Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Amazon.com

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming is a spiritual adventure story. A chance encounter with a poster depicting a detail of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son set in motion a chain of events that enabled Nouwen to redefine and claim his vocation late in his life. In this book, which interweaves elements of art history, memoir, Midrash, and self-help, Nouwen brings the parable to life with empathic analyses of each character. Nouwen's absorption in the story (and the painting) is so complete that the father's challenge to love the son, and the son's challenge to receive that love, become Nouwen's own. And Nouwen's writing is so clear and his tone is so appealingly frank and humble that readers--no matter how far from home--will find hope for themselves in the prodigal peace Nouwen ultimately achieves. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

The beloved spiritual writer meditates on the parable of the prodigal son's return -- a powerful drama of fatherhood, filial duty, rivalry, and anger between brothers -- and its enduring lessons for Christianity.

Full-color photographs with gatefold.

Customer Reviews:

Return of the Prodigal Son: A story of Homecoming.......2007-10-01

I read 3 Nouwen books at the same time. This was excellent and gave me a very new understanding of this story in the bible. This and the other two books I read (Reaching Out and Can You Drink the Cup) were excellent spiritual reading.

A book you cannot forget.......2007-09-27

This is by far the best book for a troubled soul. It surrounds the reader with hope and warmth and kindness. When all is bleak, this is the book that will give the reader confidence in life.

Return of the Prodigal Son.......2007-09-05

This book was such an inspiration to me that I gave my copy away for someone else to read and now need more to give away!

Nouwen at his best.......2007-08-31

This is a masterpiece! Nouwen looks at the prodigal son through the perspectives of the prodigal, the older brother and the father. It allows us to identify with each of the characters at different points in our lives. Rembrandt's imagery of the father is very moving. It gives a beautiful perspective of the desire, mercifulness, and love that our Lord has for us sinners. I highly reccomend this book. It is one of the best books on spirituality I have read.

Excellent book.......2007-08-31

Herni Nouwen does a great job on decribing the parable of the prodigal son. A great book to read for someone who has had a friend or family member who has gone astray.

The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life

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Not up to Sr. Joan's standards!
Story of Ruth
Motivation for coping with the daily grind of life
The Story of Ruth-----A Beautiful Gift
ruth and naomi

The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life
Joan D. Chittister
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802827357

Book Description

The biblical story of Ruth is a woman's story about a woman's life. Though written thousands of years ago, it is nonetheless perennial. It calls us to reflect in every generation on what it means to be a whole woman, a spiritual woman. In THE STORY OF RUTH Joan Chittister and John August Swanson reclaim this powerful biblical story as a model for contemporary women seeking a fully spiritual life.

Through complementary texts and illustrations, Chittister and Swanson explore a series of twelve defining moments in every woman's life--moments of loss, change, transformation, aging, independence, respect, recognition, insight, empowerment, self-definition, invisibility, and fulfillment. Each chapter and each piece of artwork together illuminate the faithful life of Ruth in relation to these formative moments and lend insights into what it means to be a woman of God today.

A lovely combination of art and text, THE STORY OF RUTH provides valuable help for women seeking wholeness in a world still struggling with issues of faith and gender.

Customer Reviews:

Not up to Sr. Joan's standards!.......2007-07-04

Disappointing! Gosh, this book was just not up to some of the previous books written by Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB. It would be better if she wrote less but higher quality books. We know she is capable of doing greater things.

The reflections on Ruth focused too much on activist social justice issues, and not what other women might actually think or feel. It was like the author is in a vacuum, and not able to even place herself in to the role of Ruth or her mother-in-law. After reading a few pages, I started to flip forward looking for the good part; faster and faster until I reached the end.

Even the art work didn't save this book. The art was simple and one dimensional - childish. Great art can save a moderate book. When the art is stunning, rich in detail and content, the reader is able to "read" the art. And, drink it in with the eyes. A well written icon can tell a fabulous story! Alas, this was not to be that kind of book.

Story of Ruth.......2006-07-29

Jam packed with wisdom and insight for all people. A must read for all women and one that you will read many times. Sure wish I had this guide when I was a young woman. Plan to use as a discussion book for a spirituality group. A fabulous book to give as a gift.

Motivation for coping with the daily grind of life.......2005-05-19

I read "The Story of Ruth" about a year after I read "Scarred by Struggle," which is also by Dr.Chittister. Both books offer inspriation for dealing with difficulties based on a biblical story. The difference between the type of advice they offer, is that "The Story of Ruth," contends more with the daily struggles that confront us in our lives, whereas "Scarred by Struggle" offers advice more suitable to a particular setback, such as an end of a relationship, or loss of job.

Dr. Chittister makes an interesting comment about the story of Ruth, in that though there is no blatant theophany in this book, one can not doubt that God is somehow present. For most of us, this will be our experience in life. God is present to us and speaks to us more often through the actions of others, than a Monty Python-type voice hailing from the sky. Likewise, we are called to do our best to try to create God's kingdom on this earth, by using our abilities and resources to help others and ourselves. Essentailly the story of Ruth is the story of women, who do all they can to help themselves, despite the fact that they are at a disadvantage by lacking male family members, and one of them (Ruth) is a foreigner and the other (Naomi) essentially is a stranger in her homeland, as she had lived outside it for so long. Despite the odds, they maintain their faith in the future, and eventually their welfare not only vastly improves, but they become the ancestors of David.

This is a great gift for girls who are reaching adolescence age. Or perhaps for any woman who is feelign a bit run down by life. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the message is optimistic. It is book that encourages hope in life, no matter how daunting one's station in life may appear to be, and reinforces the adage attributed to Augustine of Hippo that to be successful one must work as if every thing depended on one's self, but pray as if every thing depended on God.

The Story of Ruth-----A Beautiful Gift.......2000-12-10

Every mother should gift her daughter with this beautiful book! Joan Chittister unfolds beautifully and clearly what every mother wishes her daughters to know in order to become the full persons they were created to be. Each example from the Story of Ruth powerfully illustrates "delineating moments in every human life...... points after which we are never the same again". In The Story of Ruth, Joan Chittister shows us the qualities of Naomi and Ruth as they face life and make choices.... but more than that, Chittister confirms, refreshes and energizes the "stuff" that all women hold within themselves. This is an en-courgaging book for all women...mothers daughters, grandmothers.....women....single or married..... and it is also a book for MEN! For within these pages there is the depth of thought and experience lived by "the other half of humanity." Men will find the richness of this insight invaluable....an enhancement to their own perspective and attitude toward creation.

Once again, thank you, Joan Chittister, for this beautiful gift of strength.

ruth and naomi.......2000-10-20

Wherever you go I shall go, wherever you live so shall I live, your people shall be my people, and your God will be my God, too." Ruth 1:16

Amazon.com

Inspirational yet honest, and always rhythmically rollicking, Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a perfect sendoff for children, 1 to 100, entering any new phase of their lives. Kindergartners, graduate students, newlyweds, newly employeds--all will glean shiny pearls of wisdom about the big, bountiful future. The incomparable Dr. Seuss rejoices in the potential everyone has to fulfill their wildest dreams: "You'll be on your way up! / You'll be seeing great sights! / You'll join the high fliers / who soar to high heights." At the same time, he won't delude the starry-eyed upstart about the pitfalls of life: "You can get all hung up / in a prickle-ly perch. / And your gang will fly on. / You'll be left in a Lurch."

But fear not! Dr. Seuss, with his inimitable illustrations and exhilarating rhymes, is convinced ("98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed") that success is imminent. As long as you remember "to be dexterous and deft. And NEVER mix up your right foot with your left," things should work out. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Illus. in full color. "Don't be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it's not 'Climb Every Mountain,' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a 'Great Balancing Act,' but through it all 'There's fun to be done.'"--(starred) Booklist.

Customer Reviews:

The Genius of Dr. Seuss, not just for children.......2007-10-09

This is a beautiful and sensitive book.
I gave it to my "daughter" when she turned 18. I also put it in our school library.
It says exactly what people want to tell the kids they love when they go out into the world. You will have rough spots, but you can make it.

"Life Lessons For Dummies".......2007-09-20

The all-time BEST book by any author for any age. How true to life this classic story is. Could only be sequeled by "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are"? A must for every household.

Not just for kids..........2007-08-26

You thought the good doctor only wrote books for kids...

You probably also thought that both the story lines in the Disney movies were for the children, too...

This is a great book for adults, students, and children. It's a wonderful gift for anyone taking a turn in their life.

So, if you have not read it recently, get a copy today. And if you have read it, get a copy for a friend who has changed jobs (or even lost a job), been promoted up the ladder, graduated from high school or college, or had another change in their life.

Remind them of "The Places They'll Go!"

Love Dr. Seuss.......2007-08-23

Dr. Seuss was my favorite author when I was a child...I now share him with others...I'm giving it as a gift to others whom reach a certain level in their business lives...

great surprise.......2007-08-13

my girlfriends all time favorite book and now she has it a deluxe edition that came in great condition

Average customer rating:

silly and improbable
Personality and plums
This book is excellent.

Bea and Mr. Jones
Amy Schwartz
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152058117

Book Description

Bea Jones is bored with kindergarten. Really bored. Her dad is fed up with being stuck in an office. Really, really fed up. So Bea and Mr. Jones decide to change places. Neither kindergarten nor the office will ever be the same.

Originally published in 1982, Bea and Mr. Jones, Amy Schwartz’s unforgettable debut picture book, was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a Reading Rainbow selection. Now back with a fresh design, this charming favorite will inspire a new generation of children to see everyday life in a whole new light.

Customer Reviews:

silly and improbable.......2005-05-02

Bea is a very ambitious kindergartener bored by the silly games she has to play with the other 5 and 6 year olds. Mr. Jones is an advertising executive stressed by his job and his commute who dislikes his boss's sense of humor. One morning Mr. Jones suggest they switch places- a plan that is perfect for each of them. Bea loves being an executive, riding the train, entertaining over lunch and loves the boss's sense of humor. Mr. Jones is a whiz at color identification, enjoys turning cartwheels and quickly becomes the kindergarten teacher's pet. After several days of switching, they see no reason to return to the old way of doing things.

I love the illustrations as well as the very tongue in cheek text. The drawings are finely wrought in pencil with great detail and texturing- my son spends time wondering how she could do so much variation with so little. There a few books with only black and white drawings so this one is fantastic for inspiring aspiring artists.

Personality and plums.......2001-12-28

I have the fortune of working with Amy Schwartz and was absolutely DELIGHTED to learn that she was the brain behind this particular book. I remember seeing it for the first time on Reading Rainbow as a kid and loved it. It's a humorous look at the age-old gripe between adults and kids: children who want to be grown up and grown ups who want to stay children. Well written and with simple art that is reminiscent of early American black-and-white engravings, BEA AND MR. JONES is a sweet story that should be read by every kid, young and old.

This book is excellent........1996-12-29

I think this book is a fun kid's book.It is well expressed like many of the other books Amy Schwartz has written.It is a fun short book. My favorite charecter is Bea. This book is about Bea and her father Mr. Jones. They don't like what they do so they switch jobs.

Work: A Story of Experience (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

This book is pro-women and pro-abolition.
An entertaining criticism of conditions for working girls ..

Work: A Story of Experience (Penguin Classics)
Louisa May Alcott
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 014039091X

Book Description

For a week she enjoyed her liberty heartily, then set about finding something to do. Her wish was to be a governess, that being the usual refuge for respectable girls who have a living to get. But Christie soon found her want of accomplishments a barrier to success in that line, for the mammas thought less of the solid than of the ornamental branches, and wished their little darlings to learn French before English, music before grammar, and drawing before writing.

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Customer Reviews:

This book is pro-women and pro-abolition........2004-07-31

I ran across this book recently and enjoyed reading it. It is more modern than most Alcott books in one respect: the heroine exactly doesn't "get married and live happily ever after."

Like many of the books at the time, the heroine is an orphan. At the age of 21, she leaves her aunt and uncle to make her fortune in the world -- and, she hopes, her happiness, since marrying a farmer she doesn't love "just to get a living" doesn't seem either honest or wise to her.

The book covers almost twenty years in New England -- about ten years before the Civil War through about five years afterwards. The heroine is energetic, intelligent, determined, and capable. And she WORKS! She is always looking for a way to be useful, to pull her own weight, and to help others. The book chronicles her path through a series of jobs and the emotional, physical, and spiritual ups and downs that come with them.

What is most amazing is that the heroine meets a fugitive slave on her first job and treats her as an equal. Unlike "some of the other girls," she doesn't refuse the job simply because the cook is black.

The touching ending scene, in which a diverse group of women pledge to make a better world for themselves (and perhaps to get the right to vote), includes many of the friends she has encountered along the way, "black and white, rich and poor."

However, this beautiful example -- and for the time, this very daring example of inter-racial cooperation -- is marred somewhat by an unaccountable bigotry against the Irish. The anti-Irish comments are all the more jarring because they are completely gratuitous; they have no bearing on plot or character development.

The best that can be said about this failing is that perhaps the author was unconscious of her bigotry, and that at least the Irish are not mentioned often, although every mention is uniformly disparaging.

An entertaining criticism of conditions for working girls .........2000-11-03

If you've read and reread all of Louisa May Alcott's books, and loved her portrayals of brave girls trying to make their way in a harsh world, you must read this "lost" novel, "Work." It is well-written, engaging and humorous, very much in the same style as her other novels for girls, yet with more of a depth of maturity to her characters. If you've read "An Old Fashioned Girl" you will see a lot of "Polly" in the working girls portrayed in this novel. Read it and rejoice in this "new" Alcott novel!

Welcome Home!: Stories of Fallen-Away Catholics Who Came Back N Returned

Average customer rating:

Come Home Christian.......Quickly

Welcome Home!: Stories of Fallen-Away Catholics Who Came Back N Returned

Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0898707927

Book Description

Here are the compelling stories of eleven "reverts", Catholics who fell away from the Church and eventually came back home. Some of the people are very well-known, like Fr. John Corapi, Rick Strom and Jesse Romero, and others are known only in their smaller circles. But each person's story of why he left the Catholic Church and why he returned is a unique and moving tale of God's mercy, love and grace. There is one common denominator, though, among the writers of Welcome Home! To parapharse Archbishop Fulton Sheen, few hate the Catholic Chruch for what she teaches, but millions hate it for what they think she teaches. The defining moment of illuminating grace almost always came when our storytellers began to examine Catholic teaching for themselves.

Customer Reviews:

Come Home Christian.......Quickly.......2003-08-18

If you haven't researched the Catholic Faith, you must do so now. The evidence is overwhelming. Stories from Fallen Away Catholics prove that life away from God's Church can alone cause confusion and destruction. Hear how cradle Catholics and Converts both dig into the Scriptures and Church Tradition to find the truth that lead them to Rome. Read for yourself and be ready to be welcomed home by our Lord Jesus Christ. You will never feel the same again. A great read. I also recommend Suprised by the Truth I, II, and II by Madrid. Enjoy and Come Home.

Expecting Miracles: True Stories of Gods Supernatural Power and How You Can Experience It

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Expecting Miracles: True Stories of Gods Supernatural Power and How You Can Experience It
Heidi and Rolland Baker
Manufacturer: Chosen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0800794346
Release Date: 2007-10-01

Book Description

In 2003 readers around the world read in Always Enough about the amazing things God was doing in the poorest nation on earth. Since then Heidi and Rolland Baker’s ministry has electrified the body of Christ, lay Christians and ministry leaders alike, who have witnessed it firsthand. Now readers can spend a year with the Bakers, watching God continue to work miraculously in Mozambique and learning how he longs to work similarly in our own lives. Combining extraordinary narrative with insights and teaching principles, Expecting Miracles connects believers in developed countries with those in poverty and offers priceless lessons on how God’s power transforms lives.

Stealing Second Base: A Breast Cancer Survivor's Experience and Breast Cancer Expert's Story

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Stealing Second Base: A Breast Cancer Survivor's Experience and Breast Cancer Expert's Story
Lillie Shockney
Manufacturer: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 076374509X

Book Description

Lillie Shockney shares her unique, empowering, and often humorous story about her journey from medical professional, wife, and mother to becoming a breast cancer patient, patient advocate, and nationally recognized breast cancer expert, lending her emotional support and medical advice to help lead breast cancer patients and families through their own journey with this life altering disease. This must-have book combines the author's motivational and medical expertise to provide practical, important information.

Alphabet Puppets: Songs, Stories and Cooking Activities for Letter Recognition and Sounds

Average customer rating:

Great Learning Tool
Great book and out of print, too!
Great Way to Teach the ABC's

Alphabet Puppets: Songs, Stories and Cooking Activities for Letter Recognition and Sounds
Jill M. Coudron
Manufacturer: Fearon Teacher AIDS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 082240298X

Customer Reviews:

Great Learning Tool.......2007-09-25

It's all fun and games with Alphabet Puppets. My three year old & I have taken on a new letter every two weeks and are really having fun at it. During the week while she's playing around the house, she sings the songs from the book to herself. And she's learning letter names and sounds! We love it!

Great book and out of print, too!.......2007-07-06

I found this book in the library and checked it out several times. I loved it and used a lot of the ideas out of it. I decided to start a preschool and went to purchase the book only to find it was out of print! I looked for it everywhere and couldn't find it...even on EBay! But I finally found it on Amazon.com and I'm thrilled! It's a great book and I highly recommend it.

Great Way to Teach the ABC's.......2002-07-23

I first saw this book in the library about 10 years ago and then decided to buy it after I had my 4th daughter. It is an economical program to use to teach your child their alphabet. You can make the puppets out of material or use paper lunch sacks which is what I use. One of the games for the letter C is a variation of "Mother, May I?" in which Ms. Coudron makes it "Captain, May I?" My four-year-old likes the cooking activities the best. For the letter C we make carrot curls and hot cocoa. Very simple inexpensive cooking recipes. For B we made butter which my daughter thought was lots of fun. This book is great if you only have time for 1 or 2 letters per week.

My Story of the War: A Woman's Narrative of Four Years Personal Experience as Nurse in the Union Army, and in Relief Work at Home, in Hospi

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My Story of the War: A Woman's Narrative of Four Years Personal Experience as Nurse in the Union Army, and in Relief Work at Home, in Hospi
Mary A. Livermore
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306806584

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