to intermediate hobbyists. While it doesn't cover every single aspect of the marine hobby, ( not that any one book, or even any given dozen ever books could ) it aptly covers the most important things, and most importantly, it covers them in a way which will make it the most useful to it's target audience...

If you're looking for the definative guide to Six Sigma, you've just found it. From fundamentals to advanced program management, its all here. I first read Pande and Holpp's little 87-page book "What is Six Sigma." The impressive guide convinced me that I needed to pick up a copy of their "The Six Sigma Way." I'm really glad that I did. As a management consultant, I can say without reservation that the ideas expressed in this book are applicable to almost every manager -- regardless of whether or not they are currently involved in a formal Six Sigma program. In addition to enhancing quality, the Six Sigma framework is very useful in identifying and removing irrelevant processes from your product or service operations. Saving your Company both time and money... and freeing up your employees for more value-added work. In addition, I would also recommend Hammer and Champy's "Reengineering the Corporation" and Ashkenas, Kerr, and Ulrich's "The GE Work-Out." Overall Grade: B+/A.

Over the years, I have worked with dozens of small-to-midsize companies, all of which were in dire need of improving one or more of the following: cost reduction, culture change, customer retention, cycle-time reduction, defect reduction, market-share growth, productivity improvement, and product-service development. You can thus understand why I was curious to know to what extent (if any) Six Sigma could be helpful to small-to-midsize companies.

By now we have become well aware of the success of Six Sigma initiatives at major international corporations such as ABB, Allied Signal/Honeywell, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, SONY, and Toshiba. Once having read this book, I am convinced that -- with certain modifications -- Six Sigma could perhaps be even more valuable to small-to-midsize companies which, obviously, have fewer resources. What exactly is Six Sigma? The authors provide this definition: "A comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success. Six Sigma is uniquely driven by close understanding of consumer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes."

The authors identify what they call "hidden truths" about Six Sigma:

1. You can apply Six Sigma to many different business activities and challenges -- from strategic planning to operations to customer service -- and maximize the impact of your efforts.

2. The benefits of Six Sigma will be accessible whether you lead an entire organization or a department. Moreover, you'll be able to scale your efforts, from tackling specific problems to renewing the entire business.

3. You'll be prepared to achieve breakthroughs in these untapped gold mines of opportunity -- and to broaden Six Sigma beyond the realm of the engineering community.

4. You'll gain insights into how to strike the balance between push and pull -- accommodating people and demanding performance. That balance is where real sustained improvement is found. On either side -- being "too nice" or forcing people beyond their understanding and readiness -- lie merely short-term goals or no results at all.

5. The good news is, Six Sigma is a lot more fun than root canal. Seriously, the significant financial gains from Six Sigma may be exceeded in value by the intangible benefits. In fact, the changes in attitude and enthusiasm that come from improved processes and better-informed people are often easier to observe, and more emotionally rewarding than dollar savings.

The authors organize their material as follows: Part One: An Executive Summary of Six Sigma; Part Two: Gearing Up and Adapting Six Sigma to Your Organization; Part Three: Implementing Six Sigma -- The Roadmap and Tools; and finally, The Appendices: Practical Support. According to Jack Welch, "The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question -- how can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer's success?...One thing we have discovered with certainty is that anything we do that makes the customer more successful inevitably results in a financial return for us."

If anything, it is even more important for small-to-midsize companies (than it is for the GEs of the world) to answer these two questions correctly and then track and compare their performance in terms of what their customers require. The well-publicized objective of Six Sigma is to achieve practically-perfect quality of performance (ie 3.4 defects for every million activities or "opportunities") and this is indeed an ambitious objective. Collins and Porras, authors of Built to Last, would probably view it as the biggest of Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). In that book, they assert that the most successful and admired companies have the ability -- and willingness -- to simultaneously adopt two seemingly contrary objectives at the same time. Stability and renewal, Big Picture and minute detail, creativity and rational analysis -- these forces, working together,, make organizations great. This "we can do it all" approach they call the "Genius of the And."

Pande, Neuman, and Cavanagh suggest that all manner of specific benefits can result from following "the Six Sigma way." For example, Six Sigma generates sustained success, sets a performance goal for everyone, enhances value to customers, accelerates the rate of improvement, promotes learning and "cross-pollination", and executes strategic change. All organizations (regardless of their size or nature) need to avoid or escape what the authors refer to as the "Tyranny of Or." Here in a single volume is about all they need to seek "practically-perfect quality of performance." Whether or not they ultimately reach that destination, their journey en route is certain to achieve improvement which would otherwise not be possible.

I found the book to be clearly written and even fun in places. It provides a solid and practical overview of the principles of Six Sigma. It explains Six Sigma as a flexible system to help manage processes in companies. It addressed all the questions I had in trying to decide whether Six Sigma is appropriate for my company. It provides much practical and non-dogmatic advice about how to implement. I bought the book to prepare my self to fight against the six sigma way. After reading it, I am very enthusiatic and am planning to propose this approach for my company. I highly recommend the book for anyone needing an overview of the topic from a management perspective.

I was completely engulfed in the story from the first page to the last! The characters were interesting and well developed, the story had twists and turns that were unpredictable and the theme made me stop and think. The reader needs to look at the story from two different levels and the author cleverly uses symbolism and indirect methods to subtley encourage the reader to do this. Although the book was written by a man, the female characters are strong and intelligent. The feelings are genuine and realistic. The story is unlike one I have ever read before. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book!

This book really drove me crazy. At first I didn't like it much. But, I didn't want to stop reading it. I'm glad I didn't. It starts out like it's going to be pretty silly, you know? Then it takes a turn and the author takes you places you might not like. It finally hit me around page 200 what was going on. Then after I finished it some things kept coming back to in bits and pieces. The book is really much deeper than I thought from reading only the bginning part. It's also one of the most original books I've ever read. (The jungle room quicksand chapter was quite different!) A very good read.

I've never heard of Cameron Michaels. I never heard of this book. I don't know why I bought it but when I started reading it I couldn't stop. It was so cool. (Like quicksand!) I can't believe it turned me on like it did. Whoever this author is has a very good understanding of what a woman likes. I'm even checking the internet for resorts like the ARENA. I wish. A really great book!

I've read all of the wrestling books that have been written in recent years. I have also read the autobiographies by Lou Thesz and Bruno Sammartino. Without a doubt, Gary Michael Cappetta's "BODYSLAMS!" is the most revealing, most informative, most literate, funniest and even the most heart warming book ever written about professional wrestling.

Foley was careful not to tell too much about his buddies in the WWF. Chyna, The Rock and Goldberg also still on promoters' payrolls, haven't been wrestling long enough to lend a rich perspective of the wrestling game. Page avoids the truth about the behind the scenes politics that gave him his spot with WCW. And who cares what JR is cooking?

This book has it all. If you want a comprehensive look at how it all began, why wrestling is where it's at today and Gary's thoughts about how the game can be healthy in future years, then you must read "BODYSLAMS!".

Cappetta's behind the scenes stories provide an up close and personal look at dozens of current superstars, as well as many of the legends of this sport. Gary worked with them all. From Gagne to Hogan. From Bruno Sammartino to The McMahon Family. His profiles of Steve Austin, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Buff Bagwell, Mick Foley, Abdullah the Butcher, Eric Bischoff and Andre the Giant are priceless.

Gary tells the full story about the night Mick Foley lost his ear. He was at the hotel fight between Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious and he holds nothing back. The portraits of Vince and Shane McMahon stand the test of time, given the way The McMahons now monopolize wrestling. And Gary's love of the game shines through on every page of the book.

If you have to choose one book that tells it all about pro wrestling, then "BODYSLAMS!" has got to be at the top of your list. Simply put, it's the best book ever written about pro wrestling!

I have read Dave Meltzer and Dynamite Kid's books, as well as both books written by Mick Foley, and I must say that Gary Michael Cappetta's Bodyslams is right up there with the others in terms of credibility and quality. While it may not be as funny as Foley or as dramatic as Meltzer, it's really not intended to be. It is meant to chronicle one man's 21-year journey in a business he has always loved, and is undoubtedly the most well-written of the five wrestling books I have read.

The stories flow well and really give the reader a feeling for what many famous and infamous wrestling personalities are/were really like, as well as the nature of the environments behind-the-scenes in the WWWF/WWF, NWA, WCW and AWA. Cappetta shares stories about Ric Flair, Vince McMahon Sr., Vince McMahon Jr., Mick Foley, The Undertaker, Verne Gagne, Bruno Sammartino, and scores of others in-between.

I would highly recommend this book to any fans of pro wrestling, past or present. You get an intelligent and honest view of the inner and outer workings of the business.

I was just suring around looking for an interesting site, browsing through a few search engines when I came across bodyslams.com.

While I'm not a huge wrestling fan, I have always been intrigued by the outrageous spectacle. As a kid I watched Hulk Hogan. From time to time I still tune in and am amazed at how pro wrestling has changed. And that's why I began reading through the bodyslams.com website, which supplies a closer look at what this book is all about.

Intrigued by what Gary Michael Cappetta had to say on this site, I decided to buy "Bodyslams!", which takes you behnd the scenes for an honest and intelligent look at pro wrestling, including the dozens of WWF and WCW wrestlers, promoters and colorful characters that Gary has worked with. It is an incredible list of wrestling stars inluding Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon (Jr.& Sr.), Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Verne Gagne and on and on.

I also ordered "Fall For The Dream", Cappetta's script of fiction that is based upon the real people that Gary writes about in "Bodyslams!"

Once I picked up "Bodyslams!", I couldn't put it down. I read it in a couple of days. "Fall for the Dream" was just as fascinating, just as informative and just as entertaining.

I'd recommend these two books if you want to:

- know how wrestling evolved into what you see on TV today

- learn about the personal side of today's superstars and yesterday's legends

- feel what it was like to witness Mick Foley losing his ear

- experience the terrifying knife fight between Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious

- see how it feels to be on TV performing for millions and on the road (throughout North America and Europe) with wrestling superstars

- go on the road with Ric Flair, Abdullah The Butcher, Buff Bagwell, Vader, Steve Austin, Jim Cornette, The Undertaker, Sting, The Steiner Brothers, Dusty Rhodes or Jesse Ventura.

These books are for you if you are an avid fan or if you are just curious about this unique sub-culture.

Both books are intelligently and thoughtfully written by a man who has kept a healthy perspective about life, while living out his dream among wrestling insiders who are sometimes treacherous, sometimes warm and supportive. Both the good and the bad became Cappetta's disfunctional family.

And amazingly, Gary has maintained his love of wrestling after so many years of witnessing the underbelly of the "sport".

After reading "Bodyslams!" and "Fall For The Dream" I'd love the opportunity to sit down with Gary Michael Cappetta to find out more. (bodyslams.com tells about Gary's upcoming book tour and where you can meet him.)

I strongly suggest that you visit bodyslams.com (as I did) and that you read these two incredibly fascinating books.

Being my first adventure with Elric, an incarnation of the Eternal Champion, I was quite perplexed by Moorcocks approach to dark fantasy.

This book, Song of the Black Sword, contains three full length original Elric novels with the addition of three short stories that would most definetly become a burden to collect. Just having so much out of print or hard to find literature in one novel is well worth the price alone.

The most interesting aspect of these books for myself was not the massive genocide Elric commits with Stormbringer or the bizarre adventures he physically and metaphysically sets foot on , but the strong development of Elric himself.
He has changed the way that I view fantasy with such a dark hero.

Elric is probably the best, and best known, of all of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion characters (though Jerry Cornelius must be a close second), and I almost rushed through the previous four volumes in the series in an effort to get to this book. And while those books were excellent examples of Moorcock's writing, this blows them all out of the water, showing fantasy unlike anything else. Here are some thoughts on the individual stories:

Elric of Melnibone: Great introduction and brilliant way to kick off the volume. Everything about Elric is explained here.

The Fortress of the Pearl: It's interesting to note that even though this one wasn't published until nearly the nineties, it fits seamlessly into the rest of the books, and of course the device of making him forget explains why the events here aren't referred to in later novels. This one is good, still.

Sailor on the Seas of Fate: Easily the best story in here, period. You know its good when three other Eternal Champions show up (Erekose, Hawkmoon, and Corum), and they only stay through the first part, and the rest of the book just gets better!

The Dreaming City: Elric takes out his home city. I thought this was just a short story until I read the end and saw the rather major upheval Moorcock threw in at the end. Quite the tragic tale.

While the Gods Laugh: Another quickie tale, also tragic. Elric appears to be wrestling with many demons (in his mind, at least). Someone get this guy a shrink.

The Singing Citadel: Last short story of the collection and probably the best, it shows Elric finally getting at least partially over the events of The Dreaming City, for a little while. And hey, any volume with the Duke of Hell in it can't be all bad.

My only quibble is that the entire six book series wasn't reprinted here in its entireity (only the first two were). Hopefully that will be rectified when the eleventh book in the series: Elric: Stealer of Souls, is published. I'll be waiting

My favourite story in the Song of the Black Sword was the first one, Elric of Melnibone. It was so interesting. There was always something new that the author adds to keep on saturating your mind.

For all fantasy fans, read this book along with the rest of the Eternal Champion series.

Beyond Tithes and Offerings is a wonderful book! Many of the books and articles I have thus far read concerning this perspective of the tithe are often negative, critical and neglect to encourage the practice of true Christian giving principles according to the Word of God, which can only be effectively enacted out of a changed heart, filled with God's love and divine purpose. Beyond Tithes and Offerings is for certain a brilliant exception!

This book not only outlines clearly and simply the proper biblical context of tithing (in contrast to the traditional view taught in most churches today - including my own, yikes! hehe), but it presents a practical challenge to invite the Lord to come and inspire our motivation to give out of our abundance to supply the lack of others; not out of necessity or by compulsion, but out of love.

If you are one who perhaps has chosen a non-tithing position thinking that this means you are now exempt from a responsibility to give (even of your finances), this book will, on the contrary, prove you otherwise and challenge you directly in your faith and your relationship with Jesus.

Beyond Tithes and Offerings does not neglect the importance of understanding Christ's heart as it concerns our giving.

Since reading this book, in addition to my own personal Bible studies and prayer, I have experienced a revitalized sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a fresh liberty in the area of giving that I had been missing before. I learned so much more than what tradition has taught me over the years (or perhaps I should say mis-taught). I highly would recommend this book to pastors as well as any Christian who would invite a challenge to their faith and the opportunity to grow in their understanding of God's Word as it applies to the subject of true Christian giving.

The motivation of this book is not to divide churches or turn members against their tithe-preaching pastors or from giving financially to care for the needs of the local church, on the contrary it encourages spiritual growth and attention to the reality and power of God's Word that needs to be wholly applied to our lives in every area. This book is not against giving, in fact it encourages it and pastors needn't feel threatened by the title. It is certainly not the common perspective of most church leaders and Christians in general today (and for many may be a little hard to swallow because it so severely offends the tradition many have religiously observed for years), but it is the biblical perspective and one that I believe has the potential to revolutionize the way churches operate today.

I especially encourage pastors to read this book, because, rest assured, probably a good number of your flock already are! It's going to make preaching the traditional tithe (with Scripture) a whole lot harder, as people begin to just read for themselves the simple truth revealed right in the pages of God's Word.

I want to commend the writers for a wonderful and uplifting book. On the surface this book is about money, but in reality it is more about the freedom and grace that we have as christians. Next to the Bible this is one book that has truly shown me the love and grace of God, this book has had a profound effect in my walk with the Lord. From now on I will be lead by the spirit in my giving and not lead by well meaning but mislead men or women.

My hope and prayer is that we who have read the book and realize the truth in it will have the courage and conviction to stand up for those who are less fortunate than we are, to not fear men but to fear God. Let us also put this book in the hands of men and women that are responsible for handling the money in our churches. As for me I am going to get a few copies and send them out to my church leaders, if they read this book and are not touched by it than I will know that their heart is not for the poor but for the money. Now I know the true freedom I have in Jesus Christ.

Once again I thank the writers for letting God use them in such a powerful way. And most of all I thank Jesus my savior for my salvation and for my FREEDOM.

I am so please to find the truth about tithing. Now my doubts about tithing has been answered. The author has done an outstanding job scripturally concerning tithing. I now feel freer than I have been in years of this subject. And I am happy to see that there are others out there who feels the same as I did. I want to thank Mr. Webb for this wealth of information on tithing. I recommend anyone who has questions about tithing to read this book, because it is a big eye opener. It has brought santity to my confused mind about giving. I was thinking correctly, but always felt like I was wrong because of the incorrect teaching I now know I received. There is a Pastor/Teacher Bob George, who did get me started on the correct giving and about tithing with his tapes, that was one witness and Michael L Webb is now two. I just thank my God for them for boldly coming forth in setting God's people free. FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD I'M FREE AT LAST, ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA. MR. WEBB DON'T STOP.