No comments about God's Choice CD: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church.

5 comments about All the Way to Heaven: A Surprising Faith Journey.

1. This beautiful tender book reveals the voice from the hiding place. Elizabeth's life is an inspiration. I also enjoyed her website http://www.elizabethsherrill.com which gives some more glimpses into the life of this amazing woman.



2. ...or any other from this era of writing, you will especially enjoy this book. While it is lovely and worthwhile reading on its own, stories about these Christian writers made it a double blessing for me - highly recommended!!



3. Elizabeth Sherrill goes all the way to the truth and to Jesus in her autobiography. She never faulters in the truth about herself and the people who have been meaningful during her life, yet writes without rancor showing that Jesus has brought healing and reconciliation where her "dragons" are concerned. This was one of those great reads where I tried to sneak in 10 minutes here and there throughout the day so I could journey on with Sherrill. I was never disappointed; found myself underlining sentences and passages. Was sorry to see the book end.



4. All The Way to Heaven by Elizabeth Sherrill is a beautiful story of growth and compassion that involves the reader in every aspect of the journey and carries the reader from a child's struggle to understand until the complex and complete answer on the very last page. Every moment of loss, indecision or struggle is only a step closer to the truth. And do we ever and always need to hear that. The entire book is an insightful and uplifting masterpiece of human endeavor. Elizabeth Sherrill is a dynamic and intelligent person with understanding of all human frailties. Yet her courage, her tenderness and her compassion is a magnificent testimony to love and faith.



5. Such a rich, cohesive tapestry of one's inner life! Elizabeth Sherrill has had a bit of practice writing about other people - but taking hard, honest looks in the mirror and typing away ain't easy. The human trials are what make All the Way to Heaven such a deep, engrossing story. I also loved the mini-profiles of the many people in her life - especially Mea.

1 comments about Consider It Done.

1. I loved this book!! The persistance of God's love, power, weaving of lives together in the realities of life were the truth! This family's love, FAITH is a standing power of the works, vastness, greatness of God's existance in our lives, if we let him. Thank you for writing this book, I am a Military Mom and my son has been over in the Middle East 4 times, he is on his last tour. God bless you and please write a sequel!! Blessings, Kate Lorish

5 comments about Worth The Room: An Autobiography of Survival and Service.

1. WORTH THE ROOM BY REVEREND PAUL LACHLAN PECK, M.Ed., is the touching autobiography of the author, whose mother died when he was just a baby, and he grew up with a cruel step-mother and remote father. As a youngster he was blamed for everything his step brothers did wrong and was punished instead of these half-siblings. With warnings never to tell his father, his step-mother beat him with a rubber hose until he had whelps and bruises constantly on his emaciated and sickly body, while screaming at him "You're not worth the room you take up on this earth!" Overcoming this horrible childhood, which included sexual abuse from his step-mother, the author was able, with the help of some kind friends, to get out of the situation and find a meager job to support himself as a young teen, although he still had to send money home to help support his father's family. He worked his way through college, a loveless marriage of seventeen years, rearing two children, and finally realized and acknowledged that a large part of his misery as an adult was that he was a closet gay, a fact which he had concealed from even himself. The book chronicles the milestones of his terrible early life, the way he found his freedom and self-worth, and the successful career he had as a fund-raiser, counselor and minister to young people on college campuses, with hundreds he saved from drug abuse and suicide. Nearing the end of his life, he has written this book in his seventies because when he was young and his aunt learned about what he had suffered, she told him that someday he should write a book to help others and heal hinself. Worth the Room is worth the read!



2. Amazon Book Review, "WORTH THE ROOM," by Rev. Paul L. Peck
   
   Through the author's autobiography we see an unlikely sequence of events. The first of these is the brutal horror of severe and prolonged child abuse. Amazingly, this did not turn the young Paul Peck against society. But what sets this true story apart from most other abusive situations was the sense of humility he developed on reaching adulthood. This was intertwinded with an innate spirituality: a deep love for God and his fellow-man. His intuitive belief in spiritual healing led him to accept Christian Science almost as soon as he heard of it.
   While he was highly successful in helping others, he was not spared from carrying a heavy cross in his personal life. This included a difficult marriage, estrangement from his children, and forced separation from the Church he so dearly loved. Much of this was due to his sexual orientation.
   "Worth The Room" explains how the author worked through these challenges.
   I highly recommend "Worth The Room," not only to those looking into different expressions of spiritual practice; it is especially helpful for those facing seemingly impossible obstacles in their own experience.
   
   Bruce Stores is author of "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE: It's Encounter With Lesbian/Gay America." iUniverse Inc., 2004



3. "Worth The Room" is the life story of a survivor! It is a story of abuse, of helping others and of success!
   
   While reading the book, it drove home the philosophy that life is all about choices. We all have the power to change, no matter what our past experiences. In life, there are times when the challenges we face are enormous, but we are the ones that decide upon the choices we make. Paul Lachlan Peck had to make choices; and the choices he made led him to success.
   
   The book also reinforced the point that there is always someone is worse off than oneself. If you find that you're feeling sorry for yourself, or if you find yourself overwhelmed, read this book. Paul's childhood was one, which I hope many of us did not have to endure. His life was full of challenges in his work, in his family life, and with his own gender identity. Paul's story is an inspiration, one in which he overcame many challenges, and went on in life to help others lead a more rewarding life.
   
   I found myself still thinking about the book even when I was not reading it. It kept my interest and drew me to keep reading. You may find that some of the ideas in the book will challenge your own thinking.
   
   Reverend Paul Lachlan Peck certainly is "worth the room" he takes up on this earth. He is a man who has given back to others more that he ever had! Truly an inspiring book that I heartily recommend



4. "If it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger." Paul Lachlin Peck's autobiography, Worth The Room, begs the truthfulness of that statement.
   
   Worth moved this reader to tears with each turned page. The child abuse, although painful, found balance in moments of great triumph. Exhilarating conquests of normal and paranormal quests are woven into the fabric of Paul's life experience.



5. Paul Peck's new book "Worth the Room" is worth the read on several levels. As its subtitle implies, this autobiography of survival and service is the moving record of a man who suffered much abuse in life, particularly in his early years, but who through persistent hope and innate goodness, managed to turn his damaged life into one of service and profit to others. It is a particularly poignant story, told honestly and vividly by its subject, but that alone is not what makes it stand out among other accounts of people who have turned the ill in their lives to good. Also contributing to its interest and value, but again not its uniqueness as a narrative, is the author's account of his struggle to find his gender identity.
   
   What does make the whole stand out so remarkably to my reading, however, is the psychical and spiritual dimension of the author's life. Skeptics may attribute the psychic phenomena that Peck describes to delusional impulses caused by the traumas he suffered, but it would take an especially hardened skeptic to attempt to refute in this manner all of the evidences Peck brings forth to the contrary. On the other hand, those who are more open to considering the possibilities of psychic communication and healing will find much here to encourage their own spiritual exploration of the same. And those who are firmly convinced of their reality will find many causes for joy and greater faith among the many episodes recounted in this volume, as well as a challenge to discover what more comfort and healing we as human beings can bring to one another.

1 comments about What I Learned When I Was Ten: Lessons That Shaped My Life And Faith.

1. This was almost a great book. Almost.
   
   Had the book been more about the people who made us what we are and who we are--in this case, the people in Ellsworth Kalas' life--it would have been a much better book.
   
   The reader finishes wanting to know more about his hometown, more about the people who lived there and helped make Rev. Kalas the man he is today. We get a little of that, but not merely enough.
   
   Sadly, that was not Rev. Kalas' purpose. His purpose was to "preach" to us, as that is his custom and responsibilty as a man of the cloth. It would have been much better, in this case at least, if Mr. Kalas had "taken off the cloth" and let us have an indepth look at his hometown and its people, how they influenced him and made him what he is today.
   
   While the stories are good, the book comes across as a little "too preachy" It would been better to have been a longer book and led us (the reader) into an awareness of the lessons being taught, rather than hit us over the head with specific examples of specific lessons.
   
   It needs a little more Ferrol Sams approach and a little less sermon.
   
   Still, not bad. Not at all. Just not as good or as powerful as it could be.

No comments about He Still Stands Tall: The Life of Roland Q. Leavell.

4 comments about The Healer: The Healing Work of Mary Baker Eddy.

1. This book is sorely needed. Those biographies of Mary Baker Eddy which do not leave one with the sense of God's comforting, ministering love and the overwhelming CHRISTIANITY of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science show that the authors have missed the boat.
   
   The world needs the true sense of the person who brought the Comforter. Mrs. Eddy did indeed overcome incredible obstacles, but mere human effort would never have done it. It certainly wasn't feminism. As Mrs. Eddy says, the mere recital of the events of a life without providing its spiritual nexus -- (I'm paraphrasing)-- is meaningless. Perhaps the best remedy for inclining towards this sort of mistaken approach is just what the author has provided -- a compilation of the actual healing work accomplished by this modern-day pioneer of Truth.
   
   There was only one or two things in the book that gave me a little problem. One was the author's conclusions regarding the Apostle Peter. On the face of it he seems to be saying that the early Church was practicing communism.
   
   I tend to go with the historians who say that Peter was never in Rome, and that that idea was a fiction invented by Constantine. He was the Apostle to the Jews and it is said that his bones were fairly recently discovered under the monastery at Dominus Flevit. (The Lord Wept.) This structure was supposed to be built at the location of the ancient crossroads where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
   
   Regardless, I don't think the early Church was practicing communism and requiring that Ananias and Sapphira turn over all their possessions and money; I think the problem was that they lied that they had given everything when they hadn't. I think they brought it on themselves. They were a couple of psychopaths who would have wreaked untold havoc in the church and the fact that they could not get past Peter is what is significant. But some Bible stories invite different interpretations, don't they?
   
   Many of the healings recounted in this compilation were published in some of the older publications that "the Church" in Boston is no longer printing. I remember reading a lot of them. And I would like to add that over the course of some 50 years it has been my observation that the most effective Christian Science healers have been the ones with the sort of viewpoint regarding Mrs. Eddy that is more in line with the recognition of her SPIRITUAL accomplishments rather than the mere founding of an organization. (Which idea is actually a misconception because Mrs. Eddy did NOT institute the material organization as it exists today; but her wishes were circumvented. Which is another issue.)
   
   Please see my other reviews of biographies of Mary Baker Eddy.



2. I had not heard of many of these healings. This book really points out that we need to do be more active healers.



3. This book reinforces the statement "all things are possible". Mary Baker Eddy saw into the spiritual realm and remarkable healings followed. She was way ahead of her time with her remarkable insight and healing but the world is slowly catching up. The general population now accepts many of her ideas that were once scoffed at. The mind-body connection and the power of prayer in healing have gone mainstream and prayer groups are now achieving what seemed medically impossible. This book of Mary Baker Eddy's healings is very inspiring and gives hope and encouragement to all. She left a wonderful gift for the world that can only be fully appreciated when we catch a glimpse of her message.



4. Facinating insight into the healing work of Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science. Well researched and annotated. Clear and convincing evidence that Mary Baker Eddy PRACTICED what she CLAIMED that she had found - the Science of Christianity and its Healing Power, The divine Power understood.

   This book may not convince the skeptics but I shared it with someone who had never heard of Mrs. Eddy and she devoured the book as fast as she could.

No comments about Lights of Fortitude: Glimpses Into the Lives of the Hands of the Cause of God.

1 comments about Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio (Vision Books).

1. Catherine Beebe has been given a gift that is truly unique and extroadanary! She has written in detail the lives of 2 very important and spiritual people.

5 comments about Little Girl Lost: One Woman's Journey Beyond Rape.

1. I found this book very interesting and helpful, as I was kidnapped, stabbed and raped 12 yrs ago....this book was one of the best I have read since that time....it takes a very strong survivor to write about such an ordeal...I hope to be able to write one someday...this is my goal in life as it may be able to help someone else...we need to get these rapists off the streat and to let everyone know that it is very important to report rapes...once again....thanks for a great book...



2. My review is based on, not only the book, but on real
   life events that me and her have faced together. Hi, im the stepdaughter of Leisha Joseph. I'm not only giving the book 5 stars because she's my stepmom but, because i have read the book, and it seems, even to a 13 year old like myself, interesting. I think she deserves the 5 stars for, all the hard work she's ever done in her life. Writing a book, writing tons of childrens books like her new Christmas one that just came out. Basically, going on with her life no matter what challenges lie ahead of her, Leisha, is the most loving person i have ever met.



3. Leisha, I went to convention this past week in Knoxville, Tennessee and on Saturday night when you spoke, it was such a wonderful yet scary story. I was touched by how strong you are. God has been there for you a lot and I hope that if I am ever in a situation like that, I will have the Faith to do what you've done. Thanks for speaking to us.



4. I was sitting at my aunts house when I seen this book and I grabbed it and read the short paragraph about the book and just that was enough for me to see I would love this book! So I asked my aunt to borrow it and brought it home and started reading it! I never wanted to put it down cause it always brought interest! I read the whole story and it inspired and amazed me! Never have I seen one person have so much faith in God! I would love to meet her and tell her my thoughts!



5. I read Leisha's book and it helped me to deal with some of the things that I had gone through on a personal level. I too came from a "Dysfunctional Family" I can relate because we have similar backgrounds even though our paths in life are different. At the time I first recalled a flash back and memories came back. There was not too many resources out there to read and to know that I wasn't alone.

   It is very difficult to deal with depression and flashbacks but Leisha's book assures you that through her spoken testamony that God was there. It was her faith in God that inspires you. Some of us were not raised in christian homes and it shows that God truly loves us through his grace. Rape can happen any where at any time and God does see all. He is a just and loving God despite what happens. Leisha's book has helped me to open up more to others and it is truly a blessing to know that someone else understands your hurt.

   When I was reaching out for help I found comfort when reading this book because there is so little on this subject that the church does not talk about. We need to talk about a topic that has wounded so many people out there. If you are a pastor, preacher, evangelist, lay person, councilor, rape victim or even a person who has never been through what she experienced please read this book! It will become a help resource that you can use to help those whom you love whom are rape survivors.