suggested reading

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Below is a list of books to read on your own or even better to discuss with a “huddle” (2-3 person group committed to meeting together to study God Truths, hold each other accountable, and encourage each other to steps of obedience).

Books with a * star by them are our suggested reads because they gave us language, influenced our culture, and were formative in building the The Bridge HTX.

Click to title to purchase/get more information. All books are listed on our Amazon List (link HERE). If you have a book you’d like to suggest, email Karen. 

First Five 

After Visual Theology, we at The Bridge suggest the next five books to read and discuss in a huddle (discipleship) relationship. 

1. Multiply- Francis Chan
2. Gospel Fluency- Jeff Vanderstelt 
3. Celebration of Discipline- Richard Foster
4. Prayer- Tim Keller
5. Life Together- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bibles

ESV Study Bible. 

Discipleship

• *Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches that Makes Disciples- Jim Putman
• Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples- Francis Chan
• The Divine Conspiracy- Dallas Willard
• The Complete Book of Discipleship: on Being and Making Followers of Jesus- Bill Hull
• Cost of Discipleship- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• The Master Plan of Evangelism- Robert Coleman

Relationship with God

• Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God- Henry Blackaby
• The Pursuit of God- AW Tozer
• The Ragamuffin Gospel- Brennan Mannings
• The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in Christian Life- A.W. Tozer
• Desiring God- Mediations of Christian Hedonists- John Piper
• Knowing God- JI Packer

Apologetics- Why We Believe What We Believe

• Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism- Tim Keller
• Know Why You Believe-Paul Little
• The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus- Gary Habermas and Michael Licona
• Simply Christianity Tom Wright
• So What’s the Difference- Fritz Ridenour
• Basic Christianity- John Stott
• Mere Christianity- C.S Lewis

Doctrine and Theology

• Systematic Theology- Wayne Grudem
• Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church- Michael Lawerence 
• How to Read the Bible for All its Worth- Gordon D Fee and Douglas Stuart
• More than a Carpenter- Josh McDowell
• Heaven- Randy Alcorn

Missional Living

• *Everyday Church: Gospel Community on Mission Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
• Saturated Field Guide Study- Jeff Vanderstelt and Ben Connelly (study guide)
• Book- Saturated: Being Discples of Jesus in Everday Stuff of Life- Jeff Vanderstelt
• *Life Together- The Classic Exploration of Christian Community- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• The Forgotten Way- Alan Hirsh
• Every Good Endeavor- Tim Keller 

Topical 

• Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving- Randy Alcorn (financial stewardship)
• The Rise of Christianity- Rodney Stark (church History)
• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to say no to take control of your life- Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Lead Like Jesus- Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges, Phyllis Hendry (leadership)
• Meaning of Marriage- Tim Keller (marriage)
• Mingling of Souls- Matt Chandler (marriage) 
• Be The Bridge: God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation- Latasha Morrison 
• Jesus and the Disinherited- Howard Thurman 
• The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism- Jemar Tisby (race) 

Dealing with Past Hurts

• Trusting God- Jerry Bridges
• Where is God When it Hurts- Philip Yancey
• Walking with God Through Pain and Suffer- Tim Keller
• Shattered Dreams God's Unexpected Path to Joy- Larry Crabb
• Mending the Soul: Understanding Healing and Abuse - Steven Tracy

Spiritual Disciplines/Prayer

• Celebration of Discipline- Richard Foster
• The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives- Dallas Willard
• Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Life- Donald S Whitney
• Praying Life- Paul Miller

Christian Living

• Screwtape Letters- C.S. Lewis
• Chronicles of Narnia Series- C.S. Lewis
• Love Does- Bob Goff
• Crazy Love- Francis Chan

Racial Reconciliation

• Be the Bridge - empower people and culture towards racial healing, equity, and reconcilition (also has a great list of resources)
• One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love By John M Perkins
• The Witness- a black Christian collective that engages issues of religion, race, justice, adn culture from a biblical perspective
• AND Campaing- Compassion & Conviction 
• The Verge Network Racial Justice Series
• Asian American Christian Collaborative
• God's Very Good Idea- a children's book to teach children how to enjoy being delightfully different yet all a part of God's family. 
• Articles on how to lament racial injustice HERE and HERE

Other Online Resources

Deeper Study/ Commentary

• Precept Austin - Extensive resources good for all levels of study

• Monergism - Extensive reformed theology study resources and sermon archives

• Christian Classics Etheral Library - Extensive resources for for study devotional to message prep to academic pursuits.

• Blue Letter Bible Study Resources - Many great free resources for deeper study.

• Look at the Book - 8-12 minute videos of visual study through specific scriptures produced by John Piper and Desiring God. Designed to not only teach the Word itself but to teach all effective self study of Scripture.

Know the Story and Truth of the Gospel

• The Story - Experience the full narrative of Scripture as the Gospel of Jesus threads from the beginning to the end in a very visual medium.

• 3 Circles - Hear your story in God's story and learn how to communicate the Truth of Jesus to others in a way that is humble, respectful,, clear, and uncomprimising.

Apologetics Help (why you believe what you believe)

• 4Truth.net - A reasoned approach to christianity

• Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - Many comparative religion and world issues resources

• Explore God - A great resource for all the questions that we encounter as we try to reconcile the Truth of God with our experience of this world.

Right Now Media

RightNow Media is a library of on-demand Bible study videos. Discover fun shows for kids, training videos on leadership, studies on books of the Bible, and much more. Their library has something for every age group and spiritual season and can searched by category, topic, or speaker. We have also curated a TBM Library with suggested resources to get you started. You can access RNM online or through their app.

RNM is our gift to you. to create your FREE account, Click HERE .

If you have any problems, email karen@thebridgehtx.org.