Sandhills Presbyterian Church

MORE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING SOON…

In the meantime, if you have a question about a particular topic or issue, then email Drew Martin for a suggestion.  The recommendations here are primarily for parents, although many of the books would be great for older youth as well (these are clearly marked).

Bibles

If you are looking for a Study Bible that will help you as you read, there are two you should consider:

The Reformation Study Bible (ESV).  The English Standard Version (ESV) is the best “literal” translation out there in terms of preserving the original sense of the Biblical text.  This Study Bible is edited by R.C. Sproul and contains all kinds of helpful tools for understanding difficult passages and how different parts of the Bible fit together. [Great for Youth, obviously]

The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (NIV).  The New International Version (NIV) continues to be the best translation by “dynamic equivalence” (not exactly literal, but generally does a good job of preserving the original meaning and is easier to read than the ESV).  This Study Bible is edited by Richard Pratt and has helpful articles, notes, and also includes many Reformed Confessions and Creeds.  [Great for Youth, obviously]

Devotional

Training Hearts Teaching Minds:  Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism by Starr Meade.  Most devotionals are either fluffy and empty or dry and boring.  Worse, many devotionals are either theologically vacuous or downright heretical.  This one by Starr Meade is none of those things.  It engages the mind and the heart, is theologically trustworthy, and it is perfect for family members of all ages.  I could not recommend this any more highly. [Great for Youth]

A Praying Life by Paul Miller.  The best book about prayer I have ever read.  In fact, one of the best books I have ever read, period.  It is rich, practical, biblical, and wise.  If you have ever struggled to pray it will help you immensely. [Great for Youth]

The Gospel

Putting Amazing Back into Grace by Michael Horton.  These days it seems like the “gospel” preached by many folks sounds a lot more like hard work or good advice for a nice life than it does like good news.  Understanding the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ will change your life.

Parenting

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp.  Most books on parenting are either based on common sense or the experience of the particular author.  This book is unique in the way that it begins with a biblical worldview and then applies that worldview consistently to real world parenting issues.

Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp.  This is hands down the best parenting book out there.  It is specifically written for parents of teenagers.

Youth Ministry

Soul Searching:  The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers.  This book is a summary of Christian Smith’s state of the art research on youth culture conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  His description of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism as the default American religion is worth the price of the book.  Modern youth ministry has contributed significantly to many of the problems in American religion, and this book will help you understand the philosophy of youth ministry of our church and how we try to avoid those problems.

Worship

How Shall We Worship?  Biblical Guidelines for the Worship Wars by Marva Dawn.  This is a very short and very basic (but incredibly thought provoking) introduction to biblical worship based on Psalm 96.  You could read this book in an afternoon, but it will change the way you think about worship forever! [Great for Youth]

Reaching Out without Dumbing Down:  A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time by Marva Dawn.  If you read Dawn’s other book but want to go a little bit deeper, this is the next place to turn.  It will require a little more time, but it is hands down the best book on worship written in the last few decades.

A Better Way:  Recovering the Drama of Christ-Centered Worship by Michael Horton.  Horton takes the general conclusions from authors like Dawn and builds on them, helping us to understand what an actual worship service should look like.

With Reverence and Awe:  Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship by D.G. Hart and John Muether.  Hart & Muether do a good job of summarizing a Reformational understanding of worship that applies timeless principles to our contemporary worship.

Evangelism

Tell the Truth by Will Metzger.  The subtitle of this book reads, “The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People.”  It is both theologically sound and immensely practical.  Most of all, it will encourage you to share the good news of Jesus with others. [Great for Youth]

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer.  A modern classic.  Ever wonder why we should bother telling people about Jesus if God is in control of all things?  This short little book will help tremendously. [Great for Youth]

Four very helpful reference books:

1. The New Bible Commentary. Commentaries are books that explain the Bible, usually in a verse by verse fashion.  The New Bible Commentary has a chapter for every book in the Bible.  The contributors are conservative evangelicals who do a good job explaining the text in a way that is accessible and easy to understand.  For the money you can’t find a better or more exhaustive resource for understanding the Bible.

2. An Introduction to the New Testament by D.A. Carson & Douglas Moo. If you have ever had a question about the author, date, history, themes, main ideas, etc. about a book in the New Testament, this book will help you answer it.  It is just great.

3. An introduction to the Old Testament by Tremper Longman & Raymond Dillard. Same as above, but this time for the Old Testament.

4. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul. This book is exactly what its title says, an explanation of the basic truths of the Christian faith.  The great thing about this book is that it is very easy to read and the chapters are very short (each one is about 4 pages).  As a result if you have a question about, say, the authority of Scripture or baptism or whatever…it is nice to have a resource that will give you the basics.