Participating

Ever wonder how to start a fire with a bowdrill, weave a basket, build a stone oven, blow a coal-burned cup, or make reliable and comfortable shoes? Which plants are edible or medicinal, and what material makes the best bows and arrows? I've thought about these things and others, never really dwelling on them for long. None of these were on my list of things to learn to do for 2001Ñbut they should have been. I moved to the country to be closer to nature and to be more a part of it, and it's about time. So where do we start?
Take a beautiful quiet morning, before sunrise. Sit on a peaceful overlook with a view that you know will be breathtaking once the morning light touches it. Watch the stars shine until they fade into the half-light. Feel the dew on the grass and in the air. Listen to the day birds begin their chorus. Notice the smells that waft by on a soft breeze. Watch the animals begin or end their regular rituals as the morning breaks. Write a book.
This is how Pony, Montana resident Thomas J. Elpel wrote Participating in Nature. It begins before daybreak, and is written so that as you grow in understanding of many things natural, a day unfolds and runs its course. By evening, near the end of the book, you have learned how to do several things, and why.
This is not a survival book written for guerillas, though they might find it very useful. It is a book written for the average worker who wants to get away from it all or the family that wants to do something special together. It's those who want to learn something new, a new way of doing something old, or enrich their relationship with nature. It's a must-read for anyone who is interested in doing something on a personal level to help maintain and restore Earth.
Even if you don't consider yourself an environmentalist, you probably don't mind saving money, stimulating your brain, or learning a new stress-relieving habit. Learning skills such as those found in Participating in Nature could also help answer questions like "what do you want to do this summer?" or even the ever-annoying "are we there yet?"
Throughout the pages of this "Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills," you'll find pictures of the author's work with other medium also. Some of the photography is his, and most of the artwork, making it a book that is not only useful but attractive as well. Now that you understand the utilitarian and aesthetic qualities of the book, I'll move on to the style. In this, I've saved the best for last. He may describe it as a field guide, but don't let the name fool you. This is no dry instruction manual filled with only technical descriptions and directions for use. Oh, the step-by-step is there so you'll know you're getting it right, but there is so much more than that within these pages.
As I mentioned before, he wrote this as a day that progresses, and his details take you to the very spot where he sits wrapped in a blanket, leaning agaist a fir tree as the morning gradually pushes the night westward. By sunset, he has explored and explained Mind, Shelter, Fire, Water, Cooking, Plants, Animals, and Clothing. These are the chapters of the day that is the book. Of course, he adds a bibliography and a fairly comprehensive index.
"My tea is hot. I put away my journal and my pen... Then I sit back and think about what it is that I am seeking....
"I have always been drawn towards the idea of being able to move lightly, freely, almost invisibly through the ecosystem, to be like the breeze, being present, but invisible.... and I am referring to the Indian scouts from another era, is symbolic of that desire.
"...it is something I seek distinctly for myself. It is my dream to be able to move and live as the scout, to travel unhindered, hopping, skipping, and gliding through the wilderness."
Of course there are "trade-offs" that the author recognizes: "For me taking less gear means I can travel farther and faster, but it also means I have to spend more of my time providing for my sustenance....
"Thus I seek to balance what I take and what I bring so that I can have both the lightest load and the most free time."
Thomas Elpel writes from his experience with nature. "Primitive living is a metaphor we participate in. We journey into the Stone-Age and quest to meet our basic needs. We learn to observe, to think, to reach inside ourselves for new resources to deal with challenging and unfamiliar situations."
Aren't those the skills we need for everyday living even in the Space-Age?
-Deb Anne Flynt

Discover nature by using it with the help of Thomas Elpel's Participating In Nature, a superbly informative guide which covers everything from how to tan hides from a fall hunting trip to fishing by hand and using willow baskets. Any studying primitive skills or survival methods will find Participating In Nature packed with both innovative and traditional skills in this important hands-on guide for the outdoorsman.

A day in the life... of a man using primitive, and some non-prim skills. This book really is done in an interesting way. Combining philosopy, skills, aquired wisdom, and a "day in the life" kind of story telling method, I can say this book is a really wonderful addition to any outdoorsmans library. I dare say it's one of the top three books that one should buy if they're interested in primitive skills.

In this fine book you are given 35 well annotated GM games. The format is similar to the Chessmaster "rate my play". you go through the games, (covering all the moves) and when you begin the critical stages of the games you receive points if you get the correct move. you add them up after a certain stage and you get a good idea of what youre rating is.
concepts covered: centrel control, superior development, positional chess, attacking play, defense, combinations, constriction tecnique, and ending.
the games are from well known players. Tal, botvinik,Keres, bronstein,kotov,spassky, korchoi,larsen, tolush, and others. The players as you can tell have VERY unique styles and i feel that keeps the book fresh because you dont just see posional masters, or only calculative wizards.
if youre looking for some well annotated games you should definetly consider this book. just to figure out youre rating would be fun, although like the other reviewer mentioned it does not consider youre opening expertise. (descriptive)

I wouldn't trust the rating this book gives; my rating seemed a couple hundred points too high. Maybe this is because I didn't employ any time constraints, or maybe it says something about my openings (Barden gives you the first 10-15 moves, so he's not rating your openings.) Regardless, the most helpful part of the book is Barden's summaries. He'll write things such as "If you went wrong on moves 16-20, it indicates you need to rely less on general judgments and more on calculating the exact consequences of each move".

I had a ton of fun going through this book. It's much more engrossing than most other chess books.

While many chess books either show positional play, openings or defensive play, this book has everything. The games that are illustrated show strategic and tactical principles such as center control, positional play, constriction, and so on. All the games are illustrated and explained. The author shows why a move is good or bad and you are quizzed to see what move should be made along with the explanation. A table is given in front of the book to see if you are in master class and how to improve. Dover has come out with a splendid book and it is reasonably priced.

This book really sets the standard in my opinion, especially for books that specifically deal with the American Restoration Movement of the early 19th Century. It discusses our past as well as potential futures. There is so much meat in the book that it will take several reads to really get it all. I was challenged by this book to really strive for all that the church should and can be. I encourage you to get this book and read it over and over.

This is a well-written and insightful consideration of a doctrine that is difficult but supremely important. The book's primary virtue is that it shows the value of the trinity by developing the doctrine in light of real life. It is a valuable contribution to the best recent thought on the subject, but it is accessible and helpful even to a theological novice as myself.

Fiddes mines the riches of Christian theology from the Capadocian fathers of the patristic east to classical Western theology from Augustine and Aquinas to modern thinkers as diverse as Jurgen Moltmann and John Zizioulas. With grace and care, he takes the best from the breadth of trinitarian thought and presses still further. He is especially conscious of Biblical texts, which he interprets with acumen and respect. In general, he is sensitive to the Christian community even as he urges it onward.

Through the course of the book, Fiddes deals with some of the most difficult tensions of real life and Christian theology. He has chapters on living in community, dealing with destructive authority, the point of prayer, the problem of suffering, the practice of forgiveness, death, spiritual gifts, and the nature of sacrament. He illuminates each of these profound problems through his model of the trinity as a dynamic community of relationship in which we may participate through the gracious love of the Father who draws us through the Son and in the Spirit. With insightful sensitivity and amazing grace, Fiddes shows how the trinity provides practical help, both as a symbol through which we may learn and as an actual, personal presence in our lives.

Where much philosophy and theology has little contact with life, Participating in God attempts to say something that will actually enrich real lives. It is rigorous and erudite, but it is also practical and accessible. Since it is cogent and daring, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the contemporary dialogue on the trinity; since it touches on all major aspects of Christian faith (including soteriology, Christology, and ecclesiology), it could serve as a compelling consideration of Christianity, both to the non-Christian and to the Christian wishing deeper immersion in their faith. To anyone interested in Christianity and willing to learn a little more, this book offers very, very much.

A sharp analysis of worldviews, basic attitudes and the consequences for our actions and the direction of human development, tackling the root causes of environmental degradation. A must-read for both environmentalists and economists, as it provides a framework to understand and find each other.

This is an ideal book for pastors and leaders who are looking for a resource for a new believer's or new member's study at a church. Dr. Whitney continues to challenge and equip biblically. If you have read Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life you will enjoy this work as well.

I was terribly disappointed in the this book and I have alreadysent it back for a refund. It is a VERY thin book with a large fontand the last third of it consists of lined sheets to use for discussion questions. I can use my own tablet, thankyouverymuch, and I don't think it's necessary to include these pages in the book - it's just padding! Not nearly enough content to justify the price. The only thing of value in the book are the definitions of literary terms, but you can look those up in any dictionary. I have seen other books that are far more valuable and I intend to pull them down off of the shelf and forget that I ever bought this one. END

I have been in a bookclub for 2 years. After we discovered this book, our discussions kept getting better and better. In the past, we had used reading guides that we found on the internet. We found that sometimes these questions were too involved or too specific. Talking about Books lists questions that you can use with any book. It is a great resource for new bookclubs as well as for already established ones.

Dr. Fineman's background in reading and education make her an authoritative voice on the intricacies of starting and maintaining a book club. I especially liked the step by step approach she takes to showing the process involved in getting a book discussion group going. This book would also be invaluable to those who are already involved in a book club, and who are seeking to make the experience a more interesting, organized and diverse one for all participants.

The story is basic, and a little boring, about a little girlbeing in her aunt's wedding. I didn't care for the illustrations. Iended up returning it, and it's box. I ordered the little ring bearer, but it took so long to deliver, I canceled it.

We ordered this lovely book (and it's companion "The Ring Bearer's Big Day") for our niece (age 6) and nephew (age 5). The books were better than we expected and were well worth the price. The kids thoroughly enjoyed them and acutally learned what to do. Other people in our wedding party subsequently bought them for their kids and are just as delighted. Thanks for carrying both titles.

I bought this book (and it's companion book, "The Ring Bearer's Big Day") for our Flower Girl and Ring Bearer. They absolutely loved the story(s). Just perfect for our 5 year old Girl, and 7 year old boy. They really prepare the kids for all the fun of being in a wedding. Thank you for having it in stock!! It was a little hard to find, but WELL worth the effort.

I found the first half of this book to be very slow. I was offended to the author's lack of respect for anyone who worship's outside his tradition/and or style. I don't think women or minorities would find their voice in worship led by Craig Erickson.