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Make it Real: Words, Worth, Relationships, And Me    by Point of Grace Amazon.com order for
Make it Real
by Point of Grace
Order:  USA  Can
Howard, 2005 (2005)
Paperback
* *   Reviewed by Anise Hollingshead

Point of Grace is a group of friends, who began singing together in college, and have become an enormously popular Contemporary Christian music group. Rather than simply to entertain, their goal is to demonstrate Christ to others. They take time to participate in yearly conferences with teenage girls. As a result of this repeated contact, the women of Point of Grace feel a strong interest in teenagers and their concerns. Their Make it Real is a devotional bible study designed especially for young women.

The book is divided into four sections, each directed by a member of the group. Shelley talks about the Gift of Gab, Denise discusses Being Who You Really Are, Leigh tells about Games Girls Play, and Heather about Me: God's Mirror to the World. Chapters are subdivided into three different sections. Each begins with a question and answer session that introduces fun facts about each singer. The discussion area follows. After the discussion, interactive fill-in study sections direct readers to think about what they just read. The basic format is the same for each study section's directions and questions, with topics like: Think about it, What's your experience?, What does the Word say?, Try this, and What does it mean?

The tone of the book is chatty and friendly, with an overall impression of caring and warmth from these women. They seem to really care about their readers, and each other. Honest insights are offered, and the women talk about their own experiences with issues in a transparent way. The format of the study guide is good, but could be better organized in details of how to space out the reading, which isn't broken down into any time frame. My advice would be to take a section a week, which would make this a 12-week bible study. It isn't heavy, but does rely on the Bible for direction, with verses for each reading and study section. Having these attractive, successful women talk about how they have the same problems that teen girls deal with is a powerful teaching tool. Girls will be interested in the topics offered, and will continue to read because the material is engaging.

Make it Real is a nice study guide for teenage girls. The questions and answers are interesting and informative, written in language that teens can easily understand, without being condescending. They are biblically based from a Christian perspective. Teens and their parents can use this book as a good jumping off point for honest discussions about many issues that teens want to ask about, but may be embarrassed or afraid to discuss with their parents.

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