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Contemporary
fiction. Timeless truth. Changed lives.
I brought home my first study Bible in February 1982—the month I awakened to the reality of Christ as the Living Word of God. I’d always seen the Bible as a dry, boring collection of archaic rules. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a life-changing book filled with wisdom, mercy, and incredible stories. Talk about a page-turner! Within months, I was leading a small Bible study at work and teaching a women’s class at church. (Very trusting, these dear people!) As I added solid resource materials to my home library, my understanding of the Scriptures grew. More opportunities to teach God’s Word came along, both in small-group settings as well as on the platform. My first biblically based book—Bad Girls of the Bible—was published in 1999, soon followed by Really Bad Girls of the Bible and Unveiling Mary Magdalene. The newest addition to the series is Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible. Readers and teachers quickly caught on to my “novel approach to Bible study,” which combines contemporary fiction, carefully researched nonfiction, a dash of humor to keep things lively, and thought-provoking questions to bring the truth home. How
to Use the Books, Workbooks, and Videos
The Books All four books in the series follow the same basic format—contemporary fiction + nonfiction teaching + summary lessons + discussion questions—yet each book covers different women in Scripture. Feel free to read or study them in any order. Bad Girls of the Bible has 10 chapters, Really Bad Girls of the Bible and Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible have 8, and there are 6 chapters in Unveiling Mary Magdalene (previously released as Mad Mary). The questions included at the end of each chapter are designed for personal reflection or for small group discussion. Using a plain notebook, women can jot down their answers and share them each week. At the very end of the book you will find a few supportive Scriptures provided for each of those questions.
The Workbooks The workbooks are designed to go with the books. If you enjoy daily preparation, and the idea of digging deeper into the Bible, then the workbooks are of great value. Each of the discussion questions from the book is greatly expanded, directing readers back to Scripture to examine the story itself more closely, as well as pointing readers elsewhere in Scripture to reveal the “bigger picture.” I can’t recommend the workbooks enough! If, for budgetary reasons, the members of your Bible study can only purchase the book or the workbook, I strongly suggest the book, simply because the workbook is not designed to stand alone. There are many places where readers are directed back to the original book to answer questions, so it would be a lesson in frustration not to have that book in hand. You might want to invest in at least one copy of the workbook for the teacher/group leader to use in lesson preparation.
The Videos on DVD The four videos—Bad Girls of the Bible (2000), Really Bad Girls of the Bible (2000), Unveiling Mary Magdalene (2002), and Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible (2007)—are each about 60 minutes long. They are the same in style, but completely different in content. In all four videos, I present the material from the book of the same title to a live, responsive audience. In the case of Bad Girls, Really Bad Girls, and Slightly Bad Girls, all the biblical women from the book are introduced in short, thumbnail sketches, so those two videos work best on the first night your group meets. Women will hear my heart for the subject matter, discover a bit of my testimony, and (I hope) get excited about the weeks ahead. Because Unveiling Mary Magdalene focuses on one woman—Mary Magdalene—I’d recommend showing that video on the last night of your study, reinforcing the lessons learned, and sending your women out the door joyfully shouting with Mary M., “I have seen the Lord!”
From the publisher, WaterBrook Press… In the Bad Girls of the Bible series, four life-changing books drive home one powerful message: Good Girls and Bad Girls both need a Savior. Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs breathes new life into ancient stories about two dozen of the most infamous—and intriguing—women in scriptural history, from Eve to Mary Magdalene. Biblically sound and cutting-edge fresh, these books, workbooks, and videos have already helped one million women experience God’s grace anew. In her novel approach to Bible study, Liz introduces each biblical character with a contemporary retelling of the story, followed by a solid, verse-by-verse commentary—Liz’s own style of “girlfriend theology”—concluding each chapter with valuable lessons worth learning from each of the Bad Girls. Liz says, “Fiction opens the heart, truth washes it clean, and, by God's grace, lives are changed forever.” Bad Girls of the Bible includes ten women: Eve, Potiphar's wife, Lot's wife, the Woman at the Well, Delilah, Sapphira, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal, and the Sinful Woman. Really Bad Girls of the Bible examines eight women: the Medium of En Dor, Jael, the Adulteress, Athaliah, Bathsheba, Herodias, Tamar the Widow, and the Bleeding Woman. Unveiling Mary Magdalene explores the life of a Not-So-Bad Girl of the Bible, divided into a six-week study. Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible looks at Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. A Truly Novel Approach to Bible Study . . .
My historical trilogy set in 18th-century Scotland is based on the Genesis stories of Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel. Thorn in My Heart covers Genesis 25 and 27-29, Fair Is the Rose explores Genesis 30, and Whence Came a Prince completes their journey through Genesis 31-33 and 35. On my Web site you will find for each novel both a Reader's Guide and a Bible Study Guide—free, of course, and easily printed off for your group to use. My recommended format? Six weeks: Two weeks to read the novel before your group meets. One week to go over the Reader’s Guide questions. Three weeks to open your Bibles and dig into the Bible Study Guide questions. Because of the nature of this epic tale, the three novels need to be read in chronological order—Thorn then Rose then Prince.
You will also find on our Web site a Reader's Guide and a Bible Study Guide for Grace in Thine Eyes. Your sisters across the country are having a grand time with this truly novel approach to Bible study. Click HERE to learn more!
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Prefer
to do a single title? My latest historical novel is based on the story of Dinah
from Genesis 34 and set in nineteenth-century Scotland. For more
information about Grace in Thine Eyes, please click 
