The following are a collection of books and products I have found valuable in my own life. They are all Amazon Associate links, so they do help support this site, but I am only listing products I’ve genuinely found to be a blessing or that I would personally encourage others to buy.
To make things easier to figure out, here’s the table of contents for this page…
I’m not going to lie, books have typically been a bit of an idol for me. I’m a bibliophile in an extreme way. But they do prove to be a blessing when you take in the information and apply it to life. I can’t tell you how much of this site itself is a result of books I have read. Here are my favorites…
ESV Study Bible
The ESV Study Bible is my favorite Bible. It has 20,000 study notes, 200+charts and timelines, 240+ full-color maps and illustrations, 50+ topical theology articles, 120 Bible character profiles and much more. In terms of translations, ESV is more of a word-for-word translation, but it reads better than KJV/NKJV. And the resources are incredible in this one. Our church uses the NASB, but as a family we picked out the ESV as our official family Bible translation so we learn verses in the same translation and read the same version together. Believe it or not, it’s what allowed my son to read at a tenth-grade reading level when he was in 2nd grade, because we did our devotions from this Bible each night and he got used to reading it. I have two hard copies of this Bible, a Logos version, an eBook version, and a Kindle version.
Human Hacking
The premise of Human Hacking is to improve relationships and give guidance on how to do what’s called social engineering. It’s filled with information that would be worth learning, but the redeeming point of this book is the intention of Hadnagy to leave people better off than when he found them. These tools are intended to be tools to help improve human interactions, not hurt people.
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Of all the books I would recommend as a bible study resource, this one would have to be my top pick. Imagine reading a passage of Scripture and then immediately knowing exactly where to look to understand the context of each passage. This book provides a far more complete selection of cross-references than can be found in any other source and that is worth the cost of this book (the hardbound book is $20 right now). I have given this one away as a gift to people I believe really are committed to in-depth Bible study and have heard raving reviews about it.
Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercises
Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercises was a great book on how to run Tabletop Exercises within an organization. As I’d had no previous training on how to do this, this helped me walk through the steps to make it a great experience.
A Gospel Primer
If there were a single book I’d give new believers beyond a Bible, it would be this book. It’s simple devotional-style writings are arranged in such a way so as to make a great month-long devotional but expounds on the gospel in the same way Paul does throughout the New Testament. Providing gospel imperatives (calls to action) based on gospel indicatives (truths), it reflects an approach to Scripture that pushes against legalism and instead lifts the heavy yoke to replace it with a yoke that is easy and light. I’ve read through it more than a dozen times. I buy this one in bulk to give out to people.
PowerShell for SysAdmins
Pretty self-explanatory. If you want to learn PowerShell, this was the most recent book that seemed to teach the basics for a system’s administrator. If you don’t use it you lose it, so it’s worth going back to if you don’t use PowerShell a lot. Though, I don’t think it does cover a lot of the updates to PowerShell. This is why books for scripting/programming can be difficult. By the time goes to print it’s already dated. But again, good coverage over the basics.
Valley of Vision
This devotional book is one of my favorites. It’s a great way to improve the condition of your heart as you approach God in prayer. I’ve dwelt on the prayers in this book and been humbled, broken, encouraged, inspired, and drawn closer to God. I buy this one as a gift for people on a regular basis.
ESV Exhaustive Concordance
This is the concordance I recommend pairing with the ESV translation. And it is indeed exhaustive.
Counsel with Confidence: A Quick Reference Guide for Biblical Counselors and Disciplers
If I were to offer one resource to someone wanting to learn how to help others through tough times, this would be the book I’d offer. This is such a practical tool, that I think it should be a required book for anyone going into ministry.
The Christian Book of Mystical Verse: A Collection of Poems, Hymns, and Prayers for Devotional Reading
The name of this devotional book seems a little off. Anything “Mystical” seems a little too unbiblical in our context. But A.W. Tozer’s compiled a wealth of heart-correcting, mind-sharpening, and valuable texts that are well worth reading through in this one. It is another one of my favorites.
Marks of the Messenger
This book is powerful. If you want to know one of the main reasons cultural Christianity is so prevalent, I believe a part of it is due to the cycle of gospel assumption we see in this book. I’ve had guys I’ve discipled read this and tell me that it’s a great book.
Logic and the Way of Jesus
If you want to think more clearly, and consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus, this book is worth picking up. To be clear, this is an introduction to the formal topic of logic and does have the weight of an academic book that seems to aim at college level students in their first logic class. Be aware, it’s not a bunch of pop-level fluff.
Gospel Treason
The faith group that I lead is going through this book right now and it has been a great read and a challenging one at that. If you want to align your worship to be more in-line with what Scripture teaches, find the brokenness in your relationships, and let go of the chains that hold you down, this is a resource worth checking out. There is a study guide I have listed in my blog post (see link above) that makes this an even better resource.
ESV Spiral-Bound Journaling Bible, New Testament (Hardcover)
If you’re going to write in your Bible, make it easier on yourself by using a spiral-bound Bible with space for you to write in! I bought a number of these to give away as gifts and have one for myself, despite doing everything digitally.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
Hands down, the best book on parenting! 5/5, do recommend!
The Jesus Storybook Bible
This was something we read to our kids repeatedly, have read ourselves as an encouragement at times, and have bought in bulk to give away to others to encourage them. If you’re looking for something for children, something simple to encourage your own soul, or a gift for a family with children, this would be my recommendation.
The Sing! Hymnal, Lay-Flat Edition with Chords
The Sing! Hymnal (lay-flat edition) is my favorite hymnal. Not only do you not have to hold it open with your hand while you sing, but you get 497 hymns, quotes from Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, J. I. Packer, John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dane Ortlund, and H. B. Charles Jr., liturgical readings, and finally, contributions from Keith and Krystin Getty!
Waterproof Bible – ESV – Camouflage
I was a chaplain for a Trail Life troop for a season. Having a Bible that didn’t fold under rain was a great asset. If you’re a hunter or an outdoorsman or anything of the sort, this thing can be very helpful/useful.
Humility: True Greatness
This is a great text, but I’ll give you one of my favorite takeaways from this book for free: humility leads us to consider how God is working in the lives of others, to point it out, and celebrate it when we see it. Every person is made in the image of God and we get to seek out that image in every person we encounter.
The Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium Set (1 of 7)
Kids and adults alike love these comics. They are the only comic I have loved enough to buy all of them physically, digitally, and some as gifts. I’ve heard professional artists indicate that this comic series may have been one of the most masterful pieces of art. Deep, funny, and somewhat innocent in it’s approach (because let’s face it, Calvin’s never innocent!). This is the portable compendium Volume 1. You can get Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6, and Volume 7 as well but I won’t put them each as a separate book.
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