Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps
by
Leigh McLeroy
Adult nonfiction. Bible study/devotional.
I wasn't sure what this book was going to be about from the title. The author started by describing the things left to her in a box by her grandfather then said God treasures certain things as well. She uses this as the launching point for this Bible study or devotional book that is arranged in 13 chapters. Each chapter mentions an object from a Bible story and an object from the author's life that reminds her of that story. The chapters are all quite short, so if the reader is between Bible studies or doesn't want a yearlong devotional book, this is a book that would take two weeks to read as a daily quiet time book. It might be appropriate as a vacation book since it is compact enough to fit in a backpack or suitcase. There is a discussion guide in the back, so it can be used in a group setting or for individual study. Men or women can read the book, but the examples from everyday life in today's world tend to be more female-centered. If a pastor decided to use this book to preach a 13 week set of sermons it would probably be well received. He could include in the bulletin a picture of an object from each chapter. Say, a picture of an olive branch for the Noah's ark chapter, a picture of Joseph's coat of many colors for the Joseph-in-the-well chapter.
Miss McLeroy creates parallels between the Bible and her life, making it a cozy, personal book, but one that encourages the readers to also contemplate how their lives and Bible stories can be compared. I would say: read this book, then pass it along to a friend or family member who could benefit from 13 days of Bible contemplation.
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
