[Paperback] [Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins] Walking with God: A Journey Through The Bible

by Tim Gray

The Bible plays a vital role in the life of the Catholic Church. In fact, we are called to immerse ourselves daily in the Scriptures. But many of us get lost when we actually dive into the Bible, and our time spent can be more frustrating than fruitful. We are reading a collection of writings drafted by an ancient people, in an ancient culture. But Scripture is nothing less than the Living Word of God, and it is meant just as much for us as for those who lived thousands of years ago.

In Walking with God, Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins unpack the central story woven throughout Scripture and present it in an easy-to-read, concise manner. Gray and Cavins take you on a journey through the “narrative” books of the Bible—the ones that tell the story—and present a panoramic view of God’s glorious plan of salvation. Their expert commentary dives deep into the mysteries of Scripture, unlocking its riches and showing how these inspired words are meant for you today.

Enter into the Scriptures with Walking with God. Witness the fascinating story of our faith unfold, and see how you, at this moment in your life, fit into God’s plan for all of humanity.

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian, Spirituality, Theology

Unknown Binding

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Timothy Gray is President and Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture at The Augustine Institute.

He received an MA from Franciscan University of Steubenville, ThM from Duke University, and PhD in Biblical Studies from Catholic University of America.

Under Dr. Gray’s guidance, the Augustine Institute has created Symbolon, a comprehensive program of faith formation for adults, YDisciple, to inform and inspire youth to deepen their relationship with Christ, Beloved, a twelve part series that explores the mystery and meaning of marriage for marriage enrichment and marriage prep programs, and Lectio an innovative series of Bible studies exploring topics through the lens of Scripture, Tradition and Art.

Tim and his wife Kris, and son Joseph, live in Littleton, Colorado.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of Walking with God: A Journey through the Bible, by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins, for a couple of reasons.

First, someone raved about it on national radio.

Second, I've been feeling this tug to study Scripture in more depth, but time and time and time seem to be the big challenges I face in this season of my vocation (young kids + lots of other things to do + exhaustion at the end of the day).

And third, the publisher kindly agreed to send it to me when I wrote asking for a copy.

It wasn't a quick read, in part because I insisted to myself that I must read all accompanying Bible passages before I read the commentary. Big mistake for someone whose reading time is in unpredictable silos and whose brain is sometimes completely checked out.

Once I let go of the "need" to read the Bible along with it (wait, before you judge me, let me finish!), I found Walking with God to be a page-turner.

I was raised with a lot of Bible reading, and my familiarity with Bible stories and passages is pretty good, at least in the Catholic circles I've frequented for the last ten years.

In Walking with God, though, I found a study that took me deeper into the Bible in a way that made the history come alive. I didn't realize how much of the drama I've missed by not being a scripture scholar! I didn't know just how interesting the Bible could be!

And who knew there was an underlying theme to the whole thing?!?

Well, I mean, it all makes sense when I type it here. But I'm guilty of looking at the Bible as something necessary instead of as something desirable, as something that's required reading instead of delightful drama, as something that's just for this sliver of my life instead of as something applicable to every aspect of who I am.

I not only highly recommend Walking with God, I've pushed it on every single person who's come into my path in the last month since I finished it. My pastor, the parish secretary, the poor lady before me at Adoration. I thought about printing up business card sized slips of paper to just pass out, but figured maybe I was going over the top.

Or maybe not.

Bottom line: get it. Read it. Revel in the enjoyment that can be found in the story of Scripture.

[Chad Torgerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One goal of many Catholics and Christians is to read the Bible in its entirety. Not knowing where to start, many of us simply start at the beginning and try to read the Bible from cover to cover – like every other book that we’ve read. We soon find out that this might be more difficult than we first imagined. As a guide to help us understand the Bible, Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray have written an excellent book, Walking with God: A Journey through the Bible.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing because it walks you through the Bible in a very simple, yet profound way. It explains the main idea behind the Old and New Testament books, groups them, so that you can see the progression of people and their relationship with GOD. I learned a great deal about the BIBLE and my faith by reading this book. FIVE STARS ... if you always wanted to "read the BIBLE" start with Walking with GOD by Tim Gray.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been itching to finish this book, Walking with God, so I could write a review on it. Written by Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins, I knew immediately that I was going to get a quality book. Jeff Cavins is well known for his DVD series knows as The Great Adventure where he takes you through the Bible in a chronological order to help you make sense of the salvation story of the Bible. This book accomplished the same thing that the DVD series does.

You start in the book of Genesis and walk your way through the Bible until you get to the book of Acts. Not all books of the Bible are covered in great deal, as they do not provide the framework for the whole Bible, but they are mentioned as supplemental material to the core books of this scholarly work. In addition to a complete walkthrough of the Bible, there are also many helpful word and topic studies and maps and figures that help illustrate points that would be hard to understand just by reading.

I think my favorite part of the book was that it explained how different people and events in the Bible mirrored previous people or events.We see Joseph (Old Testament, not New Testament) as a prefigurement to Jesus. The Great Flood and Crossing the Red Sea are a prefigurement for Baptism. And time and time again, we see the Israelites making the same mistakes over and over again. Different generation...same sins.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars, but 5 out of 5 is my max rating. For anyone who has trouble understanding the big picture of the Bible, this is for you. For anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of the Bible, this is for you. For anyone who has never read through the Bible but wants to, this is for you. Basically, I'm saying this book is for everyone. I've already given my mom a copy of the book, and I want to go back and read this book again. It has so much knowledge in it that I'm sure I missed a ton of stuff.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Walking with God. The Catholic Company is a great resource for tools to help you participate in the Year of Faith, including Year of Faith bible studies and exclusive Year of Faith personalized gifts. The Catholic Company also has all your Advent needs in stock, such as Advent calendars and Advent wreaths.

[Matthew Lauderdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal book that does an exceptional job of walking through all of salvation history and guiding the reader to understand how God has been working throughout all of the events of Sacred Scripture, from Genesis to the arrival of Christ, to the period of the early Church. If you have a hard time understanding how all of the books of the bible fit together and how God worked through difficult or seemingly arbitrary actions, this is the book for you. I would give it my highest recommendation to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Sacred Scripture and their relationship with God.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic "big picture" Bible study. It was so fascinating that I'm going to have to read it again. I know I don't remember even a fraction of the information and insights I read. But, it was also very readable and accessible to "normal" people like me. My husband is now reading it after becoming intrigued by all the quotes that I couldn't stop myself from sharing with him. I highly recommend it.

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an excellent book! Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins are known for their work on The Great Adventure Bible Timeline. I completed the short, eight-week study several years ago. It opened my eyes to see Scripture in a completely new way. Even after years of living the Catholic life, I understood things about the Bible that had never completely made sense before.

Now, years later, I finally got around to reading this book version of the full Bible Timeline. It was everything I hoped it would be. If you never think you'll find the time for a regular small-group Bible study but want to journey through salvation history, this is the book for you. I have learned so much.

Read my full review at ATX Catholic.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever wanted to read the bible, but couldn't, this is the book for you! I took a class called "the Great Bible Adventure" and this book covers most everything the class did. It is eye opening and makes the bible a "story" instead of a random assortment of books

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently on my second year of doing the Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz. During those podcasts Father Mike often Makes reference to Jeff’s work on the The Great Adventure Bible and The Bible Timeline. I had picked up this book the first time through but did not get around to reading it. This year I started it on day 1, and worked my way through it over a month. And I can state it is an excellent volume. One description of this book is:

“Written by Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins, Walking With God unpacks the central story woven throughout Scripture and presents it in an easy-to-read, concise manner. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins take you on a journey through the “narrative” books of the Bible—the ones that tell the story—and present a panoramic view of God’s glorious plan of salvation. Their expert commentary dives deep into the mysteries of scripture, unlocking its riches and showing how these inspired words are meant for you today.

Enter into the scriptures with Walking with God. Witness the fascinating story of our faith unfold, and see how you, at this moment in your life, fit into God’s plan for all of humanity.

Reflect on your own or discuss with a Bible study group in your home or in your parish to gain a better understanding of the story of salvation history.”

And another you will find online is:

“Read the entire story of the Bible in one captivating and inspirational book...

The Bible plays a vital role in the life of the Catholic Church. In fact, we are called to immerse ourselves daily in the Scriptures. But many of us get lost when we actually dive into the Bible, and our time spent can be more frustrating than fruitful. We are reading a collection of writings drafted by an ancient people, in an ancient culture. But Scripture is nothing less than the Living Word of God, and it is meant just as much for us as for those who lived thousands of years ago.

In Walking with God, Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins unpack the central story woven throughout Scripture and present it in an easy-to-read, concise manner. Gray and Cavins take you on a journey through the narrative books of the Bible the ones that tell the story and present a panoramic view of God s glorious plan of salvation. Their expert commentary dives deep into the mysteries of Scripture, unlocking its riches and showing how these inspired words are meant for you today. Enter into the Scriptures with Walking with God. Witness the fascinating story of our faith unfold, and see how you, at this moment in your life, fit into God s plan for all of humanity.”

This book is an excellent resource on its own. But when you combine it with the Bible in a Year Podcast it has really helped me go to a deeper level in reading, listening and understanding the bible. I plan to reread it on pace with Fr Mike this year. But back to the book. This book is immensely engaging. And it is also very accessible. It could be easily read by anyone in secondary school or beyond. Used by the academic, or the lay person. This book can be read from beginning to end, or if you are willing to slow down read it along with the accompanying biblical passages. It helps highlight and tie together the foreshadowing in the Old Testament that is fulfilled in the New. It is both commentary and exegesis. I hold a Religious Studies Degree with a specialization in Roman Catholic Thought, I would have loved to have had this book as a resource while in school. It could have easily been required reading on either my OT or NT courses. And it would be great as supplemental reading or resource for many of the other courses I did: Jesus Life and Legacy or Paul’s Life and Letters. This volume begins with these words:

“Toward the end of his gospel, St. Luke recounts the greatest Bible study ever held. Jesus joins two disciples as they travel the road to Emmaus. In response to their despair over the events of Good Friday, Jesus says, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:25-26). In the midst of the tragic events and details of the previous days, these disciples had lost sight of all that God was doing in his story of Scripture, and, as a result, they also lost sight of the narrative thread to their own lives and were filled with sorrow and despair.

In response, Jesus takes the disciples back through Scripture’s story, showing them God’s wonderful design and purpose. When Jesus wanted to teach these disciples the very meaning of who he was and make sense of the events of life, he opened up for them Scripture’s plot, the “big picture” that weaves together all the individual events and details. The disciples saw the whole breathtaking view of Scripture’s story and how it led to Christ. It set their hearts on fire and changed their lives; their sorrow was turned to joy, and they raced back to Jerusalem!”

And that is what Cavins and Gray do for us in this work. They help open our eys to the whole history of salvation. They do it in an easy to understand way. They make the material engaging, meaningful and even entertaining. They have done a masterful job walking with us through the story of salvation.

This is a book any Catholic any Christian would benefit from reading. I highly recommend it!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Nicole Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great companion to Bible Timeline!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a must read to understand the narrative story of the Bible. I'll keep this as a reference book. Easy to read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very exciting too read the depth of our faith.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Will reread someday!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly insightful and a wonderful way to review the Bible and what it all means!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read along with the Great Adventure Bible Study

[Regan Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me wish I could read Hebrew. It revealed the Old Testament in a way I never could have imagine. Fantastic.

[Bobby Semendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bible makes more sense to me now

[Abigail Verkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Highly recommend this book. I will be rereading this one!!

[Jill Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this in conjunction with the Bible of the Year Podcast. I am glad I did, also glad I did not pick it up until halfway through the Podcast as it helped make sense out of things I listened to on the Podcast. It adds depth to the Bible passages and also brings to life the places and people in the story. High recommend for people doing Podcast or people on their journey through the Bible.

[Maiella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book on the Bible. It may be hands down the best single summary I have read. Definitely a book I will be rereading.

[Virginia R. Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great perspective of Bible timeline

I got this book while doing a Bible study on the bible timeline and found it to be easy to read, hard to put down and very helpful companion to the study, although you can certainly read it on it's own as I have done since. A must read for all Catholics who hear the Bible read to them weekly but who may never have read it as the great story that it is

[Joshua Revelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking with God by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins is an excellent medium-length general introduction to the narrative of the Bible. It is especially informed by the canonical-critical method of reading Sacred Scripture and attends to the structural theme of covenants without limiting itself to exploring only structure. Gray and Cavins primarily expound the narrative books, but they also situate various other books, e.g. major prophets and letters of St. Paul, in the historical context provided by the narrative. Walking with God, however, is not merely a retelling of the stories of Scripture; Gray and Cavins regularly expound the theological messages of the Biblical books in a clear and convincing way. For the most part, these interpretations are based on millennia of Jewish and Catholic interpretive sources, though Gray and Cavins also clearly make use of contemporary historical-critical research when this is useful for attaining the Biblical author's intention. They also draw from extra-Biblical history to shed light especially on the claims of the New Testament authors. Walking with God is typically engaging to read, highlighting many textual clues for understanding the messages of Scripture that are overlooked by modern readers, even those who are very familiar with the stories. Gray and Cavins point out a few classical conclusions from Scripture about the Christian sacramental and moral life, but these are interpretations widely held through the history of the Church and the occasions in the book for these are relatively rare (some might wish for more, but this is not the primary goal of the book). It could certainly be used as an effective textbook for an introduction to Scripture course at the undergraduate level, or perhaps even at the graduate level, and it could also be read by the casual Christian seeking to deepen his or her knowledge of basic themes, structures, and messages of Sacred Scripture. Walking with God would be perfect for someone who has read John Bergsma's Bible Basics for Catholics or gone through Jeff Cavin's Great Adventure Bible Study and wants to dive a bit deeper into the same stream of orthodox Catholic canonical and scientific interpretation, which seems to me the most intellectually respectful and spiritually fruitful modern "school" of Biblical thought available today.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, while reading the Bible and going through The Great Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible DVD series. This book is a great addition to the program, as the book adds much more depth.
Jeff Cavins presents many meaningful connections in the OT and NT that I would not have ever noticed on my own. I find the OT to be very hard to understand, and Jeff Cavins' detailed communication of it has opened my eyes to a deeper, richer understanding of my faith.
Wonderful book on it's own, or with the DVD series. If you are a new or seasoned Christian who has not had the opportunity to delve into Scripture, I highly recommend this amazing guide.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent guide to canonical and comprehensive reading of the Bible provides an overview of Salvation History, highlighting the main covenants between God and man. The development of the relationship between God and His creation is clearly outlined as the authors take you from Genesis to Revelation. Paired with the Great Adventure Bible and the timeline that the authors produced, this book can provide a complete Bible study that you can review in various levels of depth over the course of weeks, months, or years.

[James Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific survey of the story of salvation history. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Easily accessible even for those who have never studied the Bible, but with enough depth to fill in several gaps I didn’t know I had despite the several other books and courses I have taken.

It is still a general overview, so expect only the broad strokes and major themes, but it is an excellent introduction to what the Bible is all about.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supplementing "The Bible Time Line" and "Unlocking the Bible" scripture studies by Ascension Press, this gives a solid overview of 14 historical books of the Bible, leading the reader through the story of God's family from the Creation through the witness of Christians throughout the world. Besides gaining an outline of scripture, the insights into the culture and vocabulary of ancient people easy key to a greater comprehension of the Biblical message.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book recommended all over the place. It traces the narrative arc of the Bible, focusing on the story of salvation history. I learned a ton of things - especially about the judges and the Old Testament with which I was less familiar. There's the quote by St. Augustine, “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” This book really made the Bible come alive.

[Marcos Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro fundamental para ler a Bíblia. Partindo da teologia da aliança, os autores mostram que a Bíblia não é simplesmente uma reunião de livros sagrados, mas uma narrativa coerente do início ao fim. Dividindo a história da salvação em 12 partes, fica fácil entender que a o antigo testamento se completa no segundo, e que nada está sobrando em toda narrativa. Tudo tem um propósito.

[Jerrod Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was outstanding. My daughter recommended it to me because someone had recommended it to her. I found a lot of insights and parallels between the old and new testaments that had previously eluded me. This has given me a great appreciation of how interlinked the two are and how they are continuous parts of the same story.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy history and the bible, this book is an awesome look at what is happening all around the biblical events as well as looking into more detail on the bible stories you've heard since childhood. Great read!