Reading: Christian Life

The Bible may be the bestselling book in the world, but reading it - let alone understanding and applying it to daily life - can be a daunting prospect even for people who feel they are some way along the road of Christian discipleship. Where do we start? How do we work out its relevance to us? If we feel we know it quite well already, how can we go further in exploring its riches? This highly accessible book sets out straightforward and helpful strategies for those who are completely new to Bible reading, which can also benefit those who have begun to develop a Bible-reading habit and want to broaden and deepen their understanding. Step by step, Michael Green explains how to enjoy the Bible (and avoid feeling bored by it!), how to read it by ourselves and how to benefit from discussing it with others, and how we in turn can start to share its teaching with new Christians.

Author: Michael Green

Discover the way you were created to function and to live life positively by drawing on the presence of God for your emotional satisfaction.

20 basics every Christian should know

This reader-friendly guide provides a clear and concise introduction to key Christian beliefs. Twenty chapters cover a range of biblical topics, with practical application to Christian living. Some historic confessions of faith and suggestions for further reading are also included.

Author: Wayne Grudem

Current habits of consumption and production in the West cannot be maintained. The way we live, in particular the way we produce and use energy, is no longer environmentally or socially sustainable. Spencer and White analyse the scientific, sociological, economic and theological thinking that makes a Christian response both imperative and distinctive. Their practical conclusions explore what can be done at the personal, community, national and international levels to make sustainable living a reality. Firmly rooted in the good news of the Christian faith, this is a constructive and hopeful book that offers a realistic vision of a better future.

Author: Nick Spencer and Robert White

Knowing God’s Covenant: 1 lessons

See this incredible thread running from Genesis through Revelation. God enters into a binding agreement with His people and always keeps His promises. Trusting Him as a covenant partner frees us from the bondage of worry and anxiety. This study will transform the way you read the Scriptures! In-depth inductive study in an easy-to-follow daily format. Companion lecture CDs and DVDs are available. Training required for leaders.

Cover to Cover Complete makes Bible reading easy by breaking down the entire Bible into 365 15-minute daily readings, arranged in chronological order. Beautiful charts, maps, illustrations and diagrams make the biblical background vivid, timelines enable you to track your progress, and daily commentary helps you apply what you read to your life.

Peter Maiden shows us from his own struggles that the life of discipleship is the life of relationship between us and Jesus.

Author: Peter Maiden

From renowned speaker Beverly LaHaye, this message is sure to encourage and challenge viewers to move close to the heart of God. The Extraordinary Women Series is designed to help women help themselves and others. Women today are doing more than ever before in history. New issues confront them on a daily basis. How does a woman cope with the unique stress of motherhood, career, relationships, singleness, financial freedom, etc? This series will help women have a better understanding of how to handle the pressures and complexities of life and offer them help and encouragement during these times.

Author: Beverly Lahaye

Krish has coined the term dysciples to describe those of us who feel dysfunctional in our following of Jesus. The good news is that dysfunctional discipleship is nothing new and nothing to be ashamed of.

Author: Krish Kandiah

Web-based

Resources which seek to model engagement with the Bible and help you engage more with the Bible – including articles, transcripts of talks, and audio downloads.

Becoming a liberated disciple

Jesus does not call us to a journey of guilt and failure, stuffy religion or a kind of churchy straitjacket. He calls us to a life of obedience, harmony, joy and peace. We become 'liberated disciples'. 'This book grounds discipleship in the life of the individual and the church, but sees its outworking as being in the world,' says the author.

Author: John Valentine

Unleash the healing power of forgiveness

As imperfect people in an imperfect world we eventually confront in nearly every relationship the need to extend or receive forgiveness. But when the wounds run deep, forgiveness does not come easy. How can I forgive when the pain is so great? Does forgiving mean I have to forget the past? What if I choose not to forgive? As you dig into what the Bible has to say on this vital topic, you will encounter the depths of God's mercy and discover how choosing forgiveness can free you from a painful past and propel you toward being all that God intended you to be.

Author: Kay Arthur, David and BJ Lawson

Foundations21 is the groundbreaking online resource for Christian discipleship from BRF. In our 'time-poor' lives we need to make space to meet with God and go deeper into our faith with the support of a community of Christians around us. Users can learn at their own pace, in a way that suits them. Foundations21 is a resource that offers flexibility and adaptability, depth and breadth, freedom and focus. You can join completely FREE and access the wealth of resources available on the Foundations21 website itself. Foundations21 is already making a real impact on individual lives.

Celebrating our spiritual adoption

The key to our liberation as Christians is the biblical image of spiritual adoption. So often we continue to live as spiritual orphans, forgetting that thanks to the saving work of Jesus we have been made sons and daughters of God. From Orphans to Heirs explores this image of adoption, much neglected as a way of understanding our salvation, yet crucial in an age when so many people are searching for intimacy. Mark Stibbe also shares his own story of growing up as an adopted child and the insights his experiences gave him into the heart of God, our adopting Father.

Author: Mark Stibbe

Refocusing your life

With honesty and humility, Ray Galea reflects on ten psalms that have helped him put God back in the centre of his life. Ray reminds us of the many reasons we have to join with the psalmist in saying, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing

Author: Ray Galea

All of us have made mistakes. Learn that you don't have to be perfect to be used by God! Angela Thomas encourages women to rekindle their hearts and return their lives to God, no matter how imperfect they may be. Her simple, yet profound message that lives are made perfect in Christ when they are surrendered to Him will be an inspiration to women of all ages. The Extraordinary Women Series is designed to help women help themselves and others. Women today are doing more than ever before in history. New issues confront them on a daily basis. How does a woman cope with the unique stress of motherhood, career, relationships, singleness, financial freedom, etc? This series will help women have a better understanding of how to handle the pressures and complexities of life and offer them help and encouragement during these times.

Author: Angela Thomas

Exploring how to live the Christian life

This DVD resource explores 9 aspects of living the Christian Life. Informally presented in a variety of locations, with helpful questions to discuss as each study progresses. Themes include: Worship, Prayer, Bible, Accountability, Care, Service, Integrity, Evangelism and Mission.

Tracing the storyline of the Bible

In this excellent overview, Vaughan Roberts paints the big picture, showing how the different parts of the Bible fit together under the theme of the kingdom of God. He offers us tools to read it with confidence, enthusiasm and understanding. Vaughan points us to the Bible's supreme subject, Jesus Christ, and the salvation God offers through him.

Author: Vaughan Roberts

God at work in the challenge of parenting

Good Enough Mother is a book for all mothers, not just those of young children, which shows how God can help mothers turn anxieties and stresses into growth points. It explores the fruit of the Spirit and how these can be used to grow parenting skills, written from the author's experience of raising three children over two decades. The book includes group material, ideal for discussion in women's groups. The foreword is written by Lindsay Melluish. Good Enough Mother is ideal for mothers of all ages, wanting a way into thinking about issues of spiritual growth. It is a suitable gift, perhaps for Mothering Sunday, for a mother or grandmother. It can be used in study groups or as a pastoral care resource.

Author: Naomi Starkey

Becoming the family God wants you to be

Numerous books set out to help Christian parents in the challenging mission of raising their children well-so what's different about this one? Well, the answer's in the title! It's not about how the gospel fits into Christian family life, but how family life should fit into the gospel-God's greatest purpose for this universe, achieved in Christ. In twelve concise chapters, Gospel-Centred Family takes us through the major Bible principles for family life, challenging us to give up our 'respectable' middle-class idols, and to become the distinctively different people that God, through His gospel, calls us to be.

Becoming the person God wants you to be

This workbook shows how ordinary Christians can live the life that God calls us to. By focusing our attention on the grace of God shown to us in the gospel, everyday problems and experiences like these, familiar to Christians everywhere, can be transformed as the cross of Christ becomes the motive and measure of everything we do. Sympathetic to our struggles... clear and concise... rooted in the Bible... relevant to our everyday experience... The Gospel-Centred Life shows how every Christian can follow the way of the cross as they embrace the liberating grace of God in Christ.

God still speaks loud and clear. Are you listening?

How do I know what God wants me to do? How can I make decisions which are in line with his will? If God still speaks, will I recognize his voice? These are important questions, and many Christians grapple with them. Guidance and the Voice of God charts a

Author: Phillip D Jensen & Tony Payne

Begin a relationship with God that will last for all eternity

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to have a meaningful and authentic relationship with God - one that really works in the day in, day out circumstances of life? This transforming inductive study will breathe new confidence into your life, helping you know that all is truly right between you and God. It will give you God's perspective on those things, those thoughts that seem to keep you far from Him. It will help you not only experience His love but also understand how He has bridged the chasm between heaven and earth, between you and Him, so that you'll belong to Him for all eternity - loved with an everlasting love.

Author: Kay Arthur

When everything competes for your attention, how do you find daily time to be with God. Learn how important your 'quiet times' with God really are! Your Spiritual Life DVD series offers a path to spiritual maturity that challenges you to 'Live the Life' in more intentional, dedicated ways. The series is refreshingly honest and practical, providing insights about being authentic in all areas of your spiritual life. Similar to the writing style found in his best-selling books, John Ortberg is profound, transparent and inspiring in his discussions with his wife, Nancy, on the spiritual disciplines and transformation

Author: John Ortberg

Based on the How to be a Secure Woman course, this 40-day devotional distils key points from this life-changing teaching into short daily readings. Where do women go to for security? Why do they often not find it? Where is the only place true security can come from? This book has the answers.

… through inductive Bible study

How can new believers go from newborns to mature, growing adults in the faith? This is a new study and resource created purposely to equip missionaries, church planters, and growers with a foundation in the tools of inductive study and their powerful application in evangelism, establishment, and multiplication.

Finding space in life to pray

A pocket-sized booklet that does just what the title implies, through written prayers, prayer exercises and beautiful watercolour illustrations. Perfect for those taking their first steps in prayer, or those who want to explore new ways to respond to God.

Using the concept of a travel guide, the author takes us on a pilgrimage through Matthew 5-7

Author: Gerard Kelly

Why God must punish sin

This book was born out of the author’s own struggles with this issue, and he writes with empathy as well as intellectual rigour, answering questions such as: Why can’t God just ‘pass over’ wrong-doing? How does ‘the God who punishes’ fit with ‘the God who is love’? And why is the death of Jesus on a cross the ultimate expression of God’s love? Amazingly, we discover that only by understanding God’s determination to punish sin can we truly appreciate His astounding love — unimaginably and uniquely, love that is truly just, yet freely available to every one of us.

Is it ever just sex?

Described as 'a watershed book' and 'compulsory reading for all serious minded Christians', Just Sex encourages us to consider whether the impact of our sexual relationships on others around us is fair, or just. Explaining the strength and integrity of the Christian world-view of sex with conviction and pastoral sensitivity, it addresses the inconsistency and inadequacy of the prevailing idea that consent alone is enough to sanction a sexual relationship. Demonstrating the injustice created by this approach the book offers a better, more just way, which brings with it the promise of God's shalom.

Author: Guy Brandon

LIFE WITH GOD is Richard Foster’s first major new work for nearly a decade. So many of us want to make the Bible the foundation of our way of life, but struggle to make sense of this huge, apparently disjointed book. Why is that Christians try so hard to place the Bible at the centre of their lives, but in reality get very little from it in terms of genuine life-transforming practice? Readers will discover a whole new way to read Scripture, making it a doorway to a lifestyle we can master, rather than merely knowledge we understand.

Author: Richard Foster

Joni Erickson Tadas positive message encourages and help's women minister to those who suffer in ways beyond their scope of experience, but not beyond God's love. The Extraordinary Women Series is designed to help women help themselves and others. Women today are doing more than ever before in history. New issues confront them on a daily basis. How does a woman cope with the unique stress of motherhood, career, relationships, singleness, financial freedom, etc? This series will help women have a better understanding of how to handle the pressures and complexities of life and offer them help and encouragement during these times.

Author: Joni Earickson Tada

Virtual Ethics and Christian Values

In recent years, the Church's witness has been overshadowed at times by its struggles with painful ethical controversies, facing apparently stark choices between 'keeping the law' or 'doing what love demands'. At the same time, in our post-Christian, multi-faith culture, we urgently need to find common ground on which to base shared values for society.

Author: Claire Disbrey

Evil spirits. Demons. Ghosts. Magic. Satan. Do these words speak of a frightening spiritual reality? Or are they the silly remnants of a more superstitious age? In Living with the Underworld, the head of New Testament Studies at Moore Theological College,

Author: Peter Bolt

Engaging tourists with the message of the church

How well does your church building tell the Christian message? This fold-out card offers a meditative walk around a traditional church building, using aspects of the architecture as cues for prayer and reflection. Part of the SGM Lifewords Historic Church range, which includes prayer postcards, booklets, downloads, and ideas for engaging visitors to historic church buildings with the presence of God.

Knowing How to Pray Can Change Your Life

Many books offer tips on enhancing your prayer life…but they leave you adrift when it comes to actually praying. In this freshly revised edition, Kay Arthur provides intensely practical insights into the Lord's prayer - the pattern Jesus gave His disciples and all believers. Now you can know how to pray, what to pray and what to expect when you pray. Discussion questions offer the opportunity to think or talk things over as you learn. 'Every requirement for prayer, every element of worship and praise, every perspective of intercession and petition, is covered in the Lord's prayer. What a treasure our Lord gave us!' Kay Arthur

Author: Kay Arthur

Get Serious About Your Spiritual Growth

Does life sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, worn out and empty? Do you want to grow closer to God but just don't know how? The good news is, God has a plan to give you a more abundant life. More than anything, you can be spiritually strong. This practical study will build your spiritual muscles, showing you how to: know God better, experience the power of the Holy Spirit, get over your past and resist temptation, live morally in a sexually saturated society and experience life to the fullest and face death without fear.

Author: Kay Arthur and David Arthur

Putting God's wisdom into action

In this lively treatment, best-selling author, Bill Hybels, draws out key principles from the book of Proverbs. Whether beginning the Christian life or wanting to get back on track with God, readers will discover accessible wisdom for really making life work.

Author: Bill Hybels

Learning How to Become One. 16 lessons

Married and single men and women alike will benefit from this thorough study of God's Word on marriage – the roles of husband and wife, effective and compassionate communication, sex, love, finances, divorce, and remarriage. Marriages around the world have been changed and enriched by this study! In-depth inductive study in an easy-to-follow daily format. Companion lecture CDs and DVDs are available. Training required for leaders.

Jill Briscoe is one of the founders of the international Bibleteaching ministry - Telling The Truth. Gifted with wisdom, discernment and a dose of English humour, Jill shows a woman how to listen for, and respond to, God's call in her life. The Extraordinary Women Series is designed to help women help themselves and others. Women today are doing more than ever before in history. New issues confront them on a daily basis. How does a woman cope with the unique stress of motherhood, career, relationships, singleness, financial freedom, etc? This series will help women have a better understanding of how to handle the pressures and complexities of life and offer them help and encouragement during these times.

Author: Jill Briscoe

If prayer is simply a matter of talking to God, why do we often find it so difficult, or at the very least, hard to prioritise? While a surprisingly high percentage of people in the UK admit to praying at some time or other, the challenge for Christians is to move beyond prayer as crisis management or shopping list, and experience it as being in the very presence of our heavenly Father. Prayer - a beginner's guide is a short guide to help people explore personal prayer and is written by Jane Holloway, National Prayer Director at the World Prayer Centre. Written in an accessible, easy-to-understand way, it's an ideal resource for new Christians or those who have recently completed Alpha or Christianity Explored courses.

Author: Jane Holloway

This booklet includes 18 studies, looking at three aspects of living the Christian Life: Worship, Prayer and Bible. (6 studies on each topic)

This booklet includes 18 studies looking at three aspects of living the Christian Life: Integrity, Evangelism and Mission. (6 studies on each topic)

This booklet includes 18 studies looking at three aspects of living the Christian Life: Accountability, Care and Service. (6 studies on each topic)

Life as God meant it to be

A stirring book for new Christians about what it means (and what it's like) to live the Christian life … to live 'right side up'.

Author: Paul Grimmond

12 Gospel Truths to live by

Rock Solid aims to help us get to grips with twelve great truths that form the core of what it means to be an evangelical Christian. Each chapter focuses on one of these truths and includes a short Bible study and discussion questions aimed at stimulating our thinking and encouraging our action. Brief contemporary stories are also included to show how these particular truths have been used by God, either to bring men and women to Christ, or to teach them something of His ways in their lives.

How Can I Be Blessed? (Matthew 5-7) 10 lessons

Faith that does not compromise is promised a reward in the world to come, and also a life free from anxiety in this world. Get a deeper understanding of the fruit and security that come with righteousness in the life of a true believer. You'll never look at the Beatitudes the same way again! In-depth inductive study in an easy-to-follow daily format. Companion lecture CDs and DVDs are available. Training required for leaders.

Recipes for Evangelism and Discipleship for Today's Church

Red pepper soup with pesto; herb-crusted steak with spinach dauphinoise? Or will it be bruschetta with peppers; a steak-burger with spinach mayonnaise? On Ready Steady Cook, using store-cupboard and shopping-bag ingredients, two chefs produce contrasting meals. In many ways, discipleship and evangelism are the same. The cupboard has Christianity's eternals: creation; fall; Jesus; the cross and the resurrection. The bag has fresh ingredients: cultural ideas varying with time.

Author: Anna Robbins

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts. 12 lessons

What has God called you to do and uniquely equipped you for? Discover the spiritual gifts God has given you and understand those given to all believers to glorify Himself and strengthen His church. In-depth inductive study in an easy-to-follow daily format. Companion lecture CDs and DVDs are available. Training required for leaders.

Preparing for University

Studentscape is a course designed to make sure young people don’t just endure their time at university but enjoy it too. It encourages young people to ensure their relationship with God is built up and not pulled down during this time. Themes include Lifestyle Pressures – Cultural Expectations, Self Discipline – Self Control and Small Choices, Celebration – The Art of Partying Hard and Identity – You Are More Than Your Results. Each session looks at a leader in the Bible and how they were committed to be God’s agents of change in their time.

Author: Rich Wilson

How putting relationships first transforms everything

The greatest commandment is to think relationally: “Love God. Love your neighbour.” In this compelling and liberating book, Mark Greene reveals its extraordinarily practical implications for every area of life, showing how putting relationships first in our thinking and living is not only a liberating basis for our personal lives but a robust and dynamic foundation for our society and our global community.

Author: Mark Greene

Stress and anxiety are epidemics in today's culture. Learn how you can deal with these issues and find ways to prevent overload. Dr. Catherine Hart Weber explores the Hurried Woman Syndrome and how to conquer stress and anxiety in everyday life. The Extraordinary Women Series is designed to help women help themselves and others. Women today are doing more than ever before in history. New issues confront them on a daily basis. How does a woman cope with the unique stress of motherhood, career, relationships, singleness, financial freedom, etc? This series will help women have a better understanding of how to handle the pressures and complexities of life and offer them help and encouragement during these times.

Author: Catherine Hart-Weber

Book three of Eugene Peterson’s landmark SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY series. Foundational reading for the Twenty-First Century Church. Continuing Peterson’s major evaluation of contemporary Christian spirituality, THE JESUS WAY asks what it means to authentically follow Christ in the modern world. As with other books in the series, THE JESUS WAY is written for both academic and serious lay audiences. Challenging but rewarding, it combines first-rate scholarship with illustrations drawn from raw human experience.

Author: Eugene Peterson

A classic book to help you understand God and live fully in his Spirit.

Author: A W Tozer

Discovering the God-filled Life

When Anne Graham Lotz studied the life of Abraham in depth it changed her view of her own life forever. This book is the result of that life-transforming study, which drew her into a deeper friendship with God and set her on a journey of being a blessing to others. Combining a reflective study of the biblical account of Abraham, the founder of the Jewish and Christian faiths, with challenging meditations on the reality of being a disciple, this book is an invitation to all who long to live the God-filled life.

Author: Anne Graham Lotz

Living the cross and resurrection

A hard-hitting book showing how the cross and resurrection provide the pattern for Christian discipleship today. Allowing the cross and resurrection to shape our lives enables us to become exceptional, special, heroic. This is life with real meaning, life with a purpose.

Author: Tim Chester

The Remarkable History of the King James Version

In 1611 a book was published which would become the most familiar and widely read in the world: the King James Bible. For centuries it has been a religious and literary classic. But how did this 'noblest monument of English prose', in Robert Lowth's famous words, come to be? In the 13th century England was the only country in Europe to ban explicitly the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. For centuries, English Bibles were burned and translators executed. Guiding us through the forces that shaped King James' masterpiece, Derek Wilson explores the immense transformation of religion and society that led to its origin, tells the history of its making, and celebrates the breadth of its unparalleled influence. The story that unfolds will captivate all who enjoy history, religion, literature, or language.

Achieving God's Greatest Challenge

‘Total forgiveness is as spectacular as any miracle. We are talking about a feat greater than climbing Mount Everest. It means the highest watermark in anyone’s spiritual pilgrimage. And yet it is within reach of any of us.’ This book, possibly R T Kendall’s most important work to date, explains what God calls for as ‘total forgiveness’. No sin or action is unforgivable, says R T, and we are called to keep no record of wrongs, to refuse to punish those who have hurt us, to show mercy and to avoid any form of bitterness. A radical message for a divided world.

Author: R.T. Kendall

The seven deadly sins

An 8 minute contemporary DVD accompanied by a study booklet, suitable for individuals, small groups, sermon illustrations etc. and can be used in a diverse set of ways. The series is being created to cover all of the 7 deadly sins.

Helping Christians engage with the issues

"Confused with politics? Disaffected with politicians? Feel there's nothing you can do to make a difference? Votewise Now! argues that politics should be first and foremost about right relationships, and that the best way to 'do' politics is to engage with the things that really concern people. The book outlines all the key issues, turning to biblical teaching for a Christian perspective, offering a series of principles against which to evaluate party promises. It concludes with a Christian MP from each of the UK's three main political parties responding to the question, 'Why should a Christian vote for your party?'"

Author: ed. Rose Lynas

Selwyn Hughes draws on more than four decades of counselling experience and scriptural knowledge to deal with forty of life's most common problems, including fear, disappointment and bereavement.