Book Nook

Counseling resources on a variety of topics from CCEF.

These resources are free to those in need, but donations are welcome to offset cost.

Counseling resources on a variety of topics from CCEF.

These resources are free to those in need, but donations are welcome to offset cost.

We like to offer scripture journals for following along with  our sermon series. Grab one today!

Concise Edition of Dane Ortlund’s Book Gentle and Lowly, Edited for Young Readers, New Christians, and Seekers
When Christians struggle with sin, they can easily feel that God is close to giving up on them. But in Matthew 11, Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for believers to find rest in him. The good news of the gospel flows from God’s deepest love for his people. 
In this concise book adapted from the bestselling Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, readers will encounter Jesus’s tender heart for sinners and sufferers. Written for a wide audience―including younger readers, new Christians, and anyone who struggles with reading―it features easy-to-read terms and helpful explanations. The chapters are also short enough to read at bedtime, around the dinner table, or during lunchtime. The Heart of Jesus dives deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is, comforting and sustaining readers with the affections of Christ for his people.

*BOOK used for our Prayer Cohorts
Prayer is hard. Often, unless circumstances demand it―such as an illness or saying grace before a meal―most of us simply do not pray. This kind of prayerlessness can leave us with a distressed spirit and practical unbelief characterized by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual depression.

A Praying Life has encouraged thousands of Christians to pursue a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power. A life of prayer invites you to a life of connection to God. When Jesus describes the intimacy that He seeks with us, He talks about joining us for dinner (Revelation 3:20). This book reminds readers that prayer is simply making conversation with God a rhythm of life.

Now with added chapters addressing prayers of lament and further guidance for using prayer cards, Paul Miller invites you to foster prayer that regularly hopes, trusts, and expects God to act. Learn to develop helpful habits and approaches to prayer that will enable you to return to a childlike faith and witness spiritual growth today!

Una vida de oración es una mirada honesta a las dificultades que hay para orar, a las oraciones sin respuesta y a los éxitos de la oración. El autor Paul Miller comparte sus percepciones y conclusiones sobre cómo conectar las piezas quebrantadas de su vida y permitir que la oración, aun la mal elaborada, llene las brechas con sentido y contenido. Los lectores apreciarán el enfoque realista y la naturaleza práctica de Paul, que los ayudará a ver que su relación con Dios puede crecer y su comunicación con él puede llegar a ser mejor. Padres y madres descubrirán que estas experiencias de vida familiar son especialmente útiles. Incluye consejos sobre cómo usar herramientas tales como las tarjetas de oración y el llevar un diario.
The product of twenty years of thought, Work: Its Purpose, Dignity, and Transformation ennobles and motivates men and women in their labors. Providing historical background and inspiring stories of God-honoring workers, Daniel Doriani explains the Bible's teaching on the nature, glory, misery, and eventual restoration of work. You will learn what it means to be faithful at work, even in risky places, and what steps you can take to transform your workplace and the world through the reformation of work.

As children mature, it’s important for parents to prepare for the unique changes and challenges of adolescence. With so many cultural pressures and influences vying for teens’ attention, parents need a secure foundation for creating an environment where faith can flourish.

Parenting with Hope invites you to anchor your hopes and expectations in Christ—the true source of wisdom, strength, contentment, and fruitful parenting. Integrating sound biblical teaching, insights from developmental experts, and her own experiences as a teacher and mother, Melissa Kruger will wisely guide you through today’s most common concerns. Emphasizing principles over prescriptions, Melissa will help you to understand how you can build up and bless your teens in God-honoring ways.

When you recognize God as the ultimate parent, you'll begin to truly understand that he is presently at work in the hearts of both parents and teens. This encouraging and practical guide will equip you with the wisdom to cultivate a Christ-centered household, passing on a legacy of faithfulness to your teenage children.
Cost: $10

Doctrine―what Christians believe―directly influences how they live. The biblical truths about God, humanity, and the world are not merely about knowing more―they are also about loving God and making sense of this life and the life to come. But what happens when there is disparity between what believers confess and how they live?

In his latest book, Do You Believe?, pastor and bestselling author Paul David Tripp takes a close look at 12 core doctrines and how they engage and transform the human heart and mind. According to Tripp, “true belief is always lived.” To demonstrate, he unpacks each doctrine and presents its relevance for the Christian life. As readers explore topics such as the doctrine of God, the holiness of God, and the doctrine of Scripture, they will be fueled to fall deeper in love with and stand in awe of their Creator and Father―putting the truths of God’s word on display for all the world to see.

Cost: $30

As humans, we are prone to insecurities, fear of failure, and regrets which we try to hide and cover up, resulting in isolation from both those around us and God. Through fifty devotionals, counselor Edward T. Welch shows us how God speaks with gentleness, depth, and hope that will lead us out of hiding and to live more openly, authentic, and regret-free.
Welch speaks to our struggles with shame, disappointments, and inadequacy with God’s words of love and change. Welch shows us how we were created to be known by God and others, and how hiding undermines these relationships. Each daily devotional focuses on a specific biblical truth that unpacks the reasons underlying our feelings of failure and weakness and then points us in the direction of turning to God for acceptance, identity, and security.
Sometimes we hide because of our own failures and weakness, and sometimes we hide because of what others have done and said to us, but in either case, we can be free from shame because of the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus took our shame on himself, so we can trust that now we are valued children of God.
Through a closer examination of Scripture, we can be assured God will meet us in the insecurities of daily life. We can find true security in his love and live freely and honestly with others.
Cost: $10

It's easy to lose heart in a world where many things can and do go wrong. Life is difficult and there are struggles within and without, but we can take heart—the Lord is with us. He hears our cries for mercy. He knows our every need. He guides us, helps us, and strengthens us with his mighty right arm. Journey through a year with David Powlison, learning to "take heart" by meditating on his favorite Scripture passages, hymns, and biblical themes, exploring the ways God meets us with daily grace right where we live.
Drawn from David Powlison's many decades of writing, teaching, and speaking, Take Heart is a yearlong devotional journey into the process of biblical change, where truth becomes clearer and our ears hear and our eyes see what God tells us about himself.
Learn to go to God for the help you need and hold fast to the daily mercy and grace he offers. And be reminded the promises of God are true and that the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that no matter what you may be facing, you can live in real hope.

Practical Guidance for Loving Others Well
Everyone needs help from time to time, especially in the midst of painful circumstances and difficult trials. In this short book, a highly respected biblical counselor and successful author offers practical guidance for all Christians―pastors and laypeople alike―who want to develop their “helping skills” when it comes to walking alongside hurting people.
Written out of the conviction that friends are the best helpers, this accessible introduction to biblical counseling will equip believers to share their burdens with one another through gentle words of wisdom and kind acts of love. This book is written for those eager to see God use ordinary relationships and conversations between ordinary Christians to work extraordinary miracles in the lives of his people.


Cost: $15

A movement called ‘deconstruction’ is sweeping through our churches and it is affecting our loved ones. It has disrupted, dismantled, and destroyed the faith of so many, and this book can help you not only understand what’s happening but also stand your ground and respond with clarity and confidence.

• Maybe you have a loved one who is deconstructing their faith, and you are struggling to know how to respond;
• Maybe you are trying to understand the radical spiritual makeover your friend or family member is going through;
• Maybe your relationship with a loved one has been strained or even cut off because of your “toxic” Christian beliefs and you don’t know what to do;
• Maybe you’re experiencing doubt yourself and facing hard questions about truth, God, the Bible, theology and the gospel.

Some who leave the faith feel wounded by the church. Others feel repressed by some of the moral imperatives found in Scripture. For some, it leads to a custom-made spirituality. For others, deconstructing their faith leads them away from the truth into agnosticism, atheism, the occult, or humanism.

In this seminal book, Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel?, and Tim Barnett, creator of Red Pen Logic, will help you understand what deconstruction is, where it comes from, why it is compelling to some, and how it disorients the lives of so many. You will be able to think through the main issues around faith deconstruction and explore wise and loving ways to respond from a biblical worldview.

Cost: $10

Christians can easily feel that Jesus is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. They know what Christ has done for them―but who is he? How does he feel about his people amid all their sins and failures?
In Matthew 11, Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for his people to find rest in him. This book reflects on his words, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of Christ’s affections for sinners and encouraging believers as they journey, weary and faltering, toward heaven.

*Book used for our Person of Jesus Study
Where could a study of love begin but with Jesus—love personified? Person of Jesus, a five-part small group study, slowly introduces a Jesus so personal, so rich in love, that we are captivated heart-first. Paul Miller’s winsome insights—conveyed through an energetic, interactive format—lead people to discover Jesus’ beauty for themselves. 

We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in US history.
It is greater than the First and Second Great Awakening and every revival in our country combined...but in the opposite direction. Yet precious little rigorous study has been done on the broad phenomenon of dechurching in America. Jim Davis and Michael Graham have commissioned the largest and most comprehensive study of dechurching in America by renowned sociologists Dr. Ryan Burge and Dr. Paul Djupe.
The Great Dechurching takes the insights gleaned from this study to drill down on how exactly people are dechurching with respect to beliefs, behavior, and belonging.
This book gives the church in America its first ever deep dive into the dechurched phenomenon. You'll learn about the dechurched through a detailed sketch of demographics, size, core concerns, church off-ramps, historical roots, and the gravity of what is at stake. Then you'll explore what can be done to slow the bleed, engage the pertinent issues winsomely and wisely, and hopefully re-church some of the dechurched.


Cost: $10

Becoming a People of Hope In A Discouraging World

In our current culture, the church and prayer are often dismissed as irrelevant. But when believers gather and pray together, powerful things happen: the Spirit equips the saints for ministry, the helpless are met with help, and believers experience the joy of being led by the Spirit of Jesus. In this ebook, Paul E. Miller, bestselling author of A Praying Life, casts a vision for a return to the simple yet life-changing practice of praying together.
Through personal stories and biblical examples, Miller teaches the why, what, and how of praying together. Readers will learn how praying with other Christians can transform their communities into beacons of hope and be given practical strategies—such as finding a prayer partner and prioritizing a structured prayer time—to implement these changes in their own church.

Cost: $15