Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Spending time studying God’s word is an integral part of the life of a Christian. However, if I am honest, it can also be a challenging part of a mom of young children. Finding consistent quiet time to study the Bible and reflect on what it is teaching can be a real challenge when your day feels dictated by the very real needs of young children. I have tried many different options over the years, sometimes doing quick one page devotionals that often had great thoughts but were light on actual scripture. Other times trying to do in-depth Bible studies but feeling like a failure when I couldn’t consistently get it done. I feel like Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle and Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians by Julie Naturally did a great job of finding the middle ground.
As their titles imply, these studies are based on the books of Romans and Philippians. I spent most of my time during this review working through Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians but also had a chance to start Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle. The Philippians study consisted of daily readings with workbook pages, memory cards, and coloring pages. In addition, the Romans study had weekly videos to introduce the passage that was being studied. The videos were about 10-12 minutes long.
Each day you are given a short passage to read, for example on Day 1 of Week 3 you read Romans 5:1-11 and then there are about 2 pages of questions for you to answer and contemplate. This often also includes a verse or two from somewhere else in the Bible. There were no answers included with the worksheets but the questions helped guide the reader in thinking about the scripture passage and how it relates to other passages.
I appreciated that these studies covered entire books of the Bible and had you read and study a section each day. I have found that too often devotionals take one verse of scripture and use it without the appropriate context. By going through it systematically you get more of the big picture and I believe that leads to a deeper understanding of scripture.
I loved the coloring pages because I have found that coloring scripture really helps me to focus my mind on the words. Sometimes when I am trying to study or memorize my mind wanders to all of the things on my to-do list, but coloring keeps me focused on the words at hand.
Overall, this goes deeper into the Bible than many of the short devotionals that are commonly available today, but it less intense and shorter than a lot of full Bible study programs. It could be a great fit for someone that is new to Bible study or for a busy mom that wants to get into God’s word each day but does not have the quiet alone time for a more in-depth study. I enjoyed this as a way to get my day started in the Word. It would take me about 10-15 minutes to complete a day of the study. I continued to do a more in-depth study with my children on the days that we could, but like being able to start my day with a few minutes of scriptural focus.
If you are looking for a new Bible study, check out Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle or Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians by Julie Naturally. You can also click on the graphic below to read about how other Review Crew members used these Bible studies.
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