3 stars (I wanted to love this book, but...) - ...I got so weary of the incessant complaining about the current government administration. I would've rather she filled those pages with more stuff about her family, her mom, her son. But every time she turned around she was complaining about the government. It was the same kind of thing that really hurt Tony Hendra's "Father Joe" in my opinion, but here it's much more damaging to the flow of the book. Once I "kinda" got past that it was a great read, but not nearly as memorable as her previous memoir, "Traveling Mercies." Worth a read if you love Annie's writing, and I do, but probably to be missed otherwise. 4 stars (For Lamott Readers, But Certainly NOT For Bush Fans) - Anne Lamott is a writer's writer. And what I mean by that is that she writes on a level most writers would LOVE to make it to. She's easy to read while, at the same time, having a deep message, and a raucous sense of humor. I got hooked on her years ago when I read BIRD BY BIRD, a book that I still refer to often whenever I need to "get real" about my own writing life. I was pleased to learn that these are short memoirs of her life, a collection of short stories. The short story form seems to be making a modest comeback, and I loved the fact that a collection of them made it to the New York Times' list, too. But lets get into the meat and potatoes of the book now ... This is a look at Ms. Lamott's life through her own eyes, and she wears everything on her sleeve, including her disdain for the Bush administration, her dislike of young children, her poor motherhood skills, and her struggles with faith. Examples ... Lamott has to deal with the death of her Alzheimer's mother, pulling the urn that contains her mother's ashes out of her closet. And as she does, she reminisces about the final months of her mother's life: "Her purse was a weight, ballast; it tethered her to the earth as her mind floated away. It was also health and preparedness, filled... Riverhead Hardcover :: Religion & Spirituality :: Women :: United States :: Spiritual :: Religious :: Religion :: Novelists :: American :: Lamott :: Anne :: Inspirational :: Faith :: Christian biog :: Plan B- Further Thoughts on Faith
5 stars (Brother Yun- a servant of the Lord) - This book will impact you. What really struck me is how God shows Himself in vessels who willingly surrender themselves. "The Heavenly Man" is a story of a simple man who on his own did not do anything extraordinary. The one thing that Brother Yun did do was believe. He believed, trusted and obeyed. This book puts a human face on what it means to trust and obey. It has helped me immensely to realize that even today, God still works miracles. I have come to realize that we often don't see the hand of God because we don't really believe. There is really nothing more that I can say about this book than to say that it will impact you. I am very thankful that Brother Yun has shared his story. I give it my highest recommendation. 5 stars (Take up your cross and follow me) - This remarkable true story of brother Yun is a counter balance to the current prosperity teaching now prevelant in the West. It brings to life the words of our Saviour "take up your cross and follow me." Though the continual brutality of the Chinese prison authorities towards brother Yun can be a bit depressing his continued faith and deep relationship with the Lord is amazing. It is a true story which will challenge and inspire every true Christian. A MUST READ! 5 stars (I will show you what you must suffer for my names sake!) - This is the incredible and miraculous story of Brother Yun a Chinese Christian who risks everything to serve the Lord. This book is full of miracles and in stark contrast the horrible torture and beatings and prison time that Brother Yun has experienced serving his Lord. The book is very engaging and one gets views of what is happening from Yun's wife and fellow Co-workers. The book is very truthful as Brother Yun narrates his story and his failures to listen to the Lord and the consequences for his actions. He also suffered while being in the perfect will of the Lord. This maybe a very hard book fo... Monarch Books :: Religious :: Religion :: Missions & Missionary Work :: General :: Biography & Autobiography :: Paul Hattaway :: :: The Heavenly Man- The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
4 stars (Let Anne tell her story) - God rescued Anne from a horrible situation. And the thing that broke the ice, so to speak, was something that most church-goers like myself hardly think of as a missionary outreach: the simple act of singing songs of praise to God when we are gathered together. At that point in her life, Anne wasn't much interested in hearing preaching, but the music, and then the love, drew her in. God, in his sovereign will, chose to use a Christian congregation far outside of my "box" to reach Anne. And as the story goes on, we see that Anne also has her God in a pre-conceived box. But I, from my conservative point of view, have to be merciful, remembering what God has brought Anne, and me, out of. Every Christian is in recovery, from all the crap of our past whatever it was. And with God's help, we are growing, learning to love those who don't think like we do, and slowly realizing that God is beyond any of our human boxes: totally awesome, pure, wise, loving, forgiving, patient.... Anne Lamott, I, every Christian, are "traveling" on that road to greater faith, and we are in constant need of God's "mercies." 5 stars (A real conversion experience, in all its messiness) - Salvation and baptism are for people stained with sin, people who have been walking too long on the wrong path. It's amazing that Christians, who know this about salvation, fail so regularly at depicting what a conversion experience is like. Lamott tells a lot of stories and shares a host of ruminations in this book, but her account of her conversion experience is the highlight and is more than worth the price of the book. 5 stars (We're Only Human) - Anne Lamott style of writing and style of life make this collection of essays a delight to read. She's honest, humble, humorous and spiritual-all wrapped up in a nice package. Every person reading this book will identify with the life challenges, questions about faith and quirky happenings that Anne speaks about. She ... Anchor :: Reading Group Guide :: Religion & General :: Women novelists :: American :: Women :: United States :: Religious :: Religion :: Mothers and sons :: Literary :: Christian b :: Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith
Barcode Software/ Christian b 
