A couple of weeks ago the small group I lead finished this study book. We love the author!! Last year I was on sabbatical from leading a group so that I could study on my own and take a couple of classes at church. I took Armor of God and Jonah, both by Priscilla Shirer. My fave is definitely Armor of God and this one, Breathe, is a close second.
STUDY SUMMARY
This is NOT a traditional Bible study in that you look up a bunch of Scriptures, answer questions, and discuss. The study is based on a live event (conference) that Priscilla was teaching at in Texas. She does warn viewers that it is not a traditional study.
The DVD has 5 sessions. All are about 35 minutes long minus the last session which is only about 15 min.
She teaches the chapter of the week and then there are some things to read and answer in the study book. Most of the questions are personal and reflective...there are no "right" answers for many of them as they are based on your own experiences. I did enjoy writing down my thoughts to some of these very thought-provoking questions she poses.
The 5th commandment, about keeping the Sabbath day holy, is explained in good detail and almost all of it is based on Exodus and the reason God gave this command to the Jewish people. I learned alot of Jewish history from watching the DVD.
We all, as a group, were disappointed that she didn't delve into more of what Jesus and the New Covenant has to say about Sabbath rest. So I did some research on my own as did another lady in the group and I am finding that I am still not satisfied...I want to know more about what the New Testament says about the topic. Of course other Scriptures were mentioned during the chapters and the questions, although sometimes redundant, were good in getting women to share their ideas.
This book is about placing a margin in to our daily lives......into our physical, emotional and spiritual spaces. The author calls it "Sabbath margin".
The book is very good....a basic one about Sabbath for today's culture.
The DVD portion is excellent!! Priscilla Shirer is an eloquent speaker, easy to understand and funny. Her love for the Bible and all things relating to a personal relationship with Christ is very evident in her teachings and writings.
But, I was disappointed that it didn't get more into Scriptures and didn't really touch on what Jesus said about it.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for any women's small group study or even for a personal study, particularly for working women or women who already have a close relationship with Christ.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 8.
1 comment:
Interesting. I don't know if a study who's DVD sessions were 35 minutes long would be well suited for our group.
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