TRUE: Being true to yourself, your God,
your relationships
128 pages. £6.99. ISBN 978 1 909 559 356
REAL WOMEN: Exploring together what a
Christian woman thinks and does
88 pages. £3.99. ISBN 978 1 909 559 059
Both by Sarah Bradley. Both The Good Book Co.
Sarah Bradley has written both books to help teenage girls work out the implications of their Christian faith in their lives.
True is aimed at girls aged 11–14, covering various topics. Each chapter ends with a Bible study. Real Women, part of the one2one Bible studies series, covers Colossians in 14 studies, and is written for a teenage girl to study with an older Christian woman.
True looks at different relationships in a teenage girl’s life (relationship with herself, God, church, parents, boys, etc.). The material is biblical, and Bradley writes with a humorous and winsome tone. It’s easy to read and accompanied by quirky illustrations and true-life stories. I found the chapters useful and challenging and the Bible studies were clear. Each chapter also has ‘seven ideas to help you’ apply the learning in practical ways. Unfortunately these could come across as a giant to-do list of holiness – 56 tips to grow in godliness! I would give it to a teenage girl to read, but only if we had a chance to talk it through beforehand or perhaps read it together.
Real Women aims to show from Colossians that Jesus is enough, and to encourage readers to grow in loving and serving him. Seven of the studies are to be done together and the other seven are for the teenager to do on her own, encouraging her to study the Bible for herself. The Bible studies are easy to prepare with very simple, unthreatening questions. There are scenarios and questions addressing issues teenagers face today. Although the studies say they are suitable for non-Christians as well as Christians, they assume a lot of knowledge about what the gospel is. The booklet ends with a few pages on dating which are mostly really good, but surprisingly weak on sex outside of marriage, describing it as ‘not God’s best’. However, the study on Colossians 3 is really helpful about dating non-Christians and this is also covered in the dating section. The studies would be great for a youth leader, a mum, or any Christian woman with a 14-18 year old girl motivated enough to do the seven studies on her own.
