The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook

December 17, 2014December 16, 2014 - Amy 18 Comments

The following is a review and post written by my darling husband!

I have been a student of the Bible for about two years and make it a goal to dig deeper into the Word in a variety of ways: through One Year Bible daily Bible reading, Verse by Verse ministries audio Bible during my commute, and learning memory verses. So I was excited when I was recently asked to review The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. This handbook has a load of full-color pages, color photos and illustrations, cool maps and charts, and articles by leading evangelical scholars. It is intended to help the reader grasp God’s word and understand how each book of the Bible fits together into God’s overarching purpose. It will help you more effectively interpret the Bible and apply it to your life. Below are my key takeaways.

This is not a Bible

I thought I would be reviewing a Bible, but I found out pretty quickly once getting into the book of Genesis that I, in fact, was not reviewing a Bible. Instead, this is a reference guide to the Bible — as indicated in the title, it is a Bible Handbook. This can be seen as a supplement and guide to reading your Bible, but not a replacement. I will point out that by the nature of being a summary of the Bible, it is inevitable that certain details are lost in the process.

High Level – 50,000 Ft. View

This handbook does a good job of summarizing the Bible. This would help someone new to the faith or young in the faith to grasp the vision of the overall message of the Bible and to see how the books of the Bible fit together. Each book of the Bible is almost like a cliffs-notes version of the book. Some examples of this book that I particularly enjoyed are The Grand Story of the Bible showing how the grand story is summarized into Opening, Problem, Resolution, Climax, and Closing as well as How the Bible is Organized which shows and explains the sections of the Bible (Old Testament: Pentateuch, Historical Books, Psalms, Wisdom Books, Prophets, New Testament: The Gospels, Book of Acts, Letters of Paul, General Letters, and Revelation.)

Going Deeper

This handbook also does an excellent job of arranging facts, maps, and charts of information, simplifying what would otherwise be complex. A great example of this is found in the The Beginning and The End section which gives a chart matching up events in Genesis (“The Beginning”) and Revelation (“The End”) showing how the beginning elements in Genesis find their conclusion in Revelation. An example would be: Sinful people are banished from the presence of God in Genesis 3:24; But God lives among his people in Revelation, effectively restoring them to His presence (Revelation 21:3, 7, 22; 22:4.) Digging deeper, for each book of the Bible, this handbook covers important historical context as well as information on the author of the book, the audience, the heart of the message being communicated, and any interesting / unique facts about the book. It includes letters from Bible scholars throughout. It also has Part II and Part III sections which respectively cover How the Bible Came to Be and Digging Deeper into the Bible.

In summary, this is a great and unique companion resource for the Word of God. It is easy to read and understand and is well organized. I am excited to own a copy and plan on referencing it.

Grab a copy of The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook for $29.97 at Family Christian right now!

And you might just be able to use this to do it…

$50 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate Giveaway
(can be used in-store and online)

This giveaway will end on December 26th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on December 27th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will then name a new winner.The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook was provided for review purposes by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

CLOSED More Than Sparrows {Giveaway}

October 27, 2014November 4, 2014 - Amy 22 Comments

This giveaway has ended.

I’m really not that old. However, when I start to think about high school and middle school, I’m reminded of how long ago that really was. I had a lot of fun during those years. I made some of my life-long friends then. That’s even when I met my husband! Some friends would come and some would go, but the true ones always stuck around. I remember our sleepovers, football games, and talking on the phone for hours.

A real phone, by the way.

We weren’t lucky enough to have cell phones then. Our phones had cords or ranges of 200 feet. It was a good way for our moms to keep tabs on us come to think of it! We definitely couldn’t go very far.

I also remember that those years were very hard. There was a lot of pressure to fit in and to be considered “popular” was an achievement. A girl’s identity begins to form around this time. So many changes take place and things seem really intense. Everything is intense. Feelings, thoughts, words. It’s a pivotal time in a girl’s life.

When I was 11, my parents got divorced. It was by far, one of the most devastating experiences of my life. It came at the worst possible time for my self-esteem. I felt lost. My dad wasn’t around anymore like I was used to. The world’s influences spoke so loudly. I didn’t go to church anymore. I began to look for my value in the approval of others.

I had no idea that the One and only approval necessary had already been granted to me.

Young women need so badly to understand their worth. They need to know that beyond the social pressures, expectations, and cliques, that God is doing a marvelous work within their lives. He has a plan and a purpose for every single one. He also sees each one as beautiful.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:31

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

I got the opportunity to read the book Free To Be Me by Stasi Eldredge recently. Can I just tell you that this book is everything I needed to hear when I was letting the world tell me how it is. Stasi does an incredible job of using her past hurts and mistakes to really speak truth into young women’s lives. Even as a grown woman, I found lots points that I could use reminders of.

This book is for teenagers and would be a perfect gift for a daughter or niece. Any girl that you know really. I will saving this book for both of my daughters to read when it comes time. Such a fantastic resource that I only wish I had when I was that age.

I’m giving one away to one of YOU thanks to Family Christian!

Free To Be Me Book Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will end on Monday, November 4th at 12:00am CT. The winner will then be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner on November 4th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them in 24 hours, I will name a new winner. This giveaway is open to those in the US only.

I received a copy of Free To Be Me for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.