With so many light weight devotional books flooding the market these days, it is good to sink one's teeth into a great spiritual classic. Law was an 18th century Anglican. As he grew, his theology also grew. Near the end of his life, his writings began to lean toward gnosticism. "Serious Call" was penned while Law was in his prime. It was on John Wesley's personal book shelf and greatly influenced the father of Methodism. This book will challenge the reader. It speaks as strongly to the 21st century reader as to the 18th century reader.

I read this book because Hannah Hurnard, author of Hind's Feet on High Places and other allegorical and devotional works, credits it with revolutionizing her spiritual life. Law exhorts Christians to offer all aspects of one's life and work as holy to God - work, finances, relationships, worship, prayer, etc. He reminds us of the Christian virtues of love, humility, peace, simplicity and conforming ourselves to God's will. This is a work which should not be forgotten or neglected by modern Christians.

This book gives you a bright and new outlook on dealing with your Son. Mr. Beausay's methods are compationate and yet very effective. The secret is to use it like a refrence book. Read it over and over again always going back when you need to review. You will find a new perspective every time. Very interesting reading with the Bible as a large source of it's wisdom.

The sons of Bill Beausay, author of Teenage Boys, are lucky to have Bill as their father. With wit, compassion, concern, and wisdom, the author gives us advice and sample scenarios for those of us living with the most difficult, yet potentially delightful of people, teenage boys. I enjoyed the book immensely.

Bill wants us all to remember the power we have to affect our sons. He provides sample dialogues with which to work through problem areas. With sections entitled A Parenting Plan for Man-Making, Shaping the Inner Man at Home, Shaping a Man Ready for Life, and Shaping a Man's Soul, Bill Beausay is concerned with the big questions in life. He wants the absolute best for his sons and describes many of his own experiences raising teenage boys.

In the final chapter " Dreamers and Leaders", the author reprints a letter he published in his newspaper column "Winners". The letter is to the parents of a young man Bill observes in the checkout line of a store.

" I saw your son today and felt compelled to write you this letter. I wouldn't have even noticed him had not my eyes accidentally caught his. Something seemed vacant there. Nothing about him really spoke of life, of energy, or of distinction. I was overcome by the sense that you, as his folks, should see this moment.

... there's not a reason in the world for him to blend in like he does, everything about him is unique and alive and wonderful. I'm certain that unless you tell him, nobody will.

You can teach him to dream bigger, hope larger, see wider, think more... Ask him to stand erect, chance a look into another's eyes, smile and laugh loudly. It's a mom and dad's job to find the spark in a young man's heart and carefully guard it. You can cradle his hopes and help them come to be..."

I bought a copy for a good friend with hopes that it will help him with his 14 year-old son. He's delighted with the book. I wish Teenage Boys had been around in the 50's for my Dad to read.

Ms. Wright, a renowned spiritual writer, has produced another fine book. She combines mysticism, spirituality, and theology to focus on Ordinary Time. We are not just marking time until the "big" seasons, we are journeying through the cycles of the liturgical year. All of her reflections are conflated with perspectives from her daily life in a beautiful erudite prose. Well worth it!

Wendy Wright employs her vast spiritual knowledge to develop a series of meditations on Ordinary Time. Each reflection is based either on a particular Feast Day (i.e. Corpus Christi, Trinity Sunday) or a period in Ordinary Time. These reflections conflate a variety of themes with personal insights spanning the history of mysticism with contemporary thought and spirituality. An excellent book to enjoy time and time again.

Great art treasures, real, imagined, or based on myth and legends have been the topic for countless novels. The genre is still healthy today with some great Authors continuing the tradition. Iain Pears and his Jonathan Argyll series is a great example. This book adds an interesting change, there is no fiction, as outrageous as the story is, it actually happened.

"The Quedlinburg Hoard" is the subject of the book, and several specific pieces that were stolen by an American Soldier at the end of WWII, provide the tale. The circumstances that allowed for the theft were unique, and had they been any different the objects in question and their theft would have been unthinkable.

These were not objects like a Rembrandt, Picasso, or perhaps a Caravaggio, these objects included the 9th Century Samuhel Gospel and the 1513 Evangelistar. These had been given to the Cathedral in Quedlinburg by the earliest German Kings Heinreich I and his Son Otto.

They were stored in a cave by none other than Heinrich Himmler who had hidden them; a US soldier who was guarding the cave then borrowed them for 40 years, and their places of residence during this time is incredible.

However that is a very small part of the story. Once the objects are found by the Author and a German Investigator, who has been chasing them for decades, the conduct of those involved is beyond belief. These items were instantly recognizable by any Art Dealer for what they were, and that they were stolen and priceless. In any other industry this might have posed a problem, but with the Art/Book World shown in this work, who got what, who they got it from, and where, is of no interest. The only topic is price.

This is a tremendous work that garnered Mr. Honan a Pulitzer Nomination. The book is a great read, and it will make many books of fiction on the subject of stolen art seem tame when compared to this true story.

Exceptional.

This book had all the componants of interest to me; art, history, religion, and a factual story. I have never read a book so quickly, and recommended it to so many people. My husband read it after me and liked it just as much. I would be interested to know if there is any update from where the book left off. I saw the author on TV and was interested in the subject and got the book. I would like to thank Mr. Honan for a great history lesson!

Absolutely awesome book, has helped me a lot, I am separated at the moment & I can see the mistakes I have made and more importantly how to rectify them. Really simply and well written, well done the authors, all pastors & counsellors should read this book, an absolute must. I have read a lot of books on power and the holy spirit which help a bit, but this book gives practical wisdom. Signed DB Auckland.

I read this book as an undergraduate in college. The Lord was teaching me not to be hypocritical and to tell the truth. Which is very interesting because under the scrutiny of my self and even many others I would not be viewed as untruthful. This book was like a magnifying glass on my life. Little minute details were examined. This book I would say is therapy without paying the thousands of dollars. I have seen the hidden parts of my heart examined. I start to see the reasons I am afraid of change.. why I hardly have an opinion and how to be straight forward and not to be afraid to take risks. I recommend this book to every one. This book definitely tells you how to change. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the book I am totally different now.

Aren't we all searching for a beacon in life. Well, I have found one in this inspiring and uplifting book. Buy it and read it.

"Van der Zee considers each of the Ten Words in a separate chapter, giving [...] a brief summary of its interpretations within Calvinist, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran faith communities over the centuries. The discussion is far from exegetical. Although Van der Zee is clearly a gifted Scripture scholar, he has chosen here to address his audience - I would say a secularized audience - in down-to-earth colloquial language and with lively stories and examples. The chatty style helps to make the Tablets speak." Paul Matthew St. Pierre, in THE BRITISH COLUMBIAN CATHOLIC

To find a man like William Law in 17th century England is as unexpected as finding a violet blooming in the Arctic. It's almost beyond anyone's powers to fully describe the beauty, benevolence, and wisdom--and good solid sense--of his spiritual advice. Consider instead the character of those who have praised him: there's Samuel Johnson, who took up Law in a frivolous mood in his youth and found himself nearly bowled over; or closer to our own age, C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. The most memorable parts of the _Serious_Call_ are those where Law (following the model of Theophrastus's _Characters_) describes several spiritual types and how their natures relate to the pursuit of the devout life. The _Spirit_of_Love_ is a later work, written after Law had been influenced by the German mystic Behmen; if you're not acquainted with Christian mysticism, it might be hard to follow. But do not miss Law's account of the Atonement, particularly if you're one who has always felt scandalized by the "blood sacrifice" theology emphasized in traditional Protestantism.

This is the most challenging book I have ever read on following the teachings of Christ practically in every day living. The conviction was so fierce that it was hard to get through the first chapter. His words bear so much truth it motivates you to want to be more like Christ himself.

Dr. Williams is my professor of Philosophy at TIU this semester, and I must say that there is a VAST wealth of philisophical and spiritual devotion and thought that went into this book just like there is in class. I am majorly impressed that he is just as good a writer as he is a professor. You CANNOT pass this book up if you are a Christian. It will make you think and FEEL your faith and teach you to make it your own-teach you to be satisfied with the faith you end up with-and pursue more. If you are wishing to help challenge your thought process and how it relates to your faith, look no further. Dr. Williams wrote it all in this one volume.

Most of us live in a time of increasing prosperity but, our lives filled with material goods, activities, information, and full schedules from morning to night. Why then are we prone to a kind of spiritual restlessness and a yearning for a better, simpler, less harried life? Clifford Willis is a professor of philosophy at Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois who addresses this phenomena of a spiritual hunger and restlessness in the midst of plenty in Why Aren't We Satisfied? This compendium of almost one hundred challenging, encouraging, highly recommended meditations on a diverse spectrum of issues and topics is organized into ten "reader friendly" chapters that will be read with appreciation and benefit by anyone who, with all they have, are feeling that there is still something vital and necessary missing from there lives.

This book consists of 100 short, two-page chapters, each featuring a prominent person and the Bible verse that changed his/her life. The book is in chronological order - the first chapter is about Paul the Apostle and the last is Joni Eareckson Tada. Not all the people in this book are theologians (indeed not all of them are good examples, as the disclaimer at the beginning of the book explains. There are explorers, scientists, rulers of countries, authors, and inventors.

Use this book as a devotional, reading one chapter per day. You might want to look up that Bible verse and read the chapter of the Bible that contains it. Do a study of that verse using other books (see my other reviews and Listmania lists for more books about the Bible). Look up that verse in another devotional's Scripture Index.

This book is also a great introduction to 100 famous people. The chapters give you some background information and make you hungry for more information about them. This book can be a springboard for lifelong learning! Certain people will intrigue you and you can do further reading on those individuals.

Books like this one with short snippets are most easily used when they have good indices. There are many good devotional books without a Scripture Index! This one has both a Scripture Index and a Person Index. Want to know whose life John 3:16 changed for instance? Dwight L Moody! What was Martin Luther's favorite? Romans 1:17 "The just shall live by faith." And since the book is laid out chronologically, you can search for someone by the time during which they lived.

The father/son writing team that put this book together has written many other great books - both together and separately. Recent ones that are especially good are 100 Christian Books that Changed the Century, The One Year Book of Psalms, and The Family Book of Bible Fun.

These books provide endless hours of enjoyable reading and spiritual growth. Put this book on your coffee table and you'll find that people will be intrigued and pick it up. This would make a great gift as well!

Please check out my reviews of Christian books and music!

Abraham Lincoln: The Christian leaves no doubt in the mind where Mr. Lincoln's heart was. Fundamentally sound faith is evident in Mr. Lincoln's writings and speeches. One of the greatest books on one of our finest presidents