Living By the Book Workbook: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible » (Workbook)

HOWARD HENDRICKS is a household name in Christianity, and in his fifty-plus years of ministry, he has directly or indirectly touched millions of lives. A faculty member since 1951, Dr. Hendricks sees the adult children of former students now attending his classes. Today he still maintains a rigorous travel schedule and has ministered in over eighty countries through speaking engagements, radio, books, tapes, and films. He is also the former Bible teacher and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys football team.

WILLIAM D. HENDRICKS is president of The Giftedness Center, a Dallas-based consulting firm specializing in organizational design and strategic people management (www.thegiftednesscenter.com). Bill is the author or coauthor of a dozen books, including the classic Your Work Matters to God, Living By the Book, and most recently, The Power of Uniqueness. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Christianity Today and numerous other publications. He is the proud father of three daughters by his late wife, Nancy.

For every person who draws strength and direction from the Bible, there are many more who struggle with it: A long book with fine print and obscure meaning. A mystery. A chore to read. An undecipherable puzzle. The good news is you can easily solve this problem. With over 300,000 sold, this revised and expanded edition of Living by the Book will remove the barriers that keep Scripture from transforming your life. In a simple, step-by-step fashion, the authors explain how to glean truth from Scripture. It is practical, readable, and applicable. By following its easy-to-apply principles you ll soon find yourself drawing great nourishment from the Word and enjoying the process.

Preface     9
Observation: Start with Observation
Observing a Passage of Scripture     15
Observing a Verse (Psalm 93:1)     17
Observing a Verse (1 John 3:12)     19
Reading the Bible as for the First Time     21
Reading the Bible as for the First Time (Luke 15:11-32)     23
Reading the Bible as a Love Letter (Isaiah 55)     25
Reading the Bible as a Love Letter (John 3:16-17)     27
Reading Thoughtfully (Genesis 5:21-31; 7:11)     29
Reading Thoughtfully (Luke 17:11-19)     31
Reading Repeatedly (Exodus 20:1-21)     33
Reading Repeatedly (Romans 5)     35
Reading Patiently     37
Reading Selectively (Genesis 11:27-12:9)     39
Reading Selectively (Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:1-40)     41
Reading Prayerfully (Jonah 2)     43
Reading Prayerfully (Ephesians 3)     45
Reading Imaginatively (Daniel 6)     47
Reading Imaginatively (John 2:1-11)     49
Reading Meditatively (2 Samuel 6:1-8)     51
Reading Meditatively (Romans 8:28-39)     53
Reading Purposefully (Jeremiah 38)     55
Reading Purposefully (Colossians 1:15-29)     57
Reading Acquisitively     59
Reading Telescopically (Lamentations 3:22-33)     61
Reading Telescopically (Hebrews 12:1-13)     63
Working with a Paragraph (Jonah 4:5-8)     65
Working with a Paragraph (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)     67
Looking for Things That Are Emphasized (Proverbs 31:10-31)     69
Looking for Things That Are Emphasized (Luke 15)     71
Looking for Things That Are Repeated (Joshua 1)     73
Looking for Things That Are Repeated (Romans 7:7-25)     75
Looking for Things That Are Related (Numbers 21:4-9)     77
Looking for Things That Are Related (John 3:1-21)     79
Looking for Things That Are Alike (Isaiah 66:1-16)     81
Looking for Things That Are Alike (Matthew 23:23-39)     83
Looking for Things That Are Unlike (Numbers 13:25-14:31)     85
Looking for Things That Are Unlike (Acts 4:32-5:11)     87
Looking for Things That Are True to Life (1 Kings 11)     89
Looking for Things That Are True to Life (2 Timothy 1)     91
Working with a Segment of Scripture     93
How to Study a Section of Scripture     95
Making a Start with Your Chart     97
Working with a Segment of Scripture (Exodus 7-12)     99
Working with a Segment of Scripture (Revelation 2-3)     101
Interpretation: From Observation to Interpretation
Why Do We Need Interpretation?     107
Aids to Interpretation     109
Hazards to Avoid     111
Literary Genres of the Bible     113
Examining the Content (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     115
Looking for Context (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     117
Making Relevant Comparisons (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     119
Considering the Culture (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     121
Doing Further Consultation (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     123
Coming to Terms (Book of Habakkuk)     125
Figuring Out the Figurative     127
Figuring Out the Figurative (Judges 9:9-15)     129
Figuring Out the Figurative (Revelation 17)     131
Application: From Interpretation to Application
Nine Questions to Ask     137
Asking the Right Questions (Ezekiel 33:1-10)     139
Asking the Right Questions (1 Thessalonians 5)     141
Truth That Transforms (Psalms 51)     143
Truth That Transforms (Hebrews 4:12-16)     145
A Transformed People (Exodus 31:1-11; 1 Kings 6)     147
A Transformed People (Ephesians 2:11-22)     149
The Process of Application (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)     151
The Process of Application (Galatians 5:16-26)     153
Customized Christianity (Jeremiah 36)     155
Customized Christianity (Philippians 4:1-9)     157
Cultures in Context (Genesis 25:19-34; 27; 1-46)     159
Cultures in Context (Mark 1:21-45)     161
Stating Principles from Scripture (Leviticus 16)     163
Stating Principles from Scripture (2 Peter 3)     165
A Process of Life-Change     167
Putting It All Together: Introduction
Book of Ruth     172
Book of James     203