Saddleback Church

In his magnificent classic, Chuck Colson shakes the church from its complacency with a penetrating look at the cost of being Christian. For those who have wondered whether there isn't more to Christianity than what they have known, and for those who have never considered the question, Loving God points the way to faith's cutting edge. Here is a compelling, probing look at the cost of discipleship and the meaning of the first and greatest commandment, one that will strum a deeper, truer chord within, even as it strips away the trappings of shallow, cultural Christianity.

Recommended by Bob Baker

In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey reveals the real Jesus beyond the stereotypes, offering a new and different perspective on the life of Christ and his work—his teaching, his miracles, his death and resurrection—and ultimately, who he was and why he came.

Relating the gospel events to the world we live in today, The Jesus I Never Knew gives a moving and refreshing portrait of the central figure of history. With a willingness to tackle difficult questions, Yancey looks at the radical words of this itinerant Jewish carpenter and asks whether we are taking him seriously enough in our own day and age. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers; a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith; and a Jesus who is brilliant, creative, challenging, fearless, compassionate, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying.

Recommended by Shaun Blakeney

What caused a former Dallas Seminary professor to believe that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are being given today? What convinced someone skeptical about miracles that God still speaks and heals? A dramatic change took place in Jack Deere's life when he took a fresh look at the Scriptures. He discovered that his arguments against miraculous gifts were based more on prejudice and lack of personal experience than on the Bible. As soon as Deere became a seeker instead of a skeptic, the Holy Spirit revealed himself in new and surprising ways.

In Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Deere provides a strong biblical defense for the Spirit's speaking and healing ministries today. He also describes several reliable cases of people who were miraculously healed or who heard God speak in an unmistakable way. Finally, he gives sound advice for using spiritual gifts in the church. Written in a popular style, with the care of a scholar but the passion of personal experience, this book explores: the real reason Christians do not believe in miraculous gifts, responding to charismatic abuses, whether miracles were meant to be temporary, and why God still heals.

Recommended by Mike Constantz

What Tozer calls ''personal heart religion'' can grow only from reverent meditation on God. And Tozer's own best selling classic, The Knowledge of the Holy is immensely encouraging. In straightforward and readable language, Tozer describes the attributes of God and shows how understanding them (''knowing the holy'') can help you grow in the Christian life.

Recommended by Kenny Luck and Mike Constanz

God is not simply the subject of our Bible study. Rather, he is a person who loves and longs to enter into relationship with us. In this contemporary classic Blackaby will share with you how God longs to share himself, his purposes and his ways with you so that you can more fully share in his mission to this broken world. Seize this opportunity to experience the width and length, height and depth of God's great love for you.

The work of a lifetime, from one of the world's most influential thinkers, about the heart of the Christian faith. "I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. . . In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?"

With compelling honesty John Stott confronts this generation with the centrality of the cross in God's redemption of the world—a world now haunted by the memories of Auschwitz, the pain of oppression and the specter of nuclear war. Can we see triumph in tragedy, victory in shame? Why should an object of Roman distaste and Jewish disgust be the emblem of our worship and the axiom of our faith? And what does it mean for us today?

Now from one of the foremost preachers and Christian leaders of our day comes theology at its readable best, a contemporary restatement of the meaning of the cross. At the cross Stott finds the majesty and love of God disclosed, the sin and bondage of the world exposed. More than a study of the atonement, this book brings Scripture into living dialogue with Christian theology and the twenty-first century. What emerges is a pattern for Christian life and worship, hope, and mission.

Destined to be a classic study of the center of our faith, Stott's work is the product of a uniquely gifted pastor, scholar and Christian statesman. His penetrating insight, charitable scholarship and pastoral warmth are guaranteed to feed both heart and mind.

John R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

J. I. Packer's Knowing God has become a classic of the Christian faith. Why? While it gives us information about God with clarity and grace, it does much more—it aids us in actually knowing him, in building our relationship with him, and helps draw us closer to him in love and worship. This 20th anniversary edition of Packer's classic has new Americanized text, reader-friendly type, and a new preface.

Scripture reveals that the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. Now revised and expanded, Desiring God reveals how delighting in God can motivate us to glorify Him through worship, stewardship, loving our neighbor, rejoicing in suffering, and other "duties." John Piper reveals that the debate between duty and delight doesn't truly exist: Delight is our duty. Discover how to lay a biblical foundation for a life of celebration by truly desiring the Lord.

Spend some intimate moments with the Savior, and you'll learn to love as he did. This devotional interweaves NIV Scripture passages with sensitive meditations and heartfelt prayers. Each meditation captures an encounter between Jesus and one person, and shows how that encounter radically changed a life. You'll walk where Jesus walked, see the people he saw, and understand what those people saw in Jesus. And, moment by intimate moment, you'll be changed. Foreword by Chuck Swindoll.

Using Jesus' words in John 15, "I am the vine; you are the branches",Andrew Murray explores how the believer abides in Christ. In a message as timely today as when first published in 1895, he urges readers to yield themselves to Jesus, in order that they may know the rich and full experience of the blessedness of abiding in Christ.

About the Author: Andrew Murray was born in South Africa in 1828. After receiving his education in Scotland and Holland, he spent many years in Africa as both pastor and missionary. He wrote some of the most enduring classics of Christian devotional literature.

Recommended by Kay Warren