The Amazing Faith of Texas: Common Ground on Higher Ground

The photographer, Randal Ford, is amazing. He captures the essence of everything he shoots -see his website and no, I'm not related... I can't judge the stories, although they seem pretty good to me. Just the photos are worth the price of this book. For a little bit more of Texas check out books by Wyman Meinzer and John Graves. Texas - it's a big place.

I thought this was going to be primarily an art book. I purchased it as a gift for my in-laws, but of course I had to glance through it before I gave it to them. I loved it - the stories that go with the lovely pictures are short and well-written - I couldn't put it down. My in-laws loved it, too. Now I want one for me!

It is amazing, with all the different faiths, that we all are working for the same thing: higher ground. Pictures in the bok are great.

This book will fill you with hope for the future! The absolutely breathtaking photos of holy men and women were taken by Randal Ford, and the stories were collected and edited by Mike Blair. Some motivational pieces are as follows: A quote by St. Ignatius Loyola, "For those who believe, no explanation is needed, for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible" is positioned opposite a photo of a stark white metal cross in a Texas field. Sister Angela, a Catholic nun who lives in a monastery and raises miniature horses, says, "God is the boss, and I'm just an employee." There is a great photo of Gerald Mann, who was the founder of Riverbend Church, and he is quoted, "The dirtiest word in the English language is they." Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Austin, is pictured on the streets with a homeless friend and he states, "When you walk through the wall of prejudice, you will find that we are all indeed children of God." Carol C. Walker, Ph.D., is listed as "Missionary, Humanitarian, Texan" and her words quoted are, "We need to always be able to step back and say, 'There might be another way of thinking than mine.'" If you need a spiritual boost as I did, leaf through these pages and know that God is with us.

Randal Ford's images are refreshing, the design of the book is impressive. The reader is treated to some truly Texas locations and Texans. Fabulous book!