Just “Who Is Jesus Christ?” – A Book Review

The list of books available to select from this time around from The Catholic Company Book Reviewer Program made it hard to choose a book to read. There are some great sounding titles there. At first glance I passed on this book, “Who is Jesus Christ?” for many reasons. One of those reasons is that every Protestant Preacher seems to lean on and preach mainly out of this book, and not out of the whole Bible. But I kept coming back to it, and I finally picked it. I’m glad I did!

This books was a great read. It went through the 25 titles and names given to our Savior and Christ, Jesus. In each naming, Eric Sammons, the author, gives great detail behind each title, the meaning of that title or name, and why it is important. He adds text from the Leaders and Doctors of the Church and what they have had to say about the titles/names as well, adding more credence to what he says. He ends each section with a question about that name or title or the meaning behind it and how it effects you, or your response to it, which really got me thinking on many levels.

This book is a MUST READ for any person starting in theology, or at any level of theological studies, and should be read by every Christian, especially Catholics!

This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery and be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts while you are there.

Gaining financial wealth…

Over the past several years I have had a static page on my business web site (http://www.tdbellenterprises.com) under Individuals that gave advice on how to grow your wealth and make yourself successful. It also directed you to a list of books I highly recommended.

For the past three years, I have been studying and reading many books on life, business and success. Because of that reading and learning, I have updated both pages today and highly recommend you go check them out!

Here they are again:

Growing your individual wealth.
Recommended Reading.

Happy and profitable reading!

Bye Bye Kindle…

My wife and I both work at the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in Huntington WV. I start at 6AM and she starts at 7AM. I get off at 3:30PM and she gets off at 4:30PM. Because of this, in stead of car pooling, we each drive ourselves in each day. Well, this morning, we decided that after work we would go another half an hour east to a Pumpkin Festival right after work, so I took my Kindle in with me to go up to the waiting room in her area and read while I waited for her to get off. I put it in my locked locker in a badge access only locker room.

Someone I work with, or someone who someone I worked with allowed into the locker room, decided to go and pick the lock on my locker and remove my Kindle… Know, there are only three groups of people that have access to this locker room, 4 people from housekeeping, 10 people from my department, and about 10 people from our “sister” department. At the time the Kindle was taken, it looks like it was taken between 0635 when I left it there, and roughly 0730. I noticed it gone at 0905 however. So, that limits the number of people even more, as most of the people listed above don’t come in until 8AM or later.

Someone in my group is a thief, and I’m not happy about that… I have contacted Amazon, and they have made it so the Kindle can not be registered or download books so it is basically useless now. What a shame. And I was really getting into it!!! I guess I need to let my Christianity step in, forgive the person that took it, and move on, but it sure is hard to do!! I will pray for the thief and hope he or she enjoys the books (mostly religious) that were on it…

sigh…

Rebuild My Church – A Book Review

If you are a long time reader of my blog, you will know that I have been going through a religion conversion process and a process of renewal in my faith base. During this time, as I have grown in the Catholic Church, I have felt the need to express my renewal with the rest of the Church, which I feel is lacking in many aspects of growing, as I see the Church shrink each year.

This book, Rebuild My Church, written by Dr. Alan Schreck, does a good job of describing past renewal processes as well as new processes and how the Church has accepted and rejected them. He goes into great detail on what the Church expects and accepts as a valid renewal and rebuilding process, as well as what is not to be accepted by the Church.

I was, however, NOT happy with Chapter 6, as it felt like a triad against Msgr. Ronald Knox’s book Enthusiasm, and I fee it left little good context to the rest of the book.

That aside, this book is a good read, and well worth the reading, and I hope and pray when you read it, that you get renewed in faith and help build His Church!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Rebuild My Church and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there.

Believing in Jesus – A Book Review

Over the past 15 years, I have been studying various religions and the theology behind those religions. Six or so years ago I began “homing” in on the Catholic faith and converted a few years ago to the Catholic faith. I continue to grow in my “new found faith”, and in that function of growing, I am always wanting to get a deeper understanding of where the Church stands on things, and why.

This book was a great find to help me grow in understanding in the faith that God has led me to.

This book follows, loosely, the American version of the Catechism of the Church book released a few years ago. It does a very good job of describing why the Church believes as it does, ties it to the Bible, and explains the differences on a concept between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches in the Protestant areas.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for any Christian, so they can better understand where the Catholic Church comes from in it’s theology of life.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Believing in Jesus – 6th Edition Revised and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there.

A Conversion Story from the past, brought current! (A Book Review)

Saint Augustine lead a life of sin and “corruption” for many years back in the early 400ADs, including living with a lady for many years. His mother, a Catholic, prayed for him to find the Lord daily, and with tears and pain. It took many years, but Saint Augustine finally accepted the Lord into his life and he changed his ways, becoming a leader in the Church, a Doctor of the Church, and a great Theologian.

The book “No Turning Back, A Witness to Mercy“, written by Rev. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, chronicles the Author’s life, which closely mimics Saint Augustine’s life.

He starts out with excitement of his arrest at 15 in Japan, and subsequent deportment back to the US, with a stamp on his passport stating he can’t come back.. He then jumps back in time and begins telling his story from roughly 10 years of age on up to around 20, and the trails and tribulations he creates for his family and himself. He tells about the drugs he took, the people he hung out with, and the problems he caused. He goes into detail about the deportation and his going to rehab for the first time, and then his immediate return to drugs, booze, and women.

During this time, his Mother finds the Catholic Church and the rest of his family converts to the Catholic faith, which he declines and continues on his way. His mother begins to pray for him daily, and frequently to find peace in the Lord, placing prayer cards in his cloths when he is home, under his pillow, etc. He ignores these attempts to convert himself, and continues on in his ways.

As he nears 20 years of age, he throws a BIG drug/booze/women party at his parents house and begins to feel like things are not right. After kicking everyone out of the house, and attempting to clean up the house, he begins to see things differently.

One night, several months later he picks up a book on Divine Mercy, about Mother Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and starts feeling that he must change his ways. He reads the book all night, and when his mother gets up he wants to know more, and runs off to the post Chapel to begin his “official” conversion, which had already happened internally. As time progresses he ends up becoming an Ordained Priest in a Religious Order dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.

This is a VERY compelling book, that I HIGHLY recommend to everyone and anyone interested in learning more about the good Graces of God!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on No Turning Back (book). I was provided with a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.

Praying with the Saints – A book Review.

For the past year or so, I have been having discussions with Debbie and others about praying with Saints, Mother Mary, and such and how the Catholic Church represents this. I figured I would read this book to see what had to say.
While the book is a good read, it didn’t fully answer my question as to how I can more fully answer the questions or standpoints of others.

That said, it is a good book, and has a lot of good content dealing with those souls between life and heaven as seen in the Catholic view point. The Author, Susan Tassone, who has written many books, takes us through various Old and New Testament texts that explain about the time between death and “rising to heaven” or “descending to hell”. Of course this book focuses on the “rising” part.

She covers how various Church Leaders and Saints of the Church lived their lives in pray for the dead, and how to carry on their processes today. Much of what she says are things I would (and probably will) do as I move forward in my spiritual journey.

I would recommend this book to anyone.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Annulment, 100 Questions and Answers for Caholics – A Book Review

Annulment, 100 Questions and Answers for Catholics

The authors have taken 100 common questions that have been asked by people, including myself, and break down what the annulment process is all about. They explain what the annulment means, the people involved in the process, from a “top level” what the process consist of, including answering concerns about what happens at each stage, what the appeal process is, for both the petitioner and the respondent, then it closes with ways of keeping a marriage together.

This book is written in a clear, easy to read way. It debunks some myths of the Catholic Annulment process, and helps you through the mental process of going forward with an annulment should you need one. A good book to look to if you have questions about the annulment, or are thinking about going to your Priest for one.

I am about to start the process of an annulment myself, and this book answered many of my questions. I will probably also get a copy of this book for my parents and others in my family so they understand what I will be going through and why I am going through the process.