Bible in Ten: Any book of the Bible cracked in ten minutes or less

For anyone who wants to crack open the Bible, poet, broadcaster and teacher Dave Kitchen provides a lively introduction to every single book in ten minutes or less. Bible in Ten is for everyone who wants to be connected with all that is unexpected, beautiful and astonishing in the Bible. It tells the stories of success and failure, suffering and hope, home and exile, and a love that is stronger than death. Here are 67 short, sharp snapshots covering every corner of a book that people sometimes don’t know quite as well as they think they do. It’s a way into a volume that is often on the shelves but far less frequently taken off them.

The Bible is packed with advice, stories and promises that cry out to be heard. This book gives people a real chance to take the words off the page and into their own world.

Bible in Ten is available in print, digital and audio formats.

AUDIO BOOK OUT NOW

To read David Kitchen’s moving blog about his friend Rob Lacey, whose The Street Bible inspired Bible in Ten, click here.

• New Christians and seekers who want to know more about the Bible, or those who have given up on Bible study, providing an accessible way back in
• Daily Bible notes readers, helping to fill in background to their study focus
• Church leaders, youth leaders, Messy Church leaders or small group leaders who want to introduce a whole book to their congregation or group
• Parents looking to develop Bible knowledge in the home
• RE teachers looking for ready-to-use lesson material

'For a busy working parent on the run between home, school, work and church, Bible in Ten is an absolute essential. It helps me to grasp the main ideas behind any particular Bible book in just ten minutes – brilliantly helpful when we’re at the start of a new housegroup season, or church sermon series, or even for my own devotional times. I highly recommend it for anyone who feels frazzled!'

Lucy Rycroft www.thehopefilledfamily.com/ 

‘I wish the brilliant Bible in Ten had been written sooner – it is fun, fresh and full of insight. Easy to read but with so much packed in. Whatever your biblical starting point, there’s something of value for you. Dave Kitchen has put in the hard miles of study to give us a shortcut to understanding the big picture. Thanks, Dave!’

Abby Guinness, head of Spring Harvest

‘What a wonderful idea Dave Kitchen has come up with. I have known Dave for over 35 years and he has not lost any of his enthusiasm and quirky sharing of the good news of God’s love. This will be a valuable resource in my present multicultural context, giving people an instant insight into the scriptures and hopefully a desire to go deeper through Bible study and teaching. I warmly commend this book.’

Stephen Poxon, past president of the Methodist Conference and minister of St Mark’s Methodist Church in Tottenham

‘Such an exciting initiative. I love Bible in Ten.’

Rob Parsons, OBE

‘Here’s a version of the Bible which sets out to catch your attention – but goes on to engage your imagination and offer a fresh perspective on some familiar passages: thoroughly recommended.’

Stephen Wigley, chair of Wales Synod Cymru of the Methodist Church

‘Very helpful, easy-to-read resource that I would encourage both young and old to invest in. It will certainly be a book that I will be keeping within reaching distance on my bookshelf.’

Ishmael, singer-songwriter, speaker and author

‘Tackling the Bible can feel like a mammoth task and I certainly have often wondered where to start. Well, look no further! I love that this book has a mini summary at the end of each section, adding context and a little life reflection about what each book of the Bible has shared with us. Also, purely on a selfish note… this is on point for a dyslexic. Small, accessible, bite-sized pieces of an extremely large, comprehensive and complex book, and this helps to make some sense of it in the here and now. I want to share this with everyone I know.’

Megan Thomas, Methodist Youth President 2014–15

‘Brilliant! So pithy and relevant. What a fantastic achievement – love those final paragraphs at the end of the chapter, communicating the very essence of the book. Sure it’s going to be a real success!’

Rae Duke, broadcaster, teacher and podcast host

Baptist Times online. Reviewed by Pieter Lalleman.

The cover of this book states: ‘Quite how people made the Bible sound so dull is a mystery. This is the book that proves it’s anything but.’

The book does live up to this claim: Using only a few pages per book of the Bible, Kitchen presents the contents of each of the 66 books. His style is fresh and attractive. He nearly always brings out the essence of the biblical book, paying little attention to questions of authorship and date. He seldom refers to chapter and verse numbers, allowing the text to be read continuously, and he adds helpful contemporary applications. The tone of the summaries is light-hearted and pleasantly positive, even for the less ‘attractive’ parts of the Bible, but each sentence is full of information so one has to read attentively. Paragraphs have six lines or less, but the lines are long due to the square shape of the book (7 by 7 inch).

My minor quibbles include the chapter on Revelation: it’s too short and fails to mention Jesus as Lord of history. Hebrews also deserves better. The chapter on the Psalms merely offers samples, nothing on types of Psalms. Like all quotations in the book, these are probably in Kitchen’s own translation, although this is never stated.

I could mention some more quibbles, but my overall verdict is that this is a very useful book for many readers of the Bible, regardless of age and background. Let me finish with a random sample from Amos: 

It's at about this time that the leaders decide they want a more positive message. Amos is told to make money in his own country and leave them alone. ‘I don’t do this for cash,’ he replies. ‘I actually run a sheep business… plus I’ve got a few fig trees. I do this because I have to – for God. Getting rid of me doesn’t get rid of the bad news.’

This short piece brings out the strengths of the book: sparkling language and a good grasp of the Bible.
The Revd Dr Pieter J. Lalleman is the pastor of Knaphill Baptist Church, Surrey

Transforming Ministry September 2023. Review by Betty Taylor

I have many Biblical commentaries but nothing to compare with this! Kitchen has done a unique job in bringing the Bible to life in a fresh way, engaging our attention through his fun-filled approach. It is easy to read yet packed with good news in a nutshell, each book ending with a summary written in a challenging way. It will appeal to young and old, whether knowledgeable or engaging with the Bible for the first time. The author has made the whole Bible accessible, alive and full of insight as we weave through 66 snapshots – each book in turn, all given the importance they deserve. I recommend this wonderful book to congregations generally, but more specifically to young families who attend ‘Fresh Expressions’ of church. Many may have come recently into the Christian family and the Bible can be a daunting volume to take on board. Bible in Ten will change that by giving a beautiful glimpse into scripture and providing the desire to dig deeper. This book is an exciting innovation! Be sure to order your copy.

Reviewed by Betty Taylor

Methodist Recorder March 2023. Review by Donald Kerr

The Bible is still recognised as the best selling book of all time, with over 4 billion copies produced worldwide. Nevertheless, it can be more than a little daunting even for those who are motivated to delve into it. The variety of translations and paraphrases does help, of course, but it still feels like a big book. Furthermore, the different life situations and varied types of literature can easily confuse. If only there was a simple way in which we could appreciate the overall message of each book which would then whet our appetite to go back and dig deeper.

This is the challenge which Dave Kitchen has taken up in Bible in Ten, subtitled ‘Any book of the Bible cracked in ten minutes or less.’ The ‘ten’ refers to the 10 minutes maximum which the reader spends in reading the overview of each book. However, this is much more than an introductory textbook. Each chapter starts with a short paragraph designed to take us into the issues which the biblical book in question raises and finishes with some thoughts  or reflections to help us apply the book’s message to ourselves.

Dave Kitchen is by profession a teacher (now retired) but is also a broadcaster, poet and Methodist local preacher. He is thus an excellent communicator. His style is at once racy, clear and compassionate. He has lived within the biblical text so deeply that he is able to express its heart in a manner both simple and profound.

Who might benefit from this book? Those starting out on the Christian pathway who want to find a way into scripture and those who have journeyed for many years but would still value an overview of those parts of the Bible which they have tended to skip over. Teachers and preachers will find fresh inspiration here and Bible study groups will find plenty of material to aid their learning and discussion. To quote Abby Guinness, the head of Spring Harvest: ‘Whatever your biblical starting point there is something of value to you. Dave Kitchen has put in the hard miles of study to give us a shortcut to understanding the big picture.’