Still looking for a gift for a spouse, son, daughter, in-law, pastor, or friend? I have had several ask me what I would recommend for others. I have put together a small list of books that may serve your purpose. There are so many I could recommend. There are so many good authors and books. I had to be very selective.
Have fun shopping…
Devotional / Daily Reading
New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional
This bestseller by Paul Tripp is an exceptional read. It has an entire year’s worth of devotions. Paul offers you more than just caffeine to get your day started. He wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel. Forget “behavior modification” or feel-good aphorisms. Paul knows that what we really need is an encounter with the living God. Then we’ll be prepared to trust in God’s goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.
This is a book I go back to throughout the year. I enjoy reading it with friends, family, and church members. The three sections are helpful as Vincent helps you think through the various truths of the gospel. God did not give us His gospel just so we could embrace it and be converted. He offers it to us every day as a gift that keeps on giving us everything we need for life and godliness. Here is a valuable tool to preach the gospel to yourself daily to strengthen your faith and define what you believe and why.
The following 31-day Devotionals are specific to problems where a friend may be looking for help. These are incredible. I recommend all of them.
Addictive Habits: Changing for Good by David Dunham
After an Affair: Pursuing Restoration by Michael Scott Gembola
Contentment: Seeing God’s Goodness by Megan Hill
Doubt: Trusting God’s Promises by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Grief: Walking with Jesus by Robert Kellemen
Pornography: Fighting for Purity by Deepak Reju
Sanctification
Changed Into His Image: God’s Plan for Transforming Your Life
I love this book by Jim Berg. It is the second edition of a classic. This study of sanctification directs individual believers to recognize the true condition of the world and their own flesh, to turn from this reality to accept a deep relationship with Jesus Christ, and to respond to God s promptings in life. Both disciple makers and new and mature believers alike will benefit from this road map to spiritual growth, especially with careful contemplation of sections dedicated to personal use and to disciple making.
This book is a short book under $10.00 about sanctification by David Powlison. I think it is an excellent read and can help any person understand the process of growing to become more like Christ better. The process of sanctification is personal and organic―not a one-size-fits-all formula. Many popular views try to reduce the process of Christian growth to a single template. For example, remember past grace. Rehearse your identity in Christ. Avail yourself of the means of grace. Discipline yourself. But Scripture portrays the dynamics of sanctification in a rich variety of ways. No single factor, truth, or protocol can capture why and how a person is changed into the image of Christ.
Pray About Everything: Cultivating God-Dependency
Paul Tautges helps us with this book on prayer. Mark Dever says this is one of his favorite books on prayer. Jerry Bridges also highly recommends it. If you want to know more about prayer, this is a great read.
Some Specific Topics
If you have a son or daughter who is considering marriage or is in a relationship, this is a great resource. It would also be good for a singer person who is not currently in a relationship. This is a preparation for marriage book that is best read before you ever get in a relationship. Ernie writes it from a pastor-professor-dad perspective. You hear advice through his relationships with his own children, the many he has taught in seminary, and those he has pastored.
Paul does an excellent job here helping us consider our parenting. “In the midst of folding laundry, coordinating carpool schedules, and breaking up fights, many parents get lost. Feeling pressure to do everything “right” and raise up “good” children, it’s easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose as parents in the quest for practical tips and guaranteed formulas. Paul presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God―grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.
God Made All of Me is a simply-told, beautifully-illustrated story to help families talk about these sensitive issues with two- to eight-year-old children. Because the private parts of our bodies are private, the home is the ideal environment where a child should learn about his or her body and how it should be treated by others. God Made All of Me starts from the fundamental truth that God created everything and applies that truth to kids and their bodies. It equips parents to talk with both boys and girls about their bodies and to help them understand the difference between the appropriate and inappropriate touch of others.
