Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

“Rooting your faith in Godly wisdom when your decisions matter most.”

This is my third Kat Armstrong study and I enjoyed it just as much as its siblings.

The book takes the reader through five Sticky Situations (see what I did there?) found in the Bible, and discusses how these ecological ecounters with God can teach and encourage us in our current lives.

Each day, you read a portion of scripture and delve more into context, meaning, and application.

I loved so much about it.

First off, the artwork is stunning. Not the most important aspect, but so beautiful.

I loved that the scriptures appeared in the text.

I loved that the daily homework wasn’t overwhelming. We all love Sister Beth, but we don’t always have hours a day to devote to study.

I loved that there are more in this series. It’s like finishing an excellent novel and knowing you get to spend more time with your favourite characters.

I didn’t really dislike anything, but I’d have liked more cultural context, and I think I would have preferred going through this in community, instead of by myself.

I’m very much looking forward to more from this teacher.

8/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for this tender ARC.

This book is aa fascinating read that enhances your comprehension of the broader narrative in the Bible. I appreciate how this book takes readers on a similar journey to other resources like videos, podcasts, and content from the Bible Project.

Both books complement each other, with Sticks focusing on seeking godly wisdom and making choices that honor God, while Stones offers reminders of God's faithful activity in the lives of his people. The structure of each passage - Context, Seeing, Understanding, and Responding - encourages active reading and applying God's Word to one's life on a deeper level, almost like a workbook.

Sticks covers passages like Genesis 2-3, Exodus 3, Isaiah 1, 6, 11, 53, John 15, and Revelation 22, which offer guidance on choosing wisely, noticing when God is trying to get our attention, branching out from our family trees, staying connected to Jesus, and reframing our perspectives.

Meanwhile, Stones explores how rocks and stones appear in various stories throughout the Bible, such as Jacob's connection to God, Moses' enduring covenant with a stubborn people, Joshua's building of an altar of worship, Jesus' resurrection, and the church's purpose as living stones.

Overall, it this is a a thought-provoking and enlightening read that I highly recommend to everyone. For yourself, your small group or your church. The publisher also provides study guides that accompany the book.

I really hoped this book would be something I would enjoy. I love anything to do with trees and their form, history and all their symbolism.
But I could not get into this book. The format I received was often choppy or part of the book in really light letters.
I could not stay with the thought most of the time. There was times when I found some really interesting thoughts but most of the time it did not engage me.
I am sorry it did not work for me, for others perhaps it will

When opening the study you find an introduction that explains not just the purpose of the study but the breakdown of each lesson, which was helpful as you began. As someone who is always studying her bible, the concept of trees or "sticks" didn't come to me until picking up this book. I looked forward to learning about making wise decisions as I followed the author through the lessons.
As I went through the study, I enjoyed the detailed scripture reading, or "seeing" section of the study. It helped to bring the focus to scripture and the little reader checks made the study interactive. The "understanding" section allowed me to apply what I was learning to my life and the author did not hold back! She pointed to larger themes in the bible and in life that separate us from a thriving relationship with God and from making the wise decisions we would like. I did a great deal of journaling in this section alone.
However, there were several barriers to my enjoying this study. The provided digital copy I received was not formatted well. As I went through the study sentences would abruptly end and quotes inserted. I imagine that this will be corrected before the final release but it was very frustrating as I attempted to follow the train of thought. The stories presented in the "context" section the chapter seemed nice enough but I was expecting more historical or biblical background knowledge that would better root me in text and prepare me for the reading. Finally, I was unable to determine the purpose of the storyline chart at the end of the chapter, however, this could be due to the digital format.
Overall, I enjoyed the premise of the study and look forward to the official release. I would like to conduct the study with my Life Group.