It would be such a waste of time if we read the book and do not move on to a next level of followship. The journey of faith should become a cycle of faith with new levels of commitment that will be required as we start higher and deeper levels of the process time and again. Moving from discipleship to apostleship on the journey of faith will require that we sit down and count the cost once again, but this time on a higher level. Let us consider the words of A. J. Nock: The mind is like the stomach. It is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests. So let us digest, act, and do.

Camels are first mentioned in the Bible as the movable property of Abraham. During the early monarchy, they feature prominently as long-distance mounts for the Queen of Sheba, and almost a millennium later, the Gospels tell us about the impossibility of a camel passing through a needle’s eye. Given the limited extrabiblical evidence for camels before circa 1000 BCE, a thorough investigation of the spatio-temporal history of the camel in the ancient Near and Middle East is necessary to understand their early appearance in the Hebrew Bible. Camels in the Biblical World is a two-part study that charts the cultural trajectories of two domestic species—the two-humped or Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the one-humped or Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius)—from the fourth through first millennium BCE and up to the first century CE. Drawing on archaeological camel remains, iconography, inscriptions, and other text sources, the first part reappraises the published data on the species’ domestication and early exploitation in their respective regions of origin. The second part takes a critical look at the various references to camels in the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, providing a detailed philological analysis of each text and referring to archaeological data and zoological observations whenever appropriate. A state-of-the-art evaluation of the cultural history of the camel and its role in the biblical world, this volume brings the humanities into dialogue with the natural sciences. The novel insights here serve scholars in disciplines as diverse as biblical studies, (zoo)archaeology, history, and philology.

From #1 New York Times bestsellers Matthew and Mara Van Fleet comes a charming novelty book filled with mermaids, mermen, and charming underwater animals young readers can dance along with! Follow along with the merkids as their sea creature friends form a dance party and teach them the narwhal nod, the silly seal spin, polar bear twist, and more! Little ones can use the six sturdy pull tabs to make the characters move as they dance their way to the grand pop-up finale.

Animals from alpacas to zebras gather in Blackpool for the annual dance competition, while the monkeys hide twenty-six musical instruments for which the reader is invited to search in the illustrations.

An A through Z look at the punny names of animal groups with adorable illustrations for each!

Charmed by the fulsome hospitality of strangers, enthralled by breathtaking archeological sites, dazzled by beautiful beaches and scenery the author fell in love with Turkey in 1972. The lifelong romance that followed has included many incredible, sometimes sad but more often comical situations as a regular holiday destination later became a permanent home. They include being arrested as a spy, watching a man swallow a snake, judging a beauty contest, being given a front row seat at a circumcision and seeing Turkey's most famous criminal crash a plane. Whether you are a casual traveller, looking to live abroad or a seasoned ex pat the book seeks to explain Turkey's sometimes crazy but endearing customs, habits and culture. If you have a comment on the book please contact me at gdearsley AT aol DOT com

To survive a mad world you need camels. They are like the Praetorian Guard. Walk with them and they act like a shield wall, guarding your space so you can try and make sense of what is going on. This book of poetry, prose and pictures allows you to eavesdrop on a personal global trek through the minefields of madness, reflecting on events past, present and future. It starts with a gun to the head, weaves around global trouble-spots and embraces love lost and gained. Treading in camel footprints, you cross continents in search of that elusive cure for insanity.

During a trip to India, retiree Annie and her friend Leila hire Amarnath as their driver in Rajasthan. Having fallen in love with India's colours, aromas, sights, sounds, and people, the friends return for another vacation. This time, Annie's and Amarnath's lives become linked in unexpected ways. Annie travels to India many more times and acquaints herself with the unknown, exotic culture in the circle of Amarnath's family and clan. She chances upon the most unusual adventures - unusual for a western, middle-class woman. The novel is, in equal measure, a testimony to love and a fascinating evocation of Indian culture, seen through Annie's eyes. It brilliantly captures love's triumph over inevitable culture clashes, embedded in narratives about Rajasthan's architecture, legends, art, festivals, and ordinary family life.

Dance through the alphabet from Aardvark to Zebra! Hey! Is that your toe tapping? Well, go on! Strut your stuff! Shake your boots with newts, lambada with llamas, and slide with sloths! A lively romp through the alphabet with vibrant art and cheerfully rhyming text, ABC Dance! is a joy for children and grown-ups to read aloud together. Now get your dancing shoes on!

A distinct symbol of the desert and the Middle East, the camel was once unkindly described as “half snake, half folding bedstead.” But in the eyes of many the camel is a creature of great beauty. This is most evident in the Arab world, where the camel has played a central role in the historical development of Arabic society—where an elaborate vocabulary and extensive literature have been devoted to it. In Camel, Robert Irwin explores why the camel has fascinated so many cultures, including those cultivated in locales where camels are not indigenous. Here, he traces the history of the camel from its origins millions of years ago to the present day, discussing such matters of contemporary concern as the plight of camel herders in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, the alarming increase in the population of feral camels in Australia, and the endangered status of the wild Bactrian in Mongolia and China. Throughout history, the camel has been appreciated worldwide for its practicality, resilience, and legendary abilities of survival. As a result it has been featured in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Poussin, Tiepolo, Flaubert, Kipling, and Rose Macaulay, among others. From East to West, Irwin’s Camel is the first survey of its kind to examine the animal’s role in society and history throughout the world. Not just for camel aficionados, this highly illustrated book, containing over 100 informative and unusual images, is sure to entertain and inform anyone interested in this fascinating and exotic animal.