This book helps Christian parents to review and reassess their family life. The ideas are not particularly original but are important principles which we all need to be reminded of. I would recommend this book unreservedly to all Christian parents - it would make a great baptism present!

This book gives you many good ideas on to build a family, not just live your life. To have fun with your kids with out the use of a TV.. and some practical parenting advice as well. I expecially liked the lists of books in the Appendix, all of them are Old childhood favorites I had forgotten about.

This book is primarily a collection of essays on eating with others and feeding others as a way of communicating care. She, I think correctly, broadly interprets both cooking and courtship. Cooking can be as abstract as getting yourself invited to a meal or making toast and courtship is similarly expanded to include any attempt to bring people closer to you (both with romantic intent and even plain 'ol friendly interest.)

The author is particularly thoughtful and very funny. The book has a great combination of sisterly advice and a clear agenda. She wants the reader to make better, more thoughtful use of the act of feeding others as an opportunity to express care (and desire.)

If you know someone who thought "The Rules" was an evil literary pandemic. Buy them this book. It has no rules but tons of persuasive suggestions and is a funny, sexy read. Think Calvin Trillin meets Dr. Ruth.

Cooking as Courtship is not about cooking. It is barely about food. It is about living and being with others and being with yourself; it is about respect and flexibility and generosity. It is NOT about the "way to a man's heart". Oh, my no. Maybe it is about the way to a woman's heart. Surely it is the only book about cooking and relationships between people that any non-cook man is going to be able to bear to read. The only one I can think of, anyway.

Ok, it is a little bit about food. But only about food insomuch as food is the context for so much of our interactions with others, and the author seems to genuinely wish for everyone to do better. You know, not insult people accidently and have them leave the table hoping to never sit down with you again to a meal, or deal or anything else. (obviously they won't be crawling into bed with you, or strolling down any aisles, neither supermarket nor ecclesiastical).

There are recipes, and they are excellent and not intimidating. The way you wish your mother cooked. The way someone cooks who is really not so much interested in cooking as in feeding people. Very different agendas, according to the author. But the recipes are really there to illustrate the manner of addressing food and meals described in the rest of the book. As far as the author is concerned, you can go out to dinner, as long as you do it well, which is to say in a manner which makes your companions very happy. Is all this clear? Maybe you DON'T have to read the book.... No, read it anyway. There is a great deal there. I am just mentioning the stuff I remember.

You can read the book either from start to finish, or by opening it up anywhere and reading a bit. You will laugh. You will be struck by the truth of the observations and admissions. You will be embarrassed when you know the book is talking about the likes of you. You will be smug when it is talking about someone whose actions have bothered you and you never quite could articulate why.

Give the book to chefs and cooking afficiandos, and they will be delighted at the camaraderie. Give the book to people who have vowed to never enter a kitchen, and the book will seduce them into thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make some toast and coffee fro friends rather than boring them with a litany of reasons they don't cook.

Read the book for your own entertainment (and education, as there is actually a great deal of information about cooking and other subjects.) Give the book to others and find your social life improves as you are invited to more charming and delicious dinners and lunches than were even before possible.

Read the damn book and share it with others, and in time this lunatic world might soften up and sit down to dine in love and friendship in twos and threes and thirties, and we all will be better off.

This book is a good book to read if you want to know more about disabilities. I liked the wide range of people it told about. They are put in order from the year of the persons birth. The downside is that the book can get boring at places telling about organizations for disabled people.

Extraordinary People with Disabilities by Kent and Quinlan (Grolier Publishing 1996) This excellent book tells the stories of over 50 outstanding individuals who overcame their disabilities. It is written so that one can choose to read short segments. However, when I picked it up, I felt energized and needed to read it cover-to-cover. The people profiled are from a variety of racial and economic backgrounds. Many of these individuals had physical disabilities but some of the stories profile people with learning or emotional disabilities. Through these stories, the book takes an activist stance. It tells of many who not only overcame their own disabilities, but went on to help other disabled people. The stories make it easier to understand the points of view of disability rights activists. The final chapter gives an overview of important new technological aids for the disabled. It explains why some of these aids are controversial among the disabled community. A glossary gives succinct definitions of many of the terms used in the book. An appendix at the back of the book list many of the major organizations that advocate for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. There is also a section listing related books and journals. I would recommend this book to high school students and adults. Carol E Watkins, M.D. Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

This American book also has much within it to help pastors of small churches in Great Britain. One of the great benefits of the book is that it is very practical and emphasizes the servant role of the pastor.

For Pastors of Small Churches by Kent Philpott

"Most churches are small churches and they are and always have been the backbone of Christianity."

This insightful book addresses the unique challenges and issues that pastors of small churches face. Kent Philpott, a seasoned pastor, candidly relates the joys and struggles that await the shepherd of the small flock. Each of its 57 engaging chapters (with titles ranging from "On Preaching the Gospel" to "Own a Pickup Truck") is infused with the practical experience and wisdom that Kent has gained over the course of his 30-year ministry. Any minister who reads this one-of-a-kind book will gain a fresh appreciation of what it means to be a pastor.

For the fruit nut, this reference is indispensible. When ordering specific varieties, we use it to source stock from nurseries. When searching for trees with certain characteristics, we peruse the descriptions, hunting for certain words (in the pear section, "fireblight-resistant", in the apricot section, "excellent flavor", etc.).
Few complaints: not revised often enough to list new varieties as they come on the market. For example, 'Goldrush' apple is not listed. Descriptions are very brief, probably due to space limitations. Descriptions are also generally a summary of the nursery catalog's text, and therefore not as useful as they could be.
In general, a very fun reference to keep on the shelf.

In the third edition of this excellent reference, the Seed Savers Exchange has provided a very useful tool for nurseries and gardeners to locate sources of heirloom fruit, nut and berry varieties. But it is much more than just a sourcebook, as there are brief descriptions of each fruit variety and indications of how rare or threatened each variety is based on the number of sources. Nursery operators and fruit gene bank managers will find this book to be indespensible!

No other book out there can provide you with as much information on National Harvester as this reference does. It is organized very well, so one can find exactly what he wants, from a general idea to great details. A history lesson in one complete book, you'll find whatever you need in here.

This book is an excellent history on IH. It is the best one that I have seen. Unlike many books on tractors, this does not stop in about 1960 but covers IH to the end of the independent company in 1985. It goes to the latest prototypes that were never produced. It has detailed history of the corporate decisions of IH. There are many color pictures also. This is truly the definitive history of IH.

Groff states that the popular slogan "What would Jesus do?" needs translation. "What would Jesus be doing," or "What would Jesus BE," is more appropriate.

Journeymen is a spiritual guide for men, and for women who want to understand them. A gift, in more ways than one, this book has definitely added clarity to my spiritual journey. Seneca said: "Without knowing which port one is sailing toward, there is no such thing as a favorable wind." This book can help you understand the port for which you should be sailing, and helps you with the dead-reckoning along the way.

Modeled after 12 step programs, the book and its 12 chapters provide much for us to contemplate on our journey. Meditations, prayer practices, rest areas, and excursions provide variety on our way as well as many ideas for future excursions and side trips. But "Journeymen" is also another word for apprentices. And so, while this small, easily read volume will be a resource for our men's group for many months to come, it will also be a great individual resource for my own difficult individual soul work. It is well worth the read and serious consideration of today's renaissance man.

What does it mean to be a Christian man? Is there a place for men of God in the world today? This is a question I have often asked. While women have been wrestling with the question of what does it mean to be Christian AND female for decades, men have largely ignored their side of the issue. Kent Groff's wonderful book is a wake up call for all of humanity - men and women. Using simple wisdom and practical advice, it helps men to see our faith in a new and meaningful way. Loving and profound, I found Kent Groff's book to be a true blessing to me and my marriage.

At first the plot is farfetched. However, as I read on I liked the story a lot and fell in love with the characters. I felt sorry for Luke who gave up his family in order to make his ex happy, but I also felt sorry for Matt who came back after so many years and had to start all over again.

This is the first book in the Brennan Brothers series. This is the story of Luke.

Matt and Kristen are engaged. Matt goes off to a special forces assignment and his family is told that he is dead. Kristen is pregnant, so Luke offers to marry her so that her baby has a father. Luke and Kristen have always been friends and several years into the marriage there friendship grows and the marriage becomes 'real' and, as a result, another child is born. Five years after leaving on assignment Matt comes back. Kristen and Lukes marriage falls apart and they get divorced. Kristen marries Matt. This is difficult for everyone: Luke, Matt Kristen, and the girls.

This book starts with Matt coming back and the problems that it creates. Luke has to learn to deal with his loss and open his heart to love again. Most of the time you want to smack Matt for being a jerk along with Matt and Lukes family. Nobody wins in this situation, but they have to find some middle ground. Lynnette Kent did a great job at getting Luke's feelings and emotions across in the book. Sad, but highly enjoyable.

Malas Ondas reads like a vaguely fictionalized version of actual events, and leaves you wondering how a lone traveler in Mexico, with virtually no Spanish, could end up in these ridiculous situations. Inspirational in the sense that you too could take your meager savings and squander them in a foreign locale. Sometimes you wonder what the hell this guy is thinking even as you read it on the page.

I'm a sucker for travel memoirs, but I have to tell you that Kent's book is the baddest, funniest, and outright hottest book of its kind I've ever read. I loved this book. It is a brilliant blend of poetry and prose, memoir and guidebook. As the narrator, he is stripped down, full throttle in command, and the keenest of guides from start to finish. In the reader's eyes, Mexico will never be the same. He takes the reader to places they've never been (trust me) and into situations they couldn't imagine. And all this with a gift for language so rare in most authors that it only comes around once every ten years. And be warned: The wit is so sharp a reader runs the risk of bleeding to death before the last page. This guy is also so hilariously dangerous -- I mean all caps "FUNNY" -- you could dehydrate from peeing your pants... If you like your art clever, cutting edge, avante garde, and first-in-line-one-of-a-kind, don't miss this book. Kent Evans is one of the top draws of the spoken word on three continents and you're gonna see why... This guy has TALENT! After reading this book, I can't wait to see him perform! Go Kent!

This is the start of a three series book that touches the heart strings for three grown up women who have poor expectations for their own happiness with a male counterpart. Excellent story.

When he brought Bobby Maxwell home in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, Deputy Rafe Rafferty never considered the chain of events he might set into motion in small town Paradise Corners, Montana. Bobby's father Robert Maxwell practically owns the town as well as the state's political appointees and law enforcement personal. Further, Bobby's sister Thea Maxwell quickly captures Rafe's heart.

Thea can out castrate, out rope and out work virtually any cowboy in Montana. But at twenty-nine, after a disillusioning experience with the governor's son, she remains single. She loves the ranch, and if she had been a son, would have inherited it. Instead, her brother Bobby stands to inherit, even though he feels as though the land and his father suffocate him. She gives Rafe her heart, but when he has to arrest her brother, Thea finds herself caught between love and loyalty.

The Big Sky Country miniseries kicks off with MARRIED IN MONTANA by Lynette Kent. This fast paced, spirited novel creates tremendous tension as the heroine struggles between family loyalty and the man she loves. The hero likewise struggles to follow the law, even though he knows his decision pushes the woman he loves away. Further, the secondary characters add tremendous depth and interest, not only introducing further installments, but also strengthening this fascinating tale. MARRIED IN MONTANA comes very highly recommended...