In "Patriarchs and Prophets" Ellen G. White gives us important insights into the origins of evil and suffering, tells us the TRUE story of the origins and early history of the earth and of mankind(Yes, Virginia, God really did create the earth and everything on it in six literal days, and there really was a great flood!), and covers the history of God's people from Adam to David. All this she does with Tolkienesque skill, always pointing the reader to the Bible as God's word and to Jesus Christ as the only hope for mankind, singly and collectively. In a nutshell, the underlying message of this book is: GOD LOVES YOU!

This book presents an excellent chronology of events that preceeds the dawn of creation. Although you may be already familiar with some of this tale, you will be in for an enhanced perspective. The color and emotion that the author lends to the tale will have you barely able to put this book down.

You will most definitely be in for a real-life enhancing experience!

This is a fantastic book for several reasons:

First, as it expounds on the experiences of the patriarchs and prophets, the reader can see clearly the reasons why God acted in the ways that He did. This removes a great deal of the arbitrariness that sometimes seems to accompany the actions of God in the Bible.

Second, it often relates different stories in the Bible which serves to reiterate the principle being illustrated. Here the foundation is laid for a greater, broader understanding of all the Bible, because it teaches the reader how to study it.

Third, it is composed of many short chapters, which makes it great as a devotional aid. This makes contemplation and application easier within the short time available to the busy reader.

If you like this book, you will also like the others in the series: "Prophets and Kings," the Desire of Ages," "The Acts of the Apostles," and especially "The Great Controversy," which covers modern times.

As I was going through my inquirer's class in the Episcopal Church, I ran across this book in the local Bible Book Store. It only encouraged me to continue. I absolutely recommend it to everyone interested in Protestant Christianity. For example, I was totally baffled as to why the church I was attending had the choir separated from the congregation and facing each other or a blank wall, in a completely illogical manner. Once I read Professor White's description of the church buildings encouraged after the rather over-ambitious Catholic Revival in the Anglican Communion, I understood. I've also been praying for a fire, but I understand! I would love to worship regularly in a building more influenced by Sir Christopher Wren's architecture, designed for the use of the Book of Common Prayer, not just to pander to someone's misguided nostalgia.
But that is only about one chapter in this comprehensive book. Professor White describes with dispassion and accuracy the worship of virtually all the orthodox, mainline Protestant denominations and their development since the Reformation. If you find this topic interesting, this is an indispensable book.

As one who has studied liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and as one who has had a long interest in Protestant worship traditions, I found Professor White's work exceptional. Few other persons, if any, could pull together so much information from such an array of sources and present it richly in a way that is very understandable. As one who has a library of several hundred books on liturgy, this work would definitely be one of the five or ten that I would keep if I had to get rid of all others.

Ever wonder how different denominations came into existence? where did baptists come from? what is the history of methodism? in a consise chapter on each of the major denominational developments following the reformation, James F. White traces the origins of each denomination, and follows them through to their modern incarnations. excellent for the beginning church historian.

This is one of the most disturbing books I've read in a long time.

Some of the essays are chilling, and all are informative, well-written and compelling. There is little here in which one can take comfort.

A must-read for whites and open-minded blacks as well.

This was great book. The chapters always kept my attention. It provides great insight into a lot of different areas. This book seems to be comprised of logic and clear thinking.

On December 29, 1992 one of the most brutal racially motivated killings since the era of lynching occurred in South Carolina. The victim was Melissa McLauchlin, a young woman who was kidnapped, raped, violently tortured and then dumped on a highway in an effort to avenge "400 years of oppression".

I heard about the crime quite by accident while passing through the area at just the right time. For years I thought that no one else would remember this woman's death as it was blatantly ignored by the national media. It was quite a surprise to open this book and find an entire chapter largely devoted to the circumstances surrounding the killing.

This alone would justify reading the book, which also focuses on other "politically incorrect" subject matter relating to race. The editors do a commendable job of presenting challenges to the moral character and direction of the modern civil rights movement while disallowing racist implications and language.

I work and coming home to face a pile of raw ingredients that somehow must be converted into a dinner is pretty depressing sometimes. Besides, I'm hungry too!

Many people don't think of the pressure cooker as a tool for speedy cooking, but you can make delicious stews (try the one in this book, it's wonderful) and other roasts and one-pot dishes really quickly. I really love the steamed chicken; it's so digestible and really delicious. It helps to have this cookbook because it isn't always easy to figure out how to convert a regular recipe to a pressure-cooked version. These recipes never fail. We got a T-Fal pressure cooker and really use it a lot. I even make desserts in it.

I absolutely loved this book. It saved me so much time in the kitchen. The recipes were delightful as well. If you like this book, you'll love Angela Spenceley's two new books "A Taste of the Caribbean" and "Just Add Rum! Cookbook". Both books feature recipes which can be easily adapted to the pressure cooker. A must for any good cook who wishes to add exotic island cuisine to her list of accomplishements.

The recipes in this book are easy to follow and taste wonderful. The Steam-Roasted Chicken (page 83) was falling off the bones and was very tender and juicy. The Low-fat Chicken Cacciatore (page 84) was just as wonderful. I had to buy my sister her own copy so she would quit taking mine.

"Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting." -Karl Wallenda (1904-78)

Do you act intuitively and act decisively? In the world, everything is changing so fast that you can't always control your own destiny, let alone feel confident enough to lead others through seeming chaos. This book demonstrates how you can become at ease with change and how you can analyze your own strengths so you can deal with ambiguity.

Aspects Covered Include:

The real work of leadership

Damaging illusions from the twentieth century
Motivation by mysteries
Risk tolerance
Polishing your Personal radar

The 8 Enablers - find out which type
of enabler you are.

Mystery Seekers - I started to highlight a ton of this area and figured
I must be a mystery seeker.
Risk-Tolerators
Future-Scanners
Tenacious Challengers
Exciters
Flexible Adjusters
Simplifiers
Focusers

However, you might have qualities of a Restrainer/ There are 8 Restrainers. I'm more than likely part "Detail Junkie." These are negative and overplayed sides of enablers.

Do you have trouble with transitions?
Are you unmotivated by work?
Do you fear conflict?
Can you put all the pieces of the puzzle together. What are
the signs of a "muddy thinker."
How can you communicate more effectively.
Are you hooked on detail?
Do you focus on the here and now or do you see the future?
Do you long for the bygone days?

My favorite section was the Enabler Section on "Mystery Seekers." It is a section that explains how this type of enabler gets energy from not knowing. They might even appear strangely happy when things don't work out perfect the first time. When writing recipes, this was true, because then I could test the recipe again! Ha!

"Imagine that everything was attractive. Imagine that the more you didn't know, the more you wanted to know. Imagine that maybe wanting to know was too weak a description, there was a hunger to know what drove you from whatever eles you were doing and pushed you to continually make further inquiries about the things you didn't know. Imagine insatiable curiosity. You are a Mystery-Seeker." pg. 30

More than likely, the "risk tolerant" segment is highly relevant right now. These types are not hampered by insufficient or ambiguous data.

I think that the best way to use this book is to highlight your own qualities or areas you want to work on. I don't see why you can't be a bit of all 8 Enablers. It is like being a personality type with elements of each. I don't think anyone can be a specific type, but can be a combination and then certain aspects will be highlighted and more obvious.

Complex at first and I thought this would be over my head, but once I started to read it became much clearer to me. I think you will enjoy this book if you are a business leader or just want to analyze your own qualities.

In uncertainty, there is certainly room for change. ;>

This is an extremely useful book for its times. It comes along during (another) period of great unsettling uncertainty. Uncertainty never actually goes away, of course, but it's more pressing and obviously present at some times than at others.

The book makes the central point that "The real work of leadership is embracing uncertainty," that the defining mark of a leader is confidence with uncertainty, along with the ability to acknowledge it and deal with it. The authors present a detailed recipe for anyone seeking to enhance their ability to manage and exploit the uncertainty that often precedes change or destabilization.

The core of this book by Philip Hodgson and Randall White is a taxonomy of personalities that "enable" and "restrain" organizational change. Most of us will be able to quickly spot ourselves (and other key people) on their list. There are Mystery-Seekers, Future-Scanners, Tenacious-Challengers, Exciters, Simplifiers, Wet Blankets, and Muddy Thinkers, among the many. Case examples are provided for each type, along with recommendations about how to deal with them and take advantage of the possibilities that they offer. The book provides specific suggestions on how to grow into an "enabler" of productive change, aong with ideas about how to handle the restrainers.

The book is written in clear language and format, its terms are well-defined, and the style is very accessible. It is the kind of book that could serve as a quick reference whenever things bog down or get strange.

"RELAX it's only uncertainty: Lead the Way When the Way Is Changing" is a terrific book - one that provides an answer for anyone worried about the future of their organization. And who isn't? "Innovate or get left behind" is the challenge facing most organizations, including those I am familiar with.. To meet this challenge organizations need leaders who can deal with uncertainty.

For anyone who thinks that this is a "slam dunk" answer, let me assure you, it is not. Most people in leadership positions CANNOT deal with uncertainty. They avoid it by focusing on "business as usual", what is known and familiar. This is the path to trouble in a world where technology and marketplace pressures are demanding something different and much better than business as usual.

In these conditions the work of leaders is not to follow the tried-and-true path, but to create the path forward in a world of "what-ifs".

Leaders capable of doing this can be identified. In fact, most of "RELAX it's only uncertainty" is devoted to describing what these leaders think and do. The authors identify eight characteristics of such leaders, including: Having a curiosity about what is not known, Tolerating risk, Gathering ideas about the future, and Simplifying information. This description is tremendously valuable because it enables anyone to spot this kind of leader.

The authors make this even more practical and useful. They identify behaviors indicative of each characteristic. For example, a forward-looking executive seeks out information about the future, formulates hunches or intuitions about future developments and listens constantly for "faint signals" of these developments. A list like this can be used to assess how strong or weak a leader is in a particular area and to coach and develop her/him to a higher level.

"RELAX it's only uncertainty" points out eight factors that block a leader's ability to deal with an uncertain future. One is a preoccupation with the past that is known and familiar.

This book is a "wake up call" and guide for anyone concerned about the future of their organization. Organizations with leaders like the ones described here are much more likely to be successful. The others are heading toward tough times.

This manual contains an abundance of real-life scenarios that give the reader a "feel" for the river. It shows by one example after another how complex the swiftwater rescue problem can become, and how sophisticated the rescue solution ought to be. The reader is challenged over and over to think things through and learn how to respond properly to various situations.

Although this book is not designed to serve as the primary instructional text for swiftwater rescue training, it should be required reading for such a program, and can be used as an adjunct to any swiftwater rescue curriculum

I picked up this book two weeks after I went on my first whitewater rafting trip because there was so much I didn't know about the river. This book gave me a great introduction to what the river is capable of and what to do if something goes wrong. If you travel the river, you should read this book or something of its quality. The book covers rescue equipment and rescue procedures and operations very well. Little did I know that a few months after I read this book I'd be on the Ottawa River and use these techniques to possibly save my life or serious injury. If it wasn't for this book and what I learned in it, I may have been seriously hurt on the McCoy Rapids. I don't know what I would have done without this book and I'm glad I didn't have to find out. If you whitewater kayak, canoe or raft, get this book or "Swiftwater Rescue". It may just save your life one day, hopefully you'll never need it. It's better to have the knowledge and not use it then to need it and not have it.

This book covers the basics of river rescue. It's not really an in depth book. You would definately benefit from a book about technical rope rescue. This book shows briefly how to make some rope rescue systems, but that's not really its strength. Some sort of first aid/emergency care manual and/or training should accompany this book because they go hand-in-hand.

This book is a neccessity for anyone who is a river runner! It not only covers rescue techniques from the gurus of whitewater rescue, Les Bechdel and Slim Ray, but it also covers ways that one can prevent an accident from happening in the first place.

Phil Kaufman has lived a life most of us can only dream of, and lived to write about it! Although it's hard to believe he was that close to "Sweet Connie" and didn't catch nothin'!

I first read about Phil Kaufman in the book, Hickory Wind: The Life And Times Of Gram Parsons by Ben Fong-Torres. I wanted to learn more about Phil and his friendship with Gram Parsons so I bought the book Road Mangler Deluxe. I'm glad I did. After reading his book I think he's one of the most interesting people in the music business. He's done quite a few things in his life. He's been an actor, an unsuccessful drug smuggler which lead to his time in prison, he was an executive nanny for the Rolling Stones and he's been a road manager for The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Frank Zappa just to name a few. He still works for Emmylou Harris. He's known her since his days with Gram Parsons. He even knew Charles Manson. He first met Manson while serving time at Terminal Island prison in Califorina. Phil was there because of his previous drug bust. I think Manson's crime at this time was forgery. After both were out of prison Phil produced a record album for Charles Manson called LIE which was released in 1971. By that time Manson was back in prison because of the Tate/La Bianca murders. Road Mangler Deluxe is full of great stories about Phil Kaufman's colorful life. Gram Parsons was lucky to have Phil Kaufman as a friend. We should all be so lucky.

Comments and criticisms are welcome by the author.please contact me on rdmangler@aol.com be honest..but be gentle...thanks. road mangler deluxe(phil kaufman)

Ellen Emerson White did a great job with the issues facing the teens of the 1980's and now. This book deals with closet intellectualism, teenage sex, and peer pressure in a very realistic, yet sensitive manner. Ms. White has walked the fine line between patronizing and entertaining for teenage readers, as well as between controversial and acceptable to parents, with style and grace. This novel is a triumph!

It should be noted that, although the novel deals with teenage sex, there is no sexual activity described in its pages. There is merely talk of previous experience (no details, just mention that it took place) in a rueful tone, as well as some implication of sexual tension. There is also brief mension of a past partner's "period."

This novel may well create an open forum between you and your child to discuss sex and its implications. Be prepared to answer questions.

I found this book very funny. Ellen Emerson White has such a unique style of writting. Once when I was at the libary I saw a book called, "Life Whithout Friends" I desided I'd take out because I knoticed it before and didn't take it out because I all ready had alot of books. Now I've read every single book by her including this one and they all are wounderful.

When I was fourteen years old, I discovered this book tucked away in the corner of an old book store. Seven years later, the cover is crinked from frequent readings and it is one of the only books I have kept from my childhood. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It is touching, heart warming, romantic, and realistic. This book is defintely a keeper and one any reader would cherish forever.

and I would wish for three more books as outstanding as "The Shadow of the Bear." This is a book to savor, to read while curled up in bed till the early hours of dawn. A mysterious encounter with Bear lures loyal sisters Blanche and Rose from their sheltered lives into a world of danger and deceit. The teens become cloaked in Bear's shadow--but is it a shadow of protection . . . or peril?

Set in modern New York City, this is nonetheless a timeless tale, woven with a theme about recognizing the value of right and wrong--choosing right even when it goes against the grain of popularity. You won't find preaching in these pages. Noble ideas come through naturally, along with heart-thumping suspense that builds to a dynamic climax and a satisfying ending. You also won't find typical characters. Rose's spirit and Blanche's pensiveness complement each other. While parents will approve of the heroines, teens won't find them dull or "goody-goody"; they will readily identify with and admire them.

In the book's Acknowledgements, Ms. Doman herself calls "Shadow of the Bear" an "odd" story--and indeed it is, in the most delightfully intriguing sense of the word. Yes, the title includes "shadow," but the story sparkles with excitement and even romance; it shines in this contemporary world with all the charm of a fairy tale.

I recommend this book to everyone--not just as a reader, but as an author. If my debut novel, "Past Suspicion" (a young adult suspense novel due out later this summer by Publish America), is enjoyed in any way like "Shadow of the Bear," I'll be elated, for it is along similar lines that I strive to write, crafting a visionary novel offering a compelling story that champions faith and hope in an often chaotic world.

By now the following should be obvious: "The Shadow of the Bear" is a book to read and reread. In short, to treasure. I hear Ms. Doman is working on sequels . . . my wishes are coming true!

Blanche and Rose are two teenage sisters who have recently moved to New York City after living a secluded childhood in the country. The perky and social Rose adjusts well to the big-city Catholic high school - making lots of friends and even being invited to the Senior Prom by the most popular boy in school. Blanche, on the other hand, more nervous and shy by nature, is incessantly teased by her schoolmates and struggles with her own internal fears about life.

Despite Blanche's objections, Rose and their mother (who was recently widowed) befriend a scruffy (dread-locked) transient, "Bear", who spent time in Juvenile Hall for drug possession.

A page-turning adventure and mystery unfold in which appearances are not always what they seem and the two sisters grow in faith, friendship and determination.

In the background of the story whirl a myriad of ideas about life, love, courage, fear, reality, death and much more that teenagers (and adults too) struggle with. But in the end the reader walks away with a sense of hope and that, yes, life is difficult and many bad things can happen, but even so God is in charge and the truth will come out in the end if we don't give up.

If the average person on the street today were asked how they would define "a fairy tale", I think they would describe a story in which "perfect" people had certain adventures, but in the end lived happily ever after. Unfortunately our modern ideas of fairy tales come largely from animated Disney movies of the past 50 years.

"The Shadow of the Bear" is based on the classic fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red". Yet it is nothing like our common idea of a fairy tale because our modern definition is flawed. Reading this book, might, in fact, enhance your idea of what a fairy tale is.

Previously published as "Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale," this is a wonderful, gritty retelling of an otherwise-uninteresting fairy tale. This is a real-as-life story about true love and courage, with a dash of crime and religion in there to balance it all out.

High-school students Blanche and Rose once lived in luxury in the country, but since the death of their father they live in a slushy city with their overworked mother. At their new school, they are generally ignored or abused, especially Blanche, who frequently has dizzy spells.

The girls are, at first, less than thrilled when their mother brings a homeless young man called "Bear" home. Despite their apprehension, soon they become close friends with him, based on a mutual love of poetry and jokes. But after a disastrous prom night where Bear is thrown out of the dance and Rose is intimidated by a would-be seducer, the girls find themselves in a potentially deadly struggle with a ruthless man -- with a grudge against Bear and the mysterious boy called "Fish."

Regina Doman manages to triumph in this book is several areas. Though there are essential religious themes woven into the plotline, there is no irritating sanctimonious air to the book. The two heroines aren't goody-goodies loved for their virtues, but mocked for them. And it's not exactly squeaky-clean either: there are themes such as child abandonment, homelessness, assault and attempted murder, heart trouble, and Rose's boyfriend pressuring her for sex. However, Doman is never less than tasteful, and her handling of these is in sync with the vein of Roman Catholic beliefs that runs through the novel.

Blanche and Rose are another good accomplishment. Rather than being carbon copies of one another, as siblings in many books are, the two girls have strengths and weaknesses that complement each other. Bear is a gentle giant who loves poetry and swing dancing; he proves to be a character like an onion, that is gradually unpeeled. And Fish is my personal favorite, a cocky wise-cracker who doesn't let any situation (including attempted murder) keep him down for too long.

One of the few "real life" fairy tale retellings that works. "Shadow of the Bear" is an enchanting love story with a pulse-pounding storyline and likeable characters.

Susan Michaels was the one and only writer for the television series Sightings, and this book recounts some of the more interesting topics covered by the groundbreaking show. Whether you believe any or all of the accounts presented here is not crucial to your enjoyment of the book because Michaels is a talented writer who knows how to tell stories in a fascinating yet concise manner. I myself am pretty open to all kinds of paranormal possibilities, and there are a couple of stories here that don't seem to merit inclusion in my opinion; nevertheless, they are interesting and who can say where the truth lies in each case? The book itself is broken up into three main sections: Hauntings, UFOs, and the catch-all Unexplained. While the book cannot even begin to give a detailed treatment of the subjects addressed, it does present a wonderful cross section of unexplained happenings, many of them quite familiar to those of us interested in such topics-e.g., the death of Thomas Mantell, the mass UFO sightings in Mexico City during the 1990s, the haunted castle of Berry-Pomeroy, and the Iranian UFO incident of 1976. There are stories on cattle mutilation, past life memories, psychic detectives, spontaneous human combustion, alien abduction, crop circles, and a number of additional fascinating topics. Most esoteric among the chapters is the story of the reputed curse that stunted a young Orson Welles' future career in the field he had already mastered. The ghost section is particularly impressive, highlighting some incredible investigations that I remember quite vividly from the Sightings television series. New evidence discovered by the Sightings teams is mixed with long-debated incidents and events that have achieved classic status among students of the unexplained.

You don't have to believe all of the stories you read here; in fact, you should not believe them uncritically. Susan Michaels gives you the objective facts of the cases in question; in the tradition of the Sightings television show, she leaves the answers open and subject to thought and interpretation on the part of the audience. Few books explore such a rich cross-section of unexplained phenomena as effectively as this book does, and I recommend it highly to all those open-minded enough to accept the possibility that the impossible sometimes happens.

"Sightings" is a very good book companion to the television series. Like the show, this book presents convincing evidence for UFOs, ghosts among other things. I didn't really come out a believer, but the book is very enjoyable. The areas that study ghostly hauntings are chilling at times and the sections on UFOs will have you raising new questions to what lies out there, or what is it that the government is doing, or hiding regarding these matters. There are interesting photographs and the writing is fast-paced and seeks more to inform the reader rather than make a sensation of the subjects. That's one thing I admired about the TV show, and this book, it doesn't make some big spectacle about the unexplained, but simply reports the facts and presents the evidence and testimony. That makes it more effective (and sometimes scarier) still. This book documents these events, for sensation watch "Independence Day" or read some science fiction novel. A really good book. Wether you're a believer, a non-believer, or just a person who likes to read on many different subjects, "Sightings" deserves a peak.

You will definitely love to read "Sightings" if you are a fan of the TV Series, "Sightings". Basically, the book tells of the cases that the TV series have shown.

There are three sections in the book: Hauntings, UFOs and The Unexplained. There is a very touching story in The Unexplained section, A Mother's Love. It tells the story of a mother who even in death could not forget her children and want to see how they have fared in life. So she carried the memories of her beloved children with her into the next life. When she had enough money to travel to the location where she had lived in her previous life, she packed up to look for her "old" children. Not all stories are touching like this one. Some are pretty eerie, so you have got to have the nerves to read this alone. =)

There are even photographs in the book where you can see some of the unexplained phenomena. Overall, the book is pretty easy to understand and enjoyable to read. A MUST-READ for lovers of the Unknown.