As the colors change and the temperatures grow colder, there’s nothing better than grabbing a warm blanket and a good book to read. Looking for Christ-centered, faith-building titles to add to your fall reading list? Here are a few Northwestern Publishing House favorites:
My Christian Worship
Did you know that physically writing down information helps you remember it better? Just a quick online search brings up countless articles from science and psychology websites—all confirming the fact that when we write things down on paper, our brains retain that knowledge more readily.
Pretty cool the way God designed us!
My Christian Worship is a note-taking journal to use during worship services. I know many Christians who take notes for themselves on the sermon to capture the main message—this journal does more.
It offers places to capture key points from the Scripture readings, sermons, hymns, and prayers, as well as personal reflections and life applications. Since you can write things down in the journal, you can reflect on God’s Word in your personal devotions throughout the week. Used consistently, My Christian Worship will encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation for worship and get the most out of the time you spend in God’s Word.
The Heart of Faith: Reflections on Key Chapters of the Bible
People in the Bible sometimes seem larger-than-life and unrelatable. Other times, God shows us people in his Word—people who struggle with sinfulness and face challenges from living in a sinful world—and we see that they’re not so different from us. They’re just like me. Just like you. Like us, they’ve been saved through Jesus’s perfect life, death, and resurrection.
The Heart of Faith looks at six different chapters of God’s Word, focusing on six different stories—stories in which you might be surprised to see your reflection staring right back at you. Hear the promises our God made to his people. Hear him make those same promises to you. Be assured of the forgiveness of sins won for you by the loving Savior who breathed life into you and whose unbreakable promises renew and strengthen your heart of faith. Come for comfort. Come find grace.
In God’s Orchard: Cultivating the Fruit of a Spirit-Filled Life
There are many different places in Scripture that refer to God as a gardener. As God’s children, we’re planted in his orchard—no matter where we are. Watered with God’s Word, we produce fruit in our lives—the fruit of the Spirit.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
In God’s Orchard is a labor of love by six passionate, Bible-loving women. They dive deeply into God’s Word, leading you to learn about each of these fruits of the Spirit—what the Bible says about them, the impact our sinful nature has on them, how Jesus demonstrated them perfectly, and how God’s gospel fosters their growth in your life. Sink your roots deep into God’s Word and yield a harvest in your life.
God Loves Nobodies: Good News for Somebody Like Me
No one wants to be a nobody. Our career choices and entertainment point to a lifelong pursuit of grand achievements and success stories. If you dig through your own life, you may discover your own personal contingency plan for success—just in case Jesus isn’t enough. You know better, but how can you stop feeling like a nobody?
In God Loves Nobodies, Pastor Matthew Doebler dives into the universal human desire to be special, even exceptional. Using biblical accounts, humorous pop culture references, and more, Pastor Doebler unmasks what he labels the “Somebody Problem,” the never-ending race for significance. Chapter by chapter, you’ll learn about the origins of the Somebody Problem, temptations that nobodies face, and the ultimate solution connecting your Christian status to the way you view yourself and the nobodies in your life. Being a nobody, as it turns out, is your highest calling.
Inashood: The Story of the Arizona Apache Lutheran Missions and Their Pastors
“Love never really does come quickly and easily, and certainly in our case it was not love at first sight. But love did come to the Fort Apache and San Carlos reservations in this way, and love has stayed.”
In 1893, German missionaries George Adascheck and John Plocher embarked on the very first WELS world mission to the Apache people at the Fort Apache and San Carlos reservations. Over time, these men and the missionaries that followed were called Inashood, the Apache word for “pastor” (literally translated, “man in long black robe”).
As the first-ever compilation of WELS’ Apache mission history, Inashood weaves together reports, newspaper articles, photographs, and journals from the period into a single, down-to-earth account of the missionaries and the people they served. Featuring thought-provoking evangelism insights and a bit of humor, this book will inspire you to share God’s love and the truth of the gospel with the people around you—even across cultural boundaries.
For more great fall reads, check out Northwestern Publishing House’s Christ-centered, faith-building selection here!