RZIM Critical Questions Series (Titles Include: Can I Trust the Bible?, What is Truth?, Who Was Jesus?, Is God Real?) -
Some of the world's leading Christian intellectuals have put together a set of Bible study guides that address the deeper questions that skeptics and thinkers often have that keep them from Christianity. Honest answers to tough questions. If Ravi Zacharias has his initials on it, you know it is going to be intellectually up-to-snuff.



From Creation to the Cross -
Since this book is basically an introduction to the Old Testament with questions for personal reflection following each chapter, it may be best-suited for those who are ready to ride without the training wheels. Most Christians don't quite know what to do with the first half of the Bible. From Creation to the Cross is a guide through the Old Testament that points out along the way perspectives and insights that leave us with a new, personal understanding of these thirty-nine books that ultimately point us to Jesus.



Your Life in Christ (Book 1 in Navpress' “Design For Discipleship” Series) -
If you are looking for something basic and user-friendly, yet but Biblical, deep, and profound, this is the study to start with. This is one of the books I put in the hands of new believers who are looking to start growing in their faith. It is published by one of my favorite publishers, NAVPRESS - a large Christian publishing company that publishes nothing but books and resources meant for Christian discipleship. (What an amazing ministry, eh?) This is the just the first book of the series.



New Life in Christ -
This is the other resource that I like to sometimes put into new believers' hands. It is again very basic and user-friendly, but in the end deeply Biblical. The back cover reads: "It starts with a tiny seed of faith that takes root in your heart. Then, like a tree, it grows into something strong, beautiful, and living whose influence dominates the landscape of your life. This is the nature of life in Christ—something so profound that the Bible says you are literally a new creation. Your new life in Christ is much more than what you experienced at conversion. God wants to open your eyes to all the marvelous things he has given you as his child. This study guide will help you grasp the hope, the riches, and the great power God has given you through his Son, Jesus."



My Utmost For His Highest -
A world of things could be boasted about this book. It is probably the best-selling devotional of all time, and probably one of the best-selling Christian books of all time (second maybe to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress). Whatever the statistics, it is a classic for a reason. With humor and humility, Chambers speaks plainly to the common man struggling with devotion to Christ in daily living. Worldly cares and self-serving desires begin to lose their appeal as Chambers aides the reader in transforming his mind by viewing life through the instruction of God's Word. Each daily reading is a short encouragement or reflection based upon a certain given text of scripture.




Yahweh: Divine Encounters in the O.T. -
This is a workbook that takes you through the Old Testament in 48 weeks. Each lesson has scripture and interactive questions that will help you apply God's word into your own life. This is a great place to start if the Old Testament intimidates you or if you really struggle with drawing out meaningful quiet time reflections from the Old Testament. (Plus, one of my supervisors Ty Gulick was the executive editor for the book). :)





How to Read the Bible Book by Book -
Have you ever been totally clueless about what the scriptures are talking about as you read in your quiet time? This is a wonderful guide that anyone might consult to help them work through any book of the Bible or the entire thing. Every book of the Bible gets about a 3 page treatment...Tips for Reading, What to Watch For, An Outline of the Book, Key Themes, etc. This is one of the best references you can use to REALLY understand what the book meant before you begin to decide and apply what it means for your life.



Stay tuned for the rest...And happy reading!

-RCW
Recently I was teaching our college and young adults at church and we were studying the topic of spiritual growth...especially regarding quiet times and spiritual growth resources. I did something unique in that I had them each draw a number and the number they drew was keyed to a spiritual growth resource I had brought along to the class. They each grabbed their resource and I gave them approximately 5 minutes to look it over long enough to tell the entire class about the resource, its value, etc. Some people have asked me to go ahead and list those resources I brought with me that day. Here they are in a four-part installment.

Also, these make great Christmas gifts since many of them are "Through the Year Devotionals" and Christians young and old might be making New Year's Resolutions.

Remember these are just a few resources (the possibilities are endless, so this list is by no means exhaustive) that someone could use during his or her devotional time. Also, let me say that while these resources may be helpful in cultivating a devotional life, there's still no substitute however for simply going straight to your Bible during your devotional time.

So here you go....the first of four posts of spiritual growth resources.



The One Year Book of Christian History -
This resource has a one page devotional for every day of the year. On each day of the year, you'll read a stirring story about a character or event in church history. It is particularly interesting because in each devotional, the dates of the devotionals correspond to the dates in the story. In other words, each day you'll read about something in church history that occurred ON THAT VERY DATE.





A Faith and Culture Devotional -
This resource is amazing because it is a sort of "Christian Worldview" devotional. The devotionals come from Christian academics from a wide array of fields...art, history, science, bible and theology, philosophy, economics, etc. This makes a great devotional for the Christian who enjoys using their mind and who realizes the very important reality: that all of our life belongs to God and relates to Him rather than just the church time, devotional time, prayer time, etc. Truth and Beauty...wherever they can be found (in science, in sociology, in literature, etc.) belong to God and have their source, origin, root, their context, and their truest meaning when they are seen in reference to Him.



Through the Bible Through the Year -
This daily devotional offers reflections on passages from Genesis though Revelation. The author (John Stott) is one of the most internationally acclaimed Christian pastors and scholars. The great thing about this devotional is that it takes you through the entire Bible and help you connect both the details of the events with the broader story as a whole. You get the Bible's "big picture" and larger theological concepts and themes WHILE you go through each individual book. A gem if I might say so myself.




Letters Along the Way -
Some say this book is "like Screwtape Letters in reverse". Imagine that you had a sort of older and wiser Christian who had a wealth of theological expertise, a wealth of pastoring insight, etc. to walk you through your experiences in the Christian life. All you had to do was write. That's the sort of relationship that sparked this book. The book consists of letters that were sent from a "senior saint" to a 'junior saint"...about all sorts of topics that the Christian might face...conversion, trusting Christ, temptations, the Christian and psychology, sharing one's faith with others, discerning God's will, etc. This is an especially nice read for someone either in ministry or studying for it.



Devotional Classics -
Revised edition of this collection of readings from devotional writers throughout the church ages. This volume includes excerpts from writers such as Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Thomas a Kempis, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Evelyn Underhill, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For each reading there are reflections, questions for discussion, and bibliographies for further reading.




Spiritual Classics -
This resource (like the last one) puts together writings from some of the brightest men and women of the Christian tradition. St. Augustine, Thomas Merton, Fredrick Buechner, A.W. Tozer, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas More, Martin Luther King, Jr., Amy Carmichael, Simone Weil, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Hildegard of Bingen, John Milton, Dorothy Day, Leo Tolstoy, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and more...From nearly two thousand years of Christian writing comes fifty-two selections complete with a profile of each author, guided meditations for group and individual use, and reflections containing questions and exercises. Editors Richard Foster and Emilie Griffith offer their expertise by selecting inspirational writings and including their own commentary and recommendations for further guided reading and exploration.





Stay tuned for the rest!!!

-RCW