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!
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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.
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