Friday, December 27, 2019

The History Of Clive Peeters Foundation To Its Collapse Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2312 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? This report is about the history of Clive peeters foundation to its collapse. It has been examined under various accounting methods like, analysis credit history and various types of ratio analysis based on financial statement from 2006 to 2009. This presentation has been included the compare and contrast with some other companies. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The History Of Clive Peeters Foundation To Its Collapse Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Basically, highlighted on the causes of collapse, current status of company like, Voluntary administration, receivership, liquidation. The major findings point out that the company had serious defects in its business policy and ultimately failed to deliver due to its heavy reliance on debt attached with some other factors like: bad image caused by the theft of the company accountant, too much discounting, company size and recession. It is concluded with the company foreseeable future by my own view. Contents Page no Company Overview 1 Different types of companies 1 Analysis various Ratios and comments 3 Reasons collapsed of Clive Peeters ltd 6 Status of quo of Clive peters 8 Clive Peeters foreseeable future 9 References 10Table of contents Company Overview: Clive Peeters was one of the largest retailers of electrical appliances which have operated in Melbourne under its present ownership since 1993 and in Brisbane since 2001. The Company was trading as Clive Peeters in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania, and trade as Rick Hart in Western Australia. It had more than 140 brands and over 20000 individual product models. With 44 stores and about 1300 staffs, it has been suffered by a gigantic financial loss. Earlier three months just before collapsed, it was expected to be the operating loss $4.5 million. It has carried on a huge corruption in its accounts department. A payroll officer had stolen $20 million. Because of Scandals of accounting fraud, huge debts, operating loss, competition with its rival companies, and Model of Sales marketing policy were the main causes of collapse. Clive Peeters financial woes have deepened as bank creditor NAB called in receivership to seize control of the company. And as a result, it w as being placed into voluntary administration. Harvey Norman acquired 32 Clive Peeters retail stores and the companys commercial network for $55 million. (Overview: Clive Peeters Limited Website) Different types of companies: Under corporation act(s 112), mainly two type of companies are permitted to be registered. One is proprietary company another is public company. According to the s 112, proprietary company is classified as limited by share, unlimited with share capital. Likewise, public company is classified as public company, limited by guarantee, unlimited with share capital, no liability company. Other titles of companies would be listed corporation, Disclosing entities, Foreign companies, No- Liabilities companies, Text book 8th edd page no3, 5 Clive Peeters Limited: Clive Peeters is a public company limited by share capital and its ABN is 52 058 868 018. It is a listed company of Australia stock exchange. The Company was incorporated in Victoria on 5 February 1993 and acted as the trustee for the Clive Peeters Electrical Trust (Trust) from 1993 to 31 March 2002. On 1 April 2002, the operating activities of the Trust were shifted to the Company. The Company got hold of all of the shares in Clive Peeters Wholesale Pty Ltd in January 2005. All of the shares of Clive Peeters Home Entertainment (Brisbane) Pty Ltd and Clive Peeters Appliances (Brisbane) Pty Ltd were held on trust for the Company until 1 July 2005 at which time those shares were acquired by the Company. The Company was registered as a public company in Victoria on 14 July 2005. On 20th September 2005, Clive Peeters Limited fully acquired and took control of the Rick Hart Group as well as acquired the business of Michael King Hawthorn Pty Ltd (MK), at the same time. CPA Australia: CPA Australia Ltd (CPA Australia) is a leading advocate of sound corporate governance. CPA is the very important member of Australian Stock Exchange Corporate Governance Council (ASXCGC). It develops corporate governance principal and recommendations (CGPR). It is an unlisted company and limited by guarantee. CPA Australia ABN is 64 008 392 452. According to Company Accounting Leo Hogget Sweeting Redford, p 5. CPA Australia limited by guaranty that means no required share capital for its formation. A public company limited by guarantee is one of which members guarantee to contribute a certain amount in the event of liquidation. Source: (CPA Australia wesite) SingTel Optus Pty Ltd. Singapore telecommunications Limited is listed on the Australian and Singapore stock exchanges. Its a private limited company and limited by share capital. SingTel is the parent company of Optus since 2001. In the Asia pacific region Optus is operating one of the largest strong and strategic telecommunications businesses.(ASX website) Kimberley Diamond Company NL: Kimberley Diamond Company NL is an Australian public company. The main revenue generating source is diamond mining and exploration. It was a public company with no liability. No liability abbreviated NL (ss 148-149) . According to s 112(2) of Act, a no liability company has some criteria to register 1.has a share capital, sole objects are mining purposes and under s 9 mining purposes are defined. According to Company Accounting by Leo Hogget Sweeting Redford, eight edition, p 6. Kimberley Diamond Company NL was a ASX listed Company before2008. After that it company was acquired by Gem Diamonds Australia Pty Ltd, and re moved from the official ASX list.source: (www.ibisworld.com.au) Here, above discussion we can able to find out all four companies including Clive petters ltd. Are different nature different formation even different activities. Clive Peeters is a public company limited by share capital and ASX listed company, CPA Australia is public company limited by guarantee ASX unlisted company nature is corporate governance, SingTel Optus Pty Ltd is a private company limited by share capital and listed on both the Australian and Singapore stock exchanges, nature of business telecommunications. And Kimberley Diamond Company NL was a public company with no liability but it had a share capital and it was listed before 2008.nature of business was mining. Analysis various Ratios and comments: Debt Equity Ratio: It points to what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. A high debt/equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth. Year 2006 = 87.6/71.6=1.22 Year 2007 = 118.1/77.6=1,52 Year 2008= 174.8/80.2 = 2.18 Year 2009 = 150.8/69.4 = 2.17 Analyzing the result of Clive peeters, we can say that there was really aggressiveness in finance invested for its rapid growth. We can see from the above figures that Clive Peeters Limiteds debt-equity ratio increased significantly over the years from 2006 to 2009. This meant that over the years Clive Peters Limited had relied a lot on borrowings from external lenders for their business activities. The Debt Ratio: It indicates what proportion of debt a company has comparative to its assets. The formula of debt ratio= Total liabilities / Total assets For the year: 2006: Debt ratio =87513000 / 159161000 =ÂÂ  0.55 2007: Debt ratio = 118114000 / 195672000 = 0.60 2008: Debt ratio = .1991433000 / 5367682000 = 0.68 2009: Debt ratio = 150775000 / 220178000 = 0.68 Analyzing results of all years, it found that all debt ratios were less than 1. That means, its indicated indicates thatÂÂ  a company has more assets than debt. Current Ratio: A liquidityÂÂ  ratio that measuresÂÂ  a companys capability to pay short-term obligations The formula is: Current Ratio = Current assets/ Current liabilities. The ratio is mostly used to give a suggestion of the companys ability to pay backÂÂ  its short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio underÂÂ  1 suggests that the companyÂÂ  wouldÂÂ  beÂÂ  unable to pay offÂÂ  its obligations if they came due at that point. Here, Clive peeters current ratio was: For the year 2006: current ratio = 115,251000 / 8,3475000 =1.38 For the year 2007: current ratio = 140526000 /114,882000ÂÂ  = 1.22 For the year 2008: current ratio =4,813,101ÂÂ  000 / 1,830,538000= 2.63 For the year 2009: current ratio =158,853ÂÂ  000 / 111,208ÂÂ  000=1.43 It indicating that clive peters current ratios was entering into danger zone up to 2009. Acid Test Ratio: This test indicatesÂÂ  whether a firm has enough short-term assets to cover its immediate liabilities without selling inventory. Companies with ratiosÂÂ  of less than 1 cannot pay their current liabilities and should be looked at with extreme caution. Acid test ratio =Cash + Accounts Receivable + Short-term Investments / Current Liabilities There is an another formula= Current Assets Inventory / Current Liabilities Acid test ratio, for the year: 2006: = (115, 251000 74061000) / 8,3475000 =0.49 2007 = (140526000 98906000) / 114,882000ÂÂ  = 0.36 2008 = (4,813,101ÂÂ  000 2550283000) / 1, 830, 538000= 0.42 2009: = (158,853ÂÂ  000 108080000) / 111,208ÂÂ  000= 0.46 Its proved that over the period Clive peters was not capable to pay current liabilities. The Times Interest Earned (TIE) Ratio: The formula is: Earnings before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) = Total Interest Charges (IT) For the year: 2006=19.51 /1.4 =13.94 2007 =20.57 /27.02 =0.75 2008 =17.03 /16.07 =1.04 2009 = 11.65/3.42= 3.42 From the above calculations are showing Clive Peeters Limiteds Times Interest Earned ratio dropped significantly to a negative figure on 2009 which eventually forced Clive Peeters Limited to be declared as bankrupt Reasons collapsed of Clive Peeters ltd.: The collapse of Clive Peeters did not come as a shock to many in the retail sector. it appeared that the company had been punched by a $20 million accounting scandal in august 2009 , than industry experts had realised that it would be fallen into deep trouble within shot time. Earlier this year 2010 Clive Peeters was expected its operating loss for the three months to March 31 be $4.5 million The key creditor of clive peters in Banking sector Natioal Australian Bank ( NAB ) formerly placed Clive Peeters into receivership. It was the moment of its fallen down . Huge debts slay of its endurance desires: Clive Peeters financial report for the six months to December 31 shows the company had total debt of $160 million at December 31.the reasons of this debt was it was trying toexpand its business as soon as possible, so that it had acquired some smaller competitors by increasing its debt. In the earlier boom years its business was good, because consumer has money and economy was going well , consumers were buying plasma tvs etc, but when , downturn of economy its debts become a headache since march 2009. NAB disagreed to cover its debt anymore. Within 12 months its become mostly sick business who could survive anymore. Market policy: Most whitegood retailers, Clive Peeters was being alive and passed away on its ability to stay alive on poor margins. In this sector, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys are constantly on sale and constantly offering discounts to tempt consumers. With discounts widespread retailers like Clive Peeters require to rely on volume. Competition: Its another reminder that in many sectors, the Australian economy only supports very big or very small companies. Clive Peeters had 45 stores where Harvey Normans more than 100 stores,it may have found itself in a dangerous middle ground not big enough to battle with the extent and financial power of Harvey Norman, and too big to be seen as a specialist niche retailer. While the Top company like Harvey Norman can avoid discounting wars and operate business its own desires by focussing on service. Specialist products or a certain area of the market, mid-sized player like Clive Peeters have no choice but to take on Harvey Norman at their own discount game. Its another reminder that in many sectors, the Australian economy only supports very big or very small companies. Accounting Scandal: Clive Peeters suffered with an accounting scandal when a Female payroll officer Sonya Causer, 39 allegedly stole $20 million. This fraud made a scary thing for its all investors and creditors, suppliers. Plenty of irregularities in accounting sector made really a unstable situation in market. Above discussions we can say, these were the main causes of Clive peeter collapse. Status of quo of Clive peters: At the first meeting of creditors held on 28 May 2010, Mr Brendan Richards and Mr George Georges of Ferrier Hodgson were appointed as replacement joint and several Administrators of the Clive Peeters group. At a second meeting of creditors held on 20 July 2010, determined to place some entities( Clivpee Ltd Clivwho Pty Ltd , Clivpkb Pty Ltd , Hi-Fi Corporation (WA) Pty Ltd , NTFQ Pty Ltd ,Rickhar Pty Ltd .) into Liquidation. For that, George Georges and Brendan Richards were appointed Liquidators pursuant to Section 499(2A) of the Act to wind up the Companies affairs and distributing its property. (Source:www.asic.gov.au) There are different kinds of external administration in case a company is in financial hardship. The major three of these are as follows: Voluntary administration: Voluntary administration works with insolvency process where the directors of a financially troubled company or a secured creditor with a accuse over most of the companys assets appoint an external administrator called a voluntary administrator. Appointment of A voluntary administrator: commonly companys director, less commonly by liquidator, provisional liquidator, or a secured creditor. Receivership: A company most usually goes into receivership when a receiver is appointed by a secured creditor who holds security over some or all of the companys assets. The receivers primary role is to collect and sell sufficient of the companys charged assets to repay the debt owed to the secured creditor. (Source: www.asic.gov.au) Liquidation: Liquidation is the winding up arrangement of a companys dealings. It engages realizing the companys assets, termination or sale of its operation, distributing the proceeds of realization among its creditors and dealing out any surplus among its stakeholders. (Source:www.asic.gov.au) Bottom of Form Clive Peeters foreseeable future: It is very difficult to survive in current situation if the current administrators be returned to the directors; it would not able to helping any way to reboots Clive peters. In my view, where its debt is massive against the assets there is no way to keep alive Clive peters for future competitive business arena. It is better to go into enter into liquidation of whole group of business. Another way, we all know that 32of the Clive Peeters stores were bought by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited after it went into voluntary administration. Its original name was kept as it is and its staffs in some of its stores were being able to keep their jobs. In my view, though Harvey Norman has bought part of its business, to keep the company afloat more money needs to be injected and its whole business structure needs a restructuring. Otherwise, it is going to be very difficult to keep Clive Peeters Limited from getting liquidated.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream - 1043 Words

Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Throughout the events which unfold in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare delivers several messages on love. Through this play, one of the significant ideas he suggests is that love is blind, often defying logic and overriding other emotions and priorities. Helena loves Demetrius unconditionally and pursues him despite knowing that he loathes her; conflict arises between Helena and Hermia, childhood best friends, over Demetrius and Lysander; and because she is in love, Queen Titania is able to see beauty and virtue in the ass-headed Nick Bottom. During much of the play, Helena relentlessly chases Demetrius, giving him love no matter how many times he spurns her. While in pursuit of him in†¦show more content†¦However, it is Hermia who delivers one of the most scathing insults: â€Å"You, mistress, all this coil is ’long of you† (III.ii.338). Hermia means to say that all this turmoil has been brought about by He lena, as she cannot fathom why her lover Lysander is now in love with her best friend, and therefore can only accuse her. Similarly with the use of the word â€Å"thief†, she calls her â€Å"mistress† to further insult her, comparing her to a woman a man has an extramarital affair with—which is a dishonourable position—and Hermia may be taking the role of the man’s wife. Distressed that Lysander loathes her now, Hermia sets aside the fact that her and Helena have been close friends since childhood and she chooses to lay blame on Helena for her woes. In retribution for not giving up the changeling to him, Oberon places a spell on Titania, and as a result, she falls in love with Bottom, who has the head of an ass then. Since she is in love with him, she is able to see beauty and many other good qualities about him instead of the ignorance and naivetà © readers see instead. As Titania awakes to Bottom’s singing, she falls in love with him inst antly, saying, â€Å"And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me / On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee† (III.i.141-142). â€Å"Fair† is a word often used in this play to describe physical beauty,Show MoreRelatedA Midsummer Nights Dream- Love1141 Words   |  5 Pages In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare, a literary technique known as â€Å"doubling† is used to convey entertainment, mystery and reality as the story line for Lysander and Demetrius, Helena and Hermia, Oberon and Theseus, and Titania and Hippolyta. †Doubling† shows indistinguishable personalities of each character but completely contrapositive background stories and actions. Lysander and Demetrius are completely identical except for their personality, actions, and theRead MoreTheme Of Love In A Midsummer Nights Dream1041 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Love within the modern society has taken on a flippant meaning, depending on the phraseology used around the context of the word. Love is used interchangeably with the idea that â€Å"I love apple pie† to â€Å"I love this new car† to the point in which the term love is devalued within our society. How can one say they love their spouse or children and not devalue the true meaning of this intent, when they claim to love apple pie as well? Within the playRead MoreTheme Of Love In A Midsummer Nights Dream907 Words   |  4 PagesA Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay There are several types of love that can be found within the play, â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream† by William Shakespeare. I will cover the following three types of love found in the play, forced love, romantic love, and parental love. In the play Shakespeare actually tries to show the audience just how fickle love can be and even goes out of his way to poke fun at those who cannot let go of the love that they feel for another person. Another concept that ShakespeareRead MoreEssay on Love In A Midsummer Night’s Dream524 Words   |  3 Pageselements as well as characters Puck and Oberon, the true message of love in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is revealed. The four lovers know the direction in which their hearts are inclined to turn, but when the love potion is administered, the bounds of their rectangle are thrashed without knowledge or consent. The rapid shifts in affection between the play’s â€Å"four loversâ⠂¬  is representative of the idea that love isn’t a conscious choice, but a cruel game in which we are the figurinesRead MoreTheme Of Love In A Midsummer Nights Dream704 Words   |  3 PagesShakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream central theme of love A common theme in literature is love. Love can take hold in an instant and can make you do things you never would have done otherwise. Love appears in several different ways in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hermia and Lysander show true love, while Helena demonstrates unrequited love. Titania and Bottom presents us with magic love. In the play, love is also the cause of a few broken hearts. While there is no one common definitionRead MoreMidsummer Night’s Dream: The Power of Love1260 Words   |  6 Pages Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaw s and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: DemetriusRead MoreThe Theme Of Love In A Midsummer Nights Dream755 Words   |  4 Pageshaving a cheerful ending. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy with a theme of love’s difficulties. Articulating the theme, Lysander, one of the main characters, states, â€Å"The course of true love never did run smooth,† (I.i.134). Female characters of the play, Hermia, Helena, Hippolyta, and Titania, have a significant role in the delivery of the theme of love’s difficulties. Hermia, the â€Å"disobedient† daughter of Egeus, has much in common with today’s females. She let love and the potential of happinessRead MoreTheme Of Love Gone Love And A Midsummer Nights Dream1892 Words   |  8 PagesLiterature Theme Comparison Love is a popular theme in a multitude of literature pieces throughout the times. Forbidden love seems nearly as popular as does love gone wrong and unconditional love. Two tales that contain the theme of forbidden love, the theme of love gone wrong, and the theme of unconditional love are: William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Fay Weldon’s â€Å"IND AFF or Out of Love in Sarajevo.† Though these stories were both written many years apart, they have a commonalityRead MoreDifferent Types of Love in Midsummer Night’s Dream1508 Words   |  7 PagesTypes of Love in Midsummer Night’s Dream Love and lovers, both can be described as many different things. William Shakespeare shows us this in his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In this play we see all types of love, from passionate love to foolish love. Along with this we also see different types of lovers and pairs. Examples of these lovers come from pairs like, Hermia and Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, Titana and Bottom, and Oberon and Titana. It seems that in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ShakespeareRead MoreEssay on A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Variations of Love900 Words   |  4 PagesLove is only as strong as the people who share it. In William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are relationships from all different viewpoints of love. Four Athenian lovers are caught in a web of love for the wrong person, according to fellow peevish characters. Along the story line of the play, one will be introduced to additional characters that try to be helpful by committing acts they presume will benefit the young lovers, but these characters actually create plot-twists.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Human Resource Management Issue Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Common Human Resource Issues. Answer: Human resource management is an essential resource of Algonquin College which helps in the achieving goal and sustainability of the organization by implementing the strategies to get positive financial results. The students of this college are encouraged to discover all the issues which centers on human resource management for helping in providing progressive talent management. The college students are motivated to evaluate human resources planning, training and development, compensation and benefits, recruitment and selection, performance assessment and relationship with the between the students and staffs of the college. Along with those mentioned above, the concepts and strategies of health and safety international human resources management are also analyzed (Snell, Morris and Bohlander 2015). The common HR issues faced in the Algonquin College the work stoppage of the employees in the institution. The bargaining team of the college has asked the mediator to bring back the college and the union together for normal commencement of activities. This has result in the suspension of classes for the students and the extent will vary from one program to another. There will be no assessments and evaluation of the students thus putting an impact on their grades. It becomes a challenge for the HR department to recruit new talent and upgrade them to meet the optimum level. In this process, not only the production gets hampered but the company can also lose its valuable clients because of the delay in operational activities. It needs to be ensured that the working environment is appropriate for the employees so that they can work peacefully without any kind of barrier. The aim of the college is to find better employees faster at a low cost which has resulted in the development of iCan didate Screener for increasing the efficiency of the interview session. Algonquin College should also consider the equity and diversity while improving their management in human resources (Srimannarayana 2016). Reference Snell, S.A., Morris, S. and Bohlander, G.W., 2015.Managing human resources. Nelson Education. Srimannarayana, M., 2016. Managerial Insight into HR Issues and Competencies Needed for Entry-Level HR Professionals.Journal of Management Research,8(2), pp.141-158.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Pursuit of God Review free essay sample

If the â€Å"Roman’s Road† through Paul’s epistle can be described as a path to salvation, then A. W. Tozer’s book, â€Å"The Pursuit of God† could be described as a culmination of Biblical wisdom as to what to do with one’s salvation once he receives it. Now, to be sure, this book is not Gospel, but in much the same way as the Bible was written, the Holy Spirit has surely spoken through it into the lives of many readers because of the Christ-driven, knee-bent, God-fearing heart of Tozer himself. The Pursuit of God takes the reader on a journey through the truths of Scripture, lovingly correcting and helping us align our will with God while leaving no remorse for sin or misguidance in the congregate church or in its individual members. Tozer’s audience is the modern church. He, from personal experience, grew up in it and saw the ways that it differed from what the Bible teaches. We will write a custom essay sample on Pursuit of God Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Through his book, he sought to correct those errors and drive the church back to the whole-hearted love of God that he grew to enjoy himself. In his authentically humble way, he stated his mission for writing this book himself. â€Å"Nothing here is new except in which my own heart has made of spiritual realities most delightful and wonderful to me. Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame. †1 â€Å"Tozer literally wrote The Pursuit of God on his knees. Perhaps that explains its power and the blessing that has rested on it. He was a man who had foregone formal education by reason of humble beginnings, yet his life seemed to have been submitted humbly to sitting at the feet of his Savior by meditating on His precepts. From a small town in western Pennsylvania, Tozer came to Christ at seventeen and served Him ever since. Beginning with witnessing to those around him, he delved deeper and deeper into the Holy Scriptures, and judging by the fruit of his labor, rightly divided the Word of God. He ended up settling at a church in southern Chicago when he finally published this book at fifty-one years old. It was not until then, however, that he received the respect of the Christian community that he currently has to this day. Beginning with the basics, Tozer starts his first chapter off assuring the reader that it is not of ourselves that we have the desire to know God. Even the desire to be better is not something that we can call our own! Truly, then, it is â€Å"By grace (we) have been saved through faith, and that not of (ourselves); it is the gift of God†. 3 We can therefore claim no glory to be our own, for all belongs to our Christ who saved us from our sin. He then gets into the heart of the chapter and the very first point he makes; that the Christian needs to follow hard after God. â€Å"How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of â€Å"accepting† Christ. †4 As the reader continues to be blown away by his pragmatic grasp of the Christian experience in America, he wastes no time moving fluidly from point to point. At the end of chapter one, he points out that the man who follows hard after God will make Him his treasure and that man will have need of nothing else. Chapter two then describes that man and what his life looks like because of that point. He explains that each of us have a need for God and that our tendency is to replace God with more tangible things; the things of this world. But there is blessing in having nothing. â€Å"Everything is safe, which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed. †5 The wonder about committing things to Him is not that we necessarily will be allowed to keep them, it is that we will no longer miss them if we are not so permitted. It is a freeing act that will bless us eternally if we can only learn to let loose our grasp on this world. Logically proceeding, Tozer indicates that we are to remove the veil of this life, world, flesh, etc. so that we can more clearly see Christ and the reality that lives, currently and eternally, beyond and throughout ours. It being reasonable to accept that because we were made in the image of God, we were made to glorify Him, we should do so with abundant joy and the recognition of our great privilege. It is then of the highest importance that we tear through the veil of our flesh, aptly ripping blood and sinew and bone (metaphorically of course, but he speaks of the likened pain that this act will cause) so we can adequately apprehend God. We will then see evidence of His presence in us, around us, besides us: we can never escape God. â€Å"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. †6 He is truly everywhere at o nce, omnipotent and omnipresent, all knowing and holy. If universe can be broken down to mean single (uni-) spoken sentence (verse), then we know that God’s word lives and is living. In fact, â€Å"The application of the term to the eternal Son leads us to believe that self-expression is inherent in the Godhead, that God is forever seeking to speak Himself out to His creation. †7 God’s voice permeated creation from the very moment He spoke it into existence, and it never left. It still speaks and is speaking through everything. He not only spoke through the Bible, but the Bible is â€Å"the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech†! Where is our faith? The next point is surmised from the acceptance of God’s work in our lives from the very beginning, speaking to us, living in us. That still small Voice urging us to hear while giving us the ability to refuse Him. â€Å"We learn that faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. †9 When God made the heavens and the earth, He said it was good. When man sinned, that relationship was torn and we fell out of good graces with God. Faith is the avenue by which God gives us to willingly return to Him so that His fellowship with us can return. Thus, we need to continue in faith to restore our relationship with God. If all else were for not, restoring our relationship with the God of the universe should be enough, but His blessings go deeper still and a relationship with Him is so much more. God offers us rest in this life. Though the natural corruption of man incites attitudes that are directly controversial to the Jesus’s teaching of the Beatitudes10, if we accept His teachings and nurture in our lives the meekness He speaks of in the gospel of Matthew, we will begin to experience God’s kingdom manifested in this life. No longer should we see through the corrupt lenses of this world into the kingdom of God, but we are to see through the pure and perfect eyes of God into the kingdom of man. Keeping a heavenly-sighted mind as described earlier in the book, we can now unify God’s precepts with temporal responsibilities to manifest God’s peace and rest in our life on earth. Finally, Tozer concludes, â€Å"Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be a priestly ministration. Through the same masterful literary prowess that he taught himself through years of devout study, Tozer hammers into the hearts of his readers the keynote of each chapter. He elegantly navigates natural avenues of thought while hitting key points in sequence, tracing logic of the Bible to arrive at the ultimate destination of the heart of a true believer of Christ. Along the way, he checks the hearts of those who assume themselves to fall into that category, strengthening their faith and their walk with Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through our lives and cleanse our souls. This book is truly a refreshing spring in a vast desert of traditional Biblical orthodoxy. Any negative evaluations of the text that I have personally seen would surely not have been warranted in the day it was written. Although the vocabulary used was slightly higher than the modern norm of Christian non-fiction, Tozer presented his insights in a surprisingly pragmatic way. Testing his words against the backdrop of a lifetime spent in the church and a decade spent reading the Scriptures on my own leaves me without argument to his discernment of the text. Even the solitary questionable opinion that he mentioned in the book was so stated. Overall, to ask for three weaknesses would be to render undue criticism to an otherwise impeccable rendition of the human spirit’s need for God. PERSONAL APPLICATION As I write this paper I find it difficult to put into words just how priceless the lesson that Tozer provides through this book is. However difficult it was to write a term paper in the midst of an already hectic life, I know that I will keep this book and read it again and again. There are seemingly endless applications that I can derive from this book beginning, no less, in the very foreword that describes Tozer himself. It is no coincidence that his words were as powerful as they are and the lessons so meaningful. As stated before, Tozer wrote this book literally on his knees. This is a priceless picture of just what it takes to be a great disciple of Jesus. I want to be such a disciple. To be so enthralled by God that the rest of the world fades away is as close as we can get to Heaven on this earth. I find myself at the very beginning of the path that Tozer lays out for us. He writes in the first chapter, â€Å"We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. †12 Humility is the key to a life in the servant hood of God. Neither can He use us or shape us if we first do not come before Him in surrender of our will and our way. God my will is Yours, my path is Yours to direct. Should I stumble I pray that You would pick me up and draw me ever close to You. How can I live in this world without You? God indwell in me and make me Yours. I surrender all of me to You. Make me more like You and less like me. Thank You for the faith that You have given me. Yours is the kingdom forever and ever. Amen.