How does the video series fit with the book?

study_stack600x340One of the most common questions I am asked about my video series, Living the Gospel in Relationships, is how it fits with my book, Peacemaking Women.

The quick answer is that the basic theology is the same (of course) and many topics and stories are repeated in both resources (the gospel, wrong worship/idolatry, biblical peacemaking, redemptive relationships). However, the videos and book do not “track” or line up chapter by chapter or session by session. (This is because copyright issues with Baker and my coauthor required me to create an entirely different resource when I made the video series.)

In addition, the video series does not cover the “peace within” topics (shame, depression, and fear) that are covered in the book. And the book goes into greater detail actually applying the biblical peacemaking principles to various conflicts (marriage/family/the church).

Should our women’s group study both the book and the video series at the same time?
Over the years, I have heard from many women’s groups who have studied both the book and the videos. Most have done so at separate times (going through the book during one study and the videos during a different study); but some groups have combined the two and gone through both the videos and the book simultaneously.

To date, I’ve heard only positive feedback (that they are sufficiently different to justify going through both; but sufficiently similar that they have enjoyed both).

But one specific feedback that you may want to consider if you are thinking about doing both is that the study questions at the end of each chapter of the book are meaty and most groups I know that actually did them took a long time to get through them all. The questions in the video series, on the other hand, are likewise meaty, but the “Three Questions to Think About” at the end of each session were specifically designed so that groups can get through them each week.

What would a potential schedule look like if we combined the videos and the book?
If you really want to try to “line up” the eight sessions in the video series and the 12 chapters in the book, I would recommend that you consider a schedule something like this:

Week 1: Video Session 1 / Book Introduction & Chapter 1

Week 2: Video Session 2 / Book Chapter 3 & Chapter 12

Week 3: Video Session 3 / Book Chapter 2

Week 4: Video Session 4 / Book Chapters 10 & 11

Week 5: Video Session 5 / Book Chapter 4

Week 6: Video Session 6 / Book Chapters 6 & 7

Week 7: Video Session 7 / Book Chapters 8 & 9

Week 8: Video Session 8 / Book Chapter 5 & Conclusion

This is not a perfect “lining up” of the videos and book, but it is the best suggestion I can come up with. It may help you to look at the Tables of Contents for the both the video series and the book to understand why I’ve suggested these groupings.

Hope this is helpful to you!

Please drop me a note if your group is going through the videos or the book (or both!) because I regularly pray for every group that I learn about.

Blessings and love,
Tara