Summer is the perfect time to dig into an in-depth Bible study! The Jesus Who Surprises ended up being the perfect way for me to do just that. This book is a Bible study that is meant to show the reader the presence of Jesus in all of scripture and our lives. The book is broken into four parts: How the Story Began (the books of Moses), How to Live in the Story (Psalms), and How the Story Will End (the Prophets). Each part is then broken into weekly segments. The weekly segments each begin with a chapter from the author, followed by five days of material/Bible study questions.

I enjoyed how much this study got me thinking about, reading, and studying my Bible. I also enjoyed reading the author's content. I tend to read through and finish books fairly quickly, but this was definitely one that I had to put several hours into over a few days. I would recommend reading this book with a small group for accountability and to be able to discuss the Bible study questions together. I also recommend sticking to the reading schedule, because it would be easy to get information overload if the book is read through too quickly.

I learned a lot from this study, but one thing that really stands out to me that I learned was that Jesus was the Passover lamb. I had heard that before, but this book helped me to understand that Jesus had communion with His disciples on Passover, and called the bread "His body" and the wine "His blood" because He was now going to forever be the lamb Who's blood saved those who believe in Him from death. In the Old Testament, the Israelites spead the Passover lamb's blood on their door frames so that God would pass them over and not allow death to touch that household. That is no longer necessary now that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us on the cross. This book helped me to realize this, along with quite a few other connections between the Old Testament and Jesus.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Waterbrook and Multnomah, in return for an honest review.

This beautiful book weaves threads of God's plan from the Old Testament historical books, the Psalms, the Prophets, and the New Testament. It is a deeply personal book that gave me new insights into God's deep love for us. It beautifully ties the Old Testament to the life of Jesus. You will view Jesus in a new personal way whether you are a new Christian or a lifetime Christian. I read the book and did the Bible study on my own as a devotional, but it would be a wonderful book to do with a group. The personal stories that Dee shares from her life and the lives of her family members are deep and rich ~ they will change your perspective on Jesus and how deeply He cares for you personally. It is a study you can do yearly, as a reminder of whose you are and how Jesus loves you. I am now writing down the ways Jesus surprises me daily. I love this book and I highly recommend it.

Surprises is right! I was surprised by all the times Jesus shows up throughout the Old Testament. And thanks to this book, I am learning to be surprised day by day as He shows Himself alive and caring in my life. I've only read through once, but need to go back through again for myself. I would love to do this as a study with other women. Dee Brestin has such a gentle way of making the truth pop out for you. She lays the groundwork so that you can discover The Jesus Who Surprises for yourself. The more I read of Dee Brestin, the more eager I am to read more.

I was able to read this book before release as a gift from the publisher.

"The Jesus Who Surprises" is a Bible study that explores the Old Testament for references to or foreshadowings of Jesus. The author pondered what things Jesus would've talked about with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. She started this study with Genesis and then moved into the Psalms (and poetic books) and then the prophetic books. Each chapter started with her talking about a place in the Old Testament that points to Jesus. She'd connect it into New Testament references and then into a Christian living application. She used examples from her life to illustrate her points. For example, she looked at the child of promise given to Sarah versus the child that Hagar bore. She tied this into following religious rules versus having a personal relationship with Christ.

She followed this commentary with five days worth of Bible study on that topic, which can be done individually or in a group. She mainly had you look up verses and asked reading comprehension and personal questions. There were also videos that can be watched as a part of this study. Overall, I'd recommend this book.

I received an e-book review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.