[.ca] Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women ... (ISBN 0310270553)

From Amazon.com:
This one-year devotional program offers contemporary Christian women a chance to study the lives and legacies of 52 women in Scripture. Some, such as Eve or "Lot's wife," are prominent and well-known biblical figures. Even the lesser-known women--such as the daughter-in-law of Judah, Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute--offer provocative and fascinating stories. What shines through in this well-written book is the authors' great respect for these gritty, intelligent, and occasionally flawed women. The authors briefly tell each woman's life story in an enchanting storytelling voice, helping readers to see how these ancient stories still have meaning centuries later. The book is well-organized, offering a woman's story for every week of the year, as well as a week's worth of structured lessons and reflections.

obtain a more perfect understanding:
This book is really quite simple: It contains daily devotionals focussing on lessons learned from, as the title indicates, women in the Bible. Normally, one would expect this book is for women - and it is. But it would also make a wonderful read for men, to help us obtain a more perfect understanding of how God uses women. I also recommend it for young women as a great gift for birthdays, graduations, and weddings. It is, I would say, a must that you also order my favorite, \i\i THE PRAYER OF HANNAH \i\i by Kenn Gividen.

Wonderful for a solo or group read:
This book is wonderful for a solo or group guided study. It guides you, but allows you to draw your on conclusions. It is a wonderful study for anyone interested in learning more about the women in the bible.

More intended for individual study:
I agree with the other reviewers who enjoyed Women of the Bible as personal devotionals -- leading the reader towered Scripture passages, suggesting prayer, etc. -- or as the opportunity to learn more about the personalities and accomplishments -- and think of applying the lessons from their lives to today -- of biblical women. However, I do not this book is a good choice for a small group study. My small group chose to do this study; we were flipping through the book at the bookstore and liked the organization and amount of study/discussion questions. Our weeks went like this: review the accomplishments of the woman, generally discuss her attributes or failing, then on to the study questions. We found that the study questions were just unable to spark meaningful conversation -- in many cases they were yes/no questions. On a good week, one of us would bring up some great topic to discuss that just tangentially related to the woman's life, and were able to have a more lively and interesting conversation. At the end of the study, we confessed to one another that we simply did not enjoy this book -- that it not group study material. There are just so mnay excellent small group study books, books where you can't wait for the group meeting to discuss your revelations over the week and how the book can impact you life. For starters, look at anything written by John Eldredge. The Sacred Romance or Journey of Desire, for instance, are just womderful and will make an impact on your lives. If your group doesn't want to do a "book study" but more of a Bible study, just pick a book of the Bible and do that. A group at our church spent an entire year studying Revelation on their own. But there are also studies that correspond to books, such as the New Inductive Style Series published by Harvest House. So, if you're looking for a nightstand devotional, this may be the book for you. Skip around chapters and find the people and themes you find most meaningful to your life at that point. And it's an easy devotional to put aside and later come back to. But in terms of a small group study, look at some other books and formats (especially if you're the group leader -- you'll get points by choosing something that'll make you group running late every meeting and where group members meet informally during the week as well).

Fascinating Book:
I recently started reading this book. I am very impressed. Each week focuses on a different woman of the Bible, some well-known and some not well-known. I like the way the story is first told in today's language and the information about the culture at the time that woman lived. The questions for each week are not the type that have a wrong or right answer, but they get you to think about how you feel and what you believe. As another reviewer said this is the first woman's devotional that does not focus on being a wife and mother. I think many men would also find this a great book to read and study from. I highly recommend this book and will be sharing it with my Sunday School class in a few weeks. I think women of any age and personal situation will learn a lot from this book.

Excellent Beginning for Personal Study:
I found this book to be an excellent beginning to learn specifically about the life and times of women in the Bible. I did not have a good foundation in this area and yearned for a concise way to focus and get started. The book's readings and additional Biblical references were helpful in becoming more familiar with the Bible. In addition, it has served as an encouragement to read other books about women in the Bible. Some I have found to be better than others. The Q & As were helpful for my journal writing as I mediated on the meaning and message of these women in their lifetime and our times today. All in all, I encourage women to read this book and and experience their own revealations found in these very special women's lives touched by God. Peace and blessings