If you are wondering where the foundation of John Piper's God-centered theology may be found, this book is a good starting point. In it, Piper reintroduces a theological masterpiece that is almost three hundred years old - "The End for which God Created the World" by the New England Puritan pastor, Jonathan Edwards. Piper's own book-length introduction describes the impact Jonathan Edwards has had on his own life, suggests the relevance that this book will have to our own culture, and provides a brief, but helpful sketch of Jonathan Edwards' life. The work by Edwards is then carefully broken down into numbered paragraphs and is accompanied by Piper's helpful footnotes. Edwards' thesis is simple - God's ultimate aim in everything He does is to uphold and display the glory of His name for the joy of His people. This thesis is worked out with iron-clad logic (be prepared to think!) and meditation on dozens of Biblical passages. If yours is the prayer of Moses - "show me Thy glory" - then this is the book for you.

In this book John Piper reprints Edwards' classic, The End for Which God Created the World. The first four chapters include the insightful commentary about Edwards' work along with Piper's own reasoning for reprinting the work in the climate of today's theologically shallow church. Edwards' work is difficult reading, but his reason and biblical arguments are irrefutable as he explains that God's glory is the ultimate purpose and chief end of everything that exists.

This is a solid, powerful, stunning, and most biblical text from both Jonathan Edwards and John Piper. This book includes Edward's essay titled "The End for Which God Created the World," along with comments and further delineation from John Piper. To read Edwards sometimes takes much concentration and hard work, and Piper has done a great job bringing this work to life.

The first part of the book is an introduction to Edwards's work, by Piper (a sort of commentary, if you will), and the later part is the actual work of Edwards's. Piper begins by expressing his concern about the issue at hand, and then leads into a discussion of not only Edwards's life but his work as well. Piper comments on Edwards's conclusions in relation to Piper's concerns in his current ministry and then allows the reader to take what Piper has discussed and make application of it through Edwards's original work.

The thing I find most interesting about this work is its relevancy. What I mean by this is the fact that Edwards's wrote this work 200+ years ago and it is still pertinent to our own culture today (sure proof that the Truths of God endure forever). This is a great text, solid theology, and extremely relevant reading for today. I heartily recommend this work!

Surprisingly dramatic., January 21, 1998

I thought this would just be another submarine combat story, it was not. When I look back on it, the plot sounds boring and overly technical, the recovery of a sunken US Navy submarine in the late 1920s after it is hit by a larger ship, but I found the tail surprisingly dramatic and engaging.

The story is really about the bravery, leadership and innovation of the men that were able to do something that had never been done before. A glossary helps with the technical jargon.

Anyone with military experience, is a diver, enjoys/studies submarines or wants to read about brave men and how to lead them, Edward Ellsberg's book is a great case study and quick read (one night). Life threatening risks for people in the military do not always entail combat.

I wrote the review above five years ago. I just reread the book and still think this is one of the best. Since nobody has made this into a movie or reprinted it yet, it was available free online electronically in text editor format. If I was teaching a graduate course on leadership it would be required reading.

Commander Edward Ellsberg USN was responsible for the salvage of S-51, a United States submarine sunk in a collision with a freighter off the Atlantic coast in September, 1925. Only 3 of the crew survived and the sub lay in 132 feet of water. The Navy dispached Ellsberg and an assemblage of "hard-hat" divers to raise the sub. Nothing like this had ever been attempted before and the combination of courage, ingenuity and dogged determination required make this exciting reading. The sense of fear is palpable as he writes of having to operate in the cold darkness of the interior of the sub. Living with the constant risk of the bends, the limitations of the heavy diving aparatus with its life-line, airhose, and lead shoes, these men fought with the sea and won. Originally published in 1928, and long out of print, Ellsberg's writing stands the test of time. While it is a work of non-fiction, "On The Bottom," will be interesting to the average reader of adventure novels, and it will be absolutely delicious to anyone with even a slight interest in sea-stories, diving, or submarines. Re-read many times, my copy of the 1928 edition is beginning to suffer, but my wonder at the content and enjoyment of the writing remain.

I thought this would just be another submarine combat story, it was not. When I look back on it the plot sounds boring and over technical, the recovery of a sunken US Navy submarine in the late 1920s after it is hit by a larger ship, but I found the tail surprisingly dramatic and engaging.

The story is really about the bravery, leadership and innovation of the men that were able to do something that had never been done before. A glossary helps with the technical jargon.

Anyone with military experience, is a diver, enjoys/studies submarines or wants to read about brave men and how to lead them, Edward Ellsberg's book is a great case study and quick read (one night). Life threatening risks for people in the military do not always entail combat.

At last, a book that gives us permission to dream and a guide on how to bring those dreams to fruition. Only Paul and Sarah could have written such a book. So often others tell us to forget our dreams and merely live as the rest of the world. But in "The Practical Dreamers Handbook" we're told it's all right to have these dreams and to act on them. I've noticed a different writing style from Paul & Sarah..one of peace and tranquility. Thank you Paul and Sarah for this book.

If "a dream is a wish your heart makes," The Practical Dreamer's Handbook is your best guide to make your dreams come true. Skeptics are reluctant to dream, cynics refuse to dream. There are too many skeptics and cynics in this world, but deep inside all skeptics and most cynics is a deep ache to dream again. And this is just the book to find your dream, pursue your dream, and live your dream.

This book was (for me) just the right mix of motivation for following your dreams and practical advice. The book is nicely divided into three sections - 1) Desire-Awakening the Dream, 2)Action-Building the New Reality, and 3)Satisfaction-Enjoying yourself. This is an uplifting, can-do type of book that celebrates your dreams and ambitions, which is nice in the face of all of the nay-sayers. If you don't have a dream yet but want one, _The Practical Dreamer's Handbook_ might just help get your juices flowing again!

This book speaks volumes . . . especially how a life can be changed forever through a simple act of love and kindness. It seemed that Miss Eula was a beautiful person who just loved and cared for everyone around her by continually demonstrating the true principles of faith, hope, and love.

This book truly emphasizes those things that matter most: a faith in God, a loving family, and good friends.

Chicken Sunday was not only heart-warming and touching, but to me it clearly stated the importance of allowing that little "light" within our hearts to shine no matter what!

This book is an excellent educational tool, and can be easily used in various thematic units such as: family and friends.

I have always enjoyed Patricia Polacco books and will continue to read them to my loved ones and classes for many, many years to come!

Chicken Sunday is another one of my favorite Polacco books. This is a fabulous and emotionally touching story of an interracial friendship and the children's journey of love and service. Young Patricia (who has written another great episode about her rich and colorful life) and her two best friends Stewart and Winston (who happen to be black) want to buy the boy's gramma (Eula Mae) a hat that she has wanted but could not afford to buy. Since the death of her beloved babushka, Eula Mae also serves as Patricia's surrogate grandmother. The children witness an act of racism on the hat shop owned by the Holocaust survivor Mr. Kodinski. They were going to ask Kodinski for a job to raise the money to buy Eula Mae her favorite hat. Mr. Kodinski sees the children and assumes that they are responsible for the act of violence. Ultimately, the children redeem themselves by making Pysanky eggs for Mr. Kodinski to sell in his store. He tells them the story of his life and then gives the trio the hat. Naturally Eula Mae is thrilled.
Chicken Sunday is named after the chicken dinner that Eula Mae feed the children every Sunday after Church. This is another multi-cultural book teaching children that it is okay to have friendships with people who are different. Incidentally, Patricia remains close to these boys to this very day. It also exposes children to different types of racism. This book has a wonderful lesson for children and adults.

This book is wonderful. Patricia Polacco is a wonderful authorwho tells such real life stories. I love the fact that they worked sohard to buy the hat for Miss Eula. Also she does beautiful illustrations. From the pictures you can find out so much more about the story. The language she uses in this book is so real that you can almost really hear them talking. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes to read. Patricis Polacco can touch the heart of all people, young and old!

St. Francis de Sales is one of the greatest of spiritual writers and writers, period. It is easy to be charmed by this guide to the spiritual life. He inspires the reader with a gentle, loving touch which I found delightful. He was also a very learned and experienced adviser when it came to things of the spirit. He seemed to have known about every difficulty that one has in the spiritual life and offers practical and wise solutions that anyone can carry out. If you are interested in reading the great spiritual classics, be certain not to miss this one. It will be well worth your time. I cannot imagine anyone finishing this volume without obtaining some excellent advice from it and also without making progress just from reading it. The only drawback is that it IS several hundreds years old and some of the theology is dated and will seem strange to modern, post Vatican 2 Christians. Do not let that keep you from this book, just keep it in mind when reading it. Highly recommended.

A spiritual masterpiece for all Christians, Introduction to the Devout Life is rich with spritiual reflections and excercises. It mandates a slow, reflective read. The book focuses the reader on their past and present life rallying them to purge themselves of past sin and affection for present sins. St. Francis recommends spiritual exercises to avoid future spiritual decline, and unites the reader's future devotion with GOD. Introduction to the Devout Life is a "life" changer.

Although this original text was written in the 1600's, it is as timely in todays modern world as ever. If anyone is looking for spiritual guidance and a way to grow closer to God, this book may help. Many of De Sale's examples are drawn from nature and help us to see our own sin and need for a loving God. The author provides insights on areas such as our own creation, on God's benefactions, on sin, on death, on paradise and our election and choice of heaven. It has changed my life and could change yours....

Your strategic planning must incorporate the people who work for you, says author Edward L. Gubman in a book that gets high marks for its easy, bullet-point organization, but scores in the middle of the curve in terms of originality. Grubman preaches that you must create a strategic alliance between your company’s mission and competencies and the people who work there. Then, he describes how to motivate and involve people, and finally how to assess their performance. He uses research examples and starts each chapter with a bullet-point summary of key information. The book includes questions to ask yourself, and many useful charts and summary lists. However, the theoretical discussion of how to engage and reward employees seems oddly dry and analytical for a how-to guide on how to motivate and excite people. The areas of job matching, motivation, and assessment have been covered in many other books, but we... recommend Gubman’s authoritative approach to these topics.

A well thought through book written by a consultant with a vast amount of varied experience. The illustrative brief case studies were most helpful in understanding the thoughts, concepts, ideas and strategies. In a global economy where talent is an increasingly scarce resource, HR practitioners will find the book a very valuable resource to craft, adapt, adjust or align their practices to be more organisation and employee friendly. Mr Gubman strategic perspective of people in terms of organisational development and growth of people is indeed a very commendable effort and very insightful. The "Creating the Talent Solution" at the end of each chapter should provoke readers to critically look at their own organisation with a fresh perspective. It will help you draw a better road map in your talent search!

THE TALENT SOLUTION is the first book to lead the best companies into the new millenium. Gubman explains how the merger and acquisition strategy of the 80's; and the cost cutting (generally people) tactics of the 90's now needs another change.

Both older strategies need to align a company's talent with the development of their people, and what they love to do, with their eagerness to serve shareholders and increase the value of their investment. What a simple idea! But most senior executives aren't prepared to address the harder job of developing talent...as incomprehensible as it seems, who's going to tackle this necessary task?

Some companies are already in the race that aknowlede today's shortage of talent. Most are not. When we look back on the first years of the coming decade, it will likely be known as the decade of Organizational Effectiveness...in which the companies that attained extraordinary results...accomplished their goals by focusing their talent.

THE TALENT SOLUTION is a must read for any manager, and all CEO's. I would very much like Gubman's team to work with any company I plan to invest in and I hope that his book becomes widely read, but most importantly, I hope managers will have the insight to implement his ideas.

If you are looking for an intriguing story to read this summer about a man and the course his life has taken then "Hearing Footsteps" is a must read. The man known as Jackson Duredt is a unique and likable character from page one. His life has been described by the author with amazing detail. You can't help but feel like you are right there experiencing his lonely walk home on a summer night from the local movie house. The story captivates and carries the reader along a journey through a small town upbringing to murder to Olympic Site Scandals to the beautiful Mexican coast.

The plot will take through twists and turns leading up to a triumph for Jackson's hometown, Jackson's family and most importantly Jackson. I loved this book and was sad to have finished it. I wanted more to read. A sign of any great story. Congratulations Mr. Kallbacka on an excellent first book!

Hearing Footsteps is a complex work by first time author, Edward Kallbacka. The novel is a fast read and pushes you to the end with the suspense of the story and the literary style in which it was written. It is a great read and I hope to see more by this author in the very near future. He shows true passion for writing and personally, I hope to see more of his work soon.

Although fiction, this novel rings with familiarity to anyone who knows much about Salt Lake City society, politics and power structure. The characters are the prototypes of many of the wheelers and dealers as well as the slimy bottomfeeders of our fair city. It's all here from Olympic scandle, to polygamist cult to developer fraud. It makes me wonder if there's not more truth here than fiction. And it makes a great story. I liked this book.

Excellent book, easy to read and understand. Perfect to prepare an exam. Just what you need as a all time companion book

This book is well-presented, easy to read and, with the case scenarios presented at the end of each chapter, puts some of the most important clinical considerations in anaesthetics into a truly practical way. It is relatively small too, so that it is portable and can be referenced easily. All in all, an excellent book.

This is an extraordinary book to prepare the board. Simple,concise, to the point. I upgraded from the second edition and it was really worth the upgrade. New chapters and new presentation with key concepts and case discussion worth reading. All time companion book !!

Along with being a poet, cummings was a visual artist-chiefly a painter and sometimes an engraver. With his poetry, he made the attempt to arrange the words of his poems in something of an image. He also achieved this end with the words themselves: if he was to say a leaf falls, he might say: a l e (fa l l s) a f His poetry is not straight forward-if you want something easy to read, look elsewhere. But if you want to be exposed to a new and innovative style, and some exquisite writing and subject matter cummings is for you.

e.e. cummings is a master of the English language. The way he uses words to paint a picture will leave you breathless and touch your heart. These are not poems to be read lightly...you will need to think about what has been written and how, but I think that each poem in its own way will reflect a part of your own life once you figure out exactly what is being said. His combinations of words are unique and beautiful and create a melody of poetry that you will fall in love with. "rain fell(as it will in spring) ropes of silver gliding from sunny thunder into freshness as if god's flowers were pulling upon bells of gold" How could you not want to read this?

ee cummings is a magnificent poet - almost as much of a visual artist as writer. His poems fall and flow and jump and dance, their patterns and punctuation adding so much more to the words and essence of meaning. I have tried reading cummings' work aloud: it never quite works. He has an exceptional turn of phrase, and with one line (give or take a pattern or two) can bring about powerful emotive responses.
This book is fantastic - I had quite a lot of difficulty finding collections of his poetry, and although I'd found a couple of small volumes, this one was exhaustive. I reread it - or at least parts thereof - more often than any other poetry book I own, and always seem to discover another nuance or aspect or pattern that I hadn't seen before. cummings wraps you in words, and the best way I can think of to describe how I feel after reading his works is to steal a quote from one of his poems - "such strangeness as was mine a little while."
Worldwords. And he is the creator of my favourite quotation of all time...
"listen:
there's a hell of a good universe next door:
let's go."
And there is.

Edward Ricardo Braithwaite To Sir, With Love is one of the most infinitely rewarding books I have ever read. The story is about a man, Ricky braithwaith, who after getting out of the Service looks for a job in the growing technological field in which he has exceedingly good qualification. But when he returns to England to look for a job he soon remembers, after numerous shutdowns, that his skin color is impeding on his career chose. But he eventually finds a job as a teacher of a tough group of lower class youngsters who have made many a teacher turn tale and run. But with amazing perseverances our hero is able to tame these children and show them and all the others at the school that there is an other side of life.

First things first. I am not related to E.R. Braithwaite. I teach high-risk students in one of the most impoverished schools in the United States, not in the United Kingdom. I am an author--my debut mystery is in its initial release. With those disclaimers in place, I want to clearly state my unequivocal admiration for TO SIR, WITH LOVE. It is a must-read book for any teacher worth her classroom. It tells the tale of Mr. Braithwaite and his struggles to teach poor teenagers on the verge of adulthood in one of the poorest neighborhoods of London. His story rings true. Being a non-Latino teaching Latino students, I understand the racial tensions in the story. The difficulties in getting students to focus on goals more distant in the future than the upcoming weekend are also painfully true. The need for creative and heartfelt approaches to these educational challenges is additionally made clear. And, of course, the inspirational tone of the book is exactly what is needed in this day and age. TO SIR, WITH LOVE should be more widely read than it already is, and I hope every teacher has similar inspirational tales to tell, as does E.R.Braithwaite and this reviewer.

I loved this story so much that I read it twice, which is rare for me. The way a single teacher can so greatly touch the lives of under-priveleged students is awe-inspiring. Through Braithwaite's extraordinary writing, the reader learns of how a teacher transforms a bunch of unruly teenagers who have a bleak future, to a group of mature young adults. The gentle ironies are eye-opening; I love the teacher's teaching methods. The best part, the aspect of To Sir With Love that really touched me, is that it's based on a true story. This is a must-read....for anyone.