Review: Signs and Wonders: The Miracles of God
Signs and Wonder: The Miracles of God
By Pete Pawelek (Independently published)
Pete Pawelek, senior pastor of Cowboy Fellowship of Atascosa County, wanted a study of the miracles recorded in Scripture that takes the miracles seriously while also being simple and understandable to a general audience. So, he wrote one. Other studies he encountered were too dense or seemed to explain away supernatural causes of such occurrences.
Signs and Wonders is an eight-week curriculum designed with the whole church in mind. Alongside the book, Pawelek makes available a full set of resources for sermons and group studies, downloadable from his website—pastorpete.org. He also directs study participants to his daily devotional podcast and encourages them to connect with him on his various social media platforms.
The curriculum is intended for group, not independent, study. Each week begins with an icebreaker, a video and outline, and small group questions. By the conclusion of the study, participants will have considered 40 different miracles recorded in the Bible. At the end of the eight weeks, Pawelek encourages study groups to gather one more time to celebrate.
Each of the eight weeks contains five short studies, each focusing on one miracle and concluding with a succinct takeaway. Individual lessons are two to three pages apiece and end with a set of five questions: What did you hear God say today? What will you do with what you learned? What needs to change? What questions do you still have? What will you pray for?
Pawelek keeps to his word, writing easily understood lessons, devotional in nature without avoiding more substantive aspects such as contextual backgrounds and original languages. He ponders miracles from the Old and New Testaments—some well-trod in sermons and Bible studies, others less-known to the average Bible reader. Signs and Wonders works as an introductory survey of some of the Bible’s miracles.
Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard