Ingredients matter.

Quality ingredients are essential to a good meal. Accomplished chefs learn how those ingredients interact with one another, then craft and publish recipes for the rest of us to follow. If only it were that easy! Anyone who has tried to cook knows following a recipe does not guarantee the meal will taste the same.

Whether we realize it or not, all of us are theological cooks, following recipes we assume will lead to a good life. We get these recipes from the people we pay attention to - pastors, scholars, public figures, social media influencers. Some of them, like many of us, treat the Bible like a cookbook - a collection of recipes that flavor and fuel our daily activities. But no matter whose advice we take, we all work in our own kitchens, living on whatever we make for ourselves.

How's your cooking? More importantly, what ingredients are you using? Leaving something out, putting too much in, or substituting can change everything.

This book invites you to become aware of the various ingredients that impact your understanding of God's story. The Bible is set in unique times, places, cultures, languages, and geographies. These elements flavor every aspect of God's story. Gaining an appreciation for how God engaged with people in the Bible, within their own context, helps us to better translate how God would have us live today. Cooking is messy, but the process is worth it, leading to a life sustained by good relationships with God, yourself, and others. Let's get into the kitchen and start cooking!