Meet Guest Blogger Diane Stortz

 Please welcome my very special guest blogger and friend, Diane Stortz. If you've been wanting to read through the Bible and have never tried to do it in a year this is a wonderful opportunity. Diane has written a book I can't wait to get my hands on and I know my Bible study group will feel the same way. It's called, A Woman's Guide to Reading the Bible in a Year.   You can order it through Bethany House.

Diane has graciously offered to give away two copies of her book and autograph them as well. The book will be sent out to the winners sometime in early November.  Please leave a comment other than you would like to win the book, let us know what state you are living in, and an e-mail addy so we can reach you if you win a copy. The cut off date and time to comment will be next Sunday, September 2nd at 6:00 pm est.Void where prohibited. I will announce the winners next Monday, Labor Day.

 Why did you want to write this book, and who’s it for?

In 2000 I joined a group of women to read through the Bible in a year with the single focus of getting to know God better. I’d been a Christian a long time, but I’d never read a lot of the Bible, especially the Old Testament.

        We read about three chapters a day and met once a week to talk about what we’d read. We shared what stood out for us and asked lots of questions. I grew and changed significantly as a result, and so did many others who participated. That group stayed together for ten years and spun off two other groups.

        I find churches often tend to present the Bible as a book to study and apply. But first of all it is God speaking to us about who he is and what he does. Yes, there’s mystery, and some things are hard to understand. But the Word is meant to be heard, to be read. The words are food for us, and most of us are starving. I wanted to provide an example and encouragement to pick it up and read it.

        Any woman from any background who wants to read through the Bible can use this book—young or old, new or mature believer or simply curious, whether you’ve read a lot of the Bible before or you tried once and gave up halfway through Leviticus. You can use it on your own, with a friend, or—probably the best way—with a group.

How is it different from other guides to reading the Bible?

The focus is simply on reading to get to know God. The background information provided each week is short, so you can spend your time actually reading the Bible, not reading about it. And the reading plan alternates Old Testament and New Testament books most of the year, with Psalms divided into four parts. This prevents feeling stuck in the Old Testament for nine months, and you start to see amazing connections right from the start. The weeks aren’t dated, so you can begin anytime.

So what’s inside?

For each week of the year, there’s a list of that week’s readings plus two or three short paragraphs of background. Checkpoints is a list of five interesting objects, events, or people to watch for as you read throughout the week. In the Share the Journey section are prompts and writing space for recording your responses to what you read—what stands out, something you’ve learned about who God is, a passage or verse you’d like to remember, or questions you’d like to pursue.

        I also included ideas for groups, a time line and a few other helpful charts, a short history of the Bible we read today, and stories of women whose lives changed because they took this life-changing journey into the heart of God.

What tips do you have for using the book with a group?

Meeting with others every week to talk over what you’ve read provides great encouragement and accountability to keep reading throughout the year! In addition, we learn from one another when we hear what God is teaching other women in the group. I love how the cover Bethany House created for the book captures the idea of reading in community with other women.

        The book has lots of ideas to help groups succeed. The most important one is to create an environment where questions and struggles are welcome. Make it always OK to say “What do you think?” or “I don’t know.” This is especially important if group members come from a variety of backgrounds.

What’s your biggest hope for this book?

I hope many women will discover that they enjoy and love God’s Word and will see how their understanding develops as they continue to read it—in a year and for many years to come. God is good, and there’s a purpose for everything included in his Word. You’ll be amazed at how much more you understand if you simply keep reading to get to know God. His Word will accomplish his goals. He is more than able!

Is time with God's Word important to you? What has helped or hindered your Bible reading?

Diane has also written The Sweetest Story Bible:Sweet Thoughts and Sweet Words for Little Girls 
and also blogs at Christian Children's Authors  http://christianchildrensauthors.com.

You can follow Diane at these additional links:
 www.dianestortz.com
 http://www.facebook.com/diane.stortz
 http://twitter.com/DianeStortz