SHE: A Journey of Faith, Hope and Love with Women of the Bible

by Jen Gibbs

Faith, Hope and Love... We get it, right? They are important. But sometimes they feel so intangible. How are we supposed to relate? What do we do with our faith through suffering? Why is hope even included in the "top three"? What does extravagant love really look like?

In this book Jen dives deep into Faith, Hope and Love as revealed through the lives of some incredible women of the Bible. Their lives point us to the heart of God for women. Through them we see a God who cherishes, strengthens, commissions, commends, esteems and cannot help but love us!

"This book is filled with life-giving insight into the lives of some remarkable women in the Bible. From the very introduction you will be drawn into the pages of this amazing book and be personally inspired to reach for a new level of relationship with God, and to achieve more through every season of your life. Jen's insights into these Biblical women and her amazing communication skills will leave you wanting to read more. An incredible book and a must-read not just for women but for everyone wanting to understand how God sees and uses women since the very beginning." Pastors Paul and Maree de Jong, Senior Leaders, LIFE

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2016

About the author

Jen Gibbs is an established New Zealand-based author of well regarded non-fiction and fiction works in various genres.

Her first book, SHE, won the Australasian Omega Writers' Caleb award for Best Non-Fiction.

Her second, third and fourth books were picture books grouped as The Whimsy Primsy Collection:
Whimsy Primsy Runs Her Race
Whimsy Primsy: Sad To Glad
Whimsy Primsy: Love You More.

This collection was shortlisted for the Australasian Omega Writers' Caleb award for Best Children's Publication and was endorsed by Joy Cowley.

She has produced books for charities and also written several published short stories one of which was shortlisted for NZ Society of Authors' Heritage prize.

Reviews

[Sally Poyzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Jen Gibbs explores of the themes of Faith, Hope and Love through both her own experiences and the lives of women in the Bible. She bookends these themes with a look at how God views women and how God can use women to make a difference in our world. I particularly enjoyed the look at the lives of the different women and how God blessed them and uses them to inspire us today. This book got me thinking and gave me lots to mull over. I used my highlighter a lot!

[Rochelle Sewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who barely attended Sunday school and makes it to church only on special occasions, I’m not the typical target audience for this book. And yet it was for me, and for anyone out there from all walks of life who pick it up to read.

Described as a Journey of Faith, Hope and Love of the Bible, this book can be enjoyed on many levels. From an academic perspective, it examines the role of women in the bible and their relationship to God. But this is much more than a theological tome. From the opening paragraphs the author’s voice reaches out to us with her description of diving for the first time and the wonders of seeing through a new lens in an underwater world. She examines stories from the bible, explaining with credibility their context within the social norms of ancient society, then surprises the reader by lurching them forward into modern day.

Faith, hope and love are contemporary terms. The author conveys how they were expressed by the actions of women in the bible in a beautiful storytelling narrative. But she supports her contemplation of these three themes (with evident humour) by quoting the views of modern women from Elizabeth Gilbert through to Countess Violet (of Downton Abbey fame). The author also shares intimate thoughts and experiences, providing a very human voice to her contemplation of her own faith.

It’s often said that the bible is the book you’d have on a deserted island because of its breadth and depth of stories. The author retells many of those stories in an easy to enjoy voice, drawing parallels between the actions of women at the feet of Jesus and a fancy dinner party hosted by a celebrity chef. If this book is to be enjoyed purely for its storytelling, this is a fun and highly relatable retelling of tales from “the good book”.

As I continue on my journey to find my faith and its place in my life, I will use SHE as a tool for contemplation. I enjoyed the journey in reading this book. A journey that will continue.

[Rebecca Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read! It is masterful! A tone of research is evident when reading this book, and yet it remains personal, truthful and powerful. For the church to function at its' fullness, women need to understand God's very heart towards His daughters. This book is not about being better than the sons of God, but its about knowing God's very heart and that is has called His daughters to have a voice and to be demonstrators of what faith, hope and love along with our males. Its not just a book for women, but also for males who have females around about them.

[Christine Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star writing. An easy, encouraging read for any women who might doubt that God really seems them as valuable and precious. A book full of delving into women of the Bible who showed faith, hope and love. Plenty of discussion questions for groups or individuals. Sprinkled throughout are stories from Jen’s experience and doubts she’s wrestled with. I loved it that she didn’t have to give answers but was willing to raise questions.
I was given a free copy and asked for an honest review.

[Lydia Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Such good insights into God and his heart. This book encouraged me no end with my journey of faith and how to hang on and see God's plan unfolding in my life. Hard to put down. So many "ah ha" moments. Thoroughly recommend

[Jen Gibbs]

I wrote it... Of course I'm going to love it! I hope you love it too. xx

[Kate Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book about how God uses and sees Women, so empowering and challenging.

[Nicole Magolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I really enjoyed my time reading SHE. Making myself a cup of tea, settling down in a comfy chair, and cracking open the pages became a little afternoon ritual. It was like sitting down with a friend and chatting about Jesus.

The book is well researched, well written, and easy to read. It has a good structure; each section breaks down the topic (faith, hope, then love), and goes on to discuss how it is displayed through the women of the Bible, and finally relates it to the author's own walk with God. This grounds a lot of the bigger concepts and makes it relatable to our modern lives.

I think in the right hands this could be a very impactful book. Personally, I would have liked it to go deeper into the Word as there were some aspects that felt skimmed over. Though I still recommend it to anyone interested in knowing a bit more about the women of the Bible, and to understand how God sees women.

3.5 stars.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written book incorporating memoir, quality Bible story interpretation and encouragement for walking with Jesus. Jen separates the Biblical stories across the 3 categories of her title: faith, hope and love. I was thoroughly impressed with Jen's interpretation of the stories and was able to use much of her findings to reflect on my own life.

Very well worth a read and take your time with it allowing the Word to sift in your heart.