Walking in Grace [Paperback]

Walking In Grace is another in the line of First Place 4 Health Bible studies. The strengths of this particular book are not unlike the rest of the series:

1) The topical studies are easy to read, and easy to follow.
2) The time requirement is short, easy for busy men and women to commit to a group study; especially if they have other studying commitments/Sunday School homework/etc.
3) The Bible work is solid: the material seems to be fed by the scriptures for reading, which I truly appreciate. Some Bible studies have ideas that they then look for verses to fit into the agenda... this study doesn't feel that way. Days often start with reading a verse, and then a question or series of questions that are a natural outflow of that verse. I particularly liked the P.R.A.Y.E.R. acronym work (week seven), and the "problem vs. blessing" charts.
4) This is the big one: THE SCRIPTURE MEMORY MUSIC. This program shines through its commitment to Bible memory, and the CD that comes with this study is a fantastic component. It is easy to walk to, pleasant to play as background music at home or in the office, and fun to sing along with. Members who commit to listening to this music will easily fulfill their commitment to memory work. People who say, "I'm just not good at memorizing Bible verses" will have to change their tune when they try this technique. You remember what you sing. There are also tear-out scripture memory cards, so you can grab a copy of the verse of the week to take with you.
5) Other things: this book does include meal ideas and planning, calorie counting/servings counting on the "Live-It Tracker," a place to record mileage logged and calories burned, and pull-out sheets for sharing prayer requests in your small study.

This Bible study is intended for use in a group, but I have enjoyed using them alone for personal study as well. I think the daily homework can easily lead a person who has struggled with a daily personal quiet time into keeping that commitment, even if for the first time.

The only negative... and the reason that I gave this study four stars instead of five... is the flaw I see in all of the First Place 4 Health studies: self promotion. There are moments when these Bible studies will ask a question about commitments to "First Place 4 Health" when the question could have (should have?) been asked about a commitment to God, to the Church, to personal purity, etc. These self-promoting question appear less than weekly (which is an improvement over earlier First Place 4 Health books). For example, on page 108: "In First Place 4 Health, we strive for a better body." Why not, "As Christians who know that God is our Creator, we strive for a better body." However, as I said (and to the authors' credit), there are fewer of these self-promoting moments than in previous books. This is a small complaint compared to the value of this study, as I do obviously continue to buy them.

I would recommend this book, and others in the series. Even if you are a Christian with many years of scripture study under your belt... who couldn't use a solid reminder of grace? First Place 4 Health chose a fantastic topic, and does a good job of fleshing out how grace works, how it reflects God's character, what it should look like in our relationships with people in the church and at home, and what grace looks like in evangelism.

First Place Bible studies help me in my journey in health eating and living. No other wellness program like First Place.

First Place 4 Health is a women's weight loss and healthy living program that's centered on Christ. Each week's study is broken up into seven days: you read scripture and to answer questions based on the week/day's theme. Days six and seven each week are for personal reflection and application. What I really appreciate is that the FP4H studies help you develop godly disciplines that can be applied to weight control and living a healthier lifestyle but, more importantly, they help you live a more godly life. I find these studies to be very good for small groups and conducive to deep and personal conversation. I don't have more than 8 people in the group at a time. Any more and you wouldn't have time to have thoughtful conversation. I like that there are a lot of open-ended questions but also questions that can be answered directly from scripture.

This book comes with cards with memory verses, a CD with songs to help you memorize each verse, 2 weeks' worth of menu ideas, and more. These books are a bargain!

I picked this study for my group last year because our church has "Grace" as part of its name, I thought it appropriate for study. Honestly, it's hard to choose among the books because there are so many choices and each time I start a "semester" (12 weeks) I say "this is going to be a really good study" and the group has never been disappointed.

If you aren't leading or in a FP4H group you can still appreciate the study. It would be great with a couple of friends or even with your spouse even though some of the study is directed at women. I think FP4H should expand to include men; they would really benefit from this as well.