Bible reading

  1. Bible. You need a good, reliable Bible. We preach from the Christian Standard Bible on Sunday morning. We recommended this version for two reasons: 1) it's a literal translation and 2) it is very readable.

  2. Bible Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem. Every family needs a great, readable, concise theology book. This book might also serve as a great discipleship tool for wives and children. This is our top recommendation.

  3. For a list of recommended commentaries, click here

scripture memory

For the next year, we are joining in with Desiring God’s Fighter Verses and memorizing a verse per week. Here are ways you can get the weekly verses:

THE FIGHTER VERSE APP. You can also download the Fighter Verses App. We’ll be memorizing the 2017 ESV Set of verses. 

THE FIGHTER VERSE WEBSITE. You can also go to the fighter verse website for weekly devotions on the verses we’re memorizing. Download the bookmark here

NEW CITY CATECHISM

At City Church we utilize the New City Catechism for discipleship. A catechism is a tool to teach the church rich theology, centering on the Good News of the Gospel. New City Catechism is comprised of only 52 questions and answers. There is one question and answer for each week of the year, making it simple to fit into calendars and achievable even for people with demanding schedules. There is also an accompanying verse each week. It is a joint adult and children's catechism. In other words, the same questions are asked of both children and adults, and the children's answer is always part of the adult answer. Lastly, other tools are included with the catechism such as corresponding prayers, videos and commentaries for adults, and songs for children

TO DOWNLOAD THE APP FOR YOUR IPAD OR GET THE CATECHISM ONLINE, GO TO: WWW.NEWCITYCATECHISM.COM

books

In addition to these resources, we've compiled a list of books that we think will feed your soul. I love what the old puritan Thomas Watson once said, "When you find a chillness upon your souls, and that your former heat begins to abate, ply yourselves with warm clothes, get those good books that may acquaint you with such truths as may warm and affect your hearts." We hope, by the grace of God, that these books will have that sort of affect on you. 

GOSPEL-CENTERED RESOURCES
You Can Change, Tim Chester
The Cross Centered Life, CJ Mahaney
The Gospel In Every Day Life, Jerry Bridges
The Disciple of Grace, Jerry Bridges
The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness, Jerry Bridges
The Prodigal God, Tim Keller
The Gospel In Life, Tim Keller
The Centrality of the Gospel, Tim Keller (pdf)
God is the Gospel, John Piper (pdf)
The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler
A Gospel Primer, Milton Vincent
Note to Self, Joe Thorn.

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS FOR THE FAMILY
Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd-Jones  
Training Hearts and Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the shorter catechism, Starr Meade  
Big Truths for Little Kids - Susan and Richie Hunt 

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper (pdf)
Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman
The Dangerous Duty of Delight – John Piper (pdf)
Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission, Tim Chester & Steve Timmis
Counterfeit Gods, Tim  Keller
Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
Humility, CJ Mahaney
Humble Roots, Hannah Anderson
Worldliness, CJ Mahaney
How People Change – Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp
When People Are Big and God is Small, Ed Welch
Anonymous, Alicia Britt Chole
Future Grace, John Piper (pdf)
Just Do Something, Kevin Deyoung
The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges
Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, Ed Welch
At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, Steve Gallagher
War of Words, Paul Tripp
Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God, Sam Crabtree
Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, Jen Wilken
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, Tony Reinke

SUFFERING
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper (pdf)
Trusting God, Jerry Bridges
Be Still, My Soul, Nancy Gutherie
When God Weeps, Joni Eareckson Tada
How Long, O Lord?, D.A. Carson

RACIAL RECONCILATION
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian, John Piper (pdf)
Oneness Embraced, Tony Evans
Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.
Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bryan Loritts & John Perkins
The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson
Sever the Root of Racism, by John Piper (Chapter 32 of “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals” – free PDF at link)
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, by Jr. Stephen Oates
United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity, by Trilla J. Newbell
Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America, by Christian Smith and Michael Emerson
The Souls of Black Folk, by W.E.B, Du Bois

FOR MEN

Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes
Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole, Eric Mason
The Exemplary Husband: A Biblical Perspective, Stuart Scott
The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men, Richard D, Phillips
Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, Heath Lambert
Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness and Dating, Marshall Segal

FOR WOMEN
Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness and Dating, Marshall Segal
Disciplines of a Godly Woman, Barbara Hughes
Let Me Be a Woman, Elisabeth Elliot
Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother, Carolyn Mahaney
Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, Jen Wilken
The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective, Martha Peace
Her Husband’s Crown, Sara Leone
Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood, Carolyn Mahaney
Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God, Gloria Furman
Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Messy Beautiful Friendship, Christine Hoover

ON MARRIAGE
What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage, Paul Tripp
This Momentary Marriage, John Piper (pdf)
Strengthening Your Marriage, Wayne Mack
The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God, Tim Keller
Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace, by Gary Ricucci, Betsy Ricucci, C. J. Mahaney, and Carolyn Mahaney
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood – Wayne Grudem/John Piper
When Sinners Say I do, Dave Harvey
What Did You Expect, Paul Tripp

FOR PARENTS
The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ, Chap Bettis
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp
The Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Paul David Tripp
She Calls Me Daddy, Robert Wolgemuth
Give them Grace, Elyse Fitzpatrick
Grace Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel
Future Men: Raising Boys to Fight Giants, Douglas Wilson

ADOPTION
Adopted for LifeRussell Moore
Orphanology, Tony Merida
Reclaiming Adoption: Missional Living through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Cruver

MISSIONS
Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper (pdf)
Operation World (21st Century Edition), Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk 

THEOLOGY
Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem
Christian Beliefs: twenty basics every Christian should know, Wayne Grudem
Concise Theology, J.I. Packer
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
Chosen For Life, Sam Storms
The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul
Desiring God, John Piper (pdf)
Pleasures of God, John Piper (pdf)
The Cross of Christ, John Stott
Works of Jonathan Edwards
Works of John Owen Christian

APOLOGETICS
The Reason for God, Tim Keller
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel

CLASSICS
Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Confessions, Augustine
The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter
The City of God, Augustine

BIOGRAPHY
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, John Bunyan
In the Shadow of the Almighty or Through the Gates of Splendor, Jim Elliot
The Autobiography of George Muller
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy,  Eric Mataxes
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – John Foxe
The Swan’s Are Not Silent (4 part series), John Piper (pdf)
Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards
William Tyndale: A Biography, David Daniell
Surprised By Joy, C.S. Lewis
Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Rosaria Butterfield
George Whitfield, Arnold Dallimore
A Chance to Die (Amy Carmichael), Elizabeth Elliot
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi
The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom

DAILY DEVOTIONALS
A Godward Life (part 1 or 2), John Piper (pdf)
Mornings and Evenings with Charles Spurgeon
Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, Arthur Bennett
We Shall See God, Randy Alcorn
New Morning Mercies, Paul Tripp

MONEY
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Randy Alcorn
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, Dave Ramsey
Financial Peace, Dave Ramsey
All things Crown Financial.   

THE CHURCH
Total Church, Tim Chester & Steve Timmis
Biblical Eldership. Alexander Strauch
What is a Healthy Church Member, Thabiti Anyabwile
Simple Church, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger 

CHURCH PLANTING
Church Planter, Darren Patrick
Total Church, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
Church Planting Manual, Tim Keller
Planting Missional Churches, Ed Stetzer
Confessions of a Reformissional Rev: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church, Mark Driscoll
Dangerous Calling, Paul Tripp

COUNSELING
Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer, Paul Tripp
Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically, John MacArthur and Wayne Mack
Cross Talk, Michael Emlet
Counsel from the Cross, Elyse Fitzpatrick
Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry, Mike Wilkerson
Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault, Justin Holcomb 

CHURCH HISTORY
The Story of Christianity (Volume 1 and 2), Justo Gonzalez
History of Missions, Stephen Neill

MINISTRY
Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon
Why Revival Taries, Leonard Ravenhill
9 Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper (pdf)
The Deliberate Church, Mark Dever
Leaders Who Last, Dave Kraft

PREACHING
Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God's Word and Keep People Awake, Gary Millar & Phil Campbell
Preaching Christ in All of Scripture, Ed Clowney
Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell
Preaching and Preachers, Martyn Lloyd Jones
Lectures to my Students, Charles Spurgeon
Preaching the Cross, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and others.

FOR PRAYER RESOURCES CLICK HERE