Book Description
In the Preface to A Man Called Peter, Catherine Marshall tells of a dream she had after Peter Marshall's death: Peter was working in a rose garden and said playfully, ''I know perfectly well what you've been doing, Catherine. You're writing a book. . . . It's all right, Kate. Go ahead and write it. Tell it all, if it will prove to people that a man can love the Lord and not be a sissy. . . .'' Filled with wonderful humor, wisdom, and loving detail, the powerful story of Peter Marshall's life has touched the hearts and minds of millions of people. It is a book about love-the love between a dynamic man and his God, and the tender, romantic love between a man and the woman he married. It is also the gripping adventure of a poor Scottish immigrant who became Chaplain of the United States Senate and one of the most revered men in America. Through Peter's story and the powerful sermons and prayers included in this paperback edition, readers will discover insight into God, man, and life on earth and hereafter. They will also be encouraged by the realization that if God can do so much for a man called Peter, he can do as much for them.
Customer Reviews:
Even the Great Have Doubts Sometimes........2007-03-04
Peter Marshall was a man of God and yet he contemplated suicide in the play, "A Man Called Peter," based on this book. One of the school plays during the year I took Dramatics class and we were able to watch rehearsals. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. Some of his sparkling observations in our country are expressed here where he had a great ministry as minister to the presidents (before Billy Graham), he began in Birmingham, Alabama, as a newspaper reporter. He believed that each of us is responsible for helping our Christian brothers and sisters, especially the weaker ones.
In one of his soul-searching, gut-wrenching sermons, he compared America to his native Scotland: "We have in the United States today a higher standard of living than in any other country, or at any other time in the world's history. We have more automobiles, more picture shows (movies), more telephones, more money, more swing bands, more radios, more television sets, more night clubs, more crime, and more divorce than any other nation in the world." In another, this truism based on Jesus' teachings" God speaks through our circumstances and guides us, closing doors as well as in opening them." All things work together for good for those who love God. The promises of God found in the Bible can give us hope, but many times we do not claim them as our own until we face a crisis.
Andrew was chosen to be the Patron Saint of Scotland, and Saint Andrew's cross, a diaganol white cross on a blue ground, is the foundation on which St. George's cross of England and St. Patrick's cross of Ireland were laid to make the Union Jack. Alec, my youngest (son of the oldest son) was born on March 17 and reportedly looks just like Geoffrey (named after Chaucer). "A tired-ooout rail splitter, crouched over his tattered books, by candlelight at the day's end, preparing for his future, instead of snoring or sky-larking like his co-laborers, Abraham Lincoln cut out his path to later immortality in his spare time. Georgia Sharpe, an admirer of Peter Marshall, wrote: "A stranger entered a church during the sermon and took a seat in the back row. After a while, he leaned forward and asked the elderly man in front of him, "How long hs he been preaching?" "For about forty years, I think," the man replied. "I'll stay then," said the stranger;" he must be almost finished.
Peter Marshall left behind just such home-spun philosophy in his teaching and ministering to the members of government at First Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. and a wonderful wife who shared (as did JoNell Allen) her husband's sermons with the public.
A Story About One of My Heros..........2006-03-02
Dr. Peter Marshall's story about his rough childhood with the endless desire to go to sea,
his eventual immigration to America after the LORD's calling him into the ministry,
his seminary education,
his marriage to Catherine Marshall (then Catherine Wood),
his pastorate at N.Y. Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington
D.C.,
the birth of his son Peter John Marshall,
his appointment to the position of Chaplain to the U.S. Senate,
and his tragic death in 1949,
are all wonderfully brought to life in this amazing biography of one of America's greatest preachers.
Catherine Marshall has been a blessing to my life and has brought me closer to Christ through her many Christian books. Dr. Marshall himself has allowed me to probe deeper into the meaning of salvation by faith alone and his audio tape entitled "Can You be Wrong?" available at Peter Marshall Ministries - have been instruments used by God in the event of the salvation of many. His sermons included at the end of this book, especially the one entitled, "The American Dream", has been especially pertinent to issues that still exist in the USA today, and served as my Speech and Debate piece as a high school senior. Although Dr. Marshall was more of a story teller, rather than an exegetical minister, his sermons are up there with Dr. John MacArthur and other ministers who I love and trust. I would recommend this biography over the biographies of any other minister I have read to date.
If the LORD had this much in mind for a poor Scottish immigrant with nine and a half dollars in his old brown wallet when he arrived at Ellis Island almost 90 years ago...imagine what he could have in store for you and me!
Peter Marshall.......2005-10-10
I have both the movie and the book. I saw the movie when I was a child and it made an impression on me. I never forgot it. I have a grandson who is becoming a minister and I wanted him to see the movie. I haven't read the book yet, but I will soon. I feel sure it is better than the movie. I believe Peter Marshall was an outstanding minister and we can learn a lot from him. I am now 60 years old. This man has touched many lives over the years even since he died. I also have the book of his sermons. Catherine Marshall has kept his memory going and she is an awesome writer.
The Tale of a Modern Apostle.......2004-07-14
As someone related to those who have served in the clergy, I found Catherine Marshall's ardent tribute to her late husband, Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall particularly heartwarming and inspiring.
As her husband (who became affectinately known as "Twittering-Birds Marshall" because of the flowery phrasing he gave to his wonderful sermons) painted vivid imagery with the parables he told, she paints a vivid image of his all-too-brief life.
Through her words, we see the winsome Scottish lad who suffers the tragic loss of his father at age four, whose hardscrabble experiences and humble beginnings would lead him to have great compassion for others in similar circumstances, the spiritual depth he developed on the occassions when his Inner Voice saved him from accidental death, the inspiration he received from fellow Scottish churchman Eric Liddell, his Scottish wit, and fun-loving style. He was a man I feel I would have liked, as did many, and had he lived a few more years, he might have been highly instrumental in the struggle for Civil Rights, judging from the deferrence he gave to the writings of African American men of faith, James Weldon Johnson, and George Washington Carver, and his expressed concern for underpriviledged minorities. His sermon, "The American Dream", is still very timely in the modern world.
Readers follow him through his immigration to the United States, his entrance into the clergy, his meeting of Catherine, the difficulty of finding time to spend with her due to mounting ministerial duties, his marriage, his camaraderie with other ministers, the high emotion of embracing U.S. Citizenship, the use of his sharp sense of humor to win people over to Christ, his enthusiasm for board games, sports, life itself, and also his great love for his family and humanity in general.
I can hear the melodic trill of his brogue when his quotes appear in the story as his wife recaptures the rhythm of his speech patterns, and each chapter is headed with appropriate Biblical verses that summarize their contents.
Dr. Marshall was nonimated as Senate Chaplain while serving in the church where Abraham Lincoln once worshipped, and upon his election became a much-loved confidant of Senators on both sides of the aisle. Michigan Senator, Arthur Vandenberg (who himself passed away around the time of this book's publication in 1951), affectionately called him, "Dominie", the Dutch word for "Parson".
We share the couple's delight at the birth of their son, "Wee Peter" in the years prior to Dr. Marshall's rise to the Chaplaincy of the Senate, the challenges to their faith brought on by Catherine's bout with tuberculosis, and Peter's heart trouble, and see how much prayer meant in their lives at such time. We also see how Peter's illness inspired others to pray. But we are also made aware that not everyone admired the Marshalls and that the Good Reverend was subjected to anti-immigrant backlash as well as misinterpretations of the meaning of his sermons. He had his moments of self-doubt, as does everyone.
Dr. Marshall's instinctiveness in changing his sermon for the graduating class of the Annapolis Naval Academy, which he gave just hours before the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor is formidable, and through his warm, consoling mannerisms, Christ became warm and alive in the hearts and minds of many. Through Marshall's example, many lives were changed for the better.
We also see how this spiritually attuned couple helped produce some of Peter's best sermons in joint ventures that made their life's pilgrimage a real partnership.
Five days after his attendance of President Truman's second inaguration, this fine representative of Christ on Earth was lost to the world. But his sweetness, and love for his wife were evident until the very end. As he passed from this life, the Holy Spirit gave Catherine the strenghth to carry on with her life, and to console others. As she worked on her late husband's story, he appeared to her in a dream, providing encouragement, but still letting that sparkling Scottish wit shine through, perhaps more eminently, in the afterlife.
The last words he spoke to her, "See you in the morning", would carry her through the years.--Through the acclaim of this biography, the 1955 film of the same name in which Richard Todd gave an adorable performance as Peter, an eventual second marriage, the entrance of her son into the Presbyterian ministry, her own success with the novel, "Christy" and other religious literature, and eventually, her own undoubtably happy reunion with Peter in March, 1983.
Her son honors the rich spiritual legacy of his parents by continuing the family tradition. As did his own father, Peter John Marshall lost his father in childhood, and perhaps strives to know him by following in his footsteps. Perhaps he knows the Senate Chaplain who was his father better than the elder Dr. Marshall knew his father through the availability of the Senate Chaplain's recorded sermons and writings.
Christ said"...Whosover liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"--John 11:25, 26
As the life of Dr. Marshall continues to inspire many all these years later, I'll say that I do.
Inspiring Biography.......2003-10-29
The works of both Peter and Catherine Marshall live on even though they are no longer among us. Fortunate for us that their legacy is still available, as we're richer for it.
Peter was Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, a position he had not sought. He was a Scottish immigrant to this country. This book describes how God orchestrated the circumstances that led to a life of accomplishment from an eternally significant perspective.
On page 15 she tells us, "Peter Marshall did not grow up wanting to be a minister. That was God's idea--not his." She says often God has to shut a door in order for us to go through the door he wants us to go through.
Eric Liddell was a significant influence in Peter's younger years. He was the Scottish olympian who was more committed to Jesus than to winning international acclaim.
I underlined what was said about dreams in the part of the book on Peter's early years. "I learned that just because God loves us so much, often He guides us by planting His own lovely dream in the barren soil of a human heart," she notes. Later on she adds that if the dreams are really of God, even though they may be carried a long time, they often suddenly become reality.
I also love what the way she describes the book-lined place Peter inhabited. "Books lined one wall--good books--inspiring and instructive--good books--good friends."
One of several idiosyncrasies I share with Peter Marshall is that we're both "night owls." She says he was usually his best and brightest around midnight.
Throughout this book on her late husband, Catherine puts her thoughts into a reflective framework. She talks about Jesus and living life with the long view in mind. Along those lines she talks about Jesus, noting that he never refused anyone who came to Him for help. She says even if we lack faith, we can ask Him for it because faith is a gift of God.
She modifies the phrase which is so commonly cited, "God helps those who help themselves," by writing that actually, "God helps those who trust Him to solve their problems."
This is a well-researched, well-written, inspiring, faith-building, positive book that will make you a better person from having read it.
Product Description
NOTE TO READER: The reader will notice that all of Dr. Marshall's sermon material in this book is set up in an unusual way. The sermons are printed exactly as his original manuscripts were typed. This format, which contributes so much to reading pleasure, will be an old friend to those who have read, MR JONES, MEET THE MASTER. Critics, theologians, speech professors, as well as countless laymen, have enthusiastically endorsed this device. "It looks like blank verse."...."It reads like a running stream."...."You can almost hear the preacher's voice on the printed page"-these are typical comments. The author hopes that it will help to convey to you something of the impelling quality of the dedicated personality that is Peter Marshall.
Customer Reviews:
Good book with ideas still useful today .......2007-08-13
Here are some notes
The same forces transforming our economy and society were about to transform war as well
The biggest problem for democracies in relation to the military - Democratic armies cannot win wars without popular support/ consensus, but crises could arise faster than consensus could form. The military had to shift from an orientation toward space to an orientation toward time
The shape of tomorrow would be determined by economic, not military, warfare - nations becoming more economically interdependent
Knowledge is a factor of production which is versatile and inexhaustible unlike material finite resources therefore it may be used by both sides of the war
War success increasingly lies in the capacity for acquiring, generating, distributing, and applying knowledge strategically and operationally
Agriculture became the womb of war for two reasons. It enabled communities to produce and store an economic surplus worth fighting over. And it hastened the development of the state. Together these provided the preconditions for what we now call warfare
Past armies varied greatly in size, capability, moral, leadership quality and training. Weapons were unstandardized, and fighting was mostly close combat
Total war is waged politically, economically, culturally, and propagandistically, and the entire society converted into a single war machine. Total war blurred or completely eliminated the distinction between military and civilian targets
Mutually assured destruction
Poorly paid draftees armies reduce the incentive for technological substitution
If armies consist of more highly paid professionals, robots become a battlefield bargain
The spread of chemical, biological, and nuclear arms in the world is also likely to promote robotization by creating battlefields just too toxic for human soldiers. Robotic warriors can be custom designed to perform in just such environments
Robots did the work but humans made the decisions
Another feature of autonomous robots is speed. They can make decisions at faster than human rates, a key capability as warfare accelerates
The problem with remotely controlled robotic weapons is that they depend on vulnerable communications that link humans to them. If communication breaks down, disrupted, sabotaged or manipulated by the enemy, the robot becomes useless or potentially self destructive. If the ability to sense data, interpret it, and make decisions is embedded in the weapon itself, the communication links are internalized and more secure
*The implementation of total automation in warfare by means of robotization changes the relationship among the parts of the war machine specifically among the public and the state. Robotization removes the human aspect of war, the draftees and therefore reduces public patriotism and therefore support for the warfare. With zero cost in human life 2 scenarios may occur - 1 lost of public concern regarding any battle or war waged, 2 increase in unopposed criticism by the public to the states with regards to battle or war waged and increased focus of the opponent as victims rather than enemies. This occurs because the opponents casualty is not counter balanced by our own casualty and even the notion of risking human life is unavailable. Because of this, war is may not be morally justified if the opponents innocent public is killed. The war itself may not be justified if without public support to its necessity
The state therefore in a effort to reduce public opposition may 1 keep battles and warfare hidden from public view 2 increase military propaganda techniques
The new communication networks favor democratic nations - permits users to communicate among themselves at all levels of the hierarchy, precisely what totalitarian systems may not want
SIX WRENCHES THAT TWIST THE MIND - THE MEDIA BATTLEFIELD
1 the atrocity accusation
2 hyperbolic inflation of the stakes involved in a battle or war
3 demonization and/or dehumanization of the opponent
4 polarization "Those who are not with us are against us"
5 the claim of divine sanction
6 propaganda that discredits the other side's propaganda - its aim is to produce wholesale, as distinct from retail, disbelief
List of military propaganda techniques designed to exploit the mass media to sway mass emotion in mass society
Adding commercially available smart technology to old weapons can transform them into intelligent weapons at peanut prices that even impoverished armies can afford
Efforts at preventing the spread of mass-destructive weapons were based on ten key assumptions:
1 The new weapons could be monopolized by a few strong nations
2 Nations seeking such arms would have to produce their own
3 Small nations, in general, lacked the necessary resources
4 Only a few weapons or types would meet the definition of weapons of mass destruction
5 These weapons depended on a handful of raw materials that were monitorable and controllable
6 They also depended on a few specific, indentifiable technologies whose spread could also be watched and controlled
7 The actual number of secrets needed to prevent proliferation would also be small in number
8 Regulatory agencies could collect and disseminate information for use by the world nuclear industry without revealing knowledge that would help arms proliferators
9 Existing nations would remain stable and not break apart
10 Nation-states were the only possible proliferators
While interdependence may create bonds between nations, it also makes the world far more complicated. Interdependence means that Country A cannot take an action without triggering consequences and reaction in countries B, C, D, and so on
Some countries are hypo-connected to the rest of the world while others are hyper-connected.
War and peace forms pose a moral question. Apart from trying to withhold certain kinds of technical knowledge from potential troublemakers, it may be sensible for most technologically advanced nations to actually provide technical know how to less than friendly states. If some pariah state succeeds in developing weapons of mass destruction do we want the government to keep the weapon under careful control, lest it fall into unauthorized hands. If so, should we make control technologies available to it.
Government is under de facto control local business interest
Insightful and interesting speculations But our Reality since the book was written is more complicated.......2006-04-27
This is a very good and interesting book. It has many human interest stories including that of the Tofflers meeting with the late Don Morelli, a veteran of Vietnam who was to unfortunately die shortly afterward of cancer. Morelli's insights into the changing nature of the battlefield, of the importance that communications, information, quality people ,Intelligence would have on ' third wave' warfare are an important part of this book. Another important military figure Donn Starry also contributes to the major insights of the book. After investigating the turnaround tank- battle at Kuneitra in the Golan Heights in the Yom Kippur War he came to understand the importance of 'taking the initiative in battle' even when defending- and how those the initiative however outnumbered and outgunned are capable of determining the battle.
These insights fit into the Tofflers' larger framework insights about how after the Agricultural Wave, and the Industrial Wave we have entered the Wave of Information and Knowledge- and how the means of Warfare change in accordance with the Dominant mode of the historical time.
The Tofflers are not however dogmatic and schematic. They lay out possibilities for future transformations in warfare, from star- wars scenarios to those in which robot- soldiers shape the battlefields of the future. They talk about all kinds of interesting possibilities from 'niche wars' to global conflagrations initiated by 'crazy states'.
But my sense is that the outline of possibilities, and the raising of interesting ideas and scenarios is somehow today less vital than the analysis of the specific ' war - situation' or 'war - situations' Mankind finds itself in. Their book was published before 9/11 before the rise of an Islamic Fundamentalist global Terror threat which amounts to a Clash of Civilizations with the West.
The Tofflers have written an interesting book ( As they always do) but one which more than a decade after its publication does not provide a nitty- gritty analysis of our specific ' war- situation'.
"To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill".......2005-04-01
Over the years I have read several of Toffler's excellent books.He has a marvelous talent to put logical thinking to work and reveal what is really happening right before our eyes;and most of all,explain it.It seems that it is a case of that old adage "can't see the woods for the trees."Any reader of Toffler is well aware of the First,Second and Third waves;and what he does in this book is to show how war is affected by the Third wave principles of change. As one reads this book,the reader should keep in mind that it was published in 1993- that's 13 years ago,and much of the thoughts and research probably took place sometime before that.It is a credit to Toffler's skill to read the book now and to see how dead on the mark he is.
The big thing that comes out in this book is that the whole world has not gone through these three waves;in fact some countries have barely entered into the first wave.All countries must try to get along regardless which wave they are in.Also some countries are operating in the first wave in some things,others in the second wave and even in the third wave in others.This is summed up in what Toffler describes as "A World Trisected."
When war is involved ,it is a matter of life and death,and if one does not adapt they will end up on the scrapheap of history.
This book opens ones eyes to so many things that are going on today.It is little wonder that the United Nations,which was formed during the second wave and continues to operate that way;that it has essentially been useless in dealing with terrorism around the world.One should also keep in mind that our governments and political systems along with our legal,criminal and justice systems were also developed for the second wave and continue to dwell there.
"You may not be interested in war,but war is interested in you."
-Trotsky
WORTH GIVING IT A SHOT.......2004-10-08
This is an interesting book. I cannot I say I agree with the entire premise, but I did find it rather thought provoking and certainly worth considering. As always, I do have a problem with the author's absolutelisms, but hey, it is their book and they certainly have a right to their opinion. Of course books such as this will only be given their final worth with time. Sort of gives you good incentive to live to be about 200 years old, huh? Anyway, I have this one three stars simply as I did not feel it was their best work, and parts of it were sort of sloggy, but I do feel it is worth the time to read it and certainly ponder it.
Interesting, but not good enough.......2003-06-16
Reading this book was rather like going into a 400 page Newsweek article. Even though the theory about "waves" can seem appealing, the authors fail to provide a theorical framework for the ideas they propose. Ok, so the wars of the future will be different.. so what?
There's no explanation within the book that tries at least to determine what the causes of the future wars will be. It leaves the door open for any "random" cause to ignite a war.
Anyway, I could say the anecdothic style of the book makes it easy to read, but if you're looking for a more in-depth text about wars and their future implications, forget about this one.
Book Description
Planet Earth is warming faster now than at any other time in the past 1,000 years, and global warming may be the greatest threat to ever face humanity. Counteracting it is our greatest challenge.
Mark Maslin explains what global warming is and presents incontrovertible evidence that it is really happening. He examines the impact that climate change will have on health, agriculture, water resources, coastal regions, forests, and wildlife. He also looks at the efforts being made to counteract the effects of global warming and the ways in which we can adapt.
Customer Reviews:
A fine review of what global warming is and how it's affecting the planet........2007-10-06
The second updated edition of a classic treatise provides a fine review of what global warming is and how it's affecting the planet. Where similar books sport a weighty appearance lending to college-level pursuit, this slim paperback offers a more user-friendly presentation making it a fine recommendation to both high school and general-interest public library collections, especially in light of the numerous color photos throughout.
Global Awareness.......2007-07-31
Any book or DVD on this issue is necessary in my opinion.Its obvious that global change is taking effect.No doubt the devistating effect of ever increasing populations is the cause.The cars we drive,and the huge amount of fumes that come from them.The pulling down of those old trees makes me feel sad,to think how long they have been there then gone in an instant.I get to travel around a bit in my trade and i get involved in the building industry.I see the new housing estates,where there was once vast land with beautiful trees and wildlife,there is now streets being made,and houses being built.A funny thing happened to me recently.I was working in a house and i saw 2 ducks,they were swimming in a large puddle of water.It was probably 5 metres square,a house was going to be built there.For some reason it looked odd to me to see them there,i took a photograph.I went back inside continued working,next time i came out both ducks had wandered across the road right to where i was about 4 metres away from me.I had some bread in my car,so i fed them a slice.Then i looked around,and i said to myself,pretty soon these ducks are going to have nowhere to go.We keep pushing the wildlife further and further back.I felt sad about those 2 ducks i had made friends with.This is a very small example of it.I can recall as a child we had a swamp over the back fence,lots of frogs and birds were there,there is units there now its all gone.It can only go on for so long.How many times can populations double?The attitude seems to be "they will do something about it".The "they" is us.Its like the Titanic,it had to sink before they decided to have enough lifeboats for everyone.When Jesus walked he did not mention such issues,he had no problem with that those days.Pity he didnt,he covered most things except that.It makes you wonder how this genneration will be looked upon in years to come.
So so. Not much evidence........2007-06-09
This book is intended to be an intoductory summary of global warming but it is light on evidence. The evidence is available and should be the center piece of this book. Instead it is skimmed.
A sermon to the choir, but little to convert anyone else.......2007-05-05
This book was disappointing for several reasons. It is only about 70 pages, and about half the space is devoted to pictures. It took me about an hour to read this (even looking at all the pictures). No notes or bibliography, just the typical claims that we are doomed with the typical political bias and little evidence to support the claims. This is more like a comic book for the already converted printed to be a fundraiser.
I have been reading books that represent both sides of this argument and would recommend Richard Alley's The Two Mile Time Machine or Spencer Weart's The Discovery of Global Warming if you want to read a couple of books that explain how these theories were developed.
If you want to read opposing points of view, try Meltdown by Patrick Michaels and Unbstoppable Global Warming by Fred Singer and Dennis Avery.
There is a new book out that I have not read yet, but looks interesting;
The Chilling Stars by Henrik Svensmark which appears to offer a completely unique perspective. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Books:
- A Passion to Win
- Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry
- Albert Einstein: Out of My Later Years Through His Own Words
- All Encompassing Trip
- All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
- America Is in the Heart: A Personal History (Washington Paperbacks, Wp-68)
- American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson
- An Italian Affair
- And the Sea Is Never Full: Memoirs, 1969-
- Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed
- Robot Dreams
- Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
- Of Love and Russia: The Eleven-Year Fight for My Husband and Freedom
- Sclerotherapy: Treatment of Varicose and Telangiectatic Leg Veins, Text with DVD
- SAT Subject Test: Biology E/M
- Paul: A Very Short Introduction
- Conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago
- Self-Portrait with Turtles: A Memoir
- Bacterial Energy Transduction
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
A Man Called Peter
Beyond Ourselves (Catherine Marshall Library)
Christy
Mr. Jones, Meet the Master: Sermons and Prayers of Peter Marshall
The Helper
