A Fantastic Book For Teens And Adults To Help Them Get Grounded In Truth

 

Sometimes, my husband just loves to read some of the books I get to review. This was one of those times. Here is what he thought about it!

Get Your Story Straight is subtitled “A Teen's Guide to Learning and Living the Gospel.” If you have or are a teenager who is willing to invest sincere effort into studying the Bible and using its principles to develop God-honoring habits, this book will be an excellent investment.

Many devotional books for teens are filled with “trendy” subjects and terminology to make them seem relevant, but amount to little more than a pep rally to boost self-esteem. This book's 52 lessons, designed to be studied over the course of a year, turn the focus away from the student and toward the grand story of the Bible. Hatton’s premise is that “getting one's story straight” requires understanding the Gospel – God's good news, which encompasses the entirety of scripture – and integrating one's life with God's pattern for living.

This book encourages the student to record personal reactions, observations and applications to scripture, while continually upholding God's Word, not one's own notions or feelings, as the source of truth. It also challenges the student to consider the implications of each lesson's truths for how they think and feel in practical ways.

Each lesson has a specific scripture passage [or passages], presented from the English Standard Version, followed by questions, applications, journaling, and other methods of study. Prayer is emphasized.

The lesson that one's life gains meaning as it is patterned after God's principles is sorely needed in our self-consumed society. This book is geared toward teens, but what is taught would be valuable for their elders as well. Many long-time church-going adults are not as grounded in God's Word as the teen who takes this book seriously.

About the book:
What’s your story?

We all tell stories to each other–stories about what happened when we were kids, stories about last night, and stories where we dream about the future. Some stories are funny, some are amazing, others are sad, but they all have something in common–each of us is the hero of our own story. Our thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams take center stage. But when it’s all about you, it’s also all up to you. You have to make life work, find meaning, and hope for the best even when you mess up or things go badly wrong.

But what if we were made for something different? What if the main character in our life story isn’t us, but it is the God who became like us and is now with us? What if being fully human means knowing him and growing to be like him? What if the way to be fully alive is to be caught up in Jesus’s story?

This 52-week devotional book and small group resource is designed to help you live with Jesus in his gospel story–the good news that your sins are forgiven, your future is assured, and following him is the only meaningful way to live. No matter your age, where you live, who your family is, or what your past, God wants you to experience the freedom that comes in being secure in his love.

Divided into three parts, starting with creation, each section progressively explores the idea that the whole Bible is the unfolding story of Jesus. Through this grid, who Jesus is and why we need him will shape your understanding of freedom and grace and how you grow to be like him. This yearlong study for teenagers and young adults is designed for individual devotional times, but a small group discussion guided by a mentor would help participants to absorb and live out the truths of each week’s teaching.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

About the author:
Kristen Hatton is a native Texan now putting roots down in Edmond, OK with her church-planter/pastor husband and their three children. With a public relations background from Southern Methodist University, Kristen has a wide array of professional experiences, none of which she counts as important as the job of being a “present” mom. Through leading a small group Bible study of teenagers, she has discovered her passion for teaching and writing about God’s grace.

Find out more about Kristen at http://www.kristenhatton.com.

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.