Tag: Bible study

REVIEW: Tell Her Story by Nijay Gupta

REVIEW: Tell Her Story by Nijay Gupta

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and IVP Academic in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Dr. Gupta explores the women named in the New Testament as leaders of the early Church, but first he goes back to the Old Testament to review the Biblical record of Deborah and the creation story. As he moves forward in time to examine roles of women in the Roman world, he explores evidence of a full range of responsibilities from wife and mother to business owner to cult priestess. Then he looks at the women in Jesus’ life before moving on to the women who help launch the Church.

I had a teaser of some of this material a couple years ago when I heard the author speak. I was fascinated by what he shared and eager to hear more. The writing here is super engaging. There are plenty of reference notes for those approaching this topic and material as scholars. But there’s tons here to enjoy if you just picked this up to augment your own Bible study. I did a lot of underlining as I read, and came across references to other resources I might want to look at on my own.

Reading this made me want to pull a group of women together with this book and an unmarked Bible to dig into the passages with fresh eyes. I think it would be a moving, memorable study experience. I highly recommend this whether you are looking for a text book or reference for academic work or if you are looking for something for personal study.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Chasing Vines by Beth Moore

REVIEW: Chasing Vines by Beth Moore

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It started with a trip to Tuscany with her daughters. While there, Beth Moore became captivated by the vineyards, the vines, the vinedressers, and the grapes. What followed was a season of study that led to this book. It’s an exploration of vineyards and fruitfulness and scripture that you should not miss!

Review

This book was perfect for me in the early part of 2020. If only you could see all of my dogearred pages and underlined passages! I doubt there’s more than a handful of pages that don’t have something marked in some way. I learned so much about vineyards and vines, and that changed my view of scripture, both the John 15 passage that I expected to explore and so many others.

The voice of this book is textbook Beth Moore. There are passages where I could hear her voice as I read. There’s humor AND heart as well as truth and encouragement in this. Passage after passage applied to my life.

I dug into this like a text book. Which means I made a ridiculous number of notes and highlights. I want to go back and write it all down and ingest it like nourishment. My hope is that these concepts and insights would inform and change me at a deep level. I want to look back at all the ups and downs of my faith journey through the lens of this book.

{To be perfectly honest, I wrote this review back in March immediately when I finished reading the book. The rest of 2020 has driven many of its insights right out of my brain. Thankfully, I have my own annotated copy that I can read again!}

I can’t recommend this highly enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

*♥♥♥♥♥+++=Best of the Best

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2019

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

If you had asked me a month ago what spiritual growth resources I have used this year, I would have been hard-pressed to come up with more than three titles. But when I went back to review the year, I found many more. While I enjoyed many of these in the moment, looking back, only a few made a lasting impact. You can go here to see my list from 2017 and here to see the 2018 list. And here are the resources I used in 2019:

Enneagram

Studying the Enneagram has been a big part of my spiritual journey over the last couple years. You can read my full posts about Ennegram resources here for 2018 and here for 2019 where I talk about all four of these books. Even though I have talked about all of these before, the Spiritual Rhythms of the Enneagram is one of my favorite resources from this year, and one of the most impactful.

 

Bible Study

I think one of the reasons I didn’t feel like I had worked through many spiritual resources this year is because I didn’t do a lot of Bible studies. I am still riding the high of the Isaiah study I did last year. My small group at church worked through Fervent this fall, and because of that, I have spent a lot of time with my Bible, which has been great. This is the second time I have worked through the book, and it is always a solid resource.

I haven’t finished Four Portraits, One Jesus, yet. I’ve had the book for awhile because I love studying the synoptic gospels and looking at how Matthew, Mark and Luke shared the same stories, differently. Last year I got a workbook to go with the text book, but the workbook actually seems to slow me down. I might just finish reading the book in 2020 instead of trying to press through the rest of the workbook. I have LOVED digging into the history of Bible times as well as the days when the gospels were written.

 

Fiction and Nonfiction

I read every single book in this list – and I enjoyed many of them! But few left a lasting impression. In fact, while I might revisit a couple of these because I enjoyed them, only one book in this list earned 5 stars from me – and that’s the fiction one published by a secular company.

Andrew was a perfect fit for me this year because in the book, he’s introduced to a young Amish woman who left the faith and then returned – pregnant. And he wrestles with how to relate to her in light of her “sin.” I was wrestling right along with him. For weeks after I finished the book, I kept thinking about it. To me, that is the mark of a great spiritual growth resource – something that sticks with you and continues to ask you questions and asks you to consider things from a different point of view. (Andrew is book one in the Petersheim Brothers series by Jennifer Beckstrand.)

You can see my reviews and ratings of some of these other good resources here:
Inspired – ♥♥♥♥½
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way – ♥♥♥♥½
The Jesus Who Surprises – ♥♥♥♥
The Middle Matters – ♥♥♥♥
Shameless – ♥♥♥♥
Taste and See – ♥♥♥♥
The Universal Christ – ♥♥♥♥

2020 Reading

I have high hopes for 2020. I chose 12 resources from my TBR shelves and I have already started one for this month. I also found a few friends who wanted to join me on a more intentional reading journey, so we are keeping each other accountable in the coming year.

REVIEW: The Jesus Who Surprises by Dee Brestin

REVIEW: The Jesus Who Surprises by Dee Brestin

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Multnomah in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

While the New Testament of the Bible is clearly about Jesus, you can find him throughout the Old Testament, too. In this book, the author explores those references and relates them to stories from her personal life and the words of other writers and speakers.

This book is a combination of spiritual growth resource and Bible study. The study is designed to be done one chapter each week. Each chapter has group meeting instructions, journaling prompts, prayer prompts, and five days of Bible study questions. There are plenty of instructions for using the book in a group setting.

Topics include God’s love, God’s wrath and standards for holiness, idolatry, coming to God like children, and lament. Passages for study include Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham and his sons, the Psalms, Isaiah, and the Road to Emmaus.

Review

The format for this was fantastic! The chapters were engaging and the Bible Study questions were varied, yet easily done day by day. The author’s story – of her children, grandchildren, and the death of her husband – is woven through each chapter. I was captivated by these personal stories and their spiritual significance to the family.

While I did not agree with 100% of the author’s theology, I found plenty to enjoy in this book. There were several spots where I stopped to write down challenging thoughts and ideas to keep exploring later.

This study is well-structured for group use. There are resources for group leaders and suggestions for your initial meetings. That doesn’t mean an individual couldn’t work through this on her own. I think this would be good for both someone who is new to faith or beginning their consideration of Jesus, and also for seasoned believers. If you are looking for a new Bible study, consider checking this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2018

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Last December I posted a list of spiritual growth resources I enjoyed using during 2017. You can see that list here. Today I’m going to highlight similar resources from 2018. Also check my post on Enneagram resources here. Those have been a big part of my spiritual work this year, too.

A Mile Wide: Trading Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith – This is one of the books my husband challenged me to read this summer. And one I actually read! (I am STILL behind on the summer challenge!) I enjoy Jen Hatmaker’s books so much, but this is the first book I have read from her husband. I enjoyed this one. I think I underlined something on almost every page. This really lined up well with things we have been talking about at church this year.  I’ll be reviewing this one in January.
Draw the Circle Study Guide – I talked about Draw the Circle in last year’s post, (and posted a full review earlier this year ) but then I did the study again for Lent with this study guide and a free video series I found. I enjoyed the study guide, but I don’t think it is essential to using the original resource. Either alone or with this extra resource, Draw the Circle would be a great annual experience for spiritual growth.
The Dream of You: Let Go of Broken Identities and Live the Life You Were Made For –  I adore Jo Saxton! The only thing better than reading her thoughts on identity (one of my favorite themes in spiritual growth books as well as novels) would have been an audio book version so I could hear it in her own delightful accent! I will listen to and/or read anything she puts out there. She’s one of my favorite speakers.
Heir to the Crown – I have become an Alisa Keeton fan over the last year. I support her fitness/health/wholeness ministry, Revelation Wellness, and I thoroughly enjoyed her 2017 book The Wellness Revelation. She, like Jo Saxton, is someone I want to hear from regularly. I am slowly working through her new devotional for teens and women about our identity as daughters of the King. Each entry includes a brief meditation thought (which I rarely do – I know I would get more out of this if I would take the time), the devotional, a couple questions related to the day’s material and space to answer some wellness/wholeness questions that are part of each day’s page.
Isaiah (Life Change Series) – While I am familiar with several stand alone verses from Isaiah, it wasn’t a book I had ever read from start to finish. And the parts I had read seemed hard to follow. This particular study was a treat for me! In fact, Isaiah has become one of my favorite books of the Bible because of this study. The book is set up so you can use it for individual or group study. I usually work through each section over the course of a week, answering 2-3 questions (often with multiple parts) every day. I feel like going slowly really helps me dig into the material rather than just check it off a list that I did some reading, but not letting the material really sink in. I love the format of this so much, I have asked for several more for Christmas!
Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done – This was the sort of book I felt was written just for me at just this moment. So much of what I read here tied into the work I was doing in my Enneagram reading, too. You can read my review here.
Romans (Life Change Series) – I am working my way through Romans right now in the same study series as the Isaiah study. The language of Romans at times seems to circle in on itself, and I have found this study is helping me piece through it so I get more out of my reading and study.
The Quest: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God – Lifeway offered a free study with videos this fall, and since I already had the book, I jumped at the chance. The first and last video are around an hour long and were really rich experiences. The rest were fine, but I didn’t find them essential to the whole. The book, though, was fantastic. It’s a detailed and in-depth study. I highly recommend this one – even if you can’t get to the videos. The study stands on its own.
Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God – I am a huge Mark Batterson fan (Draw the Circle), and I enjoyed this exploration of listening to the voice of God. I enjoy Batterson’s writing style and the stories he tells. But most of all I enjoyed the topic of this one!

REVIEW: Made Like Martha by Katie M. Reid AND The Family Bible Devotional by Sarah Wells

REVIEW: Made Like Martha by Katie M. Reid AND The Family Bible Devotional by Sarah Wells

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of both of these books from Netgalley – Made Like Martha from WaterBrook and The Family Bible Devotional from Discovery House. All opinions are my own.]

Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done – Summary

Luke the gospel writer shares a story of two sisters. Martha bustles around getting things ready for the Messiah’s visit while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet. Martha becomes frustrated and asks Jesus to make her sister help out. Jesus refuses, saying Mary is in the right place.

This passage seems to shame the do-ers of the world, saying they aren’t okay in the eyes of Christ. And when Marthas are shamed into trying to be Marys they fail, and the shame is compounded.

Katie M Reid offers Marthas another way to look at this interaction with Jesus. “What if God wasn’t asking me to be Mary but instead loved me for being Martha? (pg 10)

Review

It’s like this book was personally written just for me! I loved this from the very first chapter of the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) and immediately ordered a copy for myself so I could write in it and highlight pages to my heart’s content. I adore this book and it’s message for a do-er like me.

Each chapter includes an application activity as well as personal anecdotes, Bible stories and commentary on the scripture. There are also a few assessments and action steps (including an emphasis on spending time with God) for readers to try. There are links and websites for extra resources and a five-session Bible Study that readers can work through either after reading the book or along side as they read.

I think this would be an excellent study resource! I highly recommend this book!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

The Family Bible Devotional: Stories from the Bible to Help Kids and Parents Engage and Love Scripture – Summary

This is a devotional Bible study for families. It includes a passage of scripture, some discussion questions, kid-friendly activities, a prayer prompt and some background information. The author gives some tips for parents that are well-reasoned – things like keeping the emphasis on the activities, down playing questions if they aren’t grabbing the kids attention, keeping things engaging so the kids want to dig into scripture, etc.

Devotions are from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The scripture passages are included in the book, so you don’t have to pull out a separate Bible. The book uses various translations – NLT, NIV, The Message and the NRSV.

Review

This is a well-organized devotional for families that focuses on the Bible as the source material. Sometimes devotionals only have one verse of scripture along with a story. I love that this is more Bible based. The activities seem like things that will work well for kids – art activities, build an “ark” out of living room furniture, go for a hike – and hopefully connect them to the story. The author doesn’t shy away from stories like David and Bathsheba or the woman caught in adultery, but they are handled in an appropriate way for families willing to dig into those stories with their kids. I think this would be a terrific resource for families who want to add a spiritual component to their family time but aren’t sure how to structure it on their own.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥