The Birth of I Confess – Book-Reviews
The Birth of I Confess
I dreamed since I was fourteen years old to spend most of my existence writing. I began reading at this time, and reading became my passion. I knew this was the vocation for me. I wanted to continue to read and then write that best selling novel.As my years progressed I continued to read and write, structuring some poems, and short stories, and working on a few novels. I didn't do anything with the novels, short stories or poems, but it was a thrill in just writing them.One day I began writing about one hundred short stories. I kept them in a binder and continued to write them. I was reading a BLACK ROMANCE magazine one day, and their stories sounded so familiar to mine. The writing techniques were similar, and the stories were of love and romance. I believed I had the same ingredient that this magazine was looking for in the guidelines, so I submitted a few of my short stories, and hoped for the best. I really wanted to write for this magazine.Of course writing doesn't come that easy, or anything that you want out of life. You have to work diligently to make it happen, and this is what I had to do to write for BLACK ROMANCE Magazine. The first five of my short stories were rejected, but the editor was very nice. She wrote some interesting and helpful comments on one of my short stories, and told me to resubmit with the revised changes. I was happy as a lark because I still had a chance to make my writing debut in this magazine.I resubmitted the story about three times, and then finally I received a contract in the mail. They were going to publish my short story, THE BUS STOP ROMANCE. This was one of my favorite short stories because I actually met a man on the bus stop when I was going to work one hot summer day in May. I was overjoyed beyond comprehension. I had to keep looking at the contract because it was amazing to get a published story. I had finally made it as a writer, and I loved every minute of it. My story was published in JIVE Magazine, an affiliate of BLACK ROMANCE Magazine in the November 2000 issue.I continued to write for the magazine, ending up writing nineteen short stories. I had so many stories left over that I decided to put them into a novel form. I CONFESS was born. It's a collection of confession short stories for the modern relationship with a touch of reality. I'm very proud of my debut novel, which was published and released on December 18, 2004 by Publishamerica.Some of the short stories included in my novel are: LIES BY ASSOCIATION, about a marriage trying to be saved; THE JAILBAIT, a woman who falls in love with a very dangerous man; LIVING LARGE, three plus-size women who definitely have it going on; NOT UNTIL I'M MARRIED, a woman who finds a man who turns out to be something very different from other men; REJECTION, an overweight woman who is so in love with her boyfriend, she decides to lose the weight and teach him a lesson, or does she? THE ICE BENEATH THE FIRE, a woman dreams of skating, and her mate who is right there by her side, maybe; THE TEASE, a woman who is so angry with men she uses them, but payback is something else; BELLS AND BUTTERFLIES, an interracial couple's love; EMAILING LOVE, finding love on the internet; HE PROPOSED, a woman finally getting married; MILITARY LOVE, falling in love and then losing that love; I'M FORTY AND HE'S EIGHTEEN, a woman finds love with a man half her age; TWENTY-TWO YEARS LATER, finding love after so many years; EX'S, getting back with your husband you divorced; YOU CHEATING DOG; a woman gets even with her cheating man; I'M A SLAVE FOR YOU, tired of being a slave for her man, she takes matters into her own hands; BUSINESS LOVE, can a man and women mix business with pleasure? NATIVE NEW YORKER, a woman finding love in the big apple; PARTING IN SWEET LOVE, a long distance romance; IN LOVE WITH AN OLDER MAN, an eighteen year old finding love with a much older man; THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, waiting until marriage; IN LOVE WITH MY SISTER'S HUSBAND, sisters in love with the same man; THE FIVE DAY SEPARATION, a husband and wife's martial problems in five days, etc. My book is a page turner, and you won't be disappointed.My goal is to sell a million copies of my book, and to do that I need everyone to purchase my book. My cover is green and gorgeous, and I'm very proud to be associated with this project.My joy of writing is for everyone to enjoy my book, and maybe get something out of one of my stories. I'd hope that one of my stories were the answers to a dilemma in someone's life. I know I read all the time and in most of the books the characters are going through the same avenue of problems that I find myself going through constantly and on a regular basis. It gives me significant hope that the way I solve my problems, is the way someone else is doing the same thing. The answers that I'm searching for is right there in a book.I write because I just love telling stories, and taking along my characters to do anything I want them to do, and then some. Writing is also therapeutic for a lot of people, including myself. I find when I get so depressed about something happening or not happening in my life, I'd get my laptop computer and write about it. I like writing stories with happy endings because they're most of my dreams. I can write a happy ending to my life and live with it. If only this could strike into real life, then there would be a lot of exciting people living today in this world, and less chaos going on.My job is to promote my book, and continue to let it be known to the world that books are the revolution of education. Reading a book is better than just watching television, going to movies, and clubs. It's the most relaxing time of a very emotional and difficult work week.Why not sit back in your favorite chair, in your favorite room and catch up on some reading with a romantic book of love, and reality situations in the world of dating?Buy I CONFESS and enjoy a ride of good reading, and happily ever after endings; in a setting of a splash of reality scenarios in the real world. (1,144)My name is Carol Ann Culbert Johnson. Please visit my website at: http://www.freewebs.com/jcarolann Also please purchase I CONFESS at http://www.publishamerica.com. I reside in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois. My email is: http://www.jcarolannjohnson@aol.com.
Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery – Article 3 – Book-Reviews
Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery - Article 3
Quite a lot happened in Europe between 1002AD, when the Vikings hurriedly packed their longships and retreated back to the colder climes of Greenland, and 1492AD, when the Spanish caravels, with Columbus so confident at the helm, accidentally stumbled across the forgotten continent.The period, collectively known as the Renaissance, saw a general revival of interest in intellectual thought. Science was studied, with fresh experiments conducted and new conclusions drawn, laws were introduced to control the growing populations and to create more stable societies, medicines were used to cure illness and prolong life, astonomers peered farther into the unknown universe, while geographers mapped and plotted the earth.All of these advances were aided by the invention of the movable type and a working printing press, which for the first time made books and maps easy to produce and allowed knowledge to be readily available to all.While Spain united to drive out the Moors and the other major European countries generally moved closer to becoming nation states, so the merchants also started to trade with far-off places and in particular with the other main hubbub of civilization, namely the East (principally China, India and Persia).This trade brought all sorts of attractive items into daily use and it wasn't long before Europe started to thrive on this vital commerce, though events were suddenly brought to a premature halt by the rise of the Muslems in the Middle East who moved to blockade the profitable trade routes.When Constantinople, the established base of the Christian Byzantium Empire, finally fell to the forces of the Ottaman Turks in 1453, the trade virtually dried up. The merchants were doomed and a continent that had become more or less dependant on this trade suddenly felt the need to find an alternative route to regain access to this lucrative market.At that time Portugal was the leading maritime nation in Europe, holding vital access to the Atlantic Ocean, the unknown frontier and as a few believed the real key to access the eastern markets. As they started to explore into this ocean they first found tiny chains of islands - Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands - but they then turned their ships southwards to chart the continent of Africa. The Atlantic was still too big, too unknown, and they decided to play it safe and stick to the coastline. Their plan was to try and get around the tip of Africa and then to access Asia across the Indian Ocean. This was a safe route, making sense on the maps of the time, as to their knowledge the American continent quite simply did not exist.How things were going to change!This excerpt is taken from the third chapter of Discovery - The Story of America by Anthony Treasure. This book is already published in the UK (listed on Amazon.co.uk) and is due to be published in the US at a later date. For now it is published as an ebook and as a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER Discovery Part One is available to download COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. Three further titles - Discovery Part Two, Colonization Part One and Colonization Part Two are also out as ebooks and can be bought and downloaded from the website. To claim your free ebook today simply visit http://www.farawaybooks.com
Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry Book Review – Book-Reviews
Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry Book Review
Author: Thomas C. Oden
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st ed edition (May 1, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN: 0060663537Book Content:Introduction: What is Pastoral Theology?I. Becoming a Minister
The Discovery of Pastoral Identity
The Call to Ministry
The Meaning of Ordination
Women in the Pastoral OfficeII. The Pastoral Office
Shepherding as Pivotal Analogy
The Offices and Gifts of MinistryIII. What Clergy Do and Why
The Pastor of the Worshipping Community
The Ministry of Eucharist and Baptism
The Ministry of Word Through Preaching
The Teaching Elder
Equipping the Laity for MinistryIV. Pastoral Counsel
Pastoral Visitation
The Care of Souls
The Work of the Holy Spirit in Comfort, Admonition and DisciplinePastoral Theology Essentials of Ministry is a "must have" resource for all persons contemplating entering the ministry, those who want to understand the role of pastors more clearly, and those ministers who want to review their role in the light of a systematic reflection on the pastoral office in general.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more than I did his Agenda for Theology. I think he presented his theory of ordained ministry, including a definition of its functions and duties underlying theological principles method, in a succinct and easily understood manner. The whole book is a treasure of resouces for all desiring to increase understanding of this office and what it means to be a pastor. My comments however, are limited to the three chapters that stand out most for me: Women in the Pastoral Office, The Care of Souls and Pastoral Care of the Dying.Women in ministry will find Oden's favorable position on women performing in pastoral capacities quite enlightening, affirming and Biblically sound. He makes some significant observations that certainly challenge the most intransigent opposition. Most of the controversial discussions over the legitimacy of women in the pastoral ministry arise because of hermeneutical differences. In Pastoral Theology, Oden presents his own hermeneutics as well as the hermeneutics of those who object to women's ordination to the pastoral ministry. He argues in support of women on the basis of the larger Biblical picture; he looks for the general principles found inherent in the flow of Scriptures. He also takes into account the historical and cultural dynamics within which the inspired writer wrote. Implicit in Oden's comments is the notion that the issue of women is not simply or merely academic. It lies at the very heart of our struggle to stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.Oden brilliantly distinguishes pastoral care of souls from other pastoral functions by illuminating its primary focus on individual need and the personal character of the pastor's involvement with the parishioner. His approach is holistic and deeply human.Though somewhat implied, I wish Oden emphasized more explicitly the need for pastors to have adequate education and psychological qualifications for the task of caring for souls. Certainly with the multi-problematic concerns of people today, with the mental anomalies that grip them tenaciously, does it not seem appropriate that pastors should be intellectually suited and academically prepared for her/his work? The pastor is a "physician of the soul" and just as the physicians today must know far more and practice more expertly to meet people's health need, so likewise, will the physician of the soul.Finally, Oden's treatment of and recommendation for pastoral care of the dying is extremely informative. He delineates pastoral responsibilities and offers helpful guidelines for counseling with the dying and relating to hospital staff. Any reader who has not thought through the importance of the funeral would do well to study these sections intently for there is some very convincing evidence presented.This book is a classic and should be in every pastor's personal library. Even though, as with most books, there are specific areas where we are bound to disagree, overall, the information and ideas presented is worth its weight in gold.Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.Blessings to all!