Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, For These Women Tell Me So: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of Women of the Bible Speak Out

About the Book

Book: Women of the Bible Speak Out
Author: Marlo Schalesky
Genre: RELIGION/Christian Living/Women’s Interests
Release Date: June 2, 2020

With the recent headlines about gender-based abuse, power, harassment, and assault, it seems as if everyone is searching for answers. Marlo Schalesky provides a biblical response to the tough questions raised by these issues. She explores the stories of twenty women in Scripture, including Eve, Sarah, and Bathsheba—women who were betrayed, abused, endangered, blamed, and shamed. As she leads us in studying the biblical text, she draws our eye to God’s responses to these women and their situations: Eve: The Way It Was Supposed to Be

Sarai: Betrayed

Hagar: – Used

Lot’s Daughters & A Levite’s Concubine: Abused

Two Tamars: Rejected

Hannah: Devalued

Abigail: Endangered

Bathsheba: Sexualized

Esther: Dominated

Mary & Martha: Oppressed

A Samaritan Woman: Shamed

A Sinful Woman: Scorned

A Woman Caught in Adultery: Blamed

Women at the Tomb: Disbelieved

She points out a way to healing, wholeness, and freedom. In the midst of today’s #MeToo conversations, this book will give new voice to the remarkable women of Scripture—and new hope to many, many women today.

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

When I started reading this book, I didn’t know the journey it would take me on, the mix of emotions I would feel, or the awe I would experience after finishing a chapter. There were a few times I teared up, there were a few times I got angry at the world-especially the chapter on the woman caught in adultery in John 8, but every night I read a chapter, I felt feelings of humility and thankfulness toward God and my Savior. Which is exactly what these types of books are intended to do.

I will admit, I did not agree with everything the author said in her book, but they were just minor things. The point that Schalesky is truly getting across is that God is a loving and forgiving God, and that women-no matter the circumstances they go through-still receive God’s grace, love, and care. There is nothing that happens to us nor anything we do that can separate us from Him. And that, right there, is something that we should all be able to agree on.

I liked how she would tell a modern day story about a woman and then tie it to the story she was using from the Bible, to show that these Bible passages are still relevant today. And that we can still connect to them and the women from the Bible. And I liked how when she was telling the Bible story from the viewpoint of the woman, she would heavily use scripture as her guide.

I’m glad I got the opportunity to read this book. It gave me new insight and new appreciation for these women. I think it would be interesting to go through the Bible and look at other women’s stories, too-the ones not mentioned in the book. It would be interesting to see how they may have been mistreated and how God used their situation for His glory.

I would definitely recommend this book to any woman out there. We have all felt oppressed or dominated or less than, etc., at least once in our lives, and this book is relatable and eye-opening, and will leave you wanting to thank God over and over again.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

Marlo Schalesky is the founder and president of Wonder Wood Ranch, a California charitable organization that brings hope through horses to hurting kids. She’s had over one thousand articles published in various Christian magazines, is a regular columnist for Power for Living, and is an award-winning author of twelve books. Schalesky has a master’s in theology with an emphasis in biblical studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. She lives with her husband and six children in a log home on California’s central coast.

More from Marlo

1) Why did you write this book?

When I was first asked to consider writing a book about women in the Bible who experienced abuse, oppression, gender-based bias and discrimination, sexualization, and more, I didn’t know how their stories would intersect with mine and the experiences of women today. I thought I would find only horror, but beyond that I found a surprising hope; a God who is always seeking to redeem, to heal, and to make right where mankind has broken and betrayed.

This book is for others like me, for women who have been hurt, whose wounds sometimes seem too deep to heal. I wrote it for those who know that while justice is necessary, it is not enough. We need to see God. We need Him to see us. We need an experience with the God of Scripture whose fierce love is the only thing that can heal those hurts that lie deep within.

2) What do you hope your readers will take away from reading your book?

I hope they experience a renewed hope. And a deeper understanding of the God who loves them. I want readers to know that God sees them, and He sees what they’ve suffered, and He does not look away. He does not make excuses.

After reading Women of the Bible Speak Out, I hope readers will see that instead of winking at the repression of women, the Bible exposes it. And the Bible reveals a God who not only shares in our suffering but seeks to redeem it.