books we recommend for...

Apologetics and culture

  • Principles of Conduct – John Murray
  • Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me – Kevin DeYoung
  • Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion – Rebecca McLaughlin
  • The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism – Tim Keller
  • Presuppositional Apologetics: Stated and Defended - Greg Bahnsen
  • Apologetics to the Glory of God – John Frame
  • Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
  • Every Thought Captive – Richard Pratt
  • How Shall We Then Live – Francis Schaeffer
  • Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College – Michael Kruger
  • Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen

The Church

  • Nine Marks of a Healthy Church – Mark Dever
  • The Church: The Gospel Made Visible – Mark Dever
  • What is a Healthy Church? – Mark Dever
  • The Deliberate Church – Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
  • Church Membership – Jonathan Leeman
  • What is the Mission of the Church – Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
  • The Trellis and the Vine – Collin Marshall and Tony Payne
  • The Church – Edmund Clowney
  • City on a Hill – Philip Ryken

Church history and biography

  • John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace – Jonathan Aitken
  • To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson – Courtney Anderson
  • The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor – Howard Taylor
  • Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography – Iain Murray
  • The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – Iain Murray
  • John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides – John G. Paton
  • Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey – Timothy George
  • Through Gates of Splendor – Elizabeth Elliot
  • Theology of the Reformers – Timothy George
  • The Story of Christianity: Volume I – Justo Gonzalez
  • The Story of Christianity: Volume II – Justo Gonzalez
  • The Unquenchable Flame – Michael Reeves
  • Meet the Puritans – Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson

Evangelism and missions

  • Unashamed: Taking a Radical Stand for Christ – Robby Gallaty
  • Tell the Truth – Will Metzger
  • The Brokenhearted Evangelist - Jeremy Walker
  • Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did – Randy Newman
  • Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – J.I. Packer
  • Let the Nations Be Glad – John Piper
  • Evangelism – Mack Stiles
  • The Master Plan of Evangelism – Robert E. Coleman
  • The Gospel and Personal Evangelism – Mark Dever
  • The Mission of God – Christopher Wright
  • A Vision for Missions – Tom Wells
  • A Faith Worth Sharing – C. John Miller
  • Salvation to the Ends of the Earth – Kostenberger and O’Brien
  • The Gospel to the Nations – Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson
  • Gospel Threads – David Platt with David Burnette

Family

MANHOOD AND WOMANHOOD
  • What’s the Difference: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible – John Piper
  • The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith – Rosaria Butterfield
  • Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ – Rosaria Butterfield
  • Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know? – Sharon James
  • The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men – Richard D. Phillips
MARRIAGE
  • What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage – Paul David Tripp
  • When Sinners Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage – Dave Harvey
  • Strengthening your Marriage – Wayne A. Mack
  • The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God – Timothy Keller
  • Sacred Marriage: What if God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? – Gary Thomas
  • This Momentary Marriage – John Piper
  • Reforming Marriage – Douglas Wilson
  • Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God – C.J. Mahaney
  • Feminine Appeal – C.J. Mahaney
  • The Exemplary Husband - Stuart Scott
  • The Excellent Wife - Martha Peace
MEN
  • The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men – Richard D. Phillips
  • Exemplary Spiritual Leadership: Facing the Challenges, Escaping the Dangers (Ministry and Mission) - Jerry Wragg
PARENTING
  • Shepherding a Child’s Heart – Tedd Tripp
  • Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens – Paul David Tripp
  • The Lifegiving Parent: Giving Your Child a Life Worth Living for Christ – Clay and Sally Clarkson
  • The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming – Sally and Sarah Clarkson
  • Don’t Make Me Count to Three! – Ginger Hubbard
  • Wise Words for Moms Chart – Ginger Hubbard
  • Withhold Not Correction – Bruce Ray
  • Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments – Kara Durbin
  • The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in its Proper Place – Andy Crouch
  • The Heart of Anger: Practical Help for the Prevention and Cure of Anger in Children – Lou Priolo
  • Wisdom for Today’s Issues: A Topical Arrangement of the Proverbs – Steven Voorwinde
  • The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image – Jay E. Adams
  • Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ’s Control – Elisabeth Elliot
  • Successful Christian Parenting – John MacArthur
  • Gospel-Powered Parenting – William Farley
  • What Every Son Wishes His Father Had Told Him – Byron Yawn
  • Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches – Rachel Jankovic
WOMEN
  • Loving God with all Your Mind – Elizabeth George
  • A Woman After God’s Own Heart – Elizabeth George (Study Guide available)
  • Stepping Heavenward – Elizabeth Prentiss
  • The Hidden Art of Homemaking – Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life – Edith Schaeffer
  • Practical Theology for Women:How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives – Wendy Alsup

lIFE ISSUES

ANGER
  • Good & Angry: Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining, and Bitterness– David Powlison
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
  • How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian? What the Bible Says About Assurance of Salvation – Don Whitney
CONTENTMENT
  • The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – Jeremiah Burroughs
  • The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Abridged and in Modern English – Rob Summers
COUNSELING
  • Counseling the Hard Cases: True Stores Illustrating the Sufficiency of God's Resources in Scripture - Stuart Scott
  • Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands – Paul Tripp
  • Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us (Helping the Helpers) – Michael Emiet
DAILY LIFE
  • ReSet – Living a Race-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture – David Murray
  • ReFresh – Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands – Shona and David Murray
  • Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone – Elyse Fitzpatrick
  • Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem – Kevin DeYoung
  • Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do – Paul David Tripp 
  • Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul– Hannah Anderson
  • Gospel-Powered Humility - William Farley
  • By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me - Sinclair Ferguson
DEPRESSION AND GRIEF
  • Grieving: Your Path Back to Peace – James R. White
  • When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God – Joy and John Piper
  • Depression: Looking up from the Stubborn Darkness – Edward T. Welch
  • Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure – D. Martin Lloyd-Jones 
EMOTIONS
  • True Feelings: God’s Gracious and Glorious Purpose for Our Emotions – Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Whitacre
ENCOURAGEMENT
  • Practicing Affirmation – Sam Crabtree
FEAR AND ANXIETY
  • Trusting God - Even When Life Hurts – Jerry Bridges
FELLOWSHIP AND HOSPITALITY
  • The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in our Post-Christian World – Rosaria Butterfield
FINANCES AND MONEY
  • Managing God’s Money – Randy Alcorn
  • The Treasure Principle – Randy Alcorn
  • Money, Possessions, and Eternity – Randy Alcorn
  • Money, Greed, and God – Jay Richards
  • Family Money Matters – John Temple
KNOWING GOD’S WILL
  • Just do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will – Kevin DeYoung
LIFE TOGETHER
  • A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships – Paul Miller 
  • When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man – Edward T. Welch
  • The Crisis of Caring: Recovering the Meaning of True Fellowship – Jerry Bridges
SPEECH
  • War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles – Paul David Tripp
SUFFERING
  • Surprised by Suffering: The Role of Pain and Death in the Christian Life – R. C. Sproul 

spiritual growth

BIBLE STUDY AND REFERENCE
  • Knowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Study the Bible – Peter Krol
  • An Introduction to the New Testament 2nd Edition – D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo
  • New Testament Introduction – Donald Guthrie
  • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – James Strong
  • Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon
  • Unger’s Bible Dictionary – Merrill F. Unger
  • Survey of the Bible – William Hendriksen
  • The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made (historical context, organization, and theology of each OT book) – Mark Dever
  • The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept (historical context, organization, and theology of each NT book) – Mark Dever
  • Women of the Word – How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds – Jen Wilkin
DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL HABITS
  • Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines – David Mathis
  • Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life – Donald S. Whitney
  • Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed – Donald S. Whitney
  • Kingdom Life in a Fallen World – Sinclair Ferguson
  • Profiting from the Word – A. W. Pink
  • The Pursuit of God – A. W. Tozer
DEVOTIONAL LIFE
  • New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional – Paul David Tripp
  • The New City Catechism: 52 Questions & Answers for Our Hearts & Minds – Kathy Keller
  • Flowers from a Puritan’s Garden – H. Spurgeon
  • Beside Still Waters – C. H. Spurgeon
  • Morning & Evening – C.H. Spurgeon
  • The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms – Tim and Kathy Keller
  • Faith’s Checkbook – Charles Spurgeon
  • Voices from the Past – Richard Rushing
  • 365 Days with Calvin – Joel Beeke
  • The Matthew Henry Commentary Series – Matthew Henry
  • Expository Thoughts on the Gospels – J.C. Ryle
  • The One Year Book of Hope – Nancy Guthrie
DISCIPLING
  • Building Blocks for the Christian Life – Michael Lopes
  • Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus – Mark Dever
  • Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests – Melissa Kruger
  • Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women – Susan Hunt
IDENTITY IN CHRIST
  • Made for More – An Invitation to Live in God’s Image – Hannah Anderson
KILLING SIN
  • The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin – Kris Lundgaard
  • Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate – Jerry Bridges
  • How People Change: How Christ Changes Us by His Grace: Paul Tripp & Dr. Timothy S. Lane (also has a study guide)
  • Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin – Cornelius Plantinga
PRAYER
  • Piercing Heaven – Robert Elmer
  • Prayer – John Onwuchekwa
  • Praying the Bible – Donald S. Whitney
  • A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World – Paul Miller
  • Rhythms Prayer Journal – Val Marie Paper
  • Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God – Tim Keller
  • The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
  • A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers – D.A. Carson
  • The Hidden Life of Prayer – David MacIntyre
  • Prayers Of An Excellent Wife: Intercession For Him – Andrew Case
  • The One Year Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids – Nancy Guthrie
PURSUIT OF HOLINESS
  • God’s Riches: A Work-Book on the Doctrines of Grace – John Benton & John Peet
  • Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
  • Holiness – J.C. Ryle
  • Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul – Octavius Winslow
  • When I Don’t Desire God – John Piper
  • The Sermon on the Mount – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • The Message of the Sermon on the Mount: Christian Counter Culture – John Stott
  • Humility – C.J. Mahaney
  • The Practice of Godliness – Jerry Bridges
  • Keeping the Heart – John Flavel
  • Redemption Accomplished and Applied – John Murray

Theology

  • Institutes of Christian Religion – John Calvin
  • The Doctrine of the Word of God – John Frame
  • The Doctrine of the Christian Life – John Frame
  • Concise Theology – J.I. Packer
  • The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented by David Steele
  • Body of Divinity – Thomas Watson
BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
  • According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible, An Introductory Biblical Theology – Graeme Goldsworthy
  • Even Better than Eden: Nine Ways the Bible’s Story Changes Everything about Your Story– Nancy Guthrie
  • What is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns – James Hamilton
COVENANT THEOLOGY
  • Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives - Guy Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, and John Muether
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
The Wonderful Works of God - Herman Bavinck
  • Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
  • Systematic Theology – John Frame
  • A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith – Robert Reymond
BAPTISM
  • What Christian Parents Should Know About Infant Baptism - John Sartelle
  • The Meaning and Mode of Baptism - Jay Adams
  • Baptism: Answers to Common Questions - Guy Richard
  • Christian Baptism - John Murray
END TIMES
  • The Presence of the Future – George Eldon Ladd
  • The End Times Made Simple – Sam Waldron
GOD
  • The Glory of Christ (Abridged) - John Owen
  • Knowing God – J.I. Packer
  • The Knowledge of the Holy – A. W. Tozer
  • None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That’s a Good Thing) – Jen Wilkin
  • In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character – Jen Wilkin
  • Keeping in Step with the Spirit – J.I. Packer
  • The Holy Spirit – Sinclair Ferguson
  • The Sovereignty of God – A.W. Pink
  • The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul
  • Attributes of God – A.W. Pink
  • The Doctrine of God – John Frame
  • The Mystery of Providence – John Flavel
  • The Person of Christ – Donald Macloud
  • Show Me Your Glory - Steven J. Lawson
THE GOSPEL
  • What is the Gospel? – Greg Gilbert
  • Who is Jesus? – Greg Gilbert
  • The Gospel at Work – Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert
  • God is the Gospel - John Piper
  • Explicit Gospel – Matt Chandler
  • Hidden in the Gospel – William Farley
  • The Gospel – Ray Ortlund
  • What is the Gospel? – Bryan Chapell
  • Prodigal God – Tim Keller
  • The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die – John Piper
  • All of Grace – C.H. Spurgeon
  • The Cross of Christ – John Stott
HEAVEN AND HELL
  • Heaven and Hell – Ted Donnelly
  • Happiness of Heaven – Maurice Roberts
  • Heaven – Randy Alcorn
  • The Glory of Heaven - John MacArthur