For more than a decade the author has been writing a "Saturday religion column," syndicated in ten newspapers in the 14 counties of Pennsylvania that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem.  The "600 words or less" in the subtitle comes form the rigorous discipline of writing to strict space requirements.  The intent of the columns is to engage the secular culture and to bring the church's message to it by commenting on the realities of the human condition and on issues of general interest.  This book is a compilation of many of the columns, organized along thematic lines. This book will be an ideal cross-denominational trade book for individual reading or group use.  The short-take format lends itself to episodic reading and will appeal to the individual daily-prayer market.  Clergy will find the book an excellent source for sermon ideas.