There have been some books sitting on my bookshelf for the past three years now, and after going through all my books they have remained. Why? Because they have helped me so much to grow in my faith and come back to God when I am weak. Here are my top 5 books for new Christians that I feel have a big impact:
1. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris This book was the very first formal introduction that I had to God, but surprisingly that is not the reason I first bought it. I wanted this book because it talked about dating and courtship. Late January of 2013, my first ever serious relationship was put to an end. I was crushed. It was an hour before our anniversary when I got the call and me being naive at the time, thought that I would only have one relationship that would last forever. Boy was I wrong! Come fall of 2013, I made the decision to not date without a cause. I wanted to only invest myself in someone who would invest in me, and so that is when I learned about I Kissed Dating Goodbye. This book comes from a male perspective with God as the focus. It is easy to read and is directed much like a conversation would be. It is perfect for teens and young adults as they discover what dating means to them and how God plays a part in all of it. I highly recommend it! 2. Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris So I just talked about how Joshua Harris kissed dating goodbye, but he has more to tell us! He talks about his journey through courtship and how he met his wife. It is the perfect follow up to I Kissed Dating Goodbye. First he digs us deeper into discovering dating with a purpose, and then he gives us a success story! Again, this is a very easy read that reads like a conversation. I highly recommend it as a follow up to number 1 for teens and young adults, both male and female. 3. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel This book is written by a man who attended Yale Law School. Basically, his friend mentioned that he was a Christian, to which Strobel replies (paraphrased) "you, someone who is so intelligent, believes that God exists?!" to which his friend replies (paraphrased) "you, someone who is so intelligent, DOESN'T believe that God exist?!" Then, to make matters more escalated, his wife becomes a Christen. What is going on here? Who is this Jesus guy? Is he really who he claims to be? Well, Strobel uses his law expertise to go through and answer all these hard hitting questions. You'll have to read the book to see how it all works out. Let me tell you, it is what brought me back to Christianity when I had temporarily left. It is part of the reason I am never leaving again. 4. Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy This book is for all the ladies out there. It is written in a sit down cafe conversation manner. Leslie explains her search for the ultimate Prince: God himself. She helps us learn how we can become closer to our Prince and all that he has done for us to be pure in His image. This book, though repetitive about being lily white, is the perfect book for ladies of all ages to learn about the Prince who has been waiting for us to discover His amazing and unchanging love! Don't worry, Leslie is real and imperfect like the rest of us, and she tells us many real stories that happened before she met her Prince. We all struggle, and God is there to pick us up. 5. Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. If I haven't mentioned Joshua Harris enough, here is another one! I am halfway through this book and have found it to be true to its title. This book is great for new and old Christians to take their shallow understandings of God and dig them way deep down so that God becomes the only foundation you'll ever wanna lay your life upon. It is full of biblical truths and talks about some hard stuff in a very easy and simplistic way. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to strengthen their relationship with God, we all can and should, and have a deeper understand of it all. 6. The Life Application Study Bible NKJV by Tyndale This is a bonus top 5 (make that 6 now). This bible, sent to me by my uncle when I was far from a Christian, has SAVED my life! It brought me to Christ and made the bible EASY to understand. I'm not trying to sell this thing to you, but I do think it is very helpful for people who are: new Christians, old Christians, those who were raised without church, those who do not fully understand the bible or what it is talking about, those who like historical notes, those who like mini lessons, and really anyone. It is New King James Version, which means that it is easy to read. It is not written in an old language that requires even more translating and looking up words to understand what they mean (I mean Old English is not in it!). The words spoken by Jesus are written in red to know that they are His words. There are notes on the bottom of every page to give historical, educational, contextual, helpful, encouraging notes. Overall this bible is my first and it will definitely stay with me. I hope these books are helpful and engaging for you all. They have certainly been that way for me, and I say that as someone who often finds it hard to get into books. God bless!
0 Comments
I used to be an Atheist. And honestly, every person who has been or is a Christian today has had to undergo a decision to come to God. There are so many common beliefs and misconceptions revolving around what Christianity is. Today, I thought I would share with you my top 4 things that I wish people knew about Christianity.
1. Christianity is not a crutch. Time and time again, I have heard this phrase; that Christianity is for those who are weak and need something to make them feel at ease. While Christians can be weak in the sense that they need God and that God is powerful at putting trusting Christians at ease, that does not make Christianity a crutch. Christianity, to me, is a choice to admit my sins and turn to God and trust in Him. God gave us free will to enjoy life, and He has given us a bible of His word to help us follow a path that leads us to eternal life and everlasting joy. Christianity as a crutch assumes that there is no reason to have faith in God. However, Christianity is the very opposite of that. Christianity is the very faith that we need to have in God (Hebrews 11:6). Christianity is not a crutch. 2. Christianity is a fight. While Christianity is not a crutch that does not mean being a Christian does not include hard work, choices, endurance, and faith. Being a Christian does not immediately take away the hurt, pain and temptations that we face from day to day. God has given us free will, which means we are free to choose how we spend our days and what we do when exposed to situations. In a world that rejects Christianity and a higher power and instead enforces immediate gratification and temptation, it is more than ever a fight for God and Christianity. The bible is living proof of this. Many people within the bible struggle with life’s temptations and even as Christians, they fail God often. No one is good (Psalm 14:3). That is why Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:14), was so graciously given to us. So that through all our mistakes, we could be forgiven. Because of this, we fight for Christianity in a world that has lost faith in God. 3.Science does not work against Christianity. While evolution is often considered a touchy subject and the “arch nemesis” to creationism, science does not work against Christianity. Many philosophers and scientists in history and today have been and are Christians. Science works to understand the beauties that God has created, whether that be understanding species, landscape, or the stars. Much of our understandings on science are theories which we choose to accept. Not all of these theories work against Christianity. The ones that do, however, are those that explain life having been created without a Creator. Even the Big Bang Theory, which starts with a light, is such as the bible has stated from the beginning, that in the beginning there was light. A light that God created. Christians give all credit to God for creating us and the world we live in. God is the creator and science helps to better understand His creations. 4. One Christian does not represent all Christians and our beliefs. One person does not represent all of society, one atheist does not represent all atheists, and one Christian does not represent all Christians. According to God, there is not one person that He has created (aside for Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:14)) who is perfect and without sin. That means that we are all, including Christians, prone to mistakes, sin, and imperfection in a result from choices in free will. It would be impossible to pin point one Christian and expect them to be perfect like God, because no one is perfect. However, God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26) so that we can strive to be like Him and follow His example. This is something that is an ongoing fight, as explained above. Media often portrays Christianity by highlighting one mistake by one Christian. However, and I cannot stress this enough, one Christian does not represent all Christians and our beliefs. 5. READ the bible! As an non believer, I was so quick to try and explain why Christians were wrong. Many people do this. One of the problems is, though, that these people do not read the bible and understand the context in which things are said. For example, people like to use the Old Testament to try to prove why Christianity is a bad thing, whether it has to do with stoning, eating fish, or killing babies. I pray that you open up a bible and read the context of these stories. This is a historical text that explains what has happened and that does not mean that God, overall and always, accepts these things. For example, let's look at stoning and what God has to say: "they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.But what do You say?' This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear." (John 8:4-6) Key points: the Pharisees are using the Old Testament (in the law, commanded us) as a reason for why this woman who has sinned should be stoned. The Pharisees are testing Jesus about this to disprove that he is God. It is wrong to test God, but that is what they are doing! Jesus is most likely writing down the 10 commandments on the ground. So, let's see how Jesus, God himself, responds. "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No on, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'" (John 8:7-11) Key points: Jesus himself invites anyone who is without sin to stone this woman so that he may prove a point: No on is good, no one is without sin (Psalm 14:3). By *their own* conscience, each person, who was testing God, left. Jesus did not make them leave, they left, because they knew they were not without sin. Jesus illustrates that it is not for us to judge others and decide what is right for them. Jesus himself shows how the Old Testament was not a way in which God is saying go ahead and stone someone. It is so important to read the bible to be closer to God and have a truthful understanding of what God teaches! |
Author ↓
There's a battle going on inside us. I have chosen, after much consideration, to spend my life fighting for God in a sinful and God-hating world. This blog tells that story.
Archives
June 2016
Categories |