Characters of the Bible- By Professor David Waddell

Book review by Scott J Watson- Former CSRM Board of Trustee
 
A former student developed a motto when she was in the seventh grade. “Stay human friends“.   
 
In his books Characters of the Bible: Finding my Stories in Their Stories, and Holiday Characters of the Bible: author David Waddell allows readers to consider what it is like to be fully human.    
 
The story of Waddell is the story of all of us. Cut from the cloth of the wonderfully flawed, David Waddell is honest, vulnerable and always humorous as he details his various successes and failures to date. It would be so easy to judge but his honesty and tone allow the reader to see so much of themselves in every story.
 
So what of the Bible characters? David, Moses and Joseph were human – though time seems to have deified them. Chapter by chapter, Waddell tells a tale about his life- like the time as a young man he was found to be in a women’s bathroom. The Bible is full of stories about people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.   And each chapter reintroduces the reader to a character and provides a laugh and lesson as well.
 
Waddell’s book is an easy and fun loving read.  It is appropriate for anyone age 12 and up. It would serve as a useful teaching tool for parents who struggle to make biblical concepts relevant to the cell phone generation.  It also can serve to renew and freshen the faith of “hardened believers”.   Frankly, Waddell has crafted a book short on theory and long on practical ideas and stories that allow us to “stay human”. It's a very useful read.
 
Those in sports ministry can synthesize the lessons for coaches and participants alike.  Chapters could also be easily summarized and used for chapel services before or after sports ministry events.   The book is published by West Bow Press and is available through CSRM for $24.95 and would make a great pre-Christmas (or other holiday) read.