LOVE JESUS
LOVE JESUS
LEARN TO LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR BEING.
Thrive Next Steps
The first part of our calling is love Jesus.
We express this calling in two ways:
Click below to find a variety of resources to help you engage in each expression.
Remember, God intended the Christian life to be lived in community. Who can you invite to engage alongside you?
Worship and pray
Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times, Brian Heasley
A prayer book for anyone looking to set aside intentional time with God and revitalize the way they pray.
Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney
Shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping them stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct their thoughts and words. See also under Digital Resources.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Tim Keller
Few Christians receive instruction or guidance in how to make prayer genuinely meaningful, by offering biblical guidance as well as specific prayers for certain situations, such as dealing with grief, loss, love, and forgiveness.
Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices for God’s Beloved, Trevor Hudson
Each chapter in this workbook is peppered with simple practices that bring us into God's presence and help us experience life as his beloved. At the end of each chapter is a set of questions which are ideal for discussion with one or two spiritual friends or a small group.
A Testament of Devotion, Thomas Kelly
Plainspoken and deeply inspirational, this book gathers five compelling essays that urge us to center our lives on God's presence, to find quiet and stillness within modern life, and to discover the deeply satisfying and lasting peace of the inner spiritual journey.
Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney
Six short (under six minute) videos covering five days of praying Scripture. Shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping them stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct their thoughts and words. See above for book by same title.
Right Now Media
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer
Join pastor and author John Mark Comer in this five-part series as he addresses one of the greatest threats to our spiritual lives: hurry.
Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer
Video lessons and guidance on spiritually abiding practices (like Sabbath, Solitude, Fasting, etc). Each practice has four sessions.
Apps (search your phone's app store)
Pray as You Go, by Grupo de Comunicacion Loyola SL
A scripture based daily prayer which includes thoughtful music and reflection. “Other Prayers” offers several other categories and training. Note: Some daily selections and other offerings will reflect this App’s Catholic roots and so may not align with beliefs you hold.
The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
Note: Practicing God’s Presence is an update to the original and may be easier for some to read.
Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, Madame Guyon
Surrender to Love, David Benner
Gentle and Lowly, Dale Ortlund
Interior Freedom, Jacques Philippe
Knowing God, J. I. Packer
The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer
Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning
Study and engage scripture
How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible.
Inductive Bible Study: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Hermeneutics, David Bauer and Robert Traina
The authors offer guidance on adopting an inductive posture and provide step-by-step instructions on how to do inductive Bible study.
Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods, Rick Warren
Offers 12 different approaches to studying the Bible.
Shaped by the Word, Robert Mulholland
This book shows readers how to listen for God's voice in our study of the Word and allow God to lead our reading and understanding so that we may truly be transformed.
Bible Project Series:
This website also includes other videos that focus on any book of the Bible.
Videos
Making of the Bible, Extended Version, Tim Mackie
A two-hour crash course on the history of how the Bible was made.
That the World May Know, Ray Vander Laan
Get a sense of the land and culture from which the Bible sprang through these videos from Bible teacher Ray Vander Laan.
Discipleship Essentials, Greg Ogden
Working through this workbook will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith.
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Leland Ryken et al
Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Craig Keener
Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, John Walton et al
Christian Theology, Millard Erickson