She Heard

I have gone through a variety of Bible Studies that focus on the women of the Bible.  There are many that strive to help women become the strong woman God intends us to become.  Throughout the Bible there are many women who represent this strength and what it means to be a Godly woman, She Heard is a Bible Study that takes a look at these women and helps relate their lives in Biblical times to our lives in present day.  She Heard discusses how these women heard and allowed God's will for their lives to be present and became what God had intended.  I cannot begin to say how much I love this devotional.

It is perfect for a group or individual study, and presents questions and situations that really make readers think about their lives and whether or not they are allowing themselves to hear God's voice in their lives.  It makes women dig deeper into their lives and see who God wants them to be.  I loved the stories of the various Biblical women such as Abigail and Ester, and how God used them for His glory (I don't have it at my side as I haven't unpacked it yet to give specifics).

It is very evident that the women who wrote the book are strong women and understood the material they were writing about.  I would highly recommend this study for individuals as well as a group study.  I give this a 5 out of 5 rating, and plan on going through the study again next year to see how my answers to some of the questions have changed.  I hope to see more from Deliberate Women.

Warroom Bible Study

I was excited to get the War Room bible study after watching the movie.  It was such a great movie, but I was a little disappointed in the Bible Study.  While there is a lot to learn in the study, it was difficult to put myself into some of the situations that were presented.  I found it to be a great Bible study to have in a group because there are numerous discussion questions that relate to a group study, but it is a little harder for an individual study.

One of the things I didn't like to much was there parts of the Bible study wanted you to watch portions of the movie, and if you do not have the movie readily available to you, it is hard to answer questions or follow along with what the study is talking about.  It does help you dig deeper into prayer and how to make your prayer life better.  It does provide ways to help battle through some of the evil that comes our way throughout life, but as stated, there are points where it was difficult to relate the situations to our personal lives.

I liked how the study was set up and it made it easy for the group to follow along and see what areas of our life need help.  While the book does seem helpful, I do not think I would recommend this Bible Study because you do need the movie to go with it.  I prefer a study that is not heavily reliant on a movie it is related to.  For that reason I give this study a 3 out of 5.

Wicked Women of The Bible by Ann Spangler

Wicked Women of The Bible by Ann Spangler has a deceiving title.  Those included in this book are both notoriously good and notoriously bad.  As much as it is about the women Bible, it is also about men of the Bible.  For example the story of Miriam is also about Moses and Aaron, Ruth and Naomi's story also includes Boaz.  The book begins with Eve and concludes with Mary Magdalene.

Each section starts with a narrative about the woman which includes elements from the Bible as well as filer that one can only speculate.  Such as in the story of the woman who washes Jesus' feet:  "Simon passes by her without allowing himself the luxury of a sideways glance."  The book is powerful enough without speculation on what the characters of the story could be thinking or feeling.  After the narrative, is a brief section titled "The Times" which talks about the time and culture of the story that was just told.  This section also gives some additional information on things like harems, and family lineage. Last in the chapter are the "Takeaways," this section has 4 -5 questions that ask things like :"What evidence is there in Ester's story that she waited for the Lord?  What do you think would have happened had she not?"  These questions make for great discussion and study either individually or in a group.  After the end of the book there is a list of the scripture used, so readers can look back and study farther.  There is also  6 - 7 pages about Eve and talks about different legacy's that she left behind.

As I stated earlier, the title is a little deceiving.  Immediately one's mind jumps to the definition of wicked as evil, morally bad.  But the author gives two definitions of the word, the one that states evil, morally bad.  But then she also refers to the online slang definition as "very very good, excellent, extremely in a grand way; "cool"; "awesome" as is, that concert was wicked!"  With that definition, the title is very fitting.  Spangler weaves her stories together wonderfully to reflect the lives of women not only in Biblical times, but also in modern times.  Each and every one of the sections has a lesson everyone can learn from, not just women but men as well.

This book is not only informative, but it is also entertaining.  There were moments I found myself giggling, most in Sarah's story with the line "who wouldn't find that funny?  Two old sticks kindling a fire."  Ann's choice of words and deep understanding of the Biblical accounts makes this book a wonderful addition to a life study.  I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for something that gives a different perspective on the stories we all know so well.  I also recommend this for anyone who thinks the Bible is filled with stories of strong powerful characters.  This books shows even the most faithful had faults.  I give this book a 5 out of 5.

**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program.  **