TWAOAP is quite a fine piece of work. It has every government agency, official, and congressmen and their addresses. I would not know, but I guess this is an assassin's dreamhouse!

I have only good things to say about the man John Piper, both as a theologian and pastor. I was however, a little disapointed with this book. I love all three of these Christian heros and was very excited to read about their lives and ministries especially agaist the backdrop of their blatent failures. Piper however, spends more time molding their lives into three preset themes he wishes to discuss then their lives themselves. His chosen themes are Sovereign Joy, Sacred Study, and The Divine Majesty of the Word.

This book is certainly not a biography (something that is tipped off by its 150 pages of large type) but is interesting if you wish to read about all of the aformentioned ideas. It certainly is a quick read and worth the edification. I would reccommend though that after this book you read some of the men themselves to get a fuller picture of their lives and more importantly, how they display God's glory.

Most reviewers have hit upon the highlights of this book. I do not feel the need to repeat it.

This book is a set of mini-biographies of the lives of three flawed saints. I emphasize the word "flawed" because one of the things I appreciated most about this book was how it emphasized each man's weaknesses and sin. These were flawed saints. There is no saint who is not flawed. When it comes to heroes, there is an easy downward slip from the desire for imitation to the discouragement of intimidation to the deadness of resignation. Seeing their weaknesses and how God's grace triumphed in them is to see Christ's strength perfected in weakness.

And seeing how they sang of their sovereign joy of God in the midst of incredible opposition both from the world and their sin gives me hope; for I am flawed, I am imperfect, and I struggle with sin. But oh, I sing for my Sovereign Joy! There is hope in these pages that even men of God sin, but God pulls them out of the mirey clay as an example of His grace, not their greatness.

While I wish Piper could have gone a little bit deeper, I found in his book enough to meditate upon, and a spark has ignited a desire to learn more about these men in order to see their God, their Sovereign Joy.

John Piper's series of biographies, The Swans Are Not Silent, of which this is the first book, is so named for multiple reasons that come out in the preface. When Augustine was handing over his administrative duties to an assistant named Eraclius, Eraclius was asked to give a message. As Augustine sat silently on the bishops throne behind, Eraclius said, "The cricket chirps, the swan is silent." This is how I feel looking at the way that God has impacted men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Owen, and even Piper. Being motivated by the grace that God has shown them in their lives and learning from their lessons, as I go out to the world with the motive of Paul that is seen in so many of these great men in history, "Him we declare, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom so that we may present everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28 ESV)," my words feel like the chirps of crickets next to the songs of these gifted swans. Sometimes, one of the best ways to let their songs be sung is to let them sing them for themselves through the words that they wrote and the testimony that they left. That is what John Piper has done in this book, and it has definitely had its desired effect.

As a big fan of Augustine's writing I give this book five stars. The way that he has interwoven his thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences with the humble eloquence of repentance will have you as the reader very exuberant. In reading this work you will learn more of Augustine's life, the spiritual turmoil he faced, and how he came to knowledge of the truth in a most triumphant manner. Although, that's not all that you will find interesting in the Confessions. In fact once Augustine converts to Catholicism and discovers the mystery of the faith, he then proceeds to fill in the blanks philisophically were he had once been left in error. Finally Augustine ponders on the book of Genesis and discourses a respectable point of view on the creation of heaven and earth. Oh Yeah! I forgot to explain how Augustine corresponds the subject matter of this book with a profound emphasis on the Holy Scriptures. So I recommend this masterpiece to anyo ne who has a love for great Latin literature, or to all that wish to read the prestige of Christian writings.

After Sacred Scripture itself, perhaps no other book has brought more people to a deeper understanding of the truths of the Christian faith than "Confessions." Simply put, it's the story of one well-educated, intelligent man who led a profligate life in a sophisticated pagan society. It took his mother, prayer, and the grace of Almighty God to make him a saint--and indeed one of the greatest saints of the Catholic Church.

What is most striking about Augustine's story is how easily it relates to our own lives and our own times. It is impossible to read "Confessions" without seeing a little bit of yourself in his tales of his early life. The book is perfect for anyone struggling with their Christian faith. Indeed, it helped bring me back to the Catholic Church.

This translation is well-written and highly readable. I own it and highly recommend it.

St. Augustine's Confessions is a treasure of Western literature, and, much like the book of Job and the Psalms, really belongs to the heritage of the entire culture and has transcended sectarian importance. That is not to say that these books are not religiously important--of course they are, and the Confessions perhaps even more so to a confessing Christian. Much of what the entire Western church still believes comes straight from the mind and pen of St. Augustine, and to understand his mind one really needs to read the Confessions. Nearly the entire orthodox Catholic tradition of fall-redemption theology sprung full-formed from Augustine's mind, which can be seen in his allegorical interpretaiton of Genesis 1, the section that ends the Confessions and gives them an "unfinished" quality. Augustine was a well-known and revered man when he wrote this book, and rather goes out of his way to depict himself as a youthful deviant to his followers. This is both a heuristic device and what Ausgustine really believes about himself; he is interested in his flock realizing his own fallenness and finitude, and seeing it in themselves as well. A brilliantly modern book for fourth-century fare, it is amenable (at the risk of anachronism)to a multitude of interpretations. Here one can find existential angst, control-dramas, the quest for and the overturning of the ego-self, and an almost pathological study of human guilt (it has been quipped that if the Saint from Hippo had had a good psychotherapist, the Church might have been spared nearly two millennia of sexual dysfunction). Augustine's conversion in the garden reads almost like a kensho experience in Zen. Read the book and draw your own conclusions, but never forget that, as you read, you are sitting at the feet of (and in judgement of) one of the sharpest minds ever produced in Latin Christianity. He writes, "For although I cannot prove to mankind that these my confessions are true, at least I shall be believed by those whose ears are opened to me by love" Book 10.3, and whether or not your ears are open to him in love, they should at least be open. Augustine always has something to say to the careful reader, and no less a careful reader than Derrida lui-même is an inveterate reader and student of Augustine's. Quite a compliment from a reader who certainly does not share Augustine's faith concerns....

Looking for a good escape while sunning on the beach? Here it is in the guise of cooking guru Anthony Bourdain's novel of a transvestite mafia boss - husband and wife CIA hitmen - seedy St. Maarten - unsuspecting chef and wife - and an ex-mafia boss with a colostomy bag. Bourdain has cooked up a trash-fest of characters and locales that will keep you amusingly occupied for a day or so of fun reading. While somewhat predictable and definitely filled with Bourdain's unique sense of plot development, this was a very easy read. Character development is mostly good although there are some characters who Bourdain develops nicely and then disposes of ... manipulation of the cruelest sort.

Those foodies out there hoping for the cooking overtones of Bone in the Throat will be somewhat disappointed (only a few forays into Bourdain's cooking descriptions). Bourdain does do a nice job of setting the scene in St. Maarten though.

The ending leaves one hanging to a certain extent ... perhaps there will be a sequel. Being a fan of Bourdain's writing in Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour, Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo one can only hope that he continues to explore the seedy underbelly of life more in future fiction. Have fun.

I'll move to New York and eat at Les Halles twice a week. Mid-week, of course.

I loved "Bone in the Throat," and was delighted to find major characters re-appearing in "Gone Bamboo." I read it in an afternoon, and heck! I didn't think it was too hardboiled. In fact,I did cry in a couple of places. Like Elmore Leonard, Bourdain knows how to write dialogue. He also knows how to create characters, and write a pageturning plot. The sense of place, in this case St. Martin, is done so well that I could feel the sand between my toes, smell the barbecue shacks and want to run to the fidge hoping to find a bottle of Red Stripe.

Bourdain has a nice touch especially with creating strong female characters. Frances, the female protagonist, is now my idol and role model.

Tony's second venture into fiction writing is just as good as his first. Once again centered on the mafia, Gone Bamboo leaves out much of the culinary aspect that was present in his first book, Bone in the Throat. This book has the ability to grab the reader and hold him/her in it's grip, constantly turning pages, dying to know what happens next.

This book appears to be a forum for expressing a variety of personal opinions. There is something to offend everyone. Pit bulls are misunderstood lambs. All drug users should be thrown in jail. NAFTA makes everybody feel like the losing side. Smoking is good. Owning many guns is a good idea. Too bad freon isn't available anymore. The new stuff doesn't cool as well, environment be .... And on and on. This book would have been much more interesting as a novel instead of political polemic.

Allana Martin's novels realistically capture the Rio Grande borderlands of the Big Bend. She has developed several of her characters through her series, so reading more than one work provides the reader with more character depth. Martin paints her heroine in realistic tones, revealing both good and questionable elements of her personality. Texana becomes embroiled in events that reach into diverse pieces of border culture--religious, folk, superstitous, cynical, and ordinary. The deadly influence of the great disparities between the two sides of the border that produce the drug lords, smuggling, and illegal trade in endangered species of this story are grounded in realities that those who live near Presidio know only too well. The local color in these novels runs true. This particular one is a fine example of Martin's style. If you enjoy it, read her others. If not, best stay away.

This book opened both my and my husbands' eyes to the haunting beauties and chilling problems facing border dwellers in the Chihuahua desert regions and made us long to visit. Ms Martins' vivid description of Texana and her husband Clay (not to mention Phobe the bob cat) held our attention throughout the book. I did not find the build up slow, the trip to Sanchez's ranch and its contrast with the simple church where the body was found just painted the vast differences to be found in the area. The fact that a pit bull was suspected of being the Saint makers killer was unusual but animals sometimes are what humans teach them to be. Texana's generosity and curiosity lead her into danger (again) and she finds out that things are not always what they seem even for a Saint maker. The denouement was exciting, in all, a thoroughly good read.

The title of this book, "Paul Between Damascus and Antioch", is a little misleading. This book is not nearly as much about Paul as it is about earliest Christianity.

Hengel explores the first 15-20 years of the Christian movement in great detail. Unlike many scholars today, Hengel gives the book of Acts a great deal of respect as a reliable source of historical information for this era. This aspect was refreshing.

Unfortunately, I did not come away from this book with the belief that I had learned much of anything about the person of Paul. However, I did learn a great deal about the Christian movement in the 30's and 40's C.E.

A basic knowledge of Greek vocabulary would be beneficial to the reader of this book, but its certainly not necessary. You can know nothing of the Greek language and still learn much.

A much superior book on Paul is by F.F. Bruce entitled, "Paul - Apostle of the Heart Set Free".

Dr. Martin Hengel is currently the top NT historian alive in the eyes of many NT authorities. Here he is at his best. This rich treatment of Pual's early history as a convert has already made a huge impact on Pauline studies around the globe. Hengel's capacity to surface an authentic sketch of earliest Christian history and issues related to first century Judaism sets the standard for leading edge NT scholarship. I recommend this book very highly for anyone serious about the subject matter.

Greek language skills are recommended, but perhaps not necessary.

CELTIC SAINTS contains biographies of twenty-one men and women including Patrick, Brigid of Kildare and Brendan The Navigator. The stories of the various saints are a mixture of fact and legend. In some ways the book reads like a popular history of Ireland and the nearby Celtic areas of Scotland and Wales during the Middle Ages.

The illustrations by Ann MacDuff are magnificent. If you have any love for Ireland and Celtic culture, you will probably appreciate this little book.

Excellent source of resource material on famous Jewish personalities and institutions in Russia - the Soviet Union, especially St. Petersburg at the turn of the century. Few such books exist in English. Expecting more such books.

This book is a fun one for penetrating the world of the medieval monk. Hermann is a delightfully loquacious observer of the workd around him with an idiosyncratic view on everything. Nelson has done a great job capturing the flavor of the man and his times. I'm not giving it full marks though because the lack of an index is problematic for those of us who want to find specific passages quickly!

If your on a spiritual quest, this book could be a God-send. It touches on the BASIC principles of the rule of St.Benedict. "That everything we do in life offers a chance to sing God's praises" is Benedictine spiritually in a nutshell. In the Benedictine attitude there are no nonreligious domains. There are no unholy and holy places, there are no unholy and holy times and activities. EVERYTHING needs to be regarded as holy, EVERYTHING is an object for sanctification. Whether were mopping the floor or cleaning the altar linens in church, we should approach things in the same manner - what a beautiful concept. The thing that attracts me most about Benedictine spiritually is that it is not mysterious, esoteric or unachieveable. It relates entirely with "living in this world"!
If this appeals to you - living like a monk in the real world - this book will serve as a place to "test the waters" before diving in(only 88 pages)and pursuing it more in depth.