The reason is simple: my life has been profoundly influenced by books. Great books by great authors have been the #1 influence on my life outside of the Bible itself. More than sermons or anything else, books have shaped me. Books by people like J.I. Packer, Charles Swindoll, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul have forever changed me. Where would I be spiritually if I had never read Knowing God, The Holiness
of God, or Desiring God? I can’t remember ever being deeply impacted by any piece of curriculum in the same way.
Writing life-changing material is hard. Even people who have done it once often struggle to do it a second or third time. That’s why some authors become “one-hit wonders.” They write one life-changing book but never produce another at the same level. Several names may be coming to mind right now.
What isn’t hard is finding life-changing
books that have already been written. Just look at Amazon’s bestseller lists. These are often books that have already proven their ability to influence countless lives. Some have remained bestsellers for years. It is easier than ever to find life-changing material that has stood the test of time.
One of the surprises about using books as curriculum has been the cost. I always assumed it would be more expensive—perhaps prohibitively so. But it depends on how many weeks you
spend on the book.
I am currently writing a study on the life of Paul using Swindoll’s book as a guide. At the moment, the book is available on Amazon for $13.74. We will spend one week on each of the 22 chapters, which works out to about 62 cents per week. Many of our couples share a book. Several prefer Kindle and buy their own copies (the Kindle version is currently $1.99). The teacher’s guide will sell for about $12 and is also included in the Good Questions Have Groups
Talking subscription service.
One other thing I’ve noticed: nearly everyone reads the lesson nearly every week. You can tell because they bring comments and observations from the reading into class discussion.
Does that happen in your class?
I’d invite you to try a simple experiment: use books as curriculum for one quarter.
You can find a list of all the studies I’ve written here: www.mybiblestudylessons.com/The-Great-Books
If you would like to do a book study and I haven’t written one yet, email me at [email protected].
Alternatively, if I have an older study that only covered part of a book and you’d like an expanded version that works through every chapter, let me know.
I can’t promise I’ll write
a study on any particular book. I tend to prefer books that are thoroughly biblical. In class, we are studying the Bible—not Swindoll. Swindoll is the commentary; Scripture is the text.
One of my favorite books is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I haven’t yet figured out how to build a study around it because it lacks the chapter-and-verse structure I prefer for Bible study.
I also like books that provide variety. Often, a book
focuses on one topic and can begin to feel repetitive over time. I enjoy books like the one I’m writing now on the life of Paul because they naturally include a wide range of themes and situations.
What are your thoughts on using books as curriculum?
Reply to this email—I’d love to hear from you.
