Commitment Resources
Don’t Waste Your Life
by John Piper
Most people slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion. If you believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain, read this book, learn to live for Christ, and don’t waste your life!
Emotional Healthy Spirituality
by Peter Scazzero
Even though Scazzero was pastor of a rapidly growing church, he did what most people do: avoided conflict, ignored his anger, sadness, and fear; used God to run from God; and lived without healthy & appropriate boundaries. Eventually God awakened him to a Biblical integration of emotional health, a profound relationship with Jesus, and the historical practices of contemplative spirituality. The book outlines his journey and the signs of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven Biblical, reality tested ways to break through to the revolutionary life Christ meant for you.
Radical
by David Platt
In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple and then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a “successful” suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment a one year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.
Transforming Prayer
by Daniel Henderson
Instead of a genuine encounter with God, often prayer is little more than a grocery list of requests. Maybe you, too, seek God’s hand rather than his face. How do you truly connect with God through prayer? In this book, Henderson shows you how to overcome common barriers to praying effectively, awaken your prayer life with simple Biblical patterns of prayer, and enjoy Spirit-led prayer sparked by Scripture Passages. When you experience the profound different of worship-based prayer, your faith and life will never be the same.
Prayer
by Tim Keller
With his trademark insights and energy, Keller offers biblical guidance as well as specific prayers for certain situations, such as dealing with grief, loss, love, and forgiveness. He discusses ways to make prayers more personal and powerful, and how to establish a practice of prayer that works for each reader.
The Good and Beautiful God
By James Bryan Smith
This book and the companion books (Good and Beautiful Life / Good and Beautiful Community) pair biblical priorities with practical soul training exercises. Each chapter is filled with wisdom related to living as a Christian in our world today and is followed by a practice you can do to make the changes needed for personal growth.
Desiring God
By John Piper
This study is not for the faint of heart but it is worth the effort. John Piper digs below our deeds to expose the heart which drives them. Desire, in this life, is not optional so it is vital we place our desires on the only source of eternal life and joy in the universe… God Himself.