Though somewhat militant in its teachings the book is extraordinary in its approach to time management. The systems explained by Peter Turla are truly inspiring!

In the world of computers, a circular reference occurs when the information in a data field is used to determine the data field's own value. Programmers must avoid circular references in software -- theologians must contend with them

In "Why I Preach That the Bible is Literally True," Dr. Criswell creates a very simple yet necessary circular reference. He "preaches" that the Bible is literally true because he "believes" that the Bible is literally true; and he "believes" that the Bible is literally true because the Bible "reveals" a God that is literally true. And if God is literally true then the literally true message of the Bible must be preached in similar manner - literally true. It's just that simple . . . period.

Dr. Criswell also addresses the manner by which he preaches the literal truth of God's Word; the beautiful, God-directed creation of man, the deity of Jesus Christ, the Bible's application to human problems, and much more.

Finally, Dr. Criswell encourages his "brethren" preachers to likewise preach the Bible as literally true. The literally true message of the Bible alone stands preeminent above spiritualizing or allegorizing the Bible or the latest theological "sophistry."

For anyone who regularly proclaims the Word of God to others, "Why I Preach That the Bible is Literally True" is a must-read. You'll find your heart racing and your legs aching to stand before God's people and proclaim with great boldness and conviction that the Bible is God's Word and people everywhere need to hear it's saving message. (Romans 10:17)

Of all the pictorial truck books around, to me, this one tops them all. It is not just because the cover and the inside pages happen to have some sharp W900A extended hood Kenworths in all their glory. Peterbilt also features heavily in this edition and the book could have easily been entitled "Kenworth and Peterbilt in Colorado" because there is precious little of any other makes on these 96 glossy color pages.Oh well you can't help bad luck!
Truly stunning photography, great backdrops and interesting text to boot. An absolute must-have for bonneted Kenworth and Peterbilt fans.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot involves more than the normal love story and has some interesting turns.
Catherine Markham, struck by the grief of losing her brother but yet excited about finding a ransom note, knows that she has to do something, so she runs away and finds her brother's best friend to help her rescue him. On the ship she finds herself drawn to Derrick, but he seems to be pushing her away.
Derrick ,who is now having a second chance at life, is out running the seas on his boat and working for his best friend, Royce Markham. He is trying to avenge the man who ruined his fathers name and to restore his family name. Then one day Catherine, Royce's sister, comes to him telling him that they need to rescue Royce. He obligies and soon realizes that he looks at Catherine as more than his best friend's little sister. But if she knew the truth of his past, would she turn from him? And will they rescue royce in time?

When Catherine Markham finds a randsom note that tells she must pay 50 gold pieces to get her brother, Royce, back and her uncle refuses to send money, she goes to Derrick St. John for help.

Derrick immediately says yes to finding Royce, his best friend because Royce was the only one to allow Derrick to be a sea captain with his well-known past. However, he is reluctant to take Catherine along.

Catherine makes friends with the crew, helps a cabin boy named Lucas recover after their ship is attacked by a pirate ship headed up by DeGardineau, the man Derrick has sworn to find so he can clear his father's brand as a traitor. They get all the way to Savannah, but when they reach the Red Rooster Inn where Royce was supposedly being help early, DeGardineau's men capture them and take the gold. Now, they must find a way to get more gold for the kidnappers and try to avenge Derrick's father all before the deadline meets. Although they are close to death many times and are always disagreeing about one thing or the other, Catherine and Derrick still find time to fall in love.

I absolutely loved this book. It all begins when Catherine's older brother Royce's ship is destoryed and he is believed to have died. Catherine doesn't believe it and is positive that Royce, the only person she has in the world, is alive when she finds a note on his desk from some kidnappers telling her to deliver gold to them in Savannah or Royce would die. She decides she has to at least try and makes her way on foot with only her dog George to the harbor to find the only person who can/would help her; her brother's best friend Derrick St. John.

Derrick agrees to take Catherine to Savannah after some arguing and they set off. Happenings on Derrick's ship the Sea Princess bring them closer and closer and well, I'm just going to let you find out. It is a great book to read and the ending is great.

Beloved romance author Karen Hawkins updates her Talisman Ring series with yet another delightful entry on the notorious St. Johns. The wedding bliss that spread to Anna Thraxton and Anthony St. John in An Affair To Remember continues with the irrepressible sensual rake Brandon St. John finding himself hopelessly addicted to enigmatic widow Verena Westworth, a bohemian at heart and a shrewd cardplayer. Brandon never expects her to mock at a monetary bribe to leave his brother alone and he is determined to even the score until a treasonous scheme puts Verena in danger and summons his protective instincts. This scintillating romance with fiery sparks and memorable side characters like Verena's larcenous butler Herbert and Chase St. John is well-paced with mystery and adventure. As with every romance, the barrier to their love is the distinction of their classes and Verena's charlatan of a family gets a nice satsifying resolution from Hawkins. Karen Hawkins just gets better with each progressing story and this is no doubt an assured winner.

But doesn't the St. John brothers sound a lot like those from Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series? If you don't believe me, check it out yourself: From the St John's, we have Anthony, Brandon, Chase, Devon. From the Bridgerton's, we have,Anthony, Benedict, Colin,Daphne, Eloise... See the connection? But other than this little coincidence, this book definitely deserves 5 stars.

This is the story of Brandon St. John who currently holds the St John talisman ring. It is believed that whoever possesses the ring would find his or her true love, in this case, in the form of Verena Westforth, a beautiful widow whom Brand believed, is somehow connected to a murder case.

'Confessions of a Scoundrel' has everything a good romance novel should have: A hot,handsome heroe, a heroine who is witty and intelligent, sizzling love scenes and as a bonus, a little mystery thrown in as well. This is an excellent book, and like so many of you out there, I just can't wait for Chase's story either, now that the ring is in his hands!

I read this book in a matter of days. This is the type of book that you don't want to put down. I usually can predict the villian in most books but this kept me guessing until the end. It was definately a page turner. I would certainly recommend this to read to anyone who loves historical romances.

[This is a review of the Penguin edition dual-volume of 'Prisoner' and 'Rupert']

I've long been a fan of Errol Flynn swashbucklers and the classic works of prolific (and unjustly forgotten) Rafael Sabatini, but if you want the greatest swashbuckler novel of them all, Anthony Hope's "The Prisoner of Zenda" is a classic you'll come back to again and again: over a hundred years after being written, it's still as sharp as a rapier point.

"The Prisoner of Zenda" is something of a rarity: a Victorian adventure novel that is as fresh and entertaining to read in this modern jaded age as it was in 1894. If you've ever seen one of the many movie adaptations you already know the story: Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman vacationing in the tiny European country of Ruritania, meets and befriends the soon-to-be-crowned King Rudolf--his exact and identical double. When the King is kidnapped by the dastardly Black Michael, Rassendyll must impersonate the King in the coronation ceremony...and in the heart of the Queen. Hope's handling of the romance between Rassendyll and Queen Flavia is both a daring and romantic love story and a subtle examination of the meaning of honor and duty to a gentleman. Of course there's plenty of swordplay and derring-do along the way (put on an Erich Korngold CD while reading for the best effect). If Tom Clancy was writing this one, there'd be nuclear weapons instead of swords and email instead of telegrams, but even he couldn't pull off the simple but subtle romantic story and the triumphant but poignant ending.

I recommend this Penguin edition especially because unlike any other editions of "The Prisoner of Zenda" currently available, it also contains Hope's lesser but still worthy sequel "Rupert of Hentzau," which brings Rassendyll back to Ruritania years later to match wits and swords with Michael's henchman, bringing an end to the saga so satisfyingly that there's no need for a third adventure. I loved both but would definitely rank "Rupert" a level below "Prisoner": "Rupert" is narrated by Fritz, the faithful royal retainer from "Prisoner," and suffers from much of the action taking place outside Fritz's personal view and being retold later on. Still, it's a stunning and emotional end to the story, and one which'll bring a proper tear to your eye. Like Rudolf of Ruritania, Anthony Hope is a king...of adventure novels. Unlike Rudolf, he has no equal.

I've long been a fan of Errol Flynn swashbucklers and the classic works of the prolific (and unjustly forgotten) Rafael Sabatini, but if you want the greatest swashbuckler novel of them all, Anthony Hope's "The Prisoner of Zenda" is a classic you'll come back to again and again: over a hundred years after being written, it's still as sharp as a rapier point.

"The Prisoner of Zenda" is something of a rarity: a Victorian adventure novel that is as fresh and entertaining to read in this modern jaded age as it was in 1894. If you've ever seen one of the many movie adaptations you already know the story: Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman vacationing in the tiny European country of Ruritania, meets and befriends the soon-to-be-crowned King Rudolf--his exact and identical double. When the King is kidnapped by the dastardly Black Michael, Rassendyll must impersonate the King in the coronation ceremony...and in the heart of the Queen. Hope's handling of the romance between Rassendyll and Queen Flavia is both a daring and romantic love story and a subtle examination of the meaning of honor and duty to a gentleman. Of course there's plenty of swordplay and derring-do along the way (put on an Erich Korngold CD while reading for the best effect). If Tom Clancy was writing this one, there'd be nuclear weapons instead of swords and email instead of telegrams, but even he couldn't pull off the simple but subtle romantic story and the triumphant but poignant ending.

If you enjoy this, you'll also want to read Hope's worthy sequel "Rupert of Hentzau," which brings Rassendyll back to Ruritania years later to match wits and swords with Michael's henchman, bringing an end to the saga so satisfyingly that there's no need for a third adventure. I loved both but would definitely rank "Rupert" a level below "Prisoner": "Rupert" is narrated by Fritz, the faithful royal retainer from "Prisoner," and suffers from much of the action taking place outside Fritz's personal view and being retold later on. Still, it's a stunning and emotional end to the story, and one which'll bring a proper tear to your eye. Like Rudolf of Ruritania, Anthony Hope is a king...of adventure novels. Unlike Rudolf, he has no equal.

I loved Anthony Hope's style and imagination while reading this book. It portrays the good-guy, bad-guy scenerio as we all wish it to be. Many tricky and devious criminals sceme against the King and and his little-known double, Rudolph Rassendyl.
The night before his coranation, the King is poisoned by his brother, and Rudolph must take his place at the coranation. But afterwards, when Rudolph and the King's servants come back to return the King to his thrown; he is gone.
Rudolph is now trapped as the King of Ruritania, with mixed feelings on whether to rescue the King. In the end Rudolph makes the right choice and rescues his king from his brother, the duke. After his show of heroism, he is quickly forgotten and returns to his normal life.
In the end Anthony Hope's description of the characters and misfortune leaves you begging for more and in the sequal, the characters return to finish the dispute once and for all.

I read this anthology in just 4 hours, it was that good (well, I speed read, unfortunately). I have loved the mysterious Lady Whistledown all through the Bridgerton series. I was so disappointed with the loss of this wittiest of columnists society's foibles when she 'retired'. Then she popped back up to narrate these 4 stories - each with it's own flavor and just enough sensuality. Using Lady Whistledown to introduce chapters of stories by Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins, Mia Ryan and Julia Quinn was genious. Each story is centered around Valentine's Day - the best time of year for romantics. The stories have intriguing characters who appear in each story briefly; their own stories entertwined. Suzanne Enoch has a betrothed-from-birth groom rushing to London to claim his bride when Lady Whistledown's column reports some rather indiscreet behaviour on the lady's part - I can only say that the story was very romantic. Karen Hawkins adds to the humor with her story of a rogue who begins to be disturbed when his life-long friend decides to marry, well, according to Lady Whistledown, someone comfortable. Mia Ryan's heroine kept me laughing with her habit of blurting out really odd observations - obviously says exactly what she is thinking at any given time. And her thoughts are chaotic as it is! But, finally, we have Julia Quinn's story, which can only be the best of the book. I can't spoil the surprise in this one, but it is one of my absolute favorite story lines, done in the way that only Julia Quinn can do to make it new, fresh and funny. This book is a must for your collection of keepers of the observations of Lady Whistledown and the 5* books she has narrated.

I really, really enjoyed this one. This is an anthology, which I usually don't read at all. I generally can't get into the romance before it's already over & there's never enough of a side story to keep me interested. That definitely did not pertain to this one though. I only read this one because I love Julia Quinn's Lady Whistledown & it had been recommended. I just loved how they entertwined the stories. Not only that, but I liked each story individually. Every one of the characters were enjoyable, some witty, some more serious - but always entertaining. I have never read Karen Hawkins or Mia Ryan - but I hope these stories are accurate examples of their books; If so, then I've found 2 new authors. If you like Julia Quinn type Regencys, I bet you'll like this one also.

This Regency romance gem of an anthology orchestrated by New York Times bestseller Julia Quinn comes timely in the schmaltzy Valentine season. These four interconnected romance tied by a skating event and Lady Shelbourne's grand Valentine ball are consistently engaging through the observations of Quinn's popular gossip columnist Lady Whistledown that opens every chapter of each story. These four leading ladies gamely joins in the season of scandals and romance starting with the meltingly romantic One True Love by Suzanne Enoch where Lady Anne Bishop is surprised by a sudden visit from her nonchalant childhood betrothed - the Marquis of Halfurst who is determined to pursue her and claim her surrendering heart from his rival Lord Howard. Karen Hawkins fashions her story with timeless chemistry in a conventional tale of how the gauche Liz Pritchard finally gets her friend Royce Pemberley to confront his feelings towards her when she intends to marry the bland rancher Lord Durham in Two Hearts. Ingenue Mia Ryans throws in a delightful fluff A Dozen Kisses where the simpering Caroline Starling attracts the dashing Lord Darington - the man who evicted her mother and her from the house.

Just when you thought the enjoyment was too good to be true, the always- reliable Julia Quinn waltzes in with the most refreshing tale out of the quartet - Thirty-six Valentines with her splendid acumen of wits, humour and passion. Susannah Ballister, after suffering a humiliating thwarted proposal from Clive Mann-Formsby finds a second chance in his reclusive brother Earl of Reminister, David. Ms. Quinn weaves her saccharine romance through a memorable skating affair, a seductive theatrical evening at Theatre Royal and the denouement of feelings between the brothers. The consistency of the four simultaneous romance is a rarity and the pleasure derived from the read is positively infectious from the chutzpah and energy of the four writers. Who ever said Regency Romance was a bore?

"Power vs. Force" comes with book jacket recommendations from high places: no less illuminaries than Wayne Dyer, Lee Iacocca, and even Mother Teresa endorse Hawkins' book. Thus I approached it with a good deal of open-minded interest. However, I was not able to finish the book, and certain of its claims disturbed me.

Hawkins' main thesis is that you can use kinesiological testing to test the objective truth of a statement. In the form of testing he uses, the subject stretches out his arm. The querent makes a statement such as "artificial sweeteners are good for you." If the subject can maintain his arm outstretched under a firm push from the querent, the statement is accepted as true. If the subject's arm can be pushed down, the statement is false.

Hawkins maintains that he used this testing on the statements and ideas presented in the book, and concluded that "the level of truth of this edition of the work has been calibrated at 810, which is unusually high for this time in our culture." Perhaps using his own method was the only way to test the objective truth of the book, however, it is unscientific to test a method of inquiry using the method itself. It's a circular dynamic, much like having the Los Angeles Police Department make an inquiry into how well the LAPD is doing its job.

Another reservation I had about the book concerned the belief that the Truth is out there floating around, just waiting to be nailed down by some perfect method of apprehension. Whether or not this is true is a philosophical question that ultimately has no answer. However, I have noticed that in regards to many questions one may find as many truths out there as there are people viewing whatever for them is the truth. For instance, in the case of the artificial sweetener test, such sweeteners may indeed be bad for some people, and have no harmful effects on others. People can live to ripe old ages on a steady diet of saccharine, caffeine, cigarettes, and hostess twinkies. Even if some cosmic force declares those items "bad," are they really bad for the people who live, and even seem to thrive in some cases, on a steady diet of those items?

My third and final reservation had to do with the fact that I tried this method of testing on several people, using the artificial sweetener example. It didn't work. When I stated that sweeteners are good for you, all of my test subjects held their arms up. Then I tested them using other, more personal, statements, trying to get their arm strength to weaken. It never did. I am willing to concede that just maybe I carried out the test inappropriately, but at this point I'm bored with the whole exercise. I don't really want to live in a world where Ultimate Truth can be acquired, catalogued, and used in battles for hearts, minds, and bodies.

Dr. Hawkins' ideas are the most significant I have found since discovering Ken Wilber in the 80's. Basically, he says that you can discover the truth of any proposition with kinesiological(muscle) testing. While I admit to some skepticism about the value of such tests, i.e., the subject could be influenced by knowing in advance what the tester is looking for, I found in my own case that a number of such tests worked 100% , despite my best efforts to confuse the tester. But my point is that he has a wonderful map of consciousness, and I believe that his model could be life changing, and at the very least will change your perception of "reality". I found his writing to be beautiful, and in his second book, _The Eye of the I_, he does a better job of explaining the ineffable (beyond language), than anything I have read. I urge everyone to read these books, reflect on the wisdom they contain, and apply same to their own lives. Simply superb.

(by the author of Cancer As Initiation: Surviving the Fire) Grasping the concepts Hawkins presents in this book has changed my life in many ways. Just reading it lifts the spirit because of the hope it brings for humankind to reach higher levels of spiritual development. Learning to muscle test ideas and decisions for their value on his Map of Consciousness shows how beneficial or destructive something will be, thereby greatly increasing one's discernment. Understanding the true strength of power versus the unstable base of force fills one with hope for the future of humanity.

This story was pretty predictable but still enjoyable moving along at a steady pace. It was interesting enough to keep my attention but nothing out of the ordinary happened, just everyday life for these characters. Dave & Julie have been sweethearts since high school. The words "I Love You" have always come easy to both of them. Their love for each other was always there, even though they had several on and off breakups. Dave's always loved music and plays in a small wedding band called "The Wishbones." He's always had the freedom to play his music and live a half-way decent life by still living at home with his parents. Everything changes when the words slip out from Julie, "Let's get married." Will Dave decide to marry Julie, or continue to live the single life playing in the band? It's a decision he makes too quickly and then regrets after meeting Gretchen and having an affair with her. Now his decision becomes even harder.

I would definitely recommend this well-written book for those out there who haven't decided to get married yet. Did Dave make the right decision or didn't he? You can make that decision after finishing this book. Maybe Tom Perrotta is giving a good lesson here-people should not get married just to be married. Where's the fire?

This is, essentially, a coming of age story-the fact that most of the primary characters are in their 30's notwithstanding.

Tom Perrotta's The Wishbones follows the various travails of Dave Raymond. Though in his 30's, Dave still lives at homes with his rather long suffering parents. Dave also has a long suffering girlfriend of 20 years. Actually, virtually everyone Dave knows well is long suffering--that appears to be the price you pay for having a son/friend who hasn't quite grown up.

Saddled with a dead-end day job, Dave's life actually revolves around his Band, The Wishbones, which plays wedding gigs on the weekends.

Dave is intelligent and aware enough to recognize his shortcomings--he's a good, not great guitarist with no original music vision of his own whatsoever--but not yet sufficiently emotionally mature=or secure-enough to toss in the towel on his dreams of musical stardom.

As event unfold, Dave finally gets up the nerve to propose to his girlfriend--then immediately stars getting cold feet.

There is not one single surprise to be found anywhere in this entire novel. Yet, the book is anything but boring. Perrotta has a wonderful talent for developing intricate, interesting and engaging characters, skillfully evokes the sense of Dave's New Jersey neighborhood, has a finely tuned sense of comedic flair and is adept with dialog. This is one of those books that proves that predictable doesn't have to be boring.

In point of fact, a lot of surprise and unexpected plot machinations would not have worked anyway, making what is, and was always meant to be, on ordinary, daily life sort of story seem contrived and hokey.

The ending is rather anti-climatic even so, and there are some rough passages to be gotten through--Dave's whole flirtation with joining a Christian rock band seems out of place, for instance. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise competent, witty and engaging story.

So, tune into the Wishbones and enjoy a pleasant read!

This is an enormously likeable book about love, music, and, especially, the choices required by time, money, and cultural expectations. Despite these "heavy" undertones, this is light reading at its best, full of distinct, interesting characters, humorous unexpected developments, and a brisk pace.

The story involves Dave Raymond, the 31-year old lead guitarist for "The Wishbones," a wedding band in which Dave feels both stuck and exhilarated. He has his own pre-wedding anxieties, as he finally proposes to his high school sweetheart, and then worries that he will settle into a bland suburban life sans music. At a gig, he meets Gretchen (nom de plume: Marlene Fragment!), an aspiring bohemian poet, who seems Dave's last chance at prolonging and preventing some touch choices.

Perrota is great at irony, and he almost overplays this, but the book moves so quickly that one doesn't mind. Although some of the book covers familiar "rites of passage" decisions, there's some outrageous (and I've heard, fairly realistic) wedding scenes, an unexpectedly tense gig with an unusual audience, and the musical aspirations of the singer (think "Springtime for Hitler," but in somewhat better taste. I liked the comparable "High Fidelity" more; it better captures the depth of rock and roll obsession, but this is close--An appealingly light look at marriage, weddings, and some awful 70's music. Highly recommended.

Determined to win his rightful fortune and comply with his grandfather's will, Alec MacLean must marry before his next birthday. In just two hours. When his plans to marry the woman mentioned in the will backfires, he marries the woman he accidentally abducted instead, her cousin Julia.

Julia Frant has secretly loved Alec for four years so when the opportunity to marry him arises she jumps at the chance, and at the chance for money to go toward her worth causes. But the will has one stipulation. They must live scandal free for one full year. Can a do-good reformer like Julia live a year without a scandal?

The marriage starts off rocky with plans for an annulment after one year, but love gets in the way and the two find themselves drawn to eachother. Is it possible to fall in love with your own spouse?

This was the first book I've read by Karen Hawkins and was completly impressed. I highly recommend this book and hope to read more of her in the future.

I was lucky enough to read One Lucky Lord from Kim Bennet which was so wonderful I had to write the author. Well it turns out that Kim Bennet is also Karen Hawkins, a wonderful woman who writes excellent stories!

The Abduction of Julia is an incredible story between two opposites that share the same heart. Julia is the perfect heroine because she is someone you can relate to - she is actually a real woman. She is not some perfect, cardboard cut-out beauty - she is a gorgeous woman hidden behind what people perceive her to be. When she removes the old clothes and glasses she emerges as a beautiful lady - with the same personality as before - A REFORMER!

Alec on the other hand is the perfect rake! He is absolutely stunning and Julia has been in love with him since she set foot in London. He needs to marry immediately and due to circumstances beyond his control, dowdy Julia Frant (the Frant Dragon) is his only option. If he wants to keep the fortune away from his cousin Nick left by his grandfather he must marry and live scandal-free for one year! The choice is clear - he will marry Julia.

Little does he know his life has just changed for the better. Little does he know the fortune is not the prize. Little does he know he has just lost his heart!

Read it! I highly recommend it!

The dashing Viscount Hunterston, Alec Maclean, must marry before midnight. When he accidentally absconds with the wrong woman, he finds himself married to Julia Frant instead -- a pragmatic American reformer known to the ton as the Frant Dragon.

Julia Frant has loved Alec Maclean for a long, long time. She agrees to marry him with two objects in mind -- to use his fortune to help her charities and to reform him from his wild ways. Little does she know that Alec is not the only one about to undergo a transformation!

This book was simply wonderful. From the first page to the last, it will grab your heart and never let go. I thought Julia was marvelous -- and such a great reformer. She was true to character, stubborn in her beliefs, and head-over-heels in love with Alec throughout the book. Alec, too, was an interesting, intriguing character and I fell in love with him.

This book was fast paced, refreshingly funny, had A TON of incredible secondary characters -- Aunt Maddie, Edmund, and the dark and sexy Lucien.

A light, fun read for anyone who loves Regency historicals with a touch of humor! This author reminds me of Julia Quinn and Cathy Maxwell. Well done, Ms Hawkins! I'm looking forward to Lucien's book.