What I'm Reading: Open Your Bible
Both hands in the air if you're happy it's MARCH! Just one step closer to springtime, warmer weather, and longer days! Winter may suit you just fine, but this girl is ready for some sunshine!
Since it's the first Monday of the month I'm coming at ya with my March book review and this is one I could not recommend more! Seriously, zero complaints! This book is a She Reads Truth study titled, "Open Your Bible" by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams (buy HERE). I L-O-V-E the She Reads Truth app (don't have it? GET IT!) so when I saw they had a Bible study out on bookshelves I had to get it!
I went through this study with a group of women at my church in the fall of 2016 and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed it. It is definitely a book you can do with a group of women, but you can also do it with just one friend, or even by yourself! There is a section for "group time", but I have had friends do this study on their own and still got so much out of it! There is also a video you can purchase along with it that definitely contributes to the study, but is it not necessary if you're on a budget.
This study does such a great job meeting you right where you are at no matter the season. In our group, we had those that had been following Jesus and studying the word for decades and those who had just picked up the Bible for the first time the previous week. I think it is FANTASTIC if you are new to your faith and looking to learn where to even begin in your Bible study time. BUT as someone who had been following the Lord for a few years doing the study, I think it does a great job guiding you in to view the Word in a fresh and life giving way as well!
A few things I love from the study...
- IT'S BIBLICAL. You guys already know how I feel about this if you read my previous post about what I was reading. This is clearly in the title, Open Your BIBLE, and it truly is guiding you to and through the scriptures (something I think some Christian books struggle with in my opinion!).
- IT'S PRETTY. Ok this may not be a big deal to you, but we live in a world where what is aesthetically pleasing is what catches our eye and this book definitely does just that. This study has an easy to follow layout and beautiful pictures throughout. Who says "studying" has to be boring and ugly?
- THE HOMEWORK. Ever join a Bible study and then get lost in the amount of homework it requires? I know I have and am guilty of showing up to my group time with the homework just half finished. You may be a student with enough homework of your own, have a real job that keeps you busy enough, or you're a mom already juggling more than you can handle, OR you already have a system for your quiet time and don't want to mess with it! This book is for you! Each "week" there are only 4 days of homework and each day is only about 3 pages (large font! :))! That means you can spread it out and not get overwhelmed! Definitely doable!
- FURTHER STUDY. In the back of the book there are all sorts of charts, book recommendations, glossary terms, and more. It is a great resource and tool to help you understand more and help you move on to what's next!
If I haven't convinced you yet, maybe some of these quotes from the book will twist your arm.
“I want our roots to be saturated in the truth of God’s Word - not just acknowledging its existence but digging into it, drawing life from it - that our lives bear fruit even on the hardest of days.”
“Friends, there is nothing we can do with our efforts that our almighty God cannot do by His Word. Likewise, there is nothing you or I can do to negate the truth of His Word. We cannot make it more true, we cannot make it less true. No, our job is to rest here in its truth.”
“The gospel is a beautiful marriage of mind and spirt, and God’s Word is meant to be engaged by our intellect and emotions. ”
I think it is good to be in a habit of reading your bible, but sometimes we allow good habits to become just that, habits. If you are anything like me, you have probably been in a season where you lost your awe of God and the scriptures. This book refreshed my soul from just reading the Bible because "I was supposed to" and reading the Bible because it gave me LIFE. If your Bible is gathering dust because you don't know where to begin, I urge you to get this study. If you have been reading the Word diligently for years, but you are looking to be renewed, I urge you to get this study!
It's so good I could not keep it to myself! Happy reading, friends!
