Book description from Amazon.com:
“What can the Bible’s most flawed men and women reveal about who God is and how he reaches out to less-than-perfect people? In Less Than Perfect, bestselling author Ann Spangler takes us beyond cardboard cutouts of 38 biblical characters to show us how these were real individuals who had dreams, temptations, and weaknesses just like us.
Whether considering the murderous Herodias, the scheming Jacob, or the doubting Sarah, Spangler approaches both familiar and lesser known characters with fresh eyes. We meet each of these individuals again as if for the first time as Spangler offers a dramatic retelling of their lives, insight into the historical and cultural context of their time, and key takeaway points for our lives today. Each chapter includes questions for discussion or reflection, making Less Than Perfect ideal for individual or group Bible study.
Entertaining, informative, and inspirational, Less Than Perfect gives you a big picture view of the Bible even as it takes you into the hearts and minds of people with struggles just like yours. As you learn more about the individuals who are part of your spiritual family tree, you’ll discover why God loves to use imperfect people to tell his perfect story of redemption.”
My Review:
If you are not a fan of “retellings” of Bible stories, you will want to bypass reading this book. Since that’s not an issue with me, I very much enjoyed this book. Here’s my review:
Ann Spangler has written thirty “dramatic retellings” of Biblical characters who were all “less than perfect”. Her accounts stay true to the facts of the Biblical record. As she tells each of these stories, she gives a glimpse of what the characters could have been thinking or feeling at that time. It’s an effective way to help us see these characters as “real” people rather than only “characters in a Bible story”. At the end of each chapter, she adds historical/background information that greatly enhances the understanding of the times in which each event occurred. She also gives the Scripture references for each story so that we may easily go back and read these accounts for ourselves.
Although most of these accounts will be familiar to those who read the Bible on a regular basis, there were a few that I was pleasantly surprised she included. Gomer’s story was one of those. I had always looked at this from Hosea’s perspective, but never from Gomer’s. It truly touched my heart and made me extremely thankful for God’ s great, undeserved mercy towards us and His forgiveness of our sins if we turn to Him.
Throughout the whole book, I was reminded of the scope of God’s unfailing love for us and His grace towards us. I once again got a view of how all of Scripture points us towards the need of Christ dying in the cross for our sins. I was reminded of how our sins have a sweeping effect on the lives of others.
I’m glad I read this book and look forward to reading it again in the future.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.