Accessible Books Every “Brick” Family Should Consider Owning

We recommend these books to our church family. 

Christians are called to love God with their minds (Matt 22:37-40). Loving God with our minds means striving to hide the meaning and understanding of God’s Word in the depths of our being so that we see life through a Christian lens and walk accordingly.

The goal of this list is to recommend to The Red Brick Church family resources that could serve as a beginning point for a basic Christian library. Making such recommendations is a central way our pastors equip our flock (Ephesians 4:11-13).

These resources are accessible. You don’t need to be a seminary student or pastor to understand them. Indeed, several of the resources are written for children or young people.

The list is alphabetical by author with the particular category in bold.

If you read the explanation given with the recommended titles, you will see why we chose books from these categories:

1. The Bible
2. Biblical Theology
3. Devotions
4. Family Devotions with Children
5. Hermeneutics / Bible Study Methods
6. Psalms
7. Systematic Theology
8. Wisdom

Our recommendations are as follows:

The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2008. The Bible is THE book and the ESV Study Bible provides solid introduction articles to every book in the Bible as well as useful commentary or explanation throughout. The online ESV Study Bible is an excellent tool. Tim Challies’s review compares the ESV study Bible with other study Bibles.

Bennett, Arthur. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1997. DEVOTIONS. Who among us would not acknowledge the need to improve in their prayer life? This collection of prayers will inspire and equip you to pray in a variety of settings and circumstances.

Bruno, Chris. The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words. Wheaton: Crossway, 2017. BIBLICAL THEOLOGY is the branch of the theology that studies the overarching (true) storyline of the Bible and how the parts fit with the whole. This book offers an accessible resource for flying at 30,000 feet over the whole Bible.

See Pastor Chris Brauns’s post, An Accessible Resource for Understanding the Storyline of the Bible. He writes, “Chris Bruno has written a concise book on biblical theology that is easy for to read regardless of one’s background. Chris identifies 16 verses that trace the key points of the biblical narrative. If you give this book just a few hours, you will be able to distill the message of the Bible in a paragraph or two. In the process, you will see how the book of Genesis fits together with Isaiah, Ezekiel, and much more.”

Dever, Mark. What Is a Healthy Church? Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY (Doctrine of the church, ecclesiology). If you are part of our church, we will give you a copy of this book — provided you agree to read it. Dever highlights priorities for the local church. This concise book is helpful for those looking for a local church.

Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Vol. 3rd. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. HERMENEUTICS / BIBLE STUDY METHODS. A major goal for our church family is that we are all equipped to study the Word of God ourselves. This is a solid book on hermeneutics (Bible study methods). Fee and Stuart explain how to study a Psalm as opposed to a parable or another part of the Bible.

Keller, Kathy. The New City Catechism: 52 Questions and Answers for Our Hearts and Minds. Wheaton: Crossway, 2017. DEVOTIONS / FAMILY DEVOTIONS / SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY.  A catechism is a series of questions and answers that teaches a basic outline of theology. Working through the questions and answers will give you an overview of important doctrinal truths. The New City Catechism reflects influences from both the Heidelberg and Westminster catechisms — two of the most wonderful documents in church history. Our church currently (2018) shares a different question and answer from The New City Catechism each week on the front of our bulletin.

New City Catechism resources, including an app, are available online. See also: Introduction to the New City Catechism by Tim Keller

See also the New Hampshire Confession of Faith and our church doctrinal statement (which is the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) statement of faith though we are not formally affiliated with the EFCA.

Keller, Timothy J. The New City Catechism Devotional: God’s Truth for Our Hearts and Minds. Edited by Collin Hansen. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2017. DEVOTIONS / FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN / SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY. This is is a devotional for The New City Catechism (see above). It offers excellent devotional thoughts on each of the 52 questions. The devotions are brief — usually a couple of pages — and written in a non-technical way.

Keller, Timothy, and Kathy Keller. God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs. S.l.: Viking, 2017. DEVOTIONS / WISDOM. Wisdom is the “saw” we use to cut our way through life. Wisdom is skill for right living.  The book of Proverbs is given for the purpose of teaching us wisdom. Every Christian should make it an ongoing goal to read one of the 31 chapters of Proverbs each day. If it is the 9th day of the month, read Proverbs 9. Keller and Keller’s book will help you process the profound wisdom of the book of Proverbs. See also Pastor Brauns’s post: Read Proverbs 43% of the Rest of Your Life.

For those who wish to study Proverbs in depth, Pastor Brauns highly recommends Dan Phillips’s, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs.

We also recommend Champ Thornton’s excellent, Pass It On: A Proverbs Journal for the Next Generation. This excellent book introduces the book of Proverbs and then guides readers through a series of questions that become a journal. For more, see A Gift Idea for a Leader in Your Life.

See also this post: Books on My Desk Tonight (Including Dan Phillips’s, God’s Wisdom on Proverbs)

Keller, Timothy, and Kathy Keller. The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. New York: Viking, 2015. DEVOTIONS / PSALMS. Image bearers are emotional beings and all of us need to lead our emotions. The Psalter is God’s grace for leading our emotions. Keller’s devotional will whet your appetite to soak in the Psalms.

Pastor Brauns highly recommends Derek Kidner’s inexpensive two volume commentary set on the Psalms in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary set (Vol 1 and Vol 2). These are among the most treasured and useable books he has ever own.

See also: In the Wrong Place Emotionally? Memorize a Psalm to be Moved.

Lloyd-Jones, Sally. The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN / BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. Our pastors recommend that every family own this book. It is one that Pastor Brauns often uses when he has the opportunity to spend a few moments with children. In his review, Tim Challies points to the strength of this book in showing the storyline of the Bible and the centrality of Christ:

“The book received wide praise for its deliberate and winsome focus on the person and work of Jesus and his centrality to the entire storyline of the Bible. Many parents reported that they enjoyed reading it every bit as much as their children enjoyed hearing it. At a time when many adults were early in their pursuit of Christ and just exploring the Bible on their own, they learned along with their children that the Bible is cohesive, that it has a consistent message and structure all held together by the theme of Jesus. The Jesus Storybook Bible taught the parents even as it taught their children. Together they learned that every story whispers his name.”

Machowski, Marty. The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New. First edition. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2015. FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN/ SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY considers the overall and systematic teaching of Scripture on particular points of doctrine. The Ology is an introductory book to systematic theology that we are using in some of our Bible studies.

Pastor Tim Michalek says, “This book is ideal for families with late elementary and early teens.” We have also used this for a Bible study with new believers.

See also Pastor Brauns’s post, “What is Systematic Theology?”

Mathis, David. Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2016. DEVOTIONS. David Mathis helps Christians understand how they can grow by God’s grace rather than wearing out in their own strength. For more, see Pastor Chris Brauns’s post, Plugging Into God’s Power.

David Mathis illustrates the idea cooperating or receiving God’s grace. He is careful to show that God supplies the power, but that we need to receive God’s grace.

“I can flip a switch, but I don’t provide the electricity. I can turn on a faucet, but I don’t make the water flow. There be no light and no liquid refreshment without some else providing it. And so it is with the Christian with the ongoing grace of God. His grace is essential for our spiritual lives, but we don’t control the supply. We can’t make the favor of God flow, but he has given us circuits to connect and pipes to open expectantly. There are paths along which he has promised his favor.”

Mathis’ book, then, is about how we open the “pipes” and wait expectantly for God’s grace to flow into our lives.

Mandryk, Jason. Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation. 07 edition. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010. DEVOTIONS / FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN. This resource gives an overview of every country in the world and offers suggestions for how Christians should pray for that country. This is an indispensable resource for equipping churches and families to be missions minded. Families will profit from reading the overview of country together followed by praying for a missionary in that part of the world.

Packer, J.I. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1993. SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY. Packer offers chewable segments of systematic theology that are ideal for busy leaders. Fifteen minutes at a time, you can read Piper’s summary of the doctrine of the Trinity or his explanation of providence.

Packer, J. I. Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God. IVP Academic, 1991. SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY. Sooner or later, discussions of salvation consider questions of election, the sovereignty of God, and individual choice. This is one of the first books to read on the subject. It is superb both as it relates to the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, but also in equipping us to evaluate the legitimacy of different evangelistic efforts. This short book also contains an excellent summary of the gospel message. An outline of Packer’s summary of the gospel is on my website.

Spurgeon, Charles H. Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Edited by Alistair Begg. Revised, Updated edition. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2003. DEVOTIONS. The great 19th century pastor, Charles Spurgeon, wrote these devotions which are edited by Alistair Begg. This is a great go-to resource for devotions.

Thornton, Champ. The Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2016. FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN. See Pastor Chris Brauns’s post, An Excellent New Resource for Young Families. He writes, “Champ Thornton’s book shows families how to grow a root system in the Christian faith. It offers a broad base of rich content in meal-sized portions readily accessible to families. The content ranges from an introduction to Scripture, to biblical theology, to historical theology. The elephant jokes and knot tying lessons are a nice bonus. I am putting this on a short list of books I recommend that all our church families own.”

Vos, Catherine F. The Child’s Story Bible. 5th edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 1983. FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH CHILDREN. Vos’s book is a classic. It was first published in 1935. The Brauns family has multiple copies. This book is far closer to the biblical text than Sally Lloyd-Jones but has fewer pictures. It is best suited to children eight and older.