Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, starting with FaithWords which is their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been wicked happy I can review for their imprints Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords & Center Street.

I received a complimentary copy of “Successful Women of the Bible” direct from the publisher FaithWords (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read Successful Women of the Bible:

I have held an appreciation and curiosity about the women of the Bible for the full of my life; mostly because the women of Biblical times were not regularly spoken about from a biographical approach. Most of the stories shared when I was growing up in Sunday School were a bit on the boring side of the ledger to be honest – my teachers had limited knowledge, lacked curiosity of their own, and did not visually bring the women of the Bible to life for me.

I was a seeker of stories from a very young age – and the incredible thing for me growing up was how the stories of who lived during Biblical times was not as represented as the facts. Sunday School and regular education outlets held one commonality that frustrated me: the preference of knowledge and learning was about fact remembering rather than developing a knowledge of history through the perspectives of those who lived and held within their lives a well of stories waiting to be told.

I have found as I grew older, there are certain Biblical fiction authors who either take a Contemporary or Historical point-of-view to help guide us as lay readers to better understand the women (and yes, the men too!) who walked before us. They re-envision their stories through the grace of living through a character’s shoes as told through novels, allowing the breadth of their lives to be explored. -quoted from my review of Scripture Princesses

For these reasons, I’ve been mindful of compiling a list of Biblical Historical Fiction authors I want to seek out towards this vein of interest but I haven’t progressed very far towards that end, given how the year has panned out. When I saw this book was available to review, I thought how kismet it truly was to be available as it was threading through an on-going pursuit of mine to seek out women of the Bible of whom I could re-focus on through Historicals whilst gaining entreaty into who the women were when they had lived. Truly, I have found my niche of focus in Biographical Historicals, as each time I step inside one of those novels, I find my mind is happily alive with the era, the setting and the people who lived such incredible lives – from the ordinary to the Royal Courts to the unknown heroes and heroines who shaped History itself. I love the diversity of the choices but also the breadth of what is being written into their context! I suspect I shall not be disappointed when I start to cross-read my way through the Biblical Historical past as well!

Previously, I was learning about a few women who crossed over into this book with blessedly a lot of lovely women I did not know too much about until I read Ms Patton’s words. The ones who previously left an impact on me were: Rachel & Leah, Ruth & Naomi, and Mary Magdalene. The latter of whom I think has had her story told seven ways to Sunday since she lived, as both Ms Greenwood and Ms Patton presented equally different accounts of her life from the one I have grown up with myself. I am unsure if this is a difference in denominational backgrounds (as I am a non-LDS Protestant; whereas Ms Greenwood is LDS) or if perhaps, some people of the Bible simply have a story that has been told by so many different people it is a bit like playing a modern day ‘telephone’ game. Wherein for each person who speaks the known truth (to them) to another (of whom shares it); somewhere along the way it becomes a bit disconnected from the original version? Either that, are no one truly knew so many different versions of her story was being told?! It is a quandary!

Personally, as I have always held a close appreciation for Mary Magdalene, I’ve kept the first story I was told on her behalf closest to my heart, whilst allowing a few new bits of information to be added as additional layers. As you move into my review you’ll see which women truly stood out to me and why their impact left a special smile on my heart! As this is a continuing journal of sorts of a reader seeking out the women of the Bible of whom are happily celebrated for the lives they lived and the wisdom that is continuously being passed down each generation who gets to know of them.

Successful Women of the Bible
Subtitle: Esther, Deborah, Miriam, Hagar, Mary, Martha, Eunice, Lois, Pricilla, Mary Magdalene, Lydia

The second book in a new series that brings the experiences of favorite Bible characters to challenges of contemporary life.

Contemporary "success" is often defined in financial terms or by number of Twitter followers. But for women of faith, success is so much more. And it turns out the timeless qualities of success are exemplified by women on the pages of their favorite book, the Bible.

Deborah's model leadership is just as relevant today as it was in the age of the Hebrew judges. Esther's courage to stand up for a cause, Miriam's joyful support of others, Priscilla's exemplary partnership skill, Lydia's business acumen, and other characteristics of women in the Bible are embodied in lively storytelling. Busy Christian women--often working and raising a family--crave examples of success.

Here are distilled principles they can use to succeed in today's noisy culture. The lessons of these icons of the faith apply, even in the age of Facebook and Instagram.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781455538850

on 23rd August, 2016

Pages: 160

Published by: FaithWords (@FaithWords)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks) via Hachette Nashville

Formats Available: Hardcover, Audiobook & Ebook

The Successful Series includes:

Successful Moms of the Bible (Synopsis)

Successful Leaders of the Bible (Synopsis) *coming January 2017

Converse via: #WomenOfTheBible, #INSPYbooks, #nonfiction, #motivationalbooks

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