Scripture shares a basic story, from God’s first creative act in the beginning to its final scene—the renewal of all creation as a new heaven and earth. Around the Bible in 80 Days offers you an accessible guide to the Bible’s high points that can enrich your faith and help you better understand God’s overall redemptive story. On this 80-day excursion, join master teacher John Mark as he encourages you to reflect deeply on specific Scriptures and what they say about God’s unfolding drama. Each short section ends with prayer and meditative questions that can help you better understand God and yourself.
John Mark Hicks has taught full-time in higher education among Churches of Christ since 1982 and is currently Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught in over 40 states and 20 countries around the world. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to over 30 books as well as contributing to both academic and popular journals. He is married to Jennifer and shares five living children and six grandchildren with her.
He has taught academic theology for forty years but has always remained deeply connected to the Nashville community, as he counseled with people, taught Bible classes, and delivered homilies. He has used the material in this book in a wide variety of settings, and the response to it has encouraged him to provide it in this format.
“There are so many airy-fairy, otherworldly devotionals that orient us away from the concrete realities of God’s good creation. Finally, here we have a brilliant daily devotional that affirms the goodness of creation, clarifies the forward thrust of the biblical story as God’s purpose to redeem the world, and celebrates the new creation achieved through the coming of Jesus the Messiah! It is my hope that Around the Bible in Eighty Days will be widely read in the church—and beyond. It will not only give encouragement for Christians who desire holistic meditations on Scripture, it may introduce others to a marvelous vision of reality they never knew existed.”
—J. Richard Middleton, Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis, Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan College, Boston, MA
“John Mark Hicks’s teaching on, and more importantly, modeling of a theological reading of Scripture is essential for our time, especially in the Restoration Movement. I have found his work, to which I have returned again and again, as useful and compelling for churches in West Africa as it is for churches in the Bible Belt.”
—Nathan Bills, Lecturer and Ag Head of the Department of Theology, Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana
“What a wonderful book! A vast amount of scholarship distilled into eighty concise, accessible, and engaging essays. For years I’ve been hoping John Mark would write such a book, because he is an excellent thinker and teacher, who has been refining this material with great care and attention. Even more, John Mark’s love for Jesus and the church is apparent on every page as he invites readers to become full participants in the great theodrama revealed in Scripture.”
—Josh Strahan, Associate Professor of Bible, Lipscomb University
“Hicks serves as a wise guide on a journey through the biblical story. He both points out what is familiar and reminds us why it matters and, perhaps, opens our eyes to things we haven’t noticed before. These eighty devotionals join Scripture, theology, and prayer in a most helpful and edifying way as we move through the story of God in Scripture from creation to New Creation.”
—Phillip Camp, Professor of Bible, Hazelip School of Theology, Lipscomb University
“In Around the Bible In 80 Days John Mark Hicks combines his usual sound theological teaching with an opportunity for us to understand and worship God more fully while at the same time helping the ’self’ to mature with each chapter. The classic combination of a biblical text, a reader-oriented interpretation, a space for thoughtful reflection and an adoration in prayer gives well-needed orientation for living out our human vocation every day.”
—Dr. Markus Zobec, Lead Pastor, Paulus-Gemeinde Bremen, Germany
“In this broken world, many live their lives in suffering and injustice as though they are stuck in a sea storm they cannot escape. Human beings who are created with wonderful potential have lost their identity and purpose. Hicks offers an 80-day journey through the Bible where readers may rediscover their identity through a narration of the biblical drama of how God pursues humanity within the creation. This true story invites people to participate in his mission of transformation and restoration. That invitation extends to each of us.”
—Ronald Quilaton, Founder of 8:18 Missions International, Cebu City, Philippines
“In eighty short essays, John Mark Hicks offers us a daily opportunity to experience the grand sweep of the story of God's creation and re-creation of all things. Most importantly, Hicks shows the reader how the love and grace of God saturate this story. This love invites us, who are created in God's image, to participate in God's redemptive work as we anticipate the fulfillment of all things in loving communion—in Christ and through the Holy Spirit—between God and all creation. It's breathtaking, so it takes a while to take it in. Take eighty days.”
—Dr. Carisse Mickey Berryhill, Special Assistant to the Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Brown Library, Abilene Christian University
“In 80 days, John Mark Hicks takes us on a journey through the greatest story ever told. The text, reflection, meditation, and prayer combine to form an understanding of God and his world around us that is truly life changing. Understanding the Theodrama has transformed my life and ministry, and I'm confident the Lord will use this book to transform the lives and hearts of his Church.”
—Matthew Stidham, Lead Minister, Countryside Christian Church, Nixa, Missouri
“John Mark Hicks is one of God’s gifts to the church, and this book, by extension, too: compelling, accessible, profound grounding in the faith, from a master teacher and scholar. Take it up and read!”
—Lee C. Camp, Professor of Theology & Ethics, Lipscomb University, Host of Tokens Show
“Applying his approach to theological interpretation, structuring it around the design and destiny of creation, and connecting all the basic narratives of the Bible, John Mark Hicks has created a masterpiece among his writings. I pray many people will read this book, be drawn near to God, and be enlightened by the Spirit to live as disciples of the Lord Jesus and tell the world about God’s saving story.”
—Eduardo “Bro. Jhun” Ma Jr., Minister, Tuao Church of Christ, Tuao Cagayan Valley, Philippines
“Walking through the theodrama of God, John Mark Hicks takes us through the history of God with the world in 80 days from creation to new creation. Everyone across the world benefits from his introduction to the drama of God’s coming to dwell with humanity within the creation. Watching this drama unfold, we are all drawn closer to God’s footstool, and this enhances our hope to dwell with God eternally along with all the followers of King Jesus.”
—P. Anil Kumar, Evangelist, Chilakaluripet, India
“Around the Bible in 80 Days is a much needed resource that is sure to enrich and deepen your knowledge and faith. It is unusual to see such rich biblical teaching organized and communicated in a way that will touch both the mind and the heart. This is a book people will be sure to come back to year after year to reconnect with these truths, questions and prayers!”
—Matt Dabbs, Church Planter, Auburn, Alabama; Editor of Wineskins.org
“In this small but remarkable book, Hicks has given a gift to thoughtful Christians—a collection of substantive devotions, rooted in the best of biblical scholarship. But the best part is the fact that these devotions are not stand-alone, disconnected reflections. Rather, they tell a cohesive story, reminding us that the Bible is not a collection of atomized facts but a grand and majestic narrative with Jesus at the center.”
—Richard T. Hughes, Author, Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America
“In a world of competing voices and narratives, there is only one story that has the capacity to both transform and redeem. John Mark Hicks invites us to find ourselves in the story of God through Around the Bible in 80 Days in a way that encourages us to grow deeper in our faith and see God’s grand design for us. I’m looking forward to walking with my congregation through this exceptional resource.”
—Chris Harrell, Lead Minister, Compass Church, Jonesboro, Arkansas
“This book is a refreshing read of the story of scripture. Avoiding the traps of centuries of scholarly and even dogmatic debate, the work allows us to actually enjoy the story. The reader should not think that the book is bereft of meaty theological content. Such content is there, but it appears in such a way as to be easily digestible and creatively thoughtful. Each session provides a provocative question for discussion as well as a devotional thought. Throughout the reading, I found compelling reasons to shout AMEN!”
—Dr. Michael A. Brown, Senior Minister, Westview Church of Christ, Huntsville, AL
ISBN 9781684264612
Pages 256
Dimensions (inches) 5.5 x 8.25
Weight (pounds) .5
