Book Description
Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you and offer you his Holy Spirit power that will change your life forever, deepening your faith and trust in God.
Download Description
Winner of the 2002 Christianity Today Book Award! You're One Step Away from the Adventure of Your Life Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that sent Peter walking across the wind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter, "Come"? John Ortberg invites you to consider the incredible potential that awaits you outside your comfort zone. Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It's thrilling beyond belief. It's everything you'd expect of someone worthy to be called Lord. The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God's purpose for your life in the process. There's just one requirement: If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat.
Customer Reviews:
Great Study tool.......2007-10-19
I really enjoyed the ease of how this read. Easy to have 10 minute study times each day that had a complete lesson so consise!
Inspiring words- minature book- extremly minature.......2007-10-09
I guess I overlooked the word minature (my fault) at a glance it just looked like the regular size book and was very excited to find it at such a good price, and hardcover at that! PLEASE know if you order this you are not going to get the full version of the book. I am going to pay closer attention and get the whole thing next time. Felt a bit silly when I opened my package and the book was about 2 inches x 4 inches. For me I'm going to BAM and shop in person for this one!
Total Disapointment.......2007-10-05
This is not a book but a sham, A full sized book was shown on the web-site, but when the order showed up it was a minature. After reviewing the web-site I was able to find the word minature in small print. Not sure if I will use Amazon again
Deceptive: Not the complete edition.......2007-09-06
[Added 9/07/2007] This review concerns the "Inspirio/Zondervan Miniature Edition" which is a hardback. Amazon has lumped this hardback edition with the full text hardback edition so the site does not indicate that this review does not concern the full hardback edition. Caveat Emptor
We ordered this book, thinking it was the complete edition of the book. Neither the Amazon page nor the book itself make it clear that it is merely an abridged version. The only way to tell is to note that this edition has 125 pages and a full sized edition has 200+ pages. Needless to say, we will be returning it to purchase the complete edition. I am looking forward to reading the content as I have heard good things about it.
Cute little item........2007-09-02
Be careful about your purchase. The one we acquired was a miniture version. The type was ok and you could read it, but the book was about 2" x 3". It was a miniture and not at all what we thought we were acquiring. We wanted the whole book. When ordering we did not notice that it was a miniture edition.
Amazon.com
Walking on Water collects 12 brief meditations by Madeleine L'Engle on the nature of art and its relation to faith. L'Engle, the beloved author of A Wrinkle In Time among others, has written and spoken widely and wisely about the connection between religion and art. The gist of her understanding is as follows:
To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory. It is what makes me respond to the death of an apple tree, the birth of a puppy, northern lights shaking the sky, by writing stories.
She believes that "[b]asically there can be no categories such as 'religious' art and 'secular' art because all true art is incarnational, and therefore 'religious.'" And "incarnation," in L'Engle's view, means "God's revelation of himself through particularity." In this book there is some slippage between L'Engle's autobiographical and critical voices. As a result, she often claims Christian significance for works whose meaning is not intentionally Christian. She admits this freely:
[B]ecause I am a struggling Christian, it's inevitable that I superimpose my awareness of all that happened in the life of Jesus upon what I'm reading, upon Buber, upon Plato, upon the Book of Daniel. But I'm not sure that's a bad thing. To be truly Christian means to see Christ everywhere, to know him as all in all.
-- Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
In this classic book,
Madeleine L'Engle addresses the questions, What makes art Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian artist? What is the relationship between faith and art? Through L'Engle's beautiful and insightful essay, readers will find themselves called to what the author views as the prime tasks of an artist: to listen, to remain aware, and to respond to creation through one's own art.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!.......2007-05-12
Madeline L'Engle is one of my most favorite authors. After reading this book, I wanted to meet her--that's not usual for me.
She deals with the big questions of faith and art and creation beautifully.
If you are an artist of any variety struggling with your art--read this. If you are a Christian struggling with your faith--read this.
Exactly what I was looking for.......2006-08-22
"Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" by Madeleine L'Engle is exactly what I was hoping for in a book reflecting on the creative process and what it means to be a Christian Artist. She skillfully mixes musings on Christ, art, faith, service, and imagination. She says, "I learn that my feelings about art and my feelings about the Creator of the Universe are inseparable. To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory." Ahh. And then she shares Leonard Bernstein's observation that art is "cosmos in chaos." Order in disorder. Isn't that what God is trying to do in our lives all the time? When we make art, we can appreciate what He is trying to do on a beyond-imagining, grander scale. This is just a taste of the wonderful insights from the writer of "The Wrinkle in Time" and "Arm of the Starfish." I strongly recommend it! Enjoy!
redeeming writing, celebrating art .......2006-08-06
"It is not easy for me to be a Christian," writes Madeleine L'Engle in Walking on the Water, "to believe twenty-four hours a day all that I want to believe. I stray, and then my stories pull me back if I listen to them carefully. I have often been asked if my Christianity affects my stories, and surely it is the other around..."
I can identify with her. I too struggle with my beliefs and have to return to the books that I have written, the stories that I have told to remind myself of what I already know. In this way all writers and all artists find the truths that they base their lives on by searching for them, discover their faith by exploring it, and grow closer to God only when they realize that they are straying once again.
Within her heartfelt musings on art, faith, and life, all those who feel that imagination and mystery are just as important as explanations and definitions will find a welcome companion. Christian fiction is not a sermon in disguise, it is truth wrapped in story--story wrapped in truth. I recommend this book to artists, dreamers, writers, readers, and believers. L'Engle claims that when we finish a book we want to be given illumination. And in this book she offers precisely that.
Breathing New Life.......2006-06-27
Only Flannery O'Conner has written a book on writing with this much spiritual insight and creative freedom. I picked up "Walking on Water" after numerous recommendations from fellow writers. Of course, I was already aware of L'Engle through her novels--I think "A Wrinkle in Time" and "A Wind in the Door" are brilliant--but I was less familiar with her nonfiction.
If you're a creative person on any level, and if you wrestle with life's big questions unflinchingly, then you must meet L'Engle in the world of words. This lady is such a unique individual, full of down-to-earth wisdom and to-the-limits-of-the-galaxy philosphical ponderings. With candor and anecdotes, with quotable lines and great grace, this book has the ability to breathe new life into tired, artistic souls. I know. Because it's done so for me.
the best book I've ever read.......2005-08-03
My mother-in-law gave this book to me on vacation this year. As an artist, and just a questioning human being in general, I found this book to be like reading my own thoughts poured onto paper. I couldn't seem to get though the words fast enough, but was a little sad as each page passed by, because it meant I would be closer to the end. This book is must read for everyone. I'm grateful that she took the time to write it, bcecause for me, it is a touchstone.
Amazon.com
"Surfing is the simple act of walking on water," writes Drew Kampion, and the history of surfing is "the sum total of all waves ever ridden." The Way of the Surfer brings together the people and the act of surfing using stories and pictures. As former editor of Surfer magazine, and a fixture on the scene himself, Kampion has been able to track many of the changes in surfing since it caught on in a big way with non-Polynesians. The book focuses on key figures from several eras of waveriding, beginning with Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian beach boy who brought the sport to the mainland. Kampion zooms through the post-war beach boom with profiles of such notables as moviemaker John Severson, board shaper Richard Brewer, and surfer Nat Young before moving on to the heady 1970s, when surfing took a decidedly mystical turn. From the drug-fueled explorations of Rolf Aurness to the "Buddha in the barrel" calm of Gerry Lopez, the tales of this era recall a time when surfing was still an outsider activity, with zealous adherents and strange philosophies. Kampion covers the go-go '80s with the rise of Tom Curren, the seemingly unstoppable champ, and Lisa Andersen, who surfed a path for women in the pros. An appropriate number of pages and pictures are devoted to Kelly Slater, whom Kampion calls "the best surfer in the world." Finally, the book finishes with a return to surfing's roots and a look at the spirited Hawaiian surfer Titus Kinimaka. The Way of the Surfer is an elegant and beautifully designed portrait of the styles and souls of surfers, a collection of words and pictures revealing the deeper meaning of "walking on water." --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Beautifully illustrated with color-drenched photography of exotic surfing paradises around the world, this gorgeous volume by legendary surf writer Drew Kampion is the ultimate lifestyle guide to a sport that has in the last few years virtually exploded onto the pop-culture scene. No one is more qualified than Kampion, the dean of surf scribes and former Surfer magazine editor-in-chief, to capture the irresistible lure of the sport for the nation's 1,736,000-plus surfers.
Kampion's new book is a short history of surfing worldwide and a portrait of 11 of the most important surfers ever. From Surfer magazine founder John Severson, Australia's national hero Nat Young, and Hawaiian surf guru Gerry Lopez, to the most popular and accomplished surfers of today, Lisa Andersen and Kelly Slater, Kampion spends time with the sport's biggest stars, who share the highs they have experienced, as well as the transforming, sometimes profound, life lessons they have learned. More than any other book, The Way of the Surfer successfully conveys surfing's appeal for men and women of all ages-and why, for so many surfers, riding the waves has become a way of life and a symbol of personal freedom and individual expression.
Customer Reviews:
The Zen of Surfing.......2003-11-04
Step inside the minds of the greatest surfers who ever lived. Learn why Gerry Lopez is called Mr. Pipeline. Find out why Kelly Slater is called "The Teacher." With Woody Brown, Dick Brewer, Rolf Aurness, Tom Curren and others, this is not just a pretty book (although very well designed), this elegant tome explores the (sometimes surprising) philosophy and mindset of these extraordinary athletes.
Product Description
Beautiful waterfalls grace Pennsylvania's natural landscape. This full-color guide takes hikers to 66 of the most picturesque falls in the state, offering detailed descriptions of each hike, color maps, and features to look for on the trail. Photographers will find hints on when to be at the falls for the best light and how to get the best views. About the Author:Scott E. Brown is an engineering professional and high school teacher. An avid outdoor photographer, he has had articles and images published in several nature magazines. He lives in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the North American Nature Photographers Association. Beautiful color photos of waterfalls Directions to sites, distance, difficulty, elevation change, and highlights along the way Tips for photographers on composition, exposures, unique perspectives, and gear
Customer Reviews:
1st Rate Book.......2007-10-16
Well written, put together so we could easily choose which hikes were for us. Excellent directions to some outstanding out of the falls. I can't rate this book highly enough. Just got back from our trip which this book planned.
Bob (Southern Illinois)
wonderful waterfalls.......2007-06-19
This book made my insatiable quest for waterfalls very easy with great directions. Ricketts Glen State Park is one awesome hike!!
Falling Waters.......2007-05-30
This is a very unique book for both lovers of Pennsylvania's outdoor treasures, and those who love to take pictures of them. As can be seen in the subtitle, this very attractive and informative book is tailored for two crowds - hikers and photographers, though the term "hikers" is used loosely. Thanks to our state's surprisingly varied natural history, there are a plethora of small picturesque waterfalls in Pennsylvania, and as can be found in this book, a great many of them can be reached very easily by car for the weekend rambler crowd. Granted, as an active PA hiker I can think of a few excellent but less-accessible waterfalls that Scott E. Brown does not cover here. But on the other hand, the good news is that the easy accessibility of the many falls that Brown does cover will allow more people to appreciate the values of Pennsylvania's natural treasures. Only a few of the falls covered by Brown require any real hiking - notably the stupendous Ricketts Glen State Park and a couple of State Game Lands areas in Sullivan County. Otherwise, the waterfall lover is in luck because the vast majority of waterfalls described by Brown are accessible via rambles of less than two miles in length, and a few are even right next to parking lots.
Regardless of the requirements on the visitor's feet, the best aspect of this book is the photography, with dozens of lavish examples of Brown's expert compositions. These beautiful shots will hold over the PA nature lover until you can get to these falls yourself. Brown's focus on photography is definitely the key to this book's uniqueness, because he has surely written for the shutterbug. Brown includes many great tips for the pro photographer, not just for general outdoor work but also for many of the particular waterfalls themselves. One must appreciate the great amount of hard work Brown did in order to get the shots presented in this book - and the best part is that he advises other photographers on how to get even better shots. So for those interested in capturing dozens of under-appreciated PA waterfalls on film, and for those who just want an easy and rewarding ramble to unexpected natural treasures, this book is an excellent addition to both your backpack and your coffee table. [~doomsdayer520~]
Wow!!.......2005-08-22
This book is terrific! The color photos in the book are clear and beautiful. This book was easy to follow, gave easy to follow directions, and gave a lot of insight on what time of day and the time of year to take perfect pictures. This book even tells you what camera lenses to use. I've purchased many waterfall books and I have to say that this one is the best I've seen! I only hope that Scott Brown writes books (and takes photos) in his neighboring states.
Obviously a Labor of Love.......2005-06-04
This is a FANTASTIC guide book to waterfalls in the Keystone State. It is really exactly the book for what I wanted. Gorgeous color photographs of waterfalls, shot by someone who not only knows how to shoot them, but who loves nature photography and really wants to pass his expertise on to the reader. And he uses real film, which in this digital age, is a refreshing and inspiring turn.
And I should also add that not only is this a beautiful book from a photographic standpoint, but he includes copious details about the waterfalls, how to find them and how best to approach them, and plenty of geological, historical and ecological information. He even includes GPS positioning data!
Thanks, Scott, for a perfect book (with the exception that all the waterfalls lie outside of a 100 mile radius of my house!!)
Customer Reviews:
Christian Propoganda - Know What Your are Getting.......2007-09-22
Be aware, this is not a surfing book, but a Christian Surfing Book. I would have no problem with this book if it was marketed or reviewed as a Christian book. I am upset that I was duped by a book that promised to talk about the spiritual side of surfing and instead using surfing as a way to preach the gospel. It is replete with biblical quotes and refernces to god's plan. Lest you think I am kidding, in a section on "Passing up Partying", we read: "Man, this can't be all that life is. It's all kind of meaningless, like Soloman said in Ecclesiaastes."
Great book!! Great Stories!! .......2006-12-24
Walking on Water challenged me to take my faith more seriously. I was stoked to know the stories behind many of the people I see involved in the surfing industry. I was even more stoked to hear God's story and to realize that God is a dominant yet subtle force touching people throughout the world.
This is a great book for those who love surf and who want to better understand their relationship with God. Jeremy Jones does an outstanding job helping the reader to understand that God is working in everyone's life and that we've all got a story to tell.
Riding with the King.......2006-12-21
While aimed at a generation much younger and hipper than myself, this book is a wonderful read for anyone with even a passing interest in surfing, the ocean, or the incredible power of God to heal and save.
Jones does a fabulous job of crafting the sport of surfing in such a way that even a haolie kook like myself can feel the surge of power from the wave beneath me. The book is arranged so that chapters alternate between different aspects of surfing (waves, shaping, industry, etc.) and conversational biographies of the featured surfers, with vignettes of ocean-related topics dispersed throughout. This gives the book an easy-going feel that mimics the culture it discusses - offering readable "sets" between chill sessions.
As a Christian and huge fan of surfing this book is very inspiring in its content. It is such a blessing to read about the amazing ways God has moved in the lives of so many of the world's top surfers. Hearing them say in their own words how they have struggled in life, how God has changed them, and where He is taking them now, is just epic. It is so encouraging to read these transformations and to have them presented in such an open and honest way. After reading this book I feel like if C.J. Hobgood walked by I could just start chatting with him - it is that personal, that true.
If you want to be encouraged in your walk or in your ride, I definitely recommend picking up this modern testament to God working not just to shape the waves, but the lives of those on them.
Mahalo.
Know Thyself.......2006-10-28
A lot of people still have this old notion that surfers are synonomous with bums; they have no real ambition but to be in the water and surf all day but what most people don't seem to understand is that the ocean is about transformation/baptism/renewal and riding waves is equivalent to resurrection/transcendence/empowerment.
I am not a board surfer, but I do body surf, and whereas I have tried board surfing (and failed miserably) body surfing still gives me that rush that surfers call "being stoked". Being stoked is a high, an enthusiasm, an energy where you are called from the depths of your soul to get back into the "womb of creation". Most surfers are incredibly humble people. They actually will laugh if you tell them that they're going to "tame the wild sea"...you can't tame the ocean, all you can do is humble yourself enough to respect its magnificence. There have been a few times where I've been caught in a riptide and the worst thing you can ever do is try to fight your way out, you literally have to surrender yourself to this power and only when you have completely surrendered to the power, you will be restored to the state of flow.
Tell me that's not a spiritual experience.
This book will give you a glimpse into the psyche/the soul of surfers and even if you don't surf, you just may find yourself relating to their experiences. Y'see, I see God, the Living Spirit as an all encompassing ocean of energy, and the waves that rise up in the ocean are God's Holy Manifestations. The wave can never be separate from the ocean just as creation can never be separate from the Creator. In other words, we are the Spirit of God manifesting Itself as who and what we are right here and right now.
Surfers must be passionate and yet grounded and centered at the same time. When a huge wave comes, you don't have time to be thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, you must become 110% present in the moment. This repetition of being in the moment...being in the moment...being in the moment is the ultimate in meditation. I've skydived, too, same principle. You must become aware of what is in front of you and when we are totally present with that which is, one cannot help but feel an incredible sense of joy for life. All fear is imagined...all doubt is of the past or of the future...there is no fear in the moment, all there is, is Love. Not sentimental Love, not Romantic Love, but Regenerative, Restorative Love...you can also read that as 'Grace'...
Grace keeps us getting back up and trying again and if there is one thing I admire about surfers is their tenacity and their determination to not let anything weigh them down. That girl that got her arm ripped off by a shark...guess what...she's surfing again. I even saw a guy who was paralyzed from the waist down, get back in the water with the help of his friends'.
All I can say is that this book is long overdue. It paints a beautiful picture of the athlete and makes me respect and appreciate them all the more. When I watch ESPN and I see Laird Hamilton riding an 80' wave, I don't think he's nuts, I think to myself, there is a man who knows exactly who he is and what he is about. That's God Realization...that Self Realization and isn't that the real quest to all of life, to know thyself?
Lose yourself in the ocean of Life and you will find your-SELF in the sea of Everpresent Love.
Peace and Blessings, everyone...
Book Description
Remember the days of longing for the hands on the classroom clock to move faster? Most of us would say we love to learn, but we hated school. Why is that? What happens to creativity and individuality as we pass through the educational system? Walking on Water is a startling and provocative look at teaching, writing, creativity, and life by a writer increasingly recognized for his passionate and articulate critique of modern civilization. This time Derrick Jensen brings us into his classroom--whether college or maximum security prison--where he teaches writing. He reveals how schools perpetuate the great illusion that happiness lies outside of ourselves and that learning to please and submit to those in power makes us into lifelong clock-watchers. As a writing teacher Jensen guides his students out of the confines of traditional education to find their own voices, freedom, and creativity. Jensen's great gift as a teacher and writer is to bring us fully alive at the same moment he is making us confront our losses and count our defeats. It is at the center of Walking on Water, a book that is not only a hard-hitting and sometimes scathing critique of our current educational system and not only a hands-on method for learning how to write, but, like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a lesson on how to connect to the core of our creative selves, to the miracle of waking up and arriving breathless (but with dry feet) on the far shore.
Customer Reviews:
forward ever forward.......2007-07-14
While evangelicals/creationists strive to retard education Derrick Jensen encourages us to inspire and challenge students. Instill passion and imagination and refute mind-numbing dogma.
A Wonderful Read.......2007-07-10
This is one of the most moving books I've read in several years. If you are a teacher this book will lead you to re-evaluate and think about what you are doing and how you treat your students. This was the first book that I've read by Derrick Jensen and I look forward to reading the rest of his books in the near future.
I had to put the book down to say "wow" at least every other page.......2007-04-03
No seriously, this book is phenomenally self-aware, and self-critical, while also making a strong case for totally dismantling institutionalized education. But Jensen doesn't simply condemn a system built to squash the human spirit, he goes far, far beyond that. For every page explaining the horrors of the traditional educational model and his problems working within it, he provides ten pages of real life examples of how he answered the toughest question of all, "what would you do instead?" The fact that he gives us a peek into his fantastic classes is tempered by his constant reminders that there is no one answer. Instead, we all must constantly probe our innermost depths to find our own answers. How will we confront systems of conformity and discover how to be ourselves?
Do you teach?.......2007-01-13
A must have for anyone who works with education...It gives you a fresh outlook on teaching & and that there is a refreshing way to teach various subjects...
I was blown away .. this really hit home.......2006-02-09
I read this book and throughout I laughed and I cried. No, I am serious. This was one of the most profound and intense and well written books I have read in YEARS.
Derrick Jensen's passion for the subject and the way he conveys his message is too the point and inspirational.
I have read LANGUAGE OLDER THAN WORDS (another excellent book) and I think I was expecting something different from Walking on Water. I didn't really expect it to be really about writing. Yet, while he gives great information about the writing process,he manages to instill an inspirational message about passion, and courage and love and the world around us.
I am impressed with Mr. Jensen overall. I was so inspired by the book that one evening I wrote a letter to him and he had responded by the next day.
I HIGHLY recommend this book and feel it is one of those "required" reading books.
Customer Reviews:
Look at the Moon, not the finger!.......2000-04-11
I consider myself very privileged to have joined the year-long Maxi-Sadhana, directed by Tony, at Poona in 1976, together with Carlos Valles, S.J. and 16 other priests and nuns. I also had joined a number of Tony's retreats and conferences. Tony had the special gift in touching so many lives and was instrumental in their transformation. After more than 25 years, I continue to find sustenance in his writings. This book, translated from the Spanish, is an excellent introduction to Tony's recurrent themes on being free from illusions and any fixed ideas of God, self and the world. He is like a Zen master, guiding people to enlightenment through anecdotes, stories and practical meditative exercises. The fundamental and universal human aspirations for: peace, happiness, life, freedom, love, prayer, liberation, spirituality and healing are all responded to in these conferences. You can dip into any page and find much nourishment. This is true of all his writings, tapes and videos--if you relate to him with the awareness of one's hunger and poverty of spirit and not trying to scrutinise him for doctrinaire orthodoxy. Do not mistake the finger which only points to the Mystery and Source which can never be fully conceptualised as the Moon. May all his readers share the blessings and liberations that I have personally experienced through coming into contact with Fr. Anthony de Mello.
Book Description
With bursting congregations, shrinking ranks and a priest sexual abuse scandal in the headlines, no group seems more beleaguered of late than Roman Catholic priests. This book of essays by a priest is candid, thoughtful, honest, sometimes funny and filled with hope and practical suggestions for parish priests today. Facing such challenges as prayer, obedience, celibacy, depression and church leadership, he offers a call to greater transparency and trusting faith. Even turbulent times are graced. Father Heher believes priests can do more than survive this difficult time; they have the capacity to grow more resilient, relaxed, effective and loving.
Highlights:
--there are many books about priests but few to priests themselves by one of their own --engagingly written --insightful reading for lay people
Customer Reviews:
Finally Someone Is Saying What So Many Priests Are Thinking.......2005-05-19
I'm not sure if the reason I enjoyed reading THE LOST ART OF WALKING ON WATER was due to new ideas on priesthood by its author. In truth, very little of what Michael Heher states is all that radically new. He speaks of ways to pray, keep celibacy in check, being authentic to the call, having a public persona, and most of what would be expected from a priest and in a book about ministry. Yet as I read the book, I found myself fully engaged and rarely felt as if I was reading the same old thing. I think the reason is Heher has the ability to say what so many priests are thinking and have been thinking for years, but do not always state. Unlike so many who have added to the volumes that have been written about priesthood and presbyteral ministry in the Catholic Church of the United States in the past few years, Herer is in active ministry as a priest and knows the effects of the recent clergy sex abuse scandal on priests and people alike. While the scandal is ever present in his work, it is hardly the focus as would be the case in writers such as Donald Cozzens. He knows that the priesthood is in a fragile state at this time, understands what it is like to loose credibility so quickly and how difficult it is to regain it, knows what the solution is but also understands that the solutions are hardly to become a reality any time soon and encourages his brother priests to persevere. The book is almost free of ideological bias and should be a source of empathy and encouragement to priest striving to serve God's Church and a wake up call for those who side by, are quick to complain, and do little to enrich and enliven their ministry.
While the book is written primarily for priests, it is a book that could be read by anyone interested in the health and future of the Roman Catholic Church. Ultimately it is a hopeful book, but it also reminds the reader of how much work needs to be done.
Good, Honest and Heartfelt.......2005-03-25
Fr. Heher does a wonderful job of putting today's priesthood in perspective. His refreshing style made the book enjoyable, the subtle humor and heartfelt words made it impressionable. I loved the book and the insight. Being a lay person it was a good look into the heart of the priest. Kudos Fr. Heher!
Book Description
Cookie trips through her forty-year odyssey on this planet--from LSD to shopping at the A&P, from birthing Max to shooting Pink Flamingos. The echoes of her passionate commitments will ring in your ears. It is a tragedy to have lost her. Fortunately, along with the memories, she left us this marvelous testament to her intrepid zest for living.
Customer Reviews:
One for the top 10 books list.......2007-08-17
Cookie's book is one of those 20 or so of the many books I have ever read that I really treasure and recommend to my friends unreservedly. By the end of the book you have something of an insight into this fascinating and wonderful person. I just hope it gives each new reader as much pleasure as it did me when I first read it!
THIS BOOK is AMAZING!!.......2005-09-29
wonderful book!!! every lady needs to read this! cookie mueller rules!
On the Road- Girlstyle!.......2003-08-02
I found out about this book & jumped at the chance to read it. Cookie tells some of her experiences being an underground Film star & Adventuress. I always loved Cookie in John Water's films, but I never got that chance to read her work, But Now I am a big Fan. She never whitewashes her experiences with Drugs, Sex, hippies, farming, whatever. I hope her other collections are reprinted and well distributed very soon. Meet back up with an old friend, you might not have really known, through this great collective memoir.
Like a Lost Friend.......2003-04-15
I really identified with Cookie Mueller, the author of "Walking Through Clear Water." We were born a few months apart, lived our lives travelling back and forth between coasts, probably attended events together in 60s era San Francisco, East Village, NY, etc. One thing for sure, after reading this book, I wish I had known her and feel like I did. She comes across as so alive and vibrant on the printed page, that when I learned in the "about the author" page at the end of the book that she had died of AIDS in 1989, I felt as though I had personally lost a friend.
Do not let that depressing bit of information in any way dissuade you from reading her story, or to get the impression that this book is at all morbid or maudlin. This is one of the funniest accounts of life on the fringes of American culture I've read in many a moon. She has such an enagingly humorous conversational style, that even when she is describing truly horrifying scenes such as an attempted rape in the backwoods of Maryland, the effect owes more to Rabelais, than to Peckinpah.
Mueller reminds me a lot of a female version of Ken Kesey. Her prose moves along with the same sort of wild energy and the incidents she describes never get bogged down in needless detail. She has great writers' instincts. She sees life in the same tragi-comic vein as does Kesey, as well. Perhaps they both had run-ins with the same Cosmic Joker, at one time or other. Whatever the personal histories, they were certainly kindred souls, who had a look at the full spectrum of humanity and were able to get their impressions down on paper in thoroughly memorable ways.
This is as easy and enjoyable a read as you are likely to come across. I'm by no means a fast reader, but was able to breeze through it in just a few hours. I can unreservedly say that I couldn't put it down, and I find that rare these days. Spend a few hours with Cookie Mueller. She'll probably make friends with you, too.
BEK
Take a walk on the wild side........2003-03-21
Cookie Mueller was an actress, an artist, and a writer before she died of AIDS in 1988. Mueller's collection of 15 autobiographical essays "Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black" cover several decades and recall a range of experiences. Cookie was born in Baltimore in 1949, and as a young woman in the sixties, many of her essays recreate the flavour of that period.
In the essay, "Haight-Ashbury--San Francisco--1967", Mueller describes a day in which she bumps into a bus full of rather odd people--who turn out to be the Manson Family. This chance meeting is followed by a Satanic ritual, a pervert in a confessional box, an LSD stuffing party, a Jim Morrison concert, and the evening is rounded-off by rape. Cookie Mueller was not your average female. She was a tough, unflappable survivor, and she took all of her misadventures in stride.
In "The Pig Farm--Baltimore & York, Pennsylvania--1969", Cookie is introduced to Bob, the Psychedelic Pig (a narcotics dealer famous for his extensive pig collection) and then moves on to Herb, the pig farmer from Pennsylvania.
"Abduction and Rape--Highway 31--1969" describes Cookie's attempts to hitchhike from Cape Cod to Baltimore to visit director, John Waters. Cookie and her two female companions meet trouble on the road in the form of two drunken louts who turn violent once the girls are in the car. Everyone gets more than they bargained for.
Cookie Mueller starred in "Pink Flamingos"--the cult classic directed by renegade director, John Waters, and one essay outlines life on the set and the friction Cookie experienced when her parents discovered the screenplay for the film. Cookie escaped from Suburbia--along with baby, Max (who also had a part in the film), and John Waters drove the getaway car.
My favourite essays, however, and "Go-Going--New York and New Jersey--1978-79" and "The Berlin Film Festival--Berlin, West Germany--1981." The first essay describes Cookie's career as a topless go-go dancer. She weighs the pros and sons of working in New Jersey vs. Manhattan (she preferred the former for a variety of reasons). However, she turns her back on go-go dancing forever after a particularly ugly experience at the "Pretty Purple Pussy Cat Club." She picks up some handy dandy hints from fellow go-go girl, Taffy, and while the hints bring much better tips, a rather undesirable fan latches onto Cookie. The descriptions of Cookie's feelings about the "ludicrous" "bumping and grinding" movements "convulsing there on a dirty dynel shag pad" contrast with the "stone-faced loners ... watching intently this twitching female flesh parcel."
In "The Berlin Film Festival", Cookie travels to Germany--complete with her own narcotics supply stuffed in her bra. Things immediately go wrong, and soon she is surrounded by "Dobermans in S&M gear." Cookie's impressions of Germany are acid-laced, original, and extremely funny. Cookie ends up creating her own brand of trouble that necessitates a quick exit over a pseudo Berlin wall.
Cookie Mueller had style. After reading this collection of essays, I felt as though I had some idea of the sort of person she was. She died young, but it seems amazing that she lived to age 39. She was unique--a risk taker, an adventurer, and utterly fearless. Her sardonic humour shines through every line--displacedhuman
Product Description
Religion and Inspiration. Madeleine explores the awesome relationship between Christianity and Art. She writes that true art is incarnational. The artist is a servant willing to be a birth giver.
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