The first three stories of the Von Star System, and the many fantastical worlds contained within. Worlds of magic, worlds of science, worlds of imagination, worlds dwelling at the crossroads of time. In "Dark Gatekeeper: Endings and Beginnings", a weary traveler finally reaches the Dark Gate. This mysterious Gate serves as the boundary between the known and the unknown. The one who watches over this Gate challenges the traveler. Does the wandering one seek the end of the story? Or the beginning of a new one? In "Gatekeeper Lecata: Rising Tide", a forensic scientist leads a comfortable life within a cutting-edge research laboratory. That is, until one minor discovery sends her entire world into a tailspin. As the danger rises and time runs short, Ophelia Ulliard finds herself on the run from alien forces that want her and her loved ones dead. But, why are the aliens willing to destroy her entire lab just to get to her? And what does this all have to do with the unknown crystal she was given so many years ago? In "Gatekeeper Trimas: Breaking Away", a high school Senior struggles with navigating social cliques, crushes, and the impending graduation. While most would look forward to this as their transition into adulthood, for Brittany Thornton, it's a never-ending nightmare. On the world of Trimas, graduation means moving into a phase of life where all is pre-determined. Whom you'll marry, what job you'll have, and where you'll live. That is the way of the Eternal Masquerade. A way of life Brittany wants nothing to do with. As the clock ticks to her confinement, Brittany must choose to surrender to the will of others, or defy them and fight for a life of freedom. This book also includes a prelude to the next story, "A Distant Thunder". As situations intensify on Lecata and Trimas, a whispered prayer is made to an ancient God. The answer, is a bolt of lightning and the return of a God's favorite servant. What will happen when all of these forces collide? Only one thing is for certain, everything is about to change.

The biblical hermeneutics of the illustrious philosopher-talmudist Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) has long been underappreciated, and viewed in isolation from the celebrated philological schools of “plain sense” (peshat) Jewish Bible exegesis. Aiming to redress this imbalance, this study identifies Maimonides’ substantial contributions to that interpretive movement, assessing its achievements in cultural context. Like others in the rationalist Geonic-Andalusian school, Maimonides’ understanding of Scripture was informed by Arabic learning. Drawing upon Greco-Arabic logic, poetics, politics, physics and metaphysics, as well as Muslim jurisprudence, he devised sophisticated new approaches to key issues that occupied other exegetes, including a variety of interpretive cruxes, the reconciliation of Scripture with reason, a legal hermeneutics for deriving halakhah (Jewish law) from Scripture, and the nature of interpretation itself. "It is a valuable contribution to the entire study of medieval biblical exegesis and will undoubtedly serve as the basis of all subsequent discussions of Maimonides' hermeneutics." Daniel J. Lasker, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

In Opening the Gates of Heaven, Perry Stone shows you how to release the flow of heaven's blessing through both God's revelation and the intervention of angelic messengers.

"Bruce Frantzis demystifies the fundamental principles of chi gung and provides a comprehensive exercise program with detailed illustrations to increase life energy, improve health, boost sports performance, and combat stress and aging."--Provided by Publisher.

From country quaint to formal and elegant, this book offers fence patterns to complement every architectural style. It covers every aspect of fence building--from selecting the most appropriate design to choosing the materials--and provides complete instructions for installation. 115 line drawings.

Through roughly 160 alphabetically arranged reference entries, this book surveys the material culture and social institutions of Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was one of the great civilizations of antiquity. Honoring the contributions of their cultural forebearers-who included Etruscans, Asians, and Egyptians as well as Greeks-Roman artists, writers, and thinkers freely borrowed where tradition dictated and innovated where personal talent and imagination directed, forging a unique creative experience that formed the basis of Western European artistic, literary, and philosophical production for 2,000 years. While other reference works typically examine battles and politicians, this book focuses on Roman social history and daily life, painting a detailed picture of the material culture and social institutions of Ancient Rome. A timeline highlights key events, while an overview essay surveys the achievements of the Romans. Reference entries provide objective information about art, architecture, literature, commerce, transportation, government, religion, and other topics related to Roman life. Each entry provides cross-references and suggestions for further reading, and some provide sidebars of interesting facts along with excerpts from primary source documents. The book closes with a selected, general bibliography of resources suitable for student research.