Bible Study Resources

• Wide Margin/Journaling Bible – I currently use this NKJV edition for my primary physical Bible to write in and have used these and these for in-depth notes on single books.
• Spiral Bible – these Bibles are printed on thicker paper and in notebook form and are great for seeing parallels and making deeper notes on a text. These are currently not available in most modern translations, but I have enjoyed using the KJV and being able to see and engage with the English text in a new way.
• Speaking Bible – I still love a physical Bible to preach/teach, but I like larger print with easier-to-read verse divisions. I am currently using this one. It is a NKJV with a larger print and MacLaren-style verse spacing.
• Journal for notetaking – There are many brands you can use, but I prefer ones that can hold up under a lot of handling, there are tons of varieties available in different styles/price points. I personally like to use one for making study notes and one for prayers. These are sturdy, but small enough I can carry them easily in a bag (or purse or backpack) to have handy.
• Bible Gateway (Free online resource for comparing English/modern language translations) – Easiest way to make quick side-by-side comparisons of English translations
• Accordance Bible Software – the basic package has a good lineup of resources for the general Bible student (I like that resources can be added as needed and there is less cost upfront compared with Logos. I still love using physical resources, but having the dictionaries/concordances/word studies in one place is a blessing)
• Bible app (YouVersion)
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – Gordon D. Fee
• How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour – Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart
• How to Study the Bible for the Greatest Profit – R.A. Torrey

Devotional Resources

• Daily Kairos (I started using this guided devotional journal to begin 2023 and am continuing in 2024- the fact each journal is only three months long gives a full two-page opening to each day/weekly review). I like that these are the same size as the blank journal I use for taking notes.
• Daily Light (assorted verses for morning/evening each day of the year- multiple translations available- I use this one available in NKJV- I prefer this edition as the daily readings are presented alone without commentary and with topical references placed in a separate section)
• Power for Today devotional booklet- a resource from 21st Century Christian similar in style to the popular The Upper Room/Daily Bread guided devotionals
• My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers
• Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals – Shane Claiborne
• Springs in the Valley – Mrs. L.B. Cowman
• Streams in the Desert – Mrs. L.B. Cowman
• On Living Well: Brief Reflections on Wisdom for Walking in the Way of Jesus – Eugene H. Peterson
• Endless Grace: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Ryan Whitaker Smith & Dan Wilt
• New Morning Mercies – Paul David Tripp
• Daily Strength for Daily Needs – Mary W. Tileston

Books on Spiritual Growth/Formation/Theology (Specific Areas)

• Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament – Michael Card
• God of the Oppressed – James H. Cone
• Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life (updated) – Ed Cyzewski
• Ordering Your Private World – Gordon MacDonald
• Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope – Esau McCaulley
• A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing – Amanda Held Opelt
• Gentle and Lowly: The Hear of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers – Dane Ortland
• Letters to a Young Pastor: Timothy Conversations Between Father and Son – Eric E. Peterson
• Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology – Eugene H. Peterson
• Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading – Eugene H. Peterson
• Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best – Eugene H. Peterson
• On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books – Karen Swallow Prior
• Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible – E. Randolph Richards & Barndon O’Brien
• Enjoying Intimacy with God – J. Oswald Sanders
• Why I Am a Christian – John R.W. Stott
• The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer
• The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus – Rich Villodas
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life – Donald S. Whitney
• A Curious Faith: The Questions God Asks, We Ask, and We Wish Someone Would Ask Us – Lore Ferguson Wilbert
• The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives – Dallas Williard
• Reading For the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice – Jessica Hooten Wilson
• The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints – Jessica Hooten Wilson

Books on Prayer

• The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions – Arthur Bennett (ed.)
• Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation – D.A. Carson
• The Path of Prayer – Samuel Chadwick
• Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans – Robert Elmer (ed.)
• Yours Is the Day, Lord, Yours Is the Night – David and Jeanie Gushee (eds.)
• Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers – Anne Lamott
• The Hidden Life of Prayer: The Lifeblood of the Christian – David McIntyre
• The Life of Prayer and the Power of Stillness – A.B. Simpson
• How To Pray – R.A. Torrey
• Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep – Tish Harrison Warren
• How to Live a Life of Prayer: Classic Christian Writers on the Divine Privilege of Prayer – John Wesley, E.M. Bounds, Andrew Murray, S.D. Gordon
• Lord, Teach Us To Pray (Enhanced Version) – Alexander Whyte

Spiritual Biographies

• Memoir and Remains of R.M. M’Cheyne – Andrew Bonar
• Answers to Prayer From George Müller’s Narratives – A.E.C. Brooks (ed.)
• Hudson Taylor: Man Who Believed God – Marshall Broomhall
• A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of the Message – Winn Collier
• The Journals of Jim Elliot – Elisabeth Elliot (ed.)
• Through the Gates of Splendor – Elisabeth Elliot
• Searching for Sunday – Rachel Held Evans
• Goforth Of China – Rosalind Goforth
• C.T. Studd, Cricketer & Pioneer – Norman P. Grubb
• Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation – Collin Hansen
• The Sage of Jasper: The Life of Gus Nichols – Scott Harp
• The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out – Brennan Manning
• Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland
• The Seven Storey Mountain – Thomas Merton
• Legacy of a Legend: Spiritual Treasure from the Heart of Edward Payson – Edward Payson
• The Pastor: A Memoir – Eugene H. Peterson
• Larimore and His Boys – F.B. Srygley
• Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven – James Bryan Smith
• Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret – Dr. F. Howard & Geraldine G. Taylor
• Borden of Yale – Geraldine Guinness Taylor
• To Die is Gain: The Triumph of John and Betty Stam – Geraldine Guinness Taylor
• Wingspread: A. B. Simpson- A Study in Spiritual Altitude – A.W. Tozer
• 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith – Warren W. Wiersbe
• Complete Surrender: A Biography of Eric Liddell – Julian Wilson
• Where The Light Fell – Philip Yancey

Faithful Fiction

• Gilead – Marilynne Robinson
• Jayber Crow – Wendell Berry (all of the Port William fellowship novels/stories are lovely)

*No person, even one seeking to live and minister faithfully, is perfect just as no uninspired writing is perfect. It is a mark of maturity to be able to read widely and discern faithfully. All translations, resources, authors, and content shared here are offered with the belief that truth has nothing to fear from thoughtful engagement and mature faith comes from reading diverse perspectives and applying the principles presented therein openly and prayerfully.