PEFCO

If you have seen the movie 'Braveheart' and want to know more, but have time only to read one book, then this is the one for you (OK - it's three books in one!) Read the truly amazing story of Robert the Bruce and his 30-year struggle for Scotland, told with Nigel Tranter's trademark mix of excellent research and good storytelling. (MacBraveHeart, May 1999)

Great historical fiction is my specialty and discovering Nigel Tranter has been a real treat. This the first thing I have read by this author and for me it was also a fine introduction to a crucial period of Scottish history. This 3 part series covers the life of Robert Bruce, a truly dashing and gallant hero if there ever was one, and it is a true rags to riches story. The whole series is well written and though lengthy is a pleasure to read with a medieval feel to it. There are many battle scenes throughout the book, and detailed strategies described, the Scots being so outnumbered by the English had to be very clever to win.

Book 1 - Opens with Bruce in his 20's, a spoiled young nobleman, forced like all the other Scottish nobles to pay homage to Edward of England and be his lackey. Later his meeting with Elizabeth de Burgh, and finally the birth of his ambition.
Book 2 - Hitting rock bottom with the capture and executions of his brothers, the imprisonment of his wife, and his other female relatives kept in cages, he is finally driven into the wilderness to live as a hermit. Eventually, he rises again and is able to unite the many clans and tribes from the northern Highlands with the Norman/Celt mixed nobles from the south to fight together for the common cause of Scotland. Part 2 finishes with the Battle of Bannockburn.
Book 3 - Finally the undisputed King in Scotland though there is still the ongoing struggle to have England recognize Bruce as King of Scotland.

A novel I will enjoy reading again, especially loved the parts about Christina MacRuarie, ruling woman of the isles, also the Highland chiefs and sea captains. So much historical detail with never a dull moment.

Although the film Braveheart is tremendously entertaining, it suffers as history. Part of the problem is that it is based on Randall Wallace's book rather than Nigel Tranter's. Nigel Tranter was the pre-eminent historical novelist of Scotland, and although William Wallace's tale is epic, it pales in comparison to the life of Robert the Bruce. Bruce's life is so full of adventure, tragedy, heroism, intrigue, and statesmanship, that any author of fiction would be hard pressed to just imagine the story line ... but this is based on factual events. A must read.

Talk about living on the edge, Don Richardson, his newlywed wife Carol and seven-month old son Stephen step from the 20th century into a stone-age cannabilistic cultural with gruesome and horrific practices. This book reads like the true adventure it is, starting with the narration of life, death, betrayal, parties where the honored guests become the special of the day. Enter this family of three into the midst of suspicious cannibals bringing three rival factions together each vying jealously for the knifes, steel axes, matches, machetes, mirrors and medicine, you get a powder keg with small to large explosions daily. Imagine living in a grass hut with your wife and baby huddled inside while fierce warriors and arrows fly throughout the sky. Imagine facing an entire clan beating and burning a man that the sorceress has declared to be a soul-less zombie and praying him back to life, only by a miracle of God. These and other adventures show what it's really like to walk by faith, trusting only God to protect you, and doing His will to win people to Christ. There are many hair-prickling turns in this story, leaving you at the edge of your seat, wondering if it'll all end in disaster. But the glory of the Lord is that He had left Himself a witness in the strange custom of the "Peace Child" that Richardson was able to use to point to the Perfect Peace Child, the Son of God, Prince of Peace, to bring the Sawi tribe to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Truly awe inspiring. I am now reading the sequel "Lords of the Earth".

How does one preach a Gospel of peace to a people who idealize betrayal? Cannibals and headhunters, the Sawi of New Guinea little fit the old image of "noble savages." At the same time, Richardson describes them not merely as savages, noble or otherwise, but as individuals whom he invites us to know and recognize as fellow human beings. He gives a picture of them not only as headhunters, but also as naturalists, linguists, and myth-makers.

Richardson is an excellent story-teller. In this story, of course, he is one of the protagonists. He and his wife believed themselves called to bring the Gospel to the Sawi people. Richardson is an actor in this drama, potential recipient of the action of crocodiles, tropical disease, and natives, and also (he believes)agent of God's grace. No second-hand outline of history, here we can read the spiritual story of one of the thousands of tongues and tribes and races of man, as it happens.

One of the central questions of our time is how universal truth relates to the heritage of each culture. No evangelical has done more to help Christians understand the Biblical answer than Don Richardson. Richardson introduces the concept of "redemptive analogies" in this book. This is the idea that God has prepared the cultures of the world for the Gospel by planting seeds of truth in them. (A concept developed by John and Paul, Clement, Augustine, G.K.Chesterton, and C.S.Lewis.) He tells the story of how the Gospel changed the Sawi culture from within. Peace Child is thus both a wonderful true story, and also introduces a paradigm-shifting mind-blowing concept of the first order. This is a great "missions" book, but I also recommend it to non-Christians who are trying to understand how the Christian revelation relates to other cultures. (And also those who just want to understand tribal cultures.)

Don Richardson discusses redemptive analogies in passing again in his even more thrilling story, Lords of the Earth. Then he extends his argument, or story, in Eternity in Their Hearts -- and in my opinion, you can hardly say you have considered Christianity until you have read that book.

I have also written a couple books applying the same principles to the great Asian civilizations. The first, True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture, discusses the Gospel and Chinese art, faith, philosophy, and language. In the second, Jesus and the Religions of Man, I show how Jesus both fulfills and challenges the ideals of Buddhist, Hindu, Humanist, Marxist, and Muslim faiths. This book is due July 2000, and is available through Amazon.

d.marshall@sun.ac.jp

For years, I have been fascinated with the question of how undiscovered, isolated groups of people would held accountable for their decision to accept or reject God. How could uncivilized people understand how God's message related to their lives? After reading this book, I found my answer! I realized that through what Don Richardson calls "redemptive analogies," God makes a way for ALL people to understand his loving message. Just as he ably used analogies that were particularly meaningful to the Jews and Greeks in the Bible, God is able to use analogies that are meaningful to cannibals and other isolated groups. Peace Child is Don Richardson's account of how he discovered the analogy that God had specially designed to make a cannibalistic tribe in New Guinea understand his love... and then of how he risked his life trying to share that analogy with those people.

This book chronicles one man's purposeful encounter with a group of people who had never come in contact with Godly principles. Perhaps because I'm a wife and mother of two, Richardson's decision to include his wife and two toddlers in his quest to share righteousness really made me understand his degree of commitment to God.
Richardson's powerful text outlines a sacrifice of earthly comforts for spiritual reasons and shows God's protection of the lives of people who actively seek to serve His purposes. While written by a very educated scholar, the text is very easy to follow. The careful reader will also notice that Richardson used a combination of both white collar and physical talents to convert members of the cannibalistic tribe. (To live and teach the cannibals, he was required to work not only as a carpenter and foreman, but also as a linguist and dictionary author.) That was a real revelation for me.

I want to emphasize, though, that this book is more than the masterpiece story of Don Richardson's experiences as a missionary. It is also a book that really convicts its readers to think about what their own roles should be in influencing the moral compass of people who have no social rules and no agreements about how to live together in groups - people with no Ten Commandments and no Magna Carta. There was a point at which I put this book down for a minute because tears were rolling down my face. I felt such an inward "call" to become more involved in sharing both the message of love and salvation and the principles of organized group behavior with the forgotten people of this earth, even if it meant sacrificing the comforts I am so used to. My brother-in-law read it years ago, and as a result, he started sharing the Christian gospel with prisoners in his hometown every Saturday morning. He still does that today.
Buy it and share it with your friends. It will change you inwardly and motivate you to inspire others.

This book is targeted towards African-American women, but I don't believe that African-American are the only women who experience "life in the valley." This book offers healing, inspiration and guidance to all who read it

Faith In The valley by Iyanla Vanzant is truly a book to help us on our journey toward peace. Ms. Vanzant imparts words of wisdom and encouragement. She is reminding us of some of the day to day things we take for granted. We sometimes forget to be thankful for what we have; good health, a job and a place to live. You will not regret reading this book. As Ms. vanzant writes, "What a blessing! I am so thankful" that I read this book. Go get yourself a copy of "Faith in The valley".

I can not express how insightful and helpful this book is! It really makes you look deep into the reason(s) why you thought you needed a book of affirmations in the first place. This book is perfect for those "why me" and "I really can't take any more" moments when you feel like life, and everything in it, needs to give you a break. If you're a woman experiencing a lot of change in your life and it seems like you just can't handle another crisis (or is it a crisis afterall?), this is the book for you. I carry it in my purse!

Following Nhat Hanh's book "Being Peace", this is my next favorite by this articulate Zen master. Within you will find commentaries and meditations straight from the heart of Thay, as well as stories of his life as an activist for peace. It is so very applicable to our daily lives. Lately it's become all too clear that this world needs a healthy serving of peace. Our spiritual mouths are so hungry for this. The meditations Thich Nhat Hanh has been celebrated worldwide for are captured within this deceptively slim book. For those of you who have come to know Thay through his wide body of books, you know how well he communicates points to all of us; always with a soothing ease and simplicity. That style is more than ever evident in this text. This work is a remarkable starting point for someone interested in looking into Buddhism, searching for balance in their lives; it's for non Buddhists who are simply looking for a way to bridge the gap of divisiveness. Thich Nhat Hanh is such a good friend to us all, and buying this magnificent book can help all of us become better friends to the world at large. Enjoy it.

Peace is Every Step is my favorite book on living in the present. It is simple and easy to read. Just a few minutes ago, I felt anger building over something someone had done to me in the past. I decided to just breathe (which can be done anytime while sitting, eating, walking, driving, etc.) as Nhat Hanh recommends. Within seconds, my thoughts were on my "in" breath and my "out" breath and I was back to the present instead of focusing on the past. The angry feeling passed and I am back to enjoying the beauty of the day. I hope the ideas in this book bring you as much peace as it has brought me.

this book is an easy read that can be enjoyed by anyone. i think it would be hard to read this book and not feel better about your life after reading it. this book can bring you instant peace. i highly recommend it!!!

My father bought this book for me, and it was very much what I needed. This book can be read over and over, and never strays from what is really the only sure-fire path to releasing the worry and anxiety that is part of being human -- Jesus Christ. The author interlaces real life examples of incredible heros, with a completely bible based guide to living life in a god-controlled fashion. I've recommended this book to nearly every woman friend I have, and none of them have been disappointed.

I read this book when I was really feeling a ton of anxiety. Dillow does such an excellent job of writing and quoting from the bible--I truly felt that God was speaking to me through her and His words combined. My Bible Study group is now purchasing this book and we are going to do the 12-wk. study together (the study is in the back). This book is a great read for anyone--especially people seeking contentment (aren't we all?)! It has changed my life. Thank you, Linda!

This is an excellent book. We used it as a small group weekly Bible study, but I highly recomend it to any of the women I know.

This book along with Hope and Help for your Nerves, are extremely helpful for those of us who suffer from anxiety. This was was geared more for those suffering from Agoraphobia, but I still found many helpful phrases that I use when I am feeling anxious. My favorites are the "Grandma's muffins", the "Long Lost relatives", and the "Missing Handbag" illustrations. These little illustrations help one understand why symptoms linger, or return months or years after recovery and how to deal with them. Although I don't have agoraphobia, I did find it encouraging to read the journals of how some lifetime suffers of this condition were able to recover. I tend to avoid anxiety producing situations, but the way to recovery is by passing through these experiences, not by avoiding them, which only compounds the problem.

Dr. Weekes, who thinks and writes very much in the same vein as Dr. Abraham Low, founder of the self-help method know as "Recovery" in the '30s, is a woman and doctor of extraordinary insight into the psychic pain of anxiety and panic. Her book is a wonderfully "easy" read; chapters flow from problem to suggestion simply, warmly, and with much encouragement. As a physician writing to a broad audience, she has the knack of making the reader feel spoken to on a very personal level. Dr. Weekes does not write "down" to her readers, but she is mercifully (and purposely, I suspect) lacking the overly analytical approach and accompanying "jargon" so prevalent in the marketplace today. This is a book to keep handy and to read calmly for the pleasure of Weekes' wisdom. Although her book is so helpful in times of stress, there's no need to wait for the dreaded adrenaline surge. Dr. Weekes is a fine writer who deserves to be read for that reason alone.

It worked for me, and surprisingly quickly once I understood how to "float through" anxiety, agoraphobia and dizziness. I thought I was really crazy because I often felt the floor or sidewalk heaving beneath me. It turned out to be my highly "sensitized", "trigger-happy" nerves.

This book is literally a life-saver!

Thich Nhat Hanh has a gift. Even for non-Buddhists like myself. He is able to explain simply the way a Buddhist teacher/monk like himself deals with the ups and downs of life, often with a gentle beguiling humor, and he illustrates his advice with stories told in the most simplistic terms. The warm smile on his face is present across all its pages and this little book has a gentle way of telling you a lesson for every moment in your life.
One sad afternoon, I took the book outside with me to sit and read by the side of our family pet during the last afternoon of his life. I was extremely angry at the injustice of watching our wonderful young pet's life being cut short. He was dying that day and we couldn't save him. It was hard for me to contain that anger. I opened Hanh's book at random, to allow fate to put in front of me whatever it willed for that moment. To my amazement I found myself reading a paragraph on Hanh explaining how to control anger, how to care for it and how to make it constructive rather than destructive for the environment around you. His simple language flowed right to the heart of my moment. Our dog was not benefiting from my hidden anger - he needed me to give him peace in those last couple of hours. Once again I had learnt something precious to that moment of reading from this sweet, gentle monk's writings ...

Being Peace is a beautiful book that will open your eyes and your heart. Nhat Hanh was an important leader for the Peace movement, and through this collection of essays it is easy to see why. He takes the reader through basic concepts of mindfulness practice, and then relates practice to the way one lives in the world. His concept of InterBeing helped me to see the connectedness in the the world, in a way that applies to my own life and way of living. The book also shares very concrete suggestions for using meditation and awareness to improve life in the modern world. Mindfulness is portrayed as not just a way to relieve stress or feel better, but also to affect change in the crazy world we now live in. If we could all read this book and try to live its lessons, what an amazing world this could be!

Of all of Thich Nhat Hanh's works, I would say personally this stands out as my favorite. It is relitively short, meaning you can probably read it within a few hours. I especially like his chapter "Working for Peace", where he brings up his often used poem, "Please Call Me By My True Names." He explains how he, along with others at Plum Village, often take upon the task of helping refugees attempting escape from oppresive governments. The work at times becomes very tedious, many of the letters the will receive in Plum Village are heartwrenching, stories of murder or young girls being raped. Thich explains how it often becomes challenging to see both sides in a conflict, when it seems so evident there may have only been one victim.

Yet this is where meditation comes in, allowing yourself to truly try to understand where the perpetrator of the crime may have come from. In his poem he basically says he is both the frog and fly, or cat and mouse. In a nutshell, he shows us the middle path. Where good and bad do certainly exist, but also how no true resolution can spring forth without an attempt to understand all sides involved in a conflict. I must say I don't agree that violence can always be avoided, that sometimes a person must be stopped because they are harming other people continuosly; not to mention they are not filtering their own bad karma they create. It is with compassion that we must resolve these terrifying issues with. Love for perpetrator and everyone else in this world. Othwerwise we fan the flames of revenge and hate. Hate never once begot hate, only love begets hate. The Buddha Shakyamuni stressed that in Ancient times. It seems that Thich Nhat Hanh has rekindled the Buddha within to write this magnificent work.

Enjoy the book:)

Crystal provides a wonderfully truthful insight into the life of an overweight person and the struggles that go along with it. She gives you several tools to use in the weight loss "process" and so much practical and sometimes even humorous advice. I first saw Crystal's story in a magazine article in '97, in another in '98, and again on the Oprah Winfrey show last year. I had no idea that her book was already out. She is truly an inspiration for me and her book is a well worth read!!! If you are stuck in the weight loss fight, don't delay. This book truly, truly helps. It has become my bible for the summer.

Ms. Crystal Phillips, the author of, "The Me I Knew I Could Be" has definitely written the most personable, and inspiring weight loss book I have ever read.

Because Crystal takes us back to her childhood to her first memories of binge eating and everything that happened after the incident with her grandfather in California, we got an honest, inside view of how someone can reach 292 lbs. It is amazing what one can accomplish if they look inside of themselves to heal their spirit to get rid of what is ailing them.

Not only was the book touching, it was also humourous and just overall a very personable book. I feel like I know her.

Thank you Ms. Phillips for sharing your experiences with us to help others get out of the rut they may have gotten themselves into because they didn't have the courage to look inside and get to the heart of their problems!! What an inspiration!!

Good for you Crystal for losing 167 pounds. I don't blame you for writing about it either, something this dramatic needs to be shared. What I really liked about this book was that it did not pressure the reader into losing weight. Diets these days are very stick: don't eat this, you must eat this, that and nothing else. Crystal shows us that you can lose weight your own way and it's up to you to set the pace.

I received "Create A Life That Tickles Your Soul" as a gift from friends as a means of inspiring me during the most overwhelming time in my life. I had turned forty a few months earlier and my husband of nearly eleven years had just died. I was facing a myriad of challenges and this book was like a beacon in the darkness. It affirmed much that I already knew and helped me open doors in my life just as many were closing behind me. I found Suzanne's writing style to be flowing and the message both educational and enlivening. It was as if I was sitting comortably in my living room and engaging in conversation with a friend. The book mark embellished with a feather is taped to my computer monitor as a reminder that I can do anything I set my mind and heart upon. Thank you Suzanne for the blessing that is your book! I've recommended it to others whose souls need tickling too.

Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) was right on the mark when he called Tickle Your Soul a "gem". Having recently read the book, when I think of gem and Tickle in the same context, the "Hope" Diamond comes to mind. Boomers.....there IS Hope. Talk about a wake up call! Until I read Tickle, I never really thought in terms of a second phase of life the way the author presents it (the best one!). I enjoyed Dr. Zoglio's approach to "reinventing your life" as she takes you through a touching, thought provoking, empowering process where you will, among other things, let go of old baggage, move out of your comfort zone, dream, find your purpose, and take action. I found the exercises to be fun and easy, and they left me feeling enlightened, energized and focused.

Tickle is loaded with practical wisdom, so I suggest a highlighter. True, you will have your own Life's Purpose Plan to follow, but it is nice to be able to quickly reference those gems that lit you up in the first place. I do it to re-energize and stay on track. Just a few of my favorites: "You deserve a life that is exquisitely tailored to the uniqueness of you." "No one else knows what pictures fill your mind or what passions fuel your heart." "Passion in life stems from a forward focus. If we are not growing, learning and evolving, we will begin to wither inside." "Suddenly, we have an urge to do what we've always wanted to do...before it's too late."

Dr. Zoglio has done a masterful job of taking a formidable task, and presenting it in a very manageable, doable and enjoyable process. When I finished Tickle I thought...."it can't be this easy!". Well, I had an opportunity very recently to share a few of her exercise questions with a relative that was really struggling with some life's purpose/passion issues. The results: Truly incredible...almost miraculous! I highly recommend this book. Don't waste a precious moment. Tickle your soul, live your life with purpose, and follow your dreams!

Her book is magic! Best of all, she is an author who genuinely cares about her readers! An amazingly kind and knowledgable person. Do yourself (and Suzanne)a favor and buy this book. You will absolutlely love it. I am a real fan of hers: you will be also if you read her books.

This book will change your life!
Have you ever been disturbed by a person or event and remained disturbed after the initial event that triggered it was long over? How much better would your day be if you could instantly "let go" or release this negative feeling instead of being ticked off for perhaps several hours (or longer)? How would your life improve if you were able to release your emotional reaction to a problem while at the same time courageously handling the situation? How would the quality of your life improve if you could regularly release negative feelings as they cropped up?
The Sedona Method is all about releasing negative feelings as a means to improve your life.
I used to think that bad moods were part of life and we were at the whim of them coming and going. Since practicing the Sedona method, I find that by releasing negative thoughts, bad moods are thing of the past or they are very short-lived should they appear. The Sedona method moves you in the direction of being more relaxed, happy, clear, alive, productive and effective. An additional advantage is that your intuition will improve as you release the negative thoughts that cloud it.
The secret is out! Prior to this book, knowledge of this method was only available by audio tapes or live classes at a cost of many times the price of this book.
This outstanding book is very well written and provides you with all the knowledge you need to practice the Sedona method. It is suitable for beginners and also has a wealth of advanced techniques included.
As an example, Chapter 5 focuses on the serenity prayer. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". As you do the work in this chapter, you'll discover a way to accept the things you cannot change. You will find that you're easily and bravely changing the things in your life that need to be changed. In addition, the wisdom to distinguish between the two will suddenly be at your fingertips.
The book also goes into dissolving your resistance to moving forward with accomplishments, setting and attaining your goals, power decision-making, breaking nasty habits and much, much more.
If you only buy one self-improvement book this year, this is the one!

While you're probably aware that holding on to negative energy (such as long-standing grudges, phobias, paranoia, frustrations, blame and worry) is not a good thing to do, you might not be remembering to clean this kind of junk out of your energy field on a regular basis. THE SEDONA METHOD's basic premise is that when you master the art of releasing and letting go of all this negative energy, you'll feel more effective, healthier, happier, and energized.

Would you like to be more resilient when times get tough? Would you like to feel more loving, secure, optimistic, calm, and free? THE SEDONA METHOD will show you how to move out of being "stuck on a feeling" that no longer serves you well... and moving onward and upward to a life of total prosperity.

If this sounds simple, it's because it is! THE SEDONA METHOD presents real-life stories which give you a sense of how you might be sabotaging your success, as well as the tools for releasing yourself from guilt, shame, fear, and all manner of bad habits. Your mind and emotions can be reprogrammed for joy, health, and success -- and when you learn to understand how you currently incorporate basic emotional states and ways of thinking, you'll see how a few small changes can lead to BIG improvements in your life!

Title: The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-being
Author: Hale Dwoskin
Publisher: Sedona Press
60 Tortilla Drive, Suite 2
Sedona, AZ 86336
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0971933413
Pages: 416

Everyone understands the ill effects of emotional turmoil on your relationships, health, and quality of life. The problem is that most don't know what to do about those negative emotions and how to release the stranglehold that emotions often have on a person. "The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being" deals with a specific method of releasing these negative emotions and allowing you to find an inner balance and peace in your life.

The Sedona Method is really fairly simple although it is also quite powerful. Author Hale Dwoskin writes in a clear style that allows any reader to understand and follow the technique step-by-step until they achieve the results they want. This is not a quick fix that you can read once and be done, it is a method, a technique that can be learned and practiced until it becomes second nature.

As a result of being able to release these emotions as soon as they come up you end up becoming more accepting and having more peace in your life all the time. The book contains several testimonials of people who have followed the technique and achieved success. Some will find these testimonials helpful in understanding the ways that negative emotions affect our lives and the benefits of releasing them. Others will find the number of testimonials an annoying interruption to the general flow of the book. All in all, this is an excellent resource for those dealing with harboring negative emotions and a highly recommended read.