I first read "Faith Under Fire" in my seminary Old Testament class in 1983. I have used it many times since in my practice of Christian ministry. Simundson's analysis of the biblical "laments" (complaints and pleas for help, usually found in the Psalms), and other texts pertaining to suffering (Job and Ecclesiastes, among others) is the most helpful treatment of these passages I've found anywhere. He puts forth the view that these passages are extremely helpful in giving the faithful person permission to express negative emotions, which is a necessary first step in the process of healing. So often, in our churches and our culture, expressions of pain are suppressed and discouraged by well-meaning friends and clergy. Instead, suffering people should be encouraged to fully grieve their losses and vent their anger, and these scriptures can help them to do that. Rather than edit these negative passages out of our worship liturgies, the church should include them as a witness to the fact that God accepts the complaints of his people, and is with us in our suffering. I enthusiastically recommend this book to all who are struggling with life's sorrows, and those who minister to them.

Roy Clements has produced a masterful study of key passages from Ezekiel and Daniel, giving keen exegetical analysis yet for a popular audience. He points out many points of contact between the attitudes of Israelites just before the exile and the contemporary church in the West. Altogether, this book provides a stunning Biblical critique of "Christian culture" and popular Christian attitudes while avoiding taking these passages out of context. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to study the prophets or for anyone concerned with tendencies in the contemporary church to see ourselves as having it "all together". As Clements notes, much of the church in the West has no concept of the kind of persecution the early church underwent or the kind of judgment Israel received with the exile, and it has drastically influenced our lifestyles, lingo, and attitudes toward Christian holiness and worship. Books like this are seriously needed in today's church, and it is quite unfortunate that his other books have all gone out-of-print. Snatch this one up, before it goes the way of the others! This man is often described as the best preacher in the U.K., and this book gives credibility to such claims.

The real audience of this book would be young adults, wise children, and literate adults. The tales consist of quirky folktales that are different in texture from the usual Western European stories we are more familiar with. A story might start out following one character, then seque to another, then to another, in a constant weaving of narrative. It would be disconcerting to a very young audience, but very entertaining to anyone who catches on. It is a good introduction to stock characters from Russian folk literature, such as the witch in a hut with hen's feet. Highly recommended.

This is one the best books I've read this year, a year in which I've completed an MBA in Medical Group Management after being confronted with a concentrated dose of the issues facing healthcare today. I've been a practicing physician for 27 years and couldn't overstate how well this book lays out the problems we face in the delivery of health care. There will be many objections to the ideas and recommendations contained in this book, especially from the special interests who offer us naught but "False Hopes" for a utopian future; but, in the final analysis our future depends in large part on a devolution in health care to an affordable steady state which can serve the basic needs of our society--our whole society. If you want a stark yet sober answer to our overall healthcare conundrum, rather than a mere list of the problems we face, read this book. It's reminiscent of Schumacher--it's "Small is Beautiful" for health care.

This book is entitled "A Family Treasury of Myths from Around the World". This book is very exciting for children of young ages. This book contains myths and legends from Greece, Africa, Rome, Japan and Israel. The book is filled completly with colorful illustrations on literaly every page. Some stories from the book are 'Romulus and Remus', 'Ulysses and the Sirens', 'Moses in Egypt', 'The Great Egyptian Ra' and 'The Heart of Afric'. If you want your kids or yourself to enjoy some great folktales i would greatly recomend this colorful book written by Viviane Koening.

As a husband, father, and pastor, I noticed after many years a strong connection between the worship habits of the father in the family and that of his children. It is my hope and prayer that you, dear reader, will thoroughly enjoy the light and often humorous treatment of significant biblical themes that make up "The Family's Man". This collection of devotions is divided into three sections: Part 1, "The Man of the Family", which addresses issues that impact men in general; Part 2, "The Husband in the Family", which speaks to topics that relate to husband and wife; and Part 3, "The Father for the Family", which is aimed at the man in his crucial role as "Daddy". My wife personally thinks that this book is not only helpful for men who want to grow as spiritual leaders of their homes, but also for the wives who want to encourage their husbands in assuming a greater leadership role for the benefit of the entire family. It is therefore my sincerest hope that you, dear reader, will find "The Family's Man" a great blessing for you as husband or wife, father or mother. Blessings! Daniel Pfaffe

Feel like a good scare? Then hitch a ride on "The Phantom Coach"-the guy beside you may not be a very lively companion, but then...he's been dead for nine years! Or spend the night alone in "The Tapestried Room"-guaranteed you won't be alone for long...

But don't stop there-be sure to meet all the ghosts, phantoms, and assorted "things" lurking with the collection of Famous Ghost Stories.

This book is about astrology and women's sexual fantasies. The first part of the book is devoted to a simple explanation of astrology and the ideas behind it. The second part deals with the vital flow of female sexuality and its connections with astrology, itself concerned with the mysterious power behind all existence.
Reads like a steamy romance novel.

This is the first book I have read about role-playing games that both suggests that role-playing games have had some kind of impact outside their own isolated world and, at the same time, cuts deeper into the historical and psychological origins of this peculiar, late-twentieth century phenomenon.

Mackay breaks his book up into four sections. The first examines the history of the role-playing game, particularly in relation to other forms of popular culture: fiction, film, comic books, and computer games. The second section looks at the rules that structure role-playing game. The third section looks at the social relations between players within the performance of the game. The fourth section explores the aesthetics of the rpg and includes a fascinating history of the emergence of fantasy as the key to commercialism that it is today from its humble roots as an object of suspicion in orthodox Christian Medieval Europe.

Mackay does not dumb-down his writing, and I'm sure other role-players, as well as others interested in the history of fantasy, will appreciate this. At times, he gets a bit carried away with his systems of organizing the game and describing it, but that is easily forgiven given the groundbreaking nature of this book. Of critical importance is his treatment of the performance of the role-playing game, and not simply as a game made up of a bunch of rulebooks and a bag of dice. The afterword by Marshall Blonsky is as astute and concise an analysis of fantasy gaming (whatever form it may take) as you'll find anywhere. My only question, why did it take so long for a book like this to hit the shelves?

When I first got hold of this book, I expected something similar to the original "Merchant Prince", a few essays on trade, enhanced character generation, a few ship listings and maybe an additional trade table or two for the buying and selling of cargo.

...what a difference 15+ years can make! Boy, was I surprised when I opened the covers of "Far Trader" and started to read. Detailed essays on finance and trade in the Imperium, an incredibly detailed - almost realistic - economic and trade system, and much more besides. The detail was somewhat overwhelming at first, and somewhat insulted my minimalist sensibilities as a twenty year traveller veteran. I want to play a merchant! I exclaimed, not read a book on economics! But then I started to look at the material closely - and it *is* good. The authors have started with the initial premise that interstellar trade *is* both viable and necessary and then built a "pseudo-realistic" trading and economic system on top of it. It's elegant, neat and eminently playable.

All the usual stuff is there of course, starship plans, character templates for GURPS and a host of adventure seeds. Production values are fabulous, and the books have a nifty "sidebar" format where a wealth of additional information is presented.

I'm going to give it 5 stars, its a great piece of work - I liked it, but I can imagine that it won't be for all tastes. Its not really a book you can "dip into" and start using with a cursory read - if you are going to have successful merchant characters you'll need to read and absorb a fair portion of this book. I'm afraid that the 40 page vignette books of the classic traveller period are long gone, replaced with detail, detail, detail. But with such quality of content, and production values like these I for one won't particularly mourn their passing.