Books to study
FEATURED RESOURCE
For CGs and LGs
Community | 5 Chapters
Study Guide Available (upon request)
Life Together
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
In this short book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer explores the value and privilege of Christian Community. Christian community is a gift from God, purchased on the cross for us. This book dives into what real community is, and how our time together and our time alone serves the whole church. It also covers practical ways to serve and minister the gospel to one another. This book can benefit a Community Group, and is especially fitting for a Life Group context.
Copies of the book and study guide are available upon request — please contact Pastor Mike Polley (mike@citieschurch.com).
recommended
For CGs and LGs
Spiritual Growth | 10 Chapters
Discussion Guide Included
Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health
by Donald S. Whitney
Is your faith in Christ growing and deepening? What if there were ten questions that could help you diagnose your progress?
Whitney’s time-tested book is practical as well as theological as it seeks to lead men and women into a closer walk with Christ.
Discipleship | 10 Chapters
Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners
by Dane C. Ortlund
How do Christians grow? Dane Ortlund makes the case that sanctification does not happen by doing more or becoming better, but by going deeper into the gospel. Drawing on wisdom from figures throughout church history, Ortlund encourages readers to fix their gaze on Jesus in the battle against sin, casting themselves upon his grace and living out their invincible identity in Christ.
Christian Counseling | 10 Chapters
The Voice of the Heart: A Call to Full Living
by Chip Dodd
Chip Dodd invites us to begin to know our hearts so that we better know ourselves and can live fully in relationship with God and others. The journey begins with discovering the gift of The Eight Feelings™ that allow us to live fully in a tragic place—hurt, lonely, sad, anger, fear, shame, guilt, and glad. By listening to these eight God-given tools, we can be who we are made to be, so we can do what we are made to do.
Spiritual Growth | 16 Chapters
Study Guide Included
The Gospel for Real Life
by Jerry Bridges
The gospel is the door to eternal life, but what difference does it make once we’re inside God’s kingdom? Jerry Bridges says the gospel is the very lifeblood of our walk with God, the power for our daily progress in holiness. Learn to turn to the liberating power of the cross … every day.
Evangelism | 9 Chapters
Discussion Guide Included
BLESS: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World
by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
What if you could change the world without changing your daily routine? Dave and Jon Ferguson have found five simple, straightforward practices that will allow any believer to organically and authentically evangelize. And by consistently living them out, you can affect not just individual lives but your entire neighborhood and community—one person at a time.
Theology/Apologetics | 11 Chapters
Study Guide Included
Never Settle For Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness
by Jonathan Parnell
We’re all glory-chasers and pleasure-seekers — because God made us this way. In this short book, Jonathan speaks to the heart of skeptics and searchers by addressing our deepest longings. He examines the key tenets of the Christian faith — creation, fall, redemption, new creation — and reveals the life-changing glory of the Christian story in a fresh, new light.
Spiritual Growth | 9 Chapters
We Would See Jesus
by Roy & Revel Hession
Roy and Revel teach that Jesus must be the center of every Christian life. They paint a refreshing portrait of Jesus, in whom all the needs of human hearts are met. They remind us that we must look no further than His face to see God and know him as He really is. Dive in and discover God’s provision for you in Christ!
Christian Allegories | 31 Chapters
The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis
This is one of the most engaging accounts of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written. A sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the unique vantage point of a demon. At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, Lewis gives us the correspondence of the wordly-wise devil to a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.
Theology/Apologetics | 7 Chapters
Study Guide (under construction)
Why I Am A Christian
by John Stott
Why are Christians Christian? John Stott spent a lifetime wrestling with questions about Jesus both personally and in dialogue with skeptics and seekers around the globe. This short book is a resource for both experienced believers and those exploring Christianity for the first time.
Prayer | 34 Chapters
A Praying Life
by Paul E. Miller
Prayer is hard. Often, unless circumstances demand it―such as an illness or saying grace before a meal―most of us simply do not pray. This kind of prayerlessness can leave us with a distressed spirit and practical unbelief characterized by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual depression. This book reminds readers that prayer is simply making conversation with God a rhythm of daily Christian life.
Questions? Contact Pastor Mike Polley.