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 … 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.
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As children we enjoyed our storybook Bibles, with brightly-colored illustrations and sanitized stories about our flannel graph heroes. In Less than Perfect, Ann Spangler invites us to take a grown-up look at biblical characters and meditate on how God used them despite their lack of storybook perfection. I especially enjoyed her vibrant tale-telling and many cultural insights. Each chapter is sprinkled with nuggets from the ancient world that shed new light on the lives of biblical characters in the world that they knew.
As a Christian with deep faith, it is good to turn to faith driven books, to remind ourselves that God realizes that being a Christian is not perfection. It opens us up to not judge others or to know we only have to go to our knees in prayer if we have a moment in time when we feel we have failed God in even a small way! For His grace forgives!
Great reading book.
I love the writing style of the authors who takes Biblical characters and essentially puts meat on their bones. The characters live in her stories. The book makes the Bible characters into real people with real problems and pain.
Less Than Perfect: Broken Men and Women of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them is a great devotional study. It give you thirty stories that one can study everyday for a month. Some of the stories include: Adam, Tamar, Judah, Saul, Jezebel, Judas, and Pontius Pilate.
Each story is only about seven to eight pages long and followed by sections called “The Times” and “The Takeaway”.
The study is full of references that show faith and inspiration. Anyone who want to learn about ones of the Bible who were far from perfect and want to learn the power of forgiveness will want to pick this book up.
I give this devotional study five plus stars.
Highly recommended.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Less Than Perfect, by Ann Spangler, features the stories of thirty different men and women from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Each of the Biblical stories included in this book is retold in refreshingly honest detail that is enriched by historical context and cultural insights. These stories offer a vivid glimpse into the lives of real, flawed human beings who were integral in God’s plan for the redemption of humanity. Though they lived thousands of years ago, these men and woman made choices that we can still learn from today.
Whether reading a chapter a day or a chapter a week, the reader will be inspired by Ms. Spangler’s thoughtful retellings of these Biblical stories. Each chapter will resonate with those who long for a deeper understanding of how God has established a pattern of using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things according to his will.
Less Than Perfect is heart-felt and sincere. It is a relevant book that is grounded in a love for the life-giving truth of God’s Word. It is well-researched, well-organized, and well-written. It is thoughtful, insightful, practical, and uplifting. I plan to reread this book often, and recommend it to others whenever I have the opportunity.
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher. A review was not required. The review I have written contains opinions that are entirely my own.
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. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.