John C. Maxwell is a speaker, pastor and prolific writer whose books focus on leadership, relationships, attitude, and equipping people to succeed in life. His latest offering, Wisdom from Women in the Bible, highlights the lives of nine women whose stories are chronicled in the Bible.
If you have read Maxwell’s, Running with the Giants, you have an idea how he unpacks these stories: He spends time helping us imagine what it would be like to actually know each woman; we walk with her, and listen as she shares her story. Each account leaves us with lessons to apply to everyday life. A striking surprise in this book is that it is not nine individual stories but one continuous tale; the reader meets each woman one by one—in heaven. From Ruth to Abigail in the Old Testament to Mary, Martha, and the unnamed Samaritan woman in the New Testament, Wisdom from the Women in the Bible puts us face-to-face with women who have inspired generations, women who have over the centuries become icons of the Christian faith. We think we know their stories and then Maxwell turns a phrase that sheds new light on what it must have been like to be a flesh-and-blood woman faced with infertility or shame or prejudice.
Additionally, Maxwell asked nine women in his own life to share their perspectives in sections called. “Woman to Woman.” One touching contribution was written by Maxwell’s 13-year-old daughter, Hannah. She tells that she was named after the biblical Hannah and learned from her story that only God can meet her deepest needs. Other offerings are from Maxwell’s wife, sister-in-law, nieces, and other daughters.
At the end of every chapter are questions that can be used in personal study time or for small group discussion. You don’t have to be a woman to benefit from the lessons in Wisdom from Women in the Bible. The truths are universal. John Maxwell effectively challenges everyone to live as the nine featured women did: as success stories and as people close to God.
—Marsha Robinson, Associate Editor
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