Markers: Key Themes for Soul Survival Paperback – July 15, 2017

I really loved the personal, insightful and uniquely artistic style in which the author addresses the reality of suffering, and longing for assurance in an unpredictable world. Mary invites her readers into the moment her life plummeted from a wondrous mountaintop adventure to the depths of grief and despair. This “Marker” began her personal journey toward faith, hope, and love of God. We can learn from her wisdom by not looking to other sources/persons for answers to such consequential questions as: "Is there a God? If so, is God good? Does God not see and care?" Mary goes directly to Scriptures, beginning in Genesis, which is the starting point for seeking spiritual truths in all monotheistic religion. She also provides “Markers” that helped guide her quest, questions throughout to promote the reader’s own soul searching, and suggested biblical readings that indicate the consistency of God’s nature and truths.As the goodness of God grasped hold of her skeptical mindset, and took her on a life-changing path toward greater beauty and adventure, I believe this book can be an inspiration, or even beginning “Marker” for any reader. I love her sumation that “True spiritual life travels only in one direction: from God into us.”

I LOVED Mary Barton Nees' book Markers. From the very first pages, I was captivated. I loved her honest retelling of her struggle to find answers- the tragic catalyst that launch her into her search, her seeking, her discovery and all the combined wisdom of her journey in the years since. She is approachable, relatable, and sincere. As I turned the pages, I felt more and more like I was sitting on her front porch, sipping a cup of tea with her and listening to her sage, kind words. I would encourage anyone who is seeking something, anyone who feels like they may be missing something in their lives and is considering that maybe, just maybe there is a God somewhere who cares, to read this book. I love the symbolic artwork; I love the analogy of life being a journey- a hike and someone having been there before us marking the way. I leave you with a few of my favorite lines from the book for you to consider as I encourage you to buy Markers and read for yourself! "I think beauty is a glimpse of forever that keeps us moving forward in time. It's a beckoning gift. Forever is eternal, and for us, that's abstract. We are temporal and concrete but beauty is a sign tat there is a forever place. Like a wooing melody. Like shimmering dew drops on a pile of straw. Maybe moments of beauty are like vista points along a hike- those few places that make the whole arduous walk worth it because we get to see through to what is out there, where it is we are really going." This book is worth your time; invest your time and money!

Each of us at some point says to ourselves something like "There must be more to life than this." . The ancient Wiseman, Solomon said, "God has put eternity into the hearts of men and women." This means that each has been given by God a Defining Starting Point Moment ( First Marker) that is designed to take us from where we are to where our Creator desires us to be-culminating in being with Him forever (Last Marker).The author (an accomplished artist) vividly weaves the various Steps/Markers along life's path offered in the Biblical Story to assure that we may be part of this Forever with our Maker God, who loves us to His own end (and back) making all of this possible.It may sound like an oxymoron, but the author is able to take that which is deep and complex (i.e. out of this world) and make it very readable and easy to understand. It is indeed a matter of 'Life and Death', 'Heaven or Hell'. 'With God or Without God'. You will be doing yourself a big favor to take time to read MARKERS and then encourage your family and friends to do the same.Gary Fowler

Mary Nees does a great, artful presentation of her own journey toward God. She is always honest and thoughtful. A great guide for those who seek to pursue finding the "Someone who is there". I highly recommend it for those who seek.

Reading this wonderful little book so full of big concepts brought me back to that famous line in the song "Woodstock" - "And we got to get ourselves back to the Garden." The hunger for peace and restoration lies deep in our souls, but where's a trusted roadmap to the Garden? How can we get there? The author shares her personal story to finding soul shalom with her discovery that the One who created the Garden very much wants our return and has provided a trail map complete with a progression of markers along the way to keep the journeyers safely on course.I found the author's engaging conversational tone very effective in introducing the concept that God not man is in charge of salvation; that He yearns for our soul survival and lovingly asks, "Where are you?" to walk with us back to the Garden. However, the author soberly underscores that it is our responsibility to accept the invitation to follow the markers back home or face the terrifyingly dire consequences for going it alone.

I very much enjoyed Markers. I am not particularly religious, and I may have learned a thing or two about my Jewish religion from Markers. It's clear that the author has an excellent understanding of Judaism. I appreciated the discussions about Jesus. The understanding of Jesus is not just religion, but is also cultural. There are some aspects of the Bible that I have forgotten and many more that I never learned in the first place. I found the concept of "Pivot" interesting. The frequent references to Genesis was helpful to me, since I have minimal knowledge of the New Testament. I think Mary Nees’ writing style is very efficient and easy to understand. I think different readers will focus on different aspects of the author's spiritual Odyssey based on their backgrounds and needs. I give Markers a strong recommendation.