Joni Eareckson Tada is one of the true giants of the Christian faith. She has written many excellent books, has inspired countless numbers of people with her life story, and has started and been involved with a truly wonderful international disability ministry that has brought hope to the hopeless throughout the world.

In this latest literary effort, Joni profiles a number of everyday people who have allowed God to use them in extraordinary ways. One might read this book and easily come away thinking that these are the kind of people that should be receiving earthly recognition in newspapers and on television for the amazing work they do and their amazing life stories. But it is the very fact that these folks go mostly unrecognized that adds tremendous authenticity to their lives. Each one of these folks have simply put their faith in Christ to lead them, direct them, and use them. These folks demonstrate the most powerful apologetic for the reality of Christ and the authenticity of Christianity - a life completely committed to serving God in positive ways for real people, regardless of the adversity and very real sufferings they have endured. This is something that simply cannot be argued with. Those who believe that Christ is a fake and Christianity a sham eliminate the only plausible explanations for the lives profiled in this book.

The folks Joni profiles here are a very diverse group in terms of background, race, geographic location, economic condition, ministry calling, physical condition, gender, and age. A number of folks profiled achieved victory in Christ over disabilities and other life changing events that were beyond their control. Others achieved victory in Christ over self destructive lives that they were very much in control of. Some folks have established life changing ministries that have accomplished amazing things by God's grace. Others have simply persevered through difficulties and have been used by God in more personal and informal ministries.

Each story is extremely candid, with many of the folks profiled being extremely candid about their sufferings, their feelings toward God at various points in their lives, and the present day realities they continue to face. Many of these stories, while having a happy ending in many respects, do not have fairy tale endings. When reading many of these stories, the reader is convicted not only by how incredibly God has used these people, but also about how much more needs to be done and how much more suffering there still is, and how many more Christians need to exhibit the kind of faith that these folks do, because there is no shortage of needs to be met.

This book struck me as being extremely authentic. It's one thing to be inspired by something we see on television or somethin we hear about on the radio. It's quite another to draw inspiration from real lives going through real difficulties, and emerging victorious because of real faith in a real God that is available to everyone. This kind of authentic inspiration can deeply penetrate the reader precisely because there's no fiction here. This is real life that is being discussed, and it is very likely that most every reader will identify with at least one of the stories profiled, due to the real life diversity of the people profiled and their struggles.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for authentic inspiration, a sense of purpose, a sense of shared experiences, and most importantly, someone who is looking for an authentic look at what's possible when we achieve spiritual wholeness with Christ.

A great study aid. Wolf Marshall really nails some of the harder to play by ear solos. My only criticism is the inclusion of the "Glad All Over" solo excerpt, which isn't available domestically, and was done during Randy's stint in the original Quiet Riot.

My father and I prefer to travel without planning too many days ahead of ourselves. We'd finished two nights of packing into Organ Pipe National Monument and still had a week ahead of us. We weren't sure what came next. East to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge? West to Tucson? Luckily, we found this godsend of a book sitting pretty in the visitor center store. I am sure this book is fast becoming the essential guide to packing in Arizona. I am almost afraid to recommend it because I am giving away so many well-kept secrets: Aravaipa Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, Picacho Peak, Angel Basin... some of the greatest lesser-known places in the Southwest. I have followed this guide down countless miles of forest road to some of my favorite hikes in the West. The guide is well-organized into four climate regions: desert, canyon, mountain, and urban "backyard" hikes for those who only have a few hours. Each description is captivating enough to convince you - and you will never want to leave life on the trail behind you.

An absolutely delightful addition to the important segment of books regarding Provence and cooking. Easy to follow, delicious recipes are accompanied by entertaining anecdotes.

Lydie's cookbooks are ALWAYS perfectly done -- every recipe is a gem. I've been to her cooking school in NYC, and can attest to this woman's incredible knowledge, skill, and ability to teach. Fabulous. Check out her other cookbooks, too...

From the moment I took this book into my hands I struggled to put it down. Not knowing anything about alchemy this book probably was the best introduction I could ask for. The book reads like a novel, taking the reader through all the paths of discovering more about alchemy. Loads of information is distilled into assessable paragraphs that contain the essence of each topic covered. Referenced material supporting the book is well documented in the back of the book enabling the serious reader to do further research on the topic. Starting from ancient history, the book is organised in a chronological order to end in its significance for contemporary times. Each paragraph reveals a bit more of this fascinating and mysterious subject. Interviews, visits to significant sites, papers, quotes and interpretation of symbolism ignite the readers curiosity. Excitement grows within the reader to the extend of an expectation that the philosopher's stone might jump somewhere from the pages. True to the basic principles the author does not try to provide an objective view of alchemy. The author gets so passionately involved with alchemy that one wonders if the author might be biased towards seeing alchemic symbolism even where they do not exist. But after closing the last page of the book, the author most definitely has planted within the readers subconscious a seed of hope. Hope that there is more beyond the aims of immortality and turning metals into gold , towards actual transmutation.

I have read many books on the transfer of the USSR state economy to private hands and this is, by far, the best and clearest on the topic. If one has to read just one account, this is it.

Since this is one of the great economic changes of the 20th century, and robbery on a scale that has few if any precedents, Goldman's book is very valuable and important. He is candid about the monumental errors his colleagues made as advisers (ignoring those who dipped into the honey pot and made, by professorial standards, fortunes). He has interviewed countless people and made the arcane clear. Authoritative, well-written, an excellent piece of work.

I liked this book. It has a lot of twists and turns in the story and alot of problems that God helps them out with. =) Read it

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