It is a common practice among Christians to meet regularly for short periods to pray and learn together from God’s word.

In my experience, such times are profitable in providing accountability, building deep relationships with fellow believers and being encouraged to persevere in the faith.

However, sometimes these meetings can lack focus and are in danger of becoming nothing more than a ‘get it off your chest’ session, with token prayer to wrap up.

This is why Simon Manchester’s pocket sized Short Steps for Long Gains is bound to be such a useful resource.

“This small booklet has been written to provide a focus for Christians who meet together briefly and regularly to look at God’s word, pray and share something of their lives,” says Simon in his introduction.

A total of 26 topics are covered. That’s half a year’s worth of weekly meetings or one year’s worth of meeting fortnightly.

Topics include assurance, Christ, kingdom, loneliness, temptation and much more.

A Bible verse and related questions are neatly laid out, one topic to a page.

The studies are designed to be done quickly with a focus on the practical application of biblical truth.

A little extra preparation in advance, such as reading the verse in the overall context of its passage and surveying other passages that speak to the theme, would be useful.