The Day I Met Jesus

Title: The Day I Met Jesus
Authors: Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 978-0-8010-1685-1

“Each woman loved Jesus because He first loved them. And if He loved those broken women, you can be assured of His love for you too,” Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth write in their book, The Day I Met Jesus: The Revealing Diaries of Five Women from the Gospels.

At two hundred and eight pages, this paperback targets those wanting to divulge deeper into five women from the New Testament that met Jesus Christ face to face. With topics of rape, adultery, prostitution, and menstruation, it may not be appropriate for immature readers. Using mainly the New International Version of the Holy Bible, the ESV, NASB, NKJV, and NLT versions are referenced.

Author Viola has written numerous books, always focusing on deepening the readers’ relationship with God. As a former church planter in France, author DeMuth has written sixteen books and lives in Texas with her family.

After reviews, an explanation of why the book was written, prefaces by both writers, and an introduction, five chapters are written as enhanced diaries of five women during Jesus’s time. A final chapter, discussion, information on the Veronica Project, and notes are at the ending.

In this collection of five journals of broken women from the Gospel, a shattered adulteress, a dead-hearted prostitute, an abused Samaritan woman, an unclean woman with a perpetual issue of blood, and insecure Mary of Bethany tell their story of how they met the Savior.

Interjecting background scenarios, the women learn of God’s grace, forgiveness, love, and compassion as they disclose their past sins and problems before finding hope and comfort in Christ.

Realizing we all have the propensity to sin, we must learn to forgive others and ourselves, shed the hatred of betrayal and loneliness, not lose faith, and value how God sees us.

After each woman bears her soul in this fictionalized addendum to the Scripture, the sacred text is written out, a “Walking It Out” section discusses the storyline, and an insert of “Talking It Over” shows how to apply lessons learned to current day life. The ending includes discussion questions chapter by chapter.

Not only is this a thorough and engaging collection of five women who personally met Jesus, it would be ideal for a women’s Bible study group or Sunday School lesson book reminding women how God loves unconditionally.

Thanks to Baker Books for furnishing this complimentary book in exchange for a review based on the reader’s honest opinions.

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GRAMMARLY was used to check for errors in this review.