Growing Resources
I don’t want to master the God’s Word. I want God, through his Word, to master me. ~Bob Kauflin
Bible Gateway Great resource for researching God's Word
LifeJournal Sells tools to equip believer to grow in God's Word through journaling. For more information on how to do a LifeJournal, click here.
Grant Horner's Bible Reading System: for more understanding of how this Bible reading system is affecting believers check out Bob Kauflin's blog
Listing of other Bible Reading Plans
Bible Gateway Great resource for researching God's Word
LifeJournal Sells tools to equip believer to grow in God's Word through journaling. For more information on how to do a LifeJournal, click here.
Grant Horner's Bible Reading System: for more understanding of how this Bible reading system is affecting believers check out Bob Kauflin's blog
Listing of other Bible Reading Plans
Scripture Memorization
If you are interested in a tool to help in scripture memorization, a group has been started at ScriptureTyper. Click the link below.
Recommended Reading
"Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala (ISBN 978-0-310-25153-8 Zondervan Publishers) The times are urgent - God is on the Move - Now is the Moment to ask God to ignite his fire in your soul! Pastor Jim Cymbala believes that Jesus wants to renew his people - to call us back from spiritual dead ends, apathy, and lukewarm religiion. Cymbala knows the difference firsthand. Thirty-five years ago his own church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, was a struggling congregation of twenty. Then they began to pray....God began to move...street-hardened lives by the hundreds were changed by the love of Christ...and today they are more than ten thousand strong.
"Crazy Love" by Francis Chan (ISBN 978-1-4347-6851-3 David C. Cook) God is love. Have you ever wondered if we're missing it? It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe - the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor - loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you've verbalized it yet or not...we all know something's wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder to a list of do's and don'ts - it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
"The Bait of Satan" by John Bevere (ISBN 978-1-59185-413-5 Charisma House) The Bait of Satan exposes one of the most deceptive snares Satan uses to get believers out of the will of God - offense. Most people who are ensnared by the bait of Satan don't even realize it. Don't be fooled! You will encounter offense, and it's up to you how it will affect your relationship with God. Your response will determine your future. If offense is handled correctly, you will become stronger rather than bitter. John Bevere shows you how to stay free from offense and escape the victim mentality. You will find answers to tough questions like these: Why am I compelled to tell "my side" of the story? How can I fight thoughts of suspicion or distrust? What can I do to stop rehearsing past hurts? How can I regain trust after someone deeply offends me? This book will help you escape the enemy's "offensive trap" as well as empower you to stay free of offense, enabling you to have an undhindered relationship with God.
"The Journey of Desire" by John Eldredge (ISBN 0-7852-6716-6 Thomas Nelson Publishers) John Eldredge writes, "We all share the same dilemma - we long for life and we're not sure where to find it. We wonder if we ever do find it, can we make it last? We must journey to find the life we prize. And the guide we have been given is the desire set deep within, the desire we often overlook or mistake for something else or even choose to ignore." In this follow-up book to the highly successful and though-provoking work The Sacred Romance, Eldredge invites you to rediscover your God-given desire and to search again for the life once dreamed of.
"Messy Spirituality" by Michael Yaconelli (ISBN 0-310-23533-2 Zondervan Publishers) Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don't do Christianity right. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don't do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God's fondness for the imperfect. Why Because we've been bombarded with books, tapes, talks, seminars, and movies convincing us that real Christianity is all about perfection. Michael Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are in, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided...and gloriously liberating.
"Love & Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs (ISBN 1-59145-187-6 Integrity Publishers) A wife has one driving need - to feel loved. When that need is met, she is happy. A husband has one driving need - to feel respected. When that need is met, he is happy. When either of these needs isn't met, things go crazy. Love and Respect reveals why spouses react negatively to each other, and how they can deal with such conflict quickly, easily and biblically.
"The Shack" by William P. Young (ISBN 978-0964729230 Windblown Media Publishers) In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him!
The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond by Bill Hybels. 'Without a hint of exaggeration,' says Bill Hybels, 'the ability to discern divine direction has saved me from a life of sure boredom and self-destruction. God's well-timed words have redirected my path, rescued me from temptation and re-energized me during some of my deepest moments of despair.' In The Power of a Whisper, vision is cast for what life can look like when God's followers choose to hear from heaven as they navigate life on earth. Whispers that arbitrate key decisions, nudges that rescue from dark nights of the soul, promptings that spur on growth, urgings that come by way of another person, inspiration that opens once-glazed-over eyes to the terrible plight people face in this world---through firsthand accounts spanning fifty-seven years of life, more than thirty of which have been spent in the trenches of ministry, Hybels promotes passion in Christ-followers' hearts for being wide open to hearing from God, and for getting gutsier about doing exactly what he says to do. For more information go to: www.thewhisperwall.com.
Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman Are you a follower of Jesus? Don't answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a 'Define the Relationship' conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn't ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you're not into Jesus, period. In any case, don't take the question---Are you a follower of Jesus?---lightly. Some people don't know what they've said yes to and other people don't realize what they've said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.
Small Group Resources
"Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God" by Joshua Harris. (ISBN 1-59052-365-2 Multnomah Publishers, Inc.) Study Guide available @ www.joshuaharris.com. Are you dating the Church? We are a generation of consumers, independent and critical. We attend church, but we don't want to settle down and truly invest ourselves. We're not into commitment-we only want to date the church. Is this what God wants for us? Stop Dating the Church reminds us that faith was never meant to be a solo pursuit. The church is the place God grows us, encourages us, and uses us best. Loving Jesus Christ involves a passionate commitment to His church-around the world and down the street. We can't be apathetic. It's time to fall in love with the family of God.
40 Days in the Word by Saddleback and Rick Warren. This study takes participants through six easy methods of loving, learning and living the Word. Learn what it means to not just be "hearers" or the Word, but also "doers" of the Word! Reignite and strengthen your passion for God's Word together with this teaching.
"Raising a Modern Day Knight" by Robert Lewis (ISBN: 1589973097, Tyndale House 2007) Using the customs of pursuing knighthood in the medieval era, author Robert Lewis draws parallels to achieving manhood today. It's a meticulous process that requires vision, goals and an uncompromising character. Inside this book, you'll find solid advice to help you courageously lead your son into a biblical masculinity that will impact others. A Focus on the Family resource.
"Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby (ISBN 9781415858387 Lifeway Publishing) Most Bible studies help people; this one changes them forever! For more than 15 years, God has used Experiencing God in His work, showing believers how to know Him intimately while encouraging them to step out in faith and join Him in His work with miraculous results.
"40 Days of Love" by Rick Warren What is your #1 goal in life? Your answer to that question will reveal your dominant life value. Everyone has one. It’s what we unconsciously base our decisions on. God tells us that love is to be our dominant life value. In fact, Jesus once said that of all the commands in the Bible only two are most important. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Our church family completed a six-week focus on those two commands. With conflict, divorce, violence, prejudice, abuse, division, and polarization around us daily, it’s obvious we all need some lessons in building healthy relationships, and that’s what 40 Days of Love is all about.
"The Early Church" by Ray VanderLaan (ISBN: 0310279690, Zondervan Publishers) Uncover the "hidden" meaning of Scripture with an exciting faith discovery series that brings the Bible to life! Uniquely captivating, Faith Lessons reveals keen insights into the relevance of God's Word, making it truly applicable to today's Christian. 5 sessions.
"The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. (ISBN ). This is more than a book, it is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture - how all the pieces of your life fit together. Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and most important, prepare you for eternity.
"Grow in His Word" by Dennis Miller. (Emmanuel Community Church) The Grow Ministries plan is an orderly study of the Bible to help you grasp not only what happened, but in what order! It is designed to follow specific themes through the Scriptures and also give you “hooks” to remember what you’ve learned. This course has been taught to thousands of people over the past 20 years. Many have said that it is the first time that they’ve understood the Bible or been able to put the Bible in its order. The course is designed to be studied by men’s groups, women’s groups or couples groups in a two-year setting. The common way of using the material is to start in September and work through May in two consecutive years. However, there are plenty of other ways to learn!
Christian Radio Stations
Air 1 was launched in 1995 with the goal of reaching people young at heart with the message of Jesus through music that was hard to find on other radio stations. It delivers positive cutting-edge Christian music to teenagers and young adults. Locally the station can be found on 95.3 FM.
Air 1 was one of the first music stations to stream its broadcast live on the Internet. Now over 1 million people listen to Air 1 every month all over the world at air1.com.
Smile FM offers Christian music for all ages. Locally the station can be found on 88.1 FM.