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(More customer reviews)Women who write Bible studies for women are in high demand these days. It seems that every time I visit our local Christian retailer there is a new, "insightful," "life-changing," Bible study written specifically for women. I have participated in many of these studies. Some are better than others. However, after attending one frustrating (to me) lesson after another I finally learned that a popular Bible study does not always make for a "life-changing" Bible study. In fact, you could question whether the Bible was really studied at all. At the end of many so-called Bible studies I have learned far more about the author of the study than God and His Word or how my life needs to change in order to follow Him more closely. This is not the case with Susan Heck's With the Master series, and that is why it thrills me to introduce you to her first installment, With the Master in the School of Tested Faith, A Ladies' Bible Study of the Epistle of James.
What makes this study stand head-and-shoulders above the rest, in my opinion? First, this is an expository study through the book of James. Heck moves verse-by-verse through each chapter, carefully teaching and guiding the reader to understand what God is saying through James. It is not a topical study, though Heck covers the topics that James discusses in his letter. It is not about developing a certain trait, even though Heck covers the many characteristics which ought to mark believers because James discusses them in his letter. Heck only draws out what James put in his letter. She remains faithful to the text, sharing Greek words and meanings, cross-references, and relevant cultural issues.
Secondly, while Heck includes personal stories, she does not over-do it, nor does she share stories in an effort to elicit an emotional response (one aspect of women's studies I have disliked). What she does share is succinct and to the point, showing exactly how it relates to what James is writing and why it's important to the reader.
Thirdly, Heck's desire to see women grow in faith and in God's Word is evident in the emphasis she places on memorizing scripture and in the questions she asks for further consideration. The student of this study will read the book of James over and over again throughout the time of the study. She will know his letter backwards and forwards. Furthermore, if she doesn't memorize the entire book, she will have memorized at least 35 of its verses. Her questions at the end of each chapter are hard rather than soft, but don't let that discourage you from doing it. By hard, I mean to say that she doesn't ask for how a verse makes one feel. Rather, she asks what a verse means, what it teaches, how does your life measure up, and what will you do differently. Though this is a study of James, Heck leads the reader through several books of the Bible, cross-referencing and drawing parallels. She asks for the reader to list words, search for answers in God's word, and read her Bible. There are no fill-in-the-blank questions.
She follows the study with a postscript which includes a final test for each chapter of James. "Since the Epistle of James is a series of tests to test our faith, I will now give you a test--teachers have the prerogative to administer tests, right?" These questions are not the same ones at the end of the chapters. These are more specific, direct questions. The kind of questions that make me squirm in my self-righteousness.
Tested Faith is a challenging, and, dare I say it, "life-changing," women's Bible study. I say "life-changing," not because of Susan Heck, though her book is excellent, but because the book of James is so piercing. I came away from it feeling like I had been beaten up one side and down the other. James doesn't pull any punches, so Heck doesn't either. She makes no attempt to dull the sword of God's Word. Each chapter is one spiritual test after another. Though my times with God during this study didn't give me warm fuzzies every day, He did bring my attention to a great many things that I was neglecting or were just wrong in my life. She may never be the most popular, but Susan Heck has filled the vacuum of solid Bible studies for women. I am so thankful for this Bible study and I am very happy to recommend it.
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