Book Reviews

God's Purpose for You by Lucinda Secrest McDowell

Do you wish your life were more in balance — physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally? Well, God’s Purpose for You, a new 12-week Bible Study by New England author Lucinda Secrest McDowell, is a new tool to help you work through each of those areas in your own pursuit of the full life God has for you. As part of the First Place 4 Health study series, God’s Purpose for You has not only daily studies in God’s Word for 12 weeks, but also contains two weeks of healthy recipes, Scripture memory cards for each week, a CD with those same memory verses set to music (which is great for walking or exercising), group discussion questions, charts and prayer request forms should you go through this with a group. First Place 4 Health is a national Christian ministry since 1981 which focuses on the four-sided person’s growth in heart, soul, strength and mind.

Throughout the twelve week study, you will grow closer to God while learning great spiritual disciplines and focusing on healthy habits. For instance, the Scripture Memory Verse for Week 7 is Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” McDowell begins the study by emphasizing that any true search for God’s purpose in our lives must include a time of looking inward.

“There are many coping mechanisms we can use to avoid facing ugly truths
about ourselves — and emotional eating is one of them. Some of us have used food for comfort, love, security, companionship, distraction and as a way to numb ourselves so we wouldn’t have to face the real issues that needed spiritual transformation. Our sin is not that we’re overweight; it’s that we turn to food (or any other substance or habit) to meet needs that only God can meet. Ouch. Have your toes just been stepped on? Well, if they have, please know this: As we look inward this week, God is already there. He does not want to step on our toes. He wants to heal our hearts.”

God’s Purpose for You works best when discussed with other people, for accountability and encouragement, but you can certainly do it on your own. McDowell currently leads a First Place 4 Health Group of 48 men and women at her church in Wethersfield CT and hopes you will visit FirstPlace4Health.com to find out how to begin a group of your own. She also helps lead an annual First Place 4 Health Spa Week in Texas for a group of authors and speakers. Cindy has just finished writing a new six-week FP4H Bible Study Fit and Healthy Summer which will be published in the Spring of 2011. She loves to speak on a variety of subjects based on these and her other seven books. Please visit her blog and website.

Infuse by Diane Averill

Infuse is a Bible study series written to help individuals come to faith and then grow spiritually. This particular format is designed to be used by all ages, but the intent is to connect with younger women who may not have a church background and help them discover where faith and life meet.

They learn what the Bible has to say by asking questions and seeking answers from the passage studied. Additional insights from history and other sources give more background. Five devotional readings are also part of each lesson.

To give an example of the kind of material covered in the study, one of the lessons is called The Great Eucatstrophe. This comes from a word coined by J.R.R.Tolkien, writer of the Lord of the Ring series. A eucatastrophe is, in essence, a happy turn of events. When all seems lost, something totally unexpected happens and a happy ending follows.  In chapter four in the book of Esther, it looks like the people of Israel are going to be destroyed. Instead, in chapters six and seven, God uses Esther to save her people. The
questions in the lesson covering these chapters draw out how the turn of events occurred. Questions dealing with personal justice and national justice are asked. Then there is personal application, both in the lesson and the devotionals that accompany the lesson. The reader is asked when and how there have been eucatastrophes in his or her life. Of course, the lesson also points to the great eucatastrophe of all time, the death of Christ. When all seems lost, Easter Sunday arrives with the resurrection, proving that Jesus’
death has meant the salvation of all who believe.

You can order the Infuse material online. In addition to the Esther Infuse, Diane Averill, the co-author of the material, has asked to write a new Christmas Infuse study. It will include Old Testament passages from Isaiah
as well as the Gospel birth narratives. This will come out in the fall of 2011.

Diane Averill is also the co-author of Bible studies on the Gospel of John and has been asked to write one on the book of Hosea.

If You Knew Her Story by Jackie Shannon

Every woman has a story to share that provides deep insight into the woman that she is today.

• Is there a part of your story that you wish had never been written?
• If you could go back and re-write that part of your story, what would it look like?
• Do you wonder if your story will ever be right again?

If You Knew Her Story helps women answer these very important
questions by gently guiding them through the process of “re-righting”
their story.

Through a unique and welcoming combination of Biblical teaching and
storytelling, women are encouraged to explore their story by identifying
their thoughts, emotions, actions, and core beliefs as they allow God to
be the author and editor of the pages that are yet to be written. This is
accomplished by exploring key stories of women in the Bible, their own
story, and the interwoven story of one woman throughout the study.

This six-week study has personal daily activities and can also be utilized
in a weekly or bi-weekly group format.

Jackie Shannon lives in Massachusetts with her family. She is a graduate
instructor for Northeastern University, Boston, MA and is working
toward her Doctoral degree in Education with a focus in leadership and
communication.

To order individual or group copies, please visit soulcare4women.com.