After my home church went through the companion volume "the Story" in 2015, my small group decided to follow that up with an introduction to theology and concepts. On investigating our options, we found this volume from the same folks doing exactly that. It was great for our group in introducing core ideas of christian thought and practice to folks still new to the active practice of their faith and how scripture relates to what we do and think. Also helpful as a group leader were the companion study guide and videos for getting discussion going. As I right this, we're two chapters from ending our run with it, and its been a great study for our group.

(2016 Review #18)

Randy Frazee, Senior Minister of Oak Hills Church, developed Believe in addition to The Story to unlock the main topics of becoming a follower of Christ. Whereas written theologies, or works of doctrine address these for a more mature, fellow believer, Believe is aiming at a seeker who like to know more about faith than a single sermon and altar call.
Believe is divided into 30 chapters. The first 10 detail the core beliefs of the Christian life. Who is God? He loves you. He committed himself to humanity, knows you and reaches out to you. What is sin? Why did Jesus Christ come to save you? Why should you believe and what do you believe if you say yes to Him?
The second 10 chapters discuss the core practices of a Christian. Love, fellowship with other believers, tithing, caring, reaching out, telling others about this good news. The final 10 chapters deal with virtues of a believer. Love, patience, kindness, etc. The reader is bathed in pieces from the Bible, not single verses, but larger chunks to get the picture clear. The accessible New International Version is used as reference. As bridges between the actual quotes from all over the Bible, in italic explanation or introduction to the next Scripture verses is provided. Basically the Bible speaks for itself, and should make the reader aware of the beliefs of a Christian and curious to read further in the Bible and practice what is teached.
Believe is unique in its structure and content. Study questions per chapter at the end of the book are useful for group reading and absorb the many lessons throughout this guide. ( )

Believe is strategically laid out to walk you through portions of Scripture that will help you to reap in a harvest of belief.

The first ten chapters answer the question, "What do I believe?" The second ten chapters answer the question, "What should I do?" And finally the last ten chapters included is the question, "Who am I becoming?"

This book will inspire you to believe with your heart the word of God and help you to apply it to your daily living experiences. Also included, at the end of the book, are questions that can be used for a group discussion. And there are transitions, written in italic, that offer an explanation to the Scriptures.

One of the chapters I found particularly interesting was the chapter on Peace. Key idea - I Am free from anxiety because I have found peace with God, peace with others, and peace with myself.

Believe is a well organized and informative read that can be a helpful guide in exploring your faith. My rating is 4 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of Believe from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. ( )