THE CHURCH LIBRARY

Books we love and recommend

CURRENT BOOK WE ARE TALKING ABOUT

Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn’t Enough by John Ortberg—In this deeply heartfelt book, author John Ortberg offers a guide for transformation when we know something needs to change but we can’t do it on our own. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and using the framework of AAs 12 steps as a guide, Ortberg offers all of us a freeing roadmap for:
  • Giving up our exhausting and fruitless efforts to fix, manage, and control our own lives
  • Distinguishing between when willpower is essential and when it is futile
  • Discovering how God can do for us what we can’t do for ourselves, and
  • Living authentically, joyfully and in communion with God and other people.
Ortberg shows us how to discover:
  • Our spiritual attachment styles
  • Our core doubts
  • The benefits of practices like prayer, meditation, and mindfulness
  • God’s sufficiency in our inadequacy
In Steps, find what’s needed to experience a new freedom, a new fellowship and a new happiness no matter our circumstances.
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FOR MEN

FIGHTING SHADOWS

JEFFERSON BETHKE & JON TYSON

Fighting Shadows is one of the most helpful and impactful books for men we have ever read. In it, Jon Tyson and Jefferson Bethke address the most difficult challenges facing men in today's culture and offer a biblical vision for healthy masculinity. They distill the issues facing men today into 7 'shadows': despair, loneliness, shame, lust, ambition, futility, and apathy.  
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THE MEN WE NEED

BRANT HANSEN

A book can be both full of wisdom and hilarious. That's one thing we love about Brant Hansen. In The Men We Need, he challenges many of the cultural assumptions surrounding masculinity and calls men to embrace a simple, biblical vision of manhood. Rather than pursuing power, status, or self-interest, Hansen argues that real strength is found in courageously taking responsibility, serving others, protecting the vulnerable, and remaining faithful to God's calling. 
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SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

PRACTICING THE WAY

JOHN MARK COMER

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer invites readers to move beyond simply believing in Jesus and learn how to live like Him. Drawing on the practices and rhythms of Jesus' life, Comer explores how spiritual formation happens through intentional apprenticeship to Christ—being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did. Practical, accessible, and deeply rooted in Scripture, this book offers a framework for cultivating habits that lead to greater intimacy with God and transformation into the likeness of Christ.
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THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES

DALLAS WILLARD

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard explores how spiritual transformation takes place through the intentional practice of biblical disciplines. Rather than viewing disciplines such as prayer, fasting, solitude, study, and service as ways to earn God's favor, Willard presents them as tools God uses to shape believers into the image of Christ. Combining deep theological insight with practical application, this influential work offers a compelling vision for living as a disciple whose whole life is increasingly surrendered to God's kingdom.
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PRAYING LIKE MONKS, LIVING LIKE FOOLS

TYLER STATON

In Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Tyler Staton explores prayer not as a religious duty, but as the primary way believers experience a real and growing relationship with God. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and personal experience, Staton addresses common questions, frustrations, and misconceptions about prayer while inviting readers into a deeper life of trust, dependence, and intimacy with God. Honest, accessible, and deeply encouraging, this book helps readers rediscover prayer as a powerful and transformative practice at the heart of the Christian life.
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GOD ON MUTE

PETE GREIG

In God on Mute, Pete Greig wrestles with one of the most difficult questions of faith: Why does God sometimes seem silent when we pray? Through biblical reflection, personal stories, and honest engagement with suffering, Greig explores the tension between God's goodness and the reality of unanswered prayer. Rather than offering simplistic answers, he provides thoughtful guidance for trusting God amid disappointment, doubt, and pain, helping readers develop a deeper and more resilient faith.
amazon

PRACTICING THE WAY

JOHN MARK COMER

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer invites readers to move beyond simply believing in Jesus and learn how to live like Him. Drawing on the practices and rhythms of Jesus' life, Comer explores how spiritual formation happens through intentional apprenticeship to Christ—being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did. Practical, accessible, and deeply rooted in Scripture, this book offers a framework for cultivating habits that lead to greater intimacy with God and transformation into the likeness of Christ.
amazon

THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES

DALLAS WILLARD

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard explores how spiritual transformation takes place through the intentional practice of biblical disciplines. Rather than viewing disciplines such as prayer, fasting, solitude, study, and service as ways to earn God's favor, Willard presents them as tools God uses to shape believers into the image of Christ. Combining deep theological insight with practical application, this influential work offers a compelling vision for living as a disciple whose whole life is increasingly surrendered to God's kingdom.
amazon

PRAYING LIKE MONKS, LIVING LIKE FOOLS

TYLER STATON

In Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Tyler Staton explores prayer not as a religious duty, but as the primary way believers experience a real and growing relationship with God. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and personal experience, Staton addresses common questions, frustrations, and misconceptions about prayer while inviting readers into a deeper life of trust, dependence, and intimacy with God. Honest, accessible, and deeply encouraging, this book helps readers rediscover prayer as a powerful and transformative practice at the heart of the Christian life.
amazon

GOD ON MUTE

PETE GREIG

In God on Mute, Pete Greig wrestles with one of the most difficult questions of faith: Why does God sometimes seem silent when we pray? Through biblical reflection, personal stories, and honest engagement with suffering, Greig explores the tension between God's goodness and the reality of unanswered prayer. Rather than offering simplistic answers, he provides thoughtful guidance for trusting God amid disappointment, doubt, and pain, helping readers develop a deeper and more resilient faith.
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CLASSICS

MERE CHRISTIANITY

C.S. LEWIS

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis presents a clear and compelling explanation of the core beliefs of the Christian faith. Originally adapted from a series of radio broadcasts during World War II, the book explores topics such as morality, the identity of Jesus, Christian virtue, and spiritual transformation. Thoughtful, logical, and accessible, Lewis's classic work continues to help both skeptics and believers understand the foundations of Christianity and what it means to follow Christ.
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THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY

DALLAS WILLARD

In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard offers a profound exploration of Jesus' teachings on life in the Kingdom of God, with a particular focus on the Sermon on the Mount. Challenging the idea that Christianity is merely about sin management or securing a future in heaven, Willard presents discipleship as a way of life that transforms every aspect of a person's character and relationships. Rich in biblical insight and practical wisdom, this influential book invites readers to experience the reality of God's kingdom here and now through apprenticeship to Jesus.
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