I have mentored many of my University students over the years and though I've tried many devotional books and book studies, none have really been exciting or life-changing. It seems they are all pretty much the same approach and end up being boring and somewhat preachy. This book is neither. The transparency of the McDowell's in their own walk makes it easy for the reader to identify with similar issues in their own life. It really speaks to the reader in every paragraph. It's not a difficult read, but it does make one think deeply about the true God of the Bible. It is a refreshing and practical approach to an old topic. It has really opened communication at the gut level with my mentoring of my students. We love it.

"Josh and Sean McDowell's Experience Your Bible is more than just a primer for biblical study; it is a primer for biblical living. By combining strong exegetical study with poignant personal stories of triumph and tragedy, the McDowells show their readers what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. They introduce their readers to solid expositional approaches to Scripture–none of which are too heady or inaccessible to laypersons–and they teach their readers to teach themselves and others the profound truths of Scripture. As a scholar, I find their work to be very thorough and faithful to the biblical text. As a pastor, I believe Experience Your Bible has incredible potential to shape the lives of countless Christians as they are drawn into a more intimate relationship with God through His Word."

It helps you to understand the Bible.

If you have ever struggled to read your Bible on a regular basis, you are not alone. In this book, Josh and Sean McDowell show you some ways to get passionate about reading God's Word. They provide insight into why you should read the Bible, details about how to read the passages, and information about how it has been miraculously preserved.

Josh and Sean address first the idea that reading the Word is necessary for developing a strong relationship with God. Demonstrating through illustrations from their own lives, both describe how being rooted in Scripture is the first step to strong faith that is real. The book is actually divided into two sections — one about why reading the Word is important, and one about how to read the Word for full impact. In some respects the method is a little rudimentary — read the cross references, read the context, ask the questions you learned in grammar school: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

One of the great points they make in this work is the way in which studying the Bible, and working on gaining understanding of it as a group is helpful. Learning to share the Truth found there is important, too, and there are really good suggestions for how to do this. In summary, I found the book to be helpful in many areas, and if I had not recently read some others on inductive Bible study, this would have been even more interesting to me. From my perspective, this is a great book for any layperson to have on their shelf. Reading the Bible may never be easy, but it can certainly be simpler than we often make it. This book will help you see how.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255