It’s time for another book review and this time I’ve got one that may give you something you weren’t realizing you were actually in need of or wanting. Although, I’ll admit, the title didn’t quite do the book justice as for the content included, or maybe I just read it the wrong way initially and then got myself into a thinking rut of what the book was actually about.
“30 Days to Understanding the Bible: Unlocking the Scriptures in 15 Minutes a Day” sounded to me like a theology get-rich-quick scheme if Biblical knowledge was the currency you were exchanging and the goal was to unlock all the secret and untold codes for interpreting the Bible. Is that what you think when you read the title?
However, the truth of the matter is that book serves as somewhat of a devotional discipleship guide on how to work through your daily devotions with a higher return on the impact they have on your daily life. If you’re like me, sometimes it’s hard to find a devotional book that goes deep enough into understanding the Bible, while still engaging in a more relevant context of learning how to apply the “breath of life” breathed into the scriptures into your daily bread of regular personal devotions and quiet time.
“30 Days…” helps you do just that!
The book is authored by Dr. Max Anders, who has written a number of other books, including the 32 volume Holman Bible Commentary. Along with being an author he’s also a pastor, currently residing on the north side of Indianapolis, IN.
From the back cover of the book, the following features are promoted:
- The Arc of Bible History to help you visualize the Bible’s overarching themes
- The Story of the Bible, summarizing Genesis through Revelation in just a few pages
- The core beliefs of the Christian faith, focusing on the teachings that have united Christians for the last 2,000 years
- 13-week plan that provides teachers creative and effective tools for teaching the Bible in 30 days
- Fan-favorite bonus content, previously removed, now restored from the original edition
A number of weeks back at our church we had a 4-5 week group Bible study meeting promoted as the Bible Blueprint. The group was lead by a man and his wife and was some really great content. I’ve grown-up on the church my entire life, and I know the Old Testament foreshadows things that occur in the New Testament and the New Testament confirms prophecies that were shared in the Old Testament. What I didn’t realize until this class was just how much imagery and symbolism is exchanged throughout the entire collection of books of the Bible if you’re knowledgeable and understand more of the original Greek and Hebrew and Jewish traditions of faith practiced by the various characters and cast we learn about as we read the Word.
Although it carries on some of the same types of content, “30 Days to Understanding the Bible” follows more of format of study guide and textbook with worksheets and pages included in the text that ask you to fill-in-the-blanks to help seal the knowledge you’re learning about the Bible as you read through the pages. Take a look at some of the photos of pages in the book below:
Regretfully, I haven’t kept on my regular reading of the book so I’m not going get through the book in 30 days, but I’m still working on getting through the entire book myself. If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of this book for your own learning and library, just leave a comment below with your biggest challenge with studying the Bible. Leave your comment before February 1st and I’ll randomly select a winner to receive a free copy of the book.
You can watch the video below to learn more about the book and author…
