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Four Small Words: A Simple Way to Understand the Bible
In a world addicted to headlines and sound bites, where technology has taught us how to say more with less —Jarrett Stevens, a popular pastor and speaker, helps readers understand the deep meaning of their own story, written within the Story of God. And all in just Four Small Words. When it comes to a story as theologically thick and rich with history, metaphor, and meaning, as the Bible, the thought of trying to understand or communicate that story can be overwhelming. However, Stevens believes the essence of the Story of God can be understood, applied, and shared in just four small words. Of. Between. With. In. Using a simple, fresh, and memorable approach to the good news of God’s story, Four Small Words not only gives us a better framework for the Bible, but for our everyday lives. Seeing God’s big story through these small words allows it to sink deeper into our own lives and to be shared with others in a way that is more memorable and less intimidating.
- GenresNonfiction
Paperback
First published December 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 17, 2019
A great way to understand the context of the Bible--4 words:
Of
Between
With
In
Of: coming from and/or belonging to. (Genesis 1-2) We come from and belong to Someone. "You are the exhalo Dei--the exhale of God. Before you ever knew His name, there was a God who knew yours. A God who loves you and whose image you were born to bear. A God in whose identity you share. He is the place to begin if you are ever going to undeerstand You."
Between: Genesis 3-Malachi 4 - the time between when sin enter in Gen. 3 and when Grace entered in the Gospels. Sin came between God and us and it stood between us and each other. The story of the Old Testament is about the time between and the length that God goes to come between us and the consequences of our sin.
With: Matthew 1 - Acts 1 Our relationship with God in the Old Testament was real, but constrained and defined by the very real separation of sin. God was present, but also seemed distant. The story of the Gospels is the story of how Jesus came a "long distance" to be with us, moving into our hearts and teaching us how to live our lives with Him. With is where our story with Him begins.
In: Acts 2 - Revelation 22 The relationship and proximity that was lost in the Garden was redeemed by something far greater. From intimacy with God to God IN me. He has offered you the invitation of this relationship with Him by entering into your life to love and lead and guide and guard every aspect of who you are. His power and presence are not detached from your daily life.
Of
Between
With
In
Of: coming from and/or belonging to. (Genesis 1-2) We come from and belong to Someone. "You are the exhalo Dei--the exhale of God. Before you ever knew His name, there was a God who knew yours. A God who loves you and whose image you were born to bear. A God in whose identity you share. He is the place to begin if you are ever going to undeerstand You."
Between: Genesis 3-Malachi 4 - the time between when sin enter in Gen. 3 and when Grace entered in the Gospels. Sin came between God and us and it stood between us and each other. The story of the Old Testament is about the time between and the length that God goes to come between us and the consequences of our sin.
With: Matthew 1 - Acts 1 Our relationship with God in the Old Testament was real, but constrained and defined by the very real separation of sin. God was present, but also seemed distant. The story of the Gospels is the story of how Jesus came a "long distance" to be with us, moving into our hearts and teaching us how to live our lives with Him. With is where our story with Him begins.
In: Acts 2 - Revelation 22 The relationship and proximity that was lost in the Garden was redeemed by something far greater. From intimacy with God to God IN me. He has offered you the invitation of this relationship with Him by entering into your life to love and lead and guide and guard every aspect of who you are. His power and presence are not detached from your daily life.
January 13, 2016
When I saw on Social Media that my old friend Jarrett Stevens' new book was being released I felt so strongly prompted that I should read it. Certain books will do that to a person every now and again… they call out to you by name and won’t let you go until the last page turns. Four Small Words was like that. And I want to share with you a few reasons why.
The Bible – The Premise of Jarrett’s book is that it stands as a summary and an access point for people to understand and appreciate the complex and withering world of Scripture through four small words: OF, BETWEEN, WITH and IN. I wanted this book to be great (and it was) for one primary reason: In an age where the most propaganda churches have abandoned legitimate attention to Scripture as nothing more than convenient quotes to prooftext pop culture sensibilities, I wanted this to be a real love letter to the Bible. Even as I’ve professionally and in some ways personally taken far turns from my old pastoring days… I still love the Bible. It is rich and multifarious. Dangerous and deep. And Jarrett doesn’t disappoint on this. He, too, loves the Bible and he brings it here with such passion and clarity as to almost be jarring in its simultaneous beauty and simplicity.
The Pastoring – This book flows right out of Jarrett’s pastor’s heart. Jarrett loves people. Always has and he shows it hear with a maturity and panache that clearly God has blossomed in him over these years. This is a book about ideas, yes, but it is a book for people. Jarrett’s want for you to know yourself and know God and know the Gospel through the reading of his Four Words is palpable. It had me drawn in the whole way. I felt my heart be awakened and inspired. I was reminded about God, things I have known all my life, but needed to know again. I felt myself cared for by the pages themselves. And I remembered my old friend in the reading. “Ahh, yes. This is Jarrett at his true best.”
The Humanity – Four Small Words, like almost every teaching I’ve ever seen Jarrett do, is a deeply human project. It’s funny and winsome and accessible and humble. It reminds us of the mundaneness of life and how perhaps there God is most palpable of all. It tells the epic story of God on the canvas of Rock ‘n’ Roll lyrics, skateboard scrapes, and Monopoly games. Not just settling to tell us, it shows us that our story is God’s story and vice versa. And in considering the intimacy of our life in God’s life, I found myself caught up, refreshed and reverberating with all that is possible in a life lived with God.
In so many ways, this is Jarrett’s magnum opus. It is 148 pages of intense story telling all written in such an accessible and attractive hand that I can’t imagine it coming from any other human. You needn’t know Jarrett to love this book, but if you do know him at all (as I only do a little now) you can feel all of him through it. The quasi-nerdy pop culture references, the quick wit, the deeply warm heart toward his stories’ subjects, his love for Jeanne. It’s all there. Jarrett, I don’t know if you’ll ever read this review, but if you do: Thank you. Certainly for Four Words, as it is a book that should be read by the thousands. But more importantly, thank you for your heart. You tell in the book about the great tragedy that we are only 10% ourselves, and I agree. But as over a decade has past, you are more you, more full of life, and grace and freedom and humility and joy, more deeply Jarrett than I last saw you. And what more could be asked of any of us, in the years that we have, than that?
The Bible – The Premise of Jarrett’s book is that it stands as a summary and an access point for people to understand and appreciate the complex and withering world of Scripture through four small words: OF, BETWEEN, WITH and IN. I wanted this book to be great (and it was) for one primary reason: In an age where the most propaganda churches have abandoned legitimate attention to Scripture as nothing more than convenient quotes to prooftext pop culture sensibilities, I wanted this to be a real love letter to the Bible. Even as I’ve professionally and in some ways personally taken far turns from my old pastoring days… I still love the Bible. It is rich and multifarious. Dangerous and deep. And Jarrett doesn’t disappoint on this. He, too, loves the Bible and he brings it here with such passion and clarity as to almost be jarring in its simultaneous beauty and simplicity.
The Pastoring – This book flows right out of Jarrett’s pastor’s heart. Jarrett loves people. Always has and he shows it hear with a maturity and panache that clearly God has blossomed in him over these years. This is a book about ideas, yes, but it is a book for people. Jarrett’s want for you to know yourself and know God and know the Gospel through the reading of his Four Words is palpable. It had me drawn in the whole way. I felt my heart be awakened and inspired. I was reminded about God, things I have known all my life, but needed to know again. I felt myself cared for by the pages themselves. And I remembered my old friend in the reading. “Ahh, yes. This is Jarrett at his true best.”
The Humanity – Four Small Words, like almost every teaching I’ve ever seen Jarrett do, is a deeply human project. It’s funny and winsome and accessible and humble. It reminds us of the mundaneness of life and how perhaps there God is most palpable of all. It tells the epic story of God on the canvas of Rock ‘n’ Roll lyrics, skateboard scrapes, and Monopoly games. Not just settling to tell us, it shows us that our story is God’s story and vice versa. And in considering the intimacy of our life in God’s life, I found myself caught up, refreshed and reverberating with all that is possible in a life lived with God.
In so many ways, this is Jarrett’s magnum opus. It is 148 pages of intense story telling all written in such an accessible and attractive hand that I can’t imagine it coming from any other human. You needn’t know Jarrett to love this book, but if you do know him at all (as I only do a little now) you can feel all of him through it. The quasi-nerdy pop culture references, the quick wit, the deeply warm heart toward his stories’ subjects, his love for Jeanne. It’s all there. Jarrett, I don’t know if you’ll ever read this review, but if you do: Thank you. Certainly for Four Words, as it is a book that should be read by the thousands. But more importantly, thank you for your heart. You tell in the book about the great tragedy that we are only 10% ourselves, and I agree. But as over a decade has past, you are more you, more full of life, and grace and freedom and humility and joy, more deeply Jarrett than I last saw you. And what more could be asked of any of us, in the years that we have, than that?
September 19, 2017
Favorite Quotes:
"...His fingerprints all over you."
"...it's not only about who you are becoming, but how you are becoming who you are."
"The divine thread that I am woven from is what binds me to others. Your desire to connect runs deep, because it is one of the truest things about you. And it is some of the greatest evidence that you come from and belong to a relational God."
"Adam had purpose. He worked. But more than that, he worked with God."
"... we were created by God to enjoy our work by working *with* him."
"No one ever drifts into the life they were created to live."
"I'm learning that life with God is a life of growth. That there is no growth without a little death."
"When you can see no other way but God, it becomes much easier to recognize His faithfulness."
"God is faithful. We are forgetful."
"... Spiritual growth isn't merely about sinning less, but about shortening the lag time between sin and confession."
"Yet He is still present--living in the risk and rejection, the betrayal and denial that comes with community."
"Pray any prayer long enough with no clear results that meet with your hopes, desires, or expectations... And your faith behind to wane and waver."
"Moments like standing under a portico in the pouring rain fifteen feet from where I thought I was supposed to be."
"...relationship with Him by entering into your life to love and leaf and guide and guard every source of who you are."
"...forged our fear into faith and laid down control to pick up trust."
"...God is a God who gives perfect gifts. He gives you just what you need, just when you need it."
"...someone God puts in our lives who is the hardest and most challenging for us to love."
"When He goes all in, it comes out through our lives, enabling us to live much bigger lives than we ever could have dreamed of on our own."
"...His fingerprints all over you."
"...it's not only about who you are becoming, but how you are becoming who you are."
"The divine thread that I am woven from is what binds me to others. Your desire to connect runs deep, because it is one of the truest things about you. And it is some of the greatest evidence that you come from and belong to a relational God."
"Adam had purpose. He worked. But more than that, he worked with God."
"... we were created by God to enjoy our work by working *with* him."
"No one ever drifts into the life they were created to live."
"I'm learning that life with God is a life of growth. That there is no growth without a little death."
"When you can see no other way but God, it becomes much easier to recognize His faithfulness."
"God is faithful. We are forgetful."
"... Spiritual growth isn't merely about sinning less, but about shortening the lag time between sin and confession."
"Yet He is still present--living in the risk and rejection, the betrayal and denial that comes with community."
"Pray any prayer long enough with no clear results that meet with your hopes, desires, or expectations... And your faith behind to wane and waver."
"Moments like standing under a portico in the pouring rain fifteen feet from where I thought I was supposed to be."
"...relationship with Him by entering into your life to love and leaf and guide and guard every source of who you are."
"...forged our fear into faith and laid down control to pick up trust."
"...God is a God who gives perfect gifts. He gives you just what you need, just when you need it."
"...someone God puts in our lives who is the hardest and most challenging for us to love."
"When He goes all in, it comes out through our lives, enabling us to live much bigger lives than we ever could have dreamed of on our own."
July 1, 2019
• Your story has it’s beginning in God. (OF)
• Your story with God has been a journey where at times there has been great distance. (BETWEEN)
• But God made a way for you to be in relationship with Him. (WITH)
• And He has offered you the invitation of this relationship with Him by enterentering into your life to love and lead and guide and guard every aspect of who you are. (IN)
This is a great book that breaks down the Bible into 4 small words: Of, Between, With, And In. I love these segments as we look at Adam and Eve, after the Fall through the Old Testament (God), the Gospels (Jesus), and after the Resurrection (the Holy Spirit).
1. OF (Genesis 1-2) — Each of us is created with an identity that comes from God and is so much bigger than who we are right now.
2. BETWEEN (Genesis 3 - Malachi 4) — Each of us has experienced separation from God when sin comes between us in one season or another.
3. WITH (Matthew 1 - Acts 1) — Each of us has had moments when we felt “close” to God, when we knew He was with us, or when we desired that feeling
4. IN (Acts 2 - Revelation 22) — Each of us has been created to live with the power and presence of God in us in our everyday lives.
This really helped me to not only enforce my current thinking of the Bible, but it also pointed me into a deeper understanding. Jarrett Stevens does a great job of explaining the four small words with illustrations, scripture, and personal stories. His part on the Holy Spirit is fantastic and worth reading.
• Your story with God has been a journey where at times there has been great distance. (BETWEEN)
• But God made a way for you to be in relationship with Him. (WITH)
• And He has offered you the invitation of this relationship with Him by enterentering into your life to love and lead and guide and guard every aspect of who you are. (IN)
This is a great book that breaks down the Bible into 4 small words: Of, Between, With, And In. I love these segments as we look at Adam and Eve, after the Fall through the Old Testament (God), the Gospels (Jesus), and after the Resurrection (the Holy Spirit).
1. OF (Genesis 1-2) — Each of us is created with an identity that comes from God and is so much bigger than who we are right now.
2. BETWEEN (Genesis 3 - Malachi 4) — Each of us has experienced separation from God when sin comes between us in one season or another.
3. WITH (Matthew 1 - Acts 1) — Each of us has had moments when we felt “close” to God, when we knew He was with us, or when we desired that feeling
4. IN (Acts 2 - Revelation 22) — Each of us has been created to live with the power and presence of God in us in our everyday lives.
This really helped me to not only enforce my current thinking of the Bible, but it also pointed me into a deeper understanding. Jarrett Stevens does a great job of explaining the four small words with illustrations, scripture, and personal stories. His part on the Holy Spirit is fantastic and worth reading.
January 9, 2019
Great!
This book was (thankfully) recommended to me to read before beginning the Bible for the first time. It has a humorous, personal style that makes reading easy, enjoyable, and educational. I learned a ton and loved every second of it!
This book was (thankfully) recommended to me to read before beginning the Bible for the first time. It has a humorous, personal style that makes reading easy, enjoyable, and educational. I learned a ton and loved every second of it!
August 21, 2018
Good simple clear overview of the Gospel and the impact it has on our life
February 24, 2019
A great way to break down the whole story of the Bible into four simple words. I might use the idea for a teaching series sometime.
December 29, 2019
I very much appreciated this book.
Pastor Jarrett is smart, articulate and funny!
Jarrett helps to break down the bible in a digestible way that helps bring the reader closer to the word.
Pastor Jarrett is smart, articulate and funny!
Jarrett helps to break down the bible in a digestible way that helps bring the reader closer to the word.
January 28, 2021
Great overview of how the Bible is laid out
February 8, 2025
A great way to help understand the Bible. I underlined and went back and reread so many parts of this book. I feel very fortunate to go to the church founded by this author.
September 23, 2016
Small words, huge impact
In this wonderful book by Jarrett Stevens he takes the Bible in its entirety and breaks it down into four small words that are so simple yet so powerful that it can transform your relationship with Christ. The book is well written with great personal stories that Stevens tells to bring his points home to the readers.
In this wonderful book by Jarrett Stevens he takes the Bible in its entirety and breaks it down into four small words that are so simple yet so powerful that it can transform your relationship with Christ. The book is well written with great personal stories that Stevens tells to bring his points home to the readers.
June 10, 2020
It’s interesting to read a book written by someone you see in person every week. Jarrett writes in the same way he preaches - thoughtfully and personably. I’ll admit that the writing style mimics that of a sermon; maybe better spoken than on the page. But his ideas hold true and made this book the perfect companion to reading the entire bible. Can’t wait for his next book being released next month!
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April 24, 2016I very much enjoyed reading this book, especially reading it with a small group of other people reading it and discussing at the same time.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews