About the Book
Book: The Bible Companion Book 1 Genesis–Exodus: Journey through Scripture One Day at a Time
Author: Karen Westbrook Moderow
Genre: Bible Study
Release date: April 16, 2024
The Bible Companion series is a simple, flexible, and compelling Bible Study guide. Short daily readings link God’s story to yours, help you through difficult passages, and highlight the treasures in each chapter of the Bible. In Genesis and Exodus, God reveals Himself as a loving Creator who longs to walk through life with you. Book 1 takes you deep into God’s plan to share His life and wisdom with those who love and follow Him. The storytelling approach of the series will keep you reading, even through the parts that are challenging and hard-to-understand. Find hope in the stories of ordinary men and women in the Bible whose encounters with God transformed them and reversed the direction of their lives. Discover that what God has done for them, He can do for you.
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About the Author
Karen Westbrook Moderow is a Bible teacher and author who brings a storyteller’s perspective to Scripture. She graduated magna cum laude from California State University at Long Beach with a BA in English Literature. She also holds an MFA from Chapman University in creative writing and a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Seminary. She has been published by numerous Christian periodicals and authored two previous books.
More from Karen
A Father-Daughter Legacy: The Bible Companion Series
In 1993, my father, Pastor Floyd Westbrook challenged a group of men and women from his weekly Bible study to join him in reading the Bible from cover to cover. He found if he wrote short daily lessons for each chapter, people stayed engaged and were transformed by the Scripture they read. His work, though enjoyed by hundreds, was never widely published.
I shared his passion for making God’s word accessible to people who found it hard to understand parts of the Bible, couldn’t keep up with the schedule, or couldn’t relate Scripture to their journey. Later, after I completed degrees in theology and creative writing, we realized combining storytelling with his format could help people overcome the most common barriers to Bible reading. With his blessing, I began working on The Bible Companion. The result is a story-rich study which is simple, flexible, yet rich in content.
The Bible Companion Book 1 Genesis–Exodus is the first of twelve books that tracks God story from creation to the end of time. God, who tells His story through families, has graciously given me the privilege of carrying on my father’s legacy through The Bible Companion series.
Father and daughter, Pastor Floyd Westbrook and Karen Westbrook Moderow ministering together.
2004 Christ Church of Westminster
Interview with the Author
1)What does success as an author look like to you?
- Writing well. If my work has commercial success but isn’t quality, I would be disappointed.
- Writing out of passion and purpose. Success means having the privilege and option to write only what I care about that I feel can impact others in a positive way.
- Having peers and the industry affirm your work tells you you’re not deluding yourself. Imposter syndrome is real and crippling. There can be reasons why a good author doesn’t get them but recognition lets you know you’re on the right track. What you have to say is worthwhile and the way you say it meets a professional standard.
- If I’m not trying to reach people, then I might as well journal.
2)Which chapter was the most difficult to write?
Genesis 49 where Jacob—on his deathbed—imparts final words to his sons. The heading in the Bible says, “Jacob Blesses His Sons.” But a lot of what he says could hardly be called a blessing. I was struck by the power of a parent’s words to impact a child’s future.
3)What inspired this book?
My father was a pastor who had a passion for God’s word. He encouraged his congregation to read the Bible, but without tepid success. A lot of people started yearly plans but dropped out when they got behind or when they hit Leviticus. Those who pushed through often didn’t remember or understand what they read. But then he started a small Bible Study with a few folks who committed to reading one chapter a day. He prepared a one-page devotional that gave insight into their daily readings and discovered people were not only absorbing what they read but were experiencing God in exciting ways. They brought their friends and within two years more than two hundred people were meeting together weekly to read through the Bible. It takes about three years and three months to read the Bible through if you read a chapter a day, but people stuck with it. That group read through the Bible 6 times. I saw this. I had already been writing and was on a fiction track but I kept being drawn back to my father’s vision. We had many discussions around how we could help more people discover the treasures in God’s book. I was convinced his approach was a good one. When I graduated from seminary and was praying about how to best use my writing for God’s glory, I realized that I could combine my love of storytelling with my love of Scripture by adapting my father’s template. With his blessing, I took his idea as the foundation and began writing a series of daily Bible readings that were story-driven.
4)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?
“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zech. 4:6).
5)What would you like your readers to get out of this book?
That God is present and active in our lives, creating, rescuing, and transforming us for His glory and our flourishing.
6)What is your most well-loved and well-used house appliance?
My Miele coffeemaker. A great cup of coffee is one of life most simple yet profound pleasures. Coffee warms me from the inside out. Evokes memories of conversations and moments shared with friends and family. Awakens me when I’m down and relaxes me when I’m wired. Reminds me life has choices, many of them delightful. When I turn on my Miele I can choose—caffeinated? Decaf? Latte? Cappuccino? The Miele was an extravagant gift from my husband. Each time I make a cup of coffee, I am grateful for him. Grateful that he loves me. Grateful that he knows me well enough to know what pleases me. Grateful that he knows a good cup of coffee is the one incentive strong enough to pull me away from work. On good days, the precious moments it takes coffee to brew and be enjoyed gives me an opportunity to thank God for all He’s given me. On bad days, that time offers me perspective. No matter how busy I am or what frustrations or troubles I face, that pause in my day reminds me that—at least for a few moments—all is well.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 17
Vicky Sluiter, May 18 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 19
Godly Book Reviews, May 20
Lots of Helpers, May 21
Simple Harvest Reads, May 22 (Author Interview)
Book Butterfly in Dreamland, May 22
Texas Book-aholic, May 23
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 24
For the Love of Literature, May 25 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 26
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 28
Cover Lover Book Review, May 29
Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 30 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, May 30
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.