Courageous Faith: Trusting God When Times Are Tough

What a wonderful study! Dr. Bower has brought the story of Esther to life, in a way that has increased my faith in the Lord. I taught this study in my Bible class, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a personal or group study. It's suitable for a men's group, as well as a women's group study.

COURAGEOUS FAITH provides a fresh look at the story of Esther. Having read ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING, I was very curious to know how much of the account of Esther's life in that book was fictionalized and how much of the story could have been historically accurate. Dr. Bower gave excellent background and satisfied my curiosity in that way. More significantly, however, was his very relevant application to life in the midst of crisis. The study is challenging, yet not intimidating. It came at the right time in my life. I recommend it!

What an inspiring book. It's amazing how it asks the right questions to get you thinking.

I've done many Bible studies over the years, so I am rather particular about what constitutes a really good study. I've also had the responsibility of choosing studies for large groups of women, and I take that responsibility seriously. Courageous Faith has been one of my favorites. Why? Because the author, Keith Bower, writes with enough meaty information that reflects his thorough theological background, but is not over the head of the average participant. He makes the study of Esther come alive by leading the reader to applications that are contemporary, and relelvant. There are enough personal stories to make it interesting. We appreciated how he inserts historical background to provide an accurate setting for Esther's period of history. It is well researched and footnoted. The historical characters of this dramatic story come alive. I appreciate how his personal conviction that the Bible is reliable and the source of truth comes out. On the other hand, he doesn't make leaps to try and make the Bible say what was not the original author's intent. He has hit the proper balance of enough, but not too much daily study. It is not overwhelming and yet challenging. The challenge is primarily the application, but since it focuses on how to deal with the hard things of life that we all encounter, the application is relevant. I also appreciate that he does not write in a condenscending manner. One of the main points of the study, which I think is so needed in present Christian circles, is the need to not be passive in our faith. Actually those two words don't go together-passive and faith. Yet, passivity naturally happens, we need encouragement to be active in our confidence of the God we say we believe in. In the midst of doing this study some of us wondered about his frequent use of the word "crisis." For many we didn't equate our present problems with the strength of this word. Then something happened that affected our whole study. It was the type of event that you realize you will never be the same after this event. It was in this context that all that we had studied made us scramble back to make fresh application. It was now suddenly in bold print. It was so timely and needed. We had the unique privilege of actually having Dr. Bower teach his material while we did the study. He did a great job of teaching. He was really winsome, humorous, and knowlegeable. But, beside the fact that he did a wonderful job, we experienced his kindness and availability to walk with us through a true crisis. The man who wrote the study is genuine. He is not a different person off the stage. Although he is full of credentials, he is a servant. All of the above is why I give highest remarks for this study and the author. I hope he writes more studies like this.

This study is good for individual studies, but I've found that it sparks great small group discussions. We're into the fourth week (there are only 9 total) and it's going great. You have a lot of good questions to answer and there are even reviews at the end of each week to assist in the small group discussion. I recommend this book to anyone who is searching to go deeper in their faith in Jesus Christ. Or if you're just looking for a way to keep a positive attitude and keep looking to Christ in the midst of hard times. I thoroughly recommend it!