Book with a View June 2012

Title: The Dust Collector
Author: Apostle Kevin A. Johnson
ISBN: 978-1613795484
Reviewer: Dana Micheli

There is a famous saying that “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Apostle Kevin Johnson takes this one step further in his new book, Dust Collector: Experiencing the God Who Collects Worthless Things and Makes Them Into Great Things in His Hands and for His Purpose.

The Dust Collector is a compassionate yet no-nonsense guide to holistic transformation through the love of Jesus Christ. It offers advice on everything from having a happy, Christ-centered marriage to overcoming childhood traumas. But the book’s most important message is not how God heals what others have done to hurt us, but what we have done to hurt ourselves. Through our sins, addictions, and other destructive behaviors, we become bogged down. This is the “dust”, and it clouds our vision to all that is good in our lives.

But, as Apostle Johnson writes, “a little dust on a silver cup does not make the silver worth any less!”, and like the silver, our dust does not make us any less valuable to God. He does not advocate that we try to rid ourselves of this bad memories, for this is often a painful and futile exercise; instead, he counsels us to simply commit them to God, for with His help, we can turn our junk into gold.

The Dust Collector provides an excellent, step by step process by which to rid our lives of the debt, dependence on drugs, and drama in our lives.

Apostle Kevin A. Johnson is a minister, counselor, and writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and a minor in Pastoral Studies from the American Baptist Theological Seminary, where he graduated magna cum laude and was twice-named Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He also received special recognition for outstanding service by former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.

In addition to his ministry, Apostle Johnson and his wife Terrah operate Just Breathe Ministries, LLC. They have five children.

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Shifting into Purer Consciousness ~ Integrating Spiritual Transformation with the Human Experience
Author: Yvonne Perry
ISBN-13: 978-0982572290
Publisher: Write On! (May 15, 2012)
Reviewed by Carl David

If you only read one book in your search for answers as to who we are, why we are here and where we are going, then this is your guide to the Universe. This work is the ultimate handbook to life as it spells out very clearly all aspects of life as we know it and what lies beyond as the evolution of our souls progress. Every question is addressed in detail leaving no stone unturned. The ascension has begun and we are all in it together. The end of the world is mere fearmongering out of ignorance and ego. We are on the edge of a magnificent energy increase as the Universe graces us with its benevolence. Fabulous events for humanity are in the works like never before.

If you are forunate enough to get a copy of this incredible compendium of knowledge you will never look at life in the same way. You will have a sense of peace without worry. No longer will fear of the unkown be part of your vision, you will embrace the present and the future as they merge tenses before your very eyes. Any and all of your questions will gain clarity as we move together into the tide of rising consciousness.

Yvonne has done it again with this extraordinary book of knowledge which she so freely imparts to us. I have had the distinct pleasure of reading Yvonne's other books and like the others, this one is a jewel! My best advice, get it now; don't wait another minute. You will never regret it.

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Not Famous Anymore
Author: Michael Loyd Gray
Publisher: Three Towers Press (December 15, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1595981578
ISBN-13: 978-1595981578
Reviewer: Dana Micheli

It is not too often that a novel combines Hollywood royalty, raunchy rednecks, Bill O’Reilly and cowboys who spout insight worthy of a Zen master. But award-winning novelist Michael Loyd Gray makes it work, and masterfully so, in his latest book, Not Famous Anymore.

Elliott Adrian is in many ways a Hollywood cliché: small town boy who made good; a movie star with a mansion, a collection of sports cars, and an entourage of sycophants to fulfill his every desire; another celebrity behaving badly, without a care for anyone but himself. But beneath the flippant, arrogant façade beats the heart of an empty, desperately unhappy man. After his latest alcohol-fueled stunt lands him in rehab, Elliott decides he’s cashing in his chips and leaving L.A.—and fame—for good.

As he travels along the dusty back roads of small town America, Elliott learns that quitting fame is not as easy as he had thought. But as he struggles to shed his movie star persona and avoid a rabid pack of paparazzi, he encounters friends whose pearls of real world wisdom lead him closer to his truth. For Elliot’s real journey is not about escaping Hollywood, but about rediscovering himself.
Both riotously funny and heartbreakingly tragic, Gray’s taut prose reminds me of gently flowing poem. It is filled with raw emotions, rich descriptions of vast and varied American landscapes, and literary references; yet not a word is wasted. Like his muse, Ernest Hemingway, Gray’s novel is an exploration of what it means to be a man, an American, and most importantly, an authentic human being.

I, for one, never enjoyed Hemingway so much as when Michael Loyd Gray channeled him. But make no mistake: Gray has his own unique style, and heralds the return of the quintessential American writer that had all but disappeared from modern literature.