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Give wisdom for Christmas.


Have you started looking for Looking for

In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with.
 that worthwhile Christmas gift yet? Some people wait till the eve of Christmas Eve to scurry to the stores to shop. Then there are the few highly organized souls, so I am told who have long ago completed their Christmas shopping. Their New Year's resolutions A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set  and what to give up for Lent are already decided upon, too. And they are now, no doubt, in the process of purchasing their Easter wardrobe.

For the rest of us (abuse) for The Rest Of Us - (From the Macintosh slogan "The computer for the rest of us") 1. Used to describe a spiffy product whose affordability shames other comparable products, or (more often) used sarcastically to describe spiffy but very overpriced products.

2.
, here's a suggestion that just might work both for the believers and the searchers on your Christmas list. It's the book Wisdom of the Carpenter by Ron Miller Ron Miller or Ronald Miller can refer to several different people:
  • Ron W. Miller is the son-in-law of Walt Disney and was CEO and president of Walt Disney Productions in the 1970s and 80s.
  • Ronald H.
 (Seastone).

The subtitle describes this book accurately and concisely: "365 Prayers and Meditations of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.

Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since October 2007.
, Lost Gospel Q, Secret Book of James and the New Testament."

Wisdom of the Carpenter contains a page for every day of the year. Each page is divided into three parts: a saying attributed to Jesus, a brief meditation on the saying, and a prayer. This book's charm is its brevity. The Jesus sayings are brief. The author also wastes no words. His reflections and prayers are focused and to the point. Yet each page resonates with wisdom reminiscent of the expansive nature of Henry David Thoreau's succinct aphorisms and the concise proverbs Proverbs, book of the Bible. It is a collection of sayings, many of them moral maxims, in no special order. The teaching is of a practical nature; it does not dwell on the salvation-historical traditions of Israel, but is individual and universal based on the  r the Old Testament.

Miller's Use of non-canonical gospel texts alongside the more familiar canonical texts in Wisdom is both intriguing and refreshing. For too long these texts have languished obscurity: Recently Elaine Pagels' book Beyond Belief." The Secret Gospel of Thomas (featured in U.S. CATHOLIC, September 2003) helped to bring these intriguing documents the early Christian Church to light.

Readers unfamiliar with the texts will have their curiosity peaked by their inclusion in Wisdom, and might then want to investigate and understand their place in the early church and in the wisdom literature the world's great spiritual traditions.

Miller also reflects on what might be tit actual words of Jesus. Since there were no tape recorders, it's difficult to say, but Miller believes he has used sayings that capture "Jesus' authentic voice. Can't do much bet hart that.

Wisdom is both an inspirational and use gift. Its day by day presentation encourages readers to dip into dip into
Verb

1. to draw upon: he dipped into his savings

2. to read passages at random from (a book or journal)

Verb 1.
 it a page at a time and spend some time thinking about what they have encountered. I also like the book because there is just enough room on almost every page to write one's own thoughts and reflections after hearing Jesus' voice and re ing Miller's insight and prayer.

Even for the ultra-organized who have already completed their shopping, this book would make a great gift t new church member, a confirmand, or a spiritual wisdom seeker. And for the vast majority of us who have yet to at tack the annual hunt for Christmas gifts, Wisdom of the Carpenter can ease our quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby"
quest after, go after, pursue

look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the
 worthwhile gifts.

PETER GILMOUR (Pgilmou@wpo.it.luc.edu) teaches at the Institute Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago Beginnings and expansions
Founded in 1870 as the St Ignatius College on Chicago's West Side. In 1908 the School of Law was established as the first of the professional programs.
.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Claretian Publications
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2003, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:Odds & Ends--Ron Miller's book Wisdom of the Carpenter
Author:Gilmour, Peter
Publication:U.S. Catholic
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Nov 1, 2003
Words:504
Previous Article:Did somebody say sex?(catholic tastes--quotation from Philip Yancey's Rumors of Another World )(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
Next Article:Doubting Thomas.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)



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