Resources

Student Resources

Reading is still pretty cool…that’s why we put books at the top of the resources. Most of these books can be purchased online, or if you want to borrow them come ask us.

Books on faith and how it should be lived out in your life:

  • Crazy Love – Francis Chan (God’s love for you is so much greater than you know, how do you develop a greater love towards him?)
  • Forgotten God – Francis Chan (Focuses on the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives)
  • Erasing Hell – Francis Chan (Is hell really talked about in the Bible? How could God send people there?)
  • Radical – David Platt (What does it look like to live radically for Christ in todays culture)
  • The Insanity of God – Nik Ripken (This book gives first hand stories of a man who brought the Gospel to places in the middle east where it had never been and to a people who were hostile to it. How does God work in the world that is so dark and what is our role in serving him? This is really great read but be prepared as it will challenge you!)
  • The Grace Awakening – Charles Swindoll (Chuck Swindoll is an amazing author and speaker and all of his books are highly recommended)
  • What’s So Amazing About Grace – Philip Yancey (I highly recommend this one! If you have grown up in the church it will be a great read)
  • Soul Purpose, Soul Mission, & Soul Vision – 3 Books by Ramesh Richard (Trying to determine what your purpose is in life? Check out these books!)
  • Jesus Freaks & Jesus Freaks II – D.C. Talk (First hand stories of men and women who are sacrificing everything, including their lives, for Christ)-Life on the Edge -James Dobson (Some practical advice for how to handle the high school/college years from relationships and love to choosing a college)
  • In the Likeness of God – Paul Brand, Philip Yancey (One of Jake’s) favorite books of all time! This is written by a medical doctor and is more of a devotional that delves into the beauty that God has made in creation and the human body and will give you a much more awe-inspired and intimate view of God)
  • The Gift of Pain – Paul Brand, Philip Yancey (Most of us hate going through tough, painful situations, but can pain ever be a good thing?)
  • He Satisfies My Soul – Paul Brand (Another book by Dr. Brand that talk about how a relationship with Christ is the most satisfying thing in life)
  • Twelve Ordinary Men – John MacArthur ( closer look at the 12 disciples. What does the Bible say about each of them and what can we learn from them?)
  • Desiring God – John Piper (A longer read but designed to cultivate in your heart a desire not just to know about God, but to know and enjoy Him personally)

Books that are more focused on apologetics and owning your faith:

  • Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis (A phenomenal book that discusses some of the deeper thought processes and truths of Christianity)
  • The Reason for God – Tim Keller (Tim Keller digs into the questions many non-believers have about God. Why even believe in him at all?)
  • Jesus among other Gods – Ravi Zacharias (Why is Jesus different than the leaders of other religions?)
  • The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel (Weaves together Lee Strobel’s personal story of skepticism to faith with fantastic evidence for believing in Christ)
  • Retro Christianity – Michael Svigel (Takes a look back on the history of our faith and examines how the church should look today)
  • Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves (if you ever wonder what the Trinity really is this book can help you better understand God)
  • Tactics – Greg Koukl (A practical way to gain confidence to share your faith)
  • Truth Matters – Andreas Kostenberger, Darrell Bock, Josh Chatraw (Helps tackle some big questions students will face about the validity of their faith)
  • Conformed to His Image – Ken Boa ( great book that helps outline what it means to be conformed to Christ, and why that is important!)

Fiction

  • The Circle Series – Ted Dekker (anything by Ted Dekker is great!)
  • This Present Darkness – Frank Peretti

Bible Study Tools / Devotionals

Devotionals:

  • New Morning Mercies – Paul David Tripp
  • The Live Dead Joy – Dick Brogden
  • Our Daily Bread
  • My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers

Bible Study tools

  • Lumina.bible.org (if you click on the “Constables Notes” section on the right it will give you an awesome commentary on whatever passage of the Bible you are reading)
  • Biblegateway
  • Got Questions
  • The Grace New Testament Commentary (book)
  • The Bible Knowledge Commentary (book)

Bible Reading Guide

  • Chronological – Guide to read through the Bible in 1 year. The Chronological guide will have you reading the books “out of order” as it will move you through the Bible from the events that happened first to last.
  • ReadScripture App – This is a fantastic way to read through the Bible with great videos for each book to help you put the stories in the context of the whole Scripture.

Apps and Websites

Apps

  • Scripture Typer – For Bible Memory
  • Bible – The Bible in an app
  • Read Scripture – by Crazy Love Ministries
  • Stand to Reason – Apologetics
  • Reasonable Faith – Apologetics
  • Our Daily Bread – Devotions

General Youth Websites

Testimonies

Creation/Evolution/Science:

Gender Identity/Homosexuality

 

Music

 

In a world where the music sphere is filled with so many garbage lyrics and men and women who serve as anything but positive role models, these are some good, safe bands (and when we say good we mean that!) that we recommend in different genres. Now, if your parent still doesn’t want to let you listen to any of them, we side with them! 🙂

Rap

  • Lecrae
  • Andy Mineo
  • Bizzle
  • Da’ TRUTH
  • Ambassador
  • Tedashii
  • Trip Lee
  • Beautiful Eulogy
  • NF
  • KJ-52

Heavy

  • Wolves at the Gate
  • Blindside
  • Thrice
  • All The Day Holiday
  • As Cities Burn
  • August Burns Red
  • The Overseer

Worship

  • Hillsong Worship
  • Hillsong United
  • Elevation Worship
  • Bethel Music
  • Jesus Culture
  • Starfield
  • Crowder
  • Citizens and Saints
  • Lauren Daigle
  • All Sons and Daughters

Rock

  • Switchfoot
  • Skillet
  • Flyleaf
  • Jeremy Camp
  • Relient K
  • Kutless
  • House of Heroes
  • Come Wind

Folk/Indie

  • Rend Collective
  • Needtobreathe
  • Mat Kearney
  • Jon Foreman
  • Josh Garrels
  • Dustin Kensrue
  • My Epic

Parent Resources

We get the privilege to share Christ’s love with your child on a weekly basis, but honestly… unless you are sharing the same love at home, it is not enough! We truly desire for you to seek God more deeply and committedly in your life, marriage, and family, so these are some resource that might help you to do this.  As a parent, you will make the biggest impact on your child (whether you believe that or not) and we want to both pray for, and partner with you… You are NOT alone! So know you can reach out to us if you need any help or have any questions. But remember, if you want your child to make a commitment to Christ, really seek to model that lifestyle in your life as well.

(We may not agree with every single bit of doctrine or info on these sites, but we don’t need to! We want you to be encouraged, equipped, and challenged in your faith and these resources can all help to do that.)

WEBSITES

The Table Podcast – This is one of my top recommended resources for parents. A product of Dallas Theological Seminary, there are hundreds of video interviews and testimonies on dozens of different topics. If you are looking for a biblical perspective on a current issue, check this out!

Heartlight Ministries – Heartlight is a resource for all parents. They have great articles and Mark Gregson is a phenomenal resource. They also have rehab programs for troubled teens.

Paul David Trip – Tripp’s website has a lot of great resources and messages on parenting.

Focus on the Family – This is a good resource to read articles about parenting, teens, and family life in general.

Homeword – A family resource from Azuza Pacific University, some great resources and articles.

Fuller Youth Institute – This site contains some great free resources on how to make your child’s faith really “stick” and advice on navigating technology.  Subscribe to the “family update” on stickyfaith.org.

Bible Gateway – A great Bible study website.

Youthministry.com – This is a site designed for youth workers, but you might get some good info here on things your child is going through.

Downloadyouthministry.com – Another site for youth workers but they have a good blog that you might want to check out.

Lumina – Another Bible study tool and this one is my favorite.  Pick a passage on the left column and then click “Constables Notes” in the right column to get some great commentary.  It can also help you study in original Greek or Hebrew!

BOOKS

Parenting  -14 Gospel Principles – Paul David Tripp. We highly recommend this book! It gives a great foundation and framework for parenting in the grace and love we have received through Christ.

Sticky Faith – Kara Powell

The Space Between – Walt Mueller