The leadership of UPC aims to provide its congregation with a carefully curated list of essential resources that can help you grow. Below you'll find a number of books, videos, articles and more that we hope will be valuable to you. We are still building out the list, so stay tuned for more!
Books for Adults
You are What You Love:The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith.
This book will change the way you understand worship and how every day cultural practices are forming what you worship. Smith opens our eyes to what we really love and offers compelling and practical ways to have our loves reordered through habits of worship on Sundays, at work, at home, with our kids, and in the every day.
Prayer: Experienceing Awe & Intimacy with God by Tim Keller.
We know prayer is central to the Christian life but it is often hard and many of us can often feel unmotivated. Keller not only helps us recognize the necessity of prayer but the joy and wonder of it. Drawing on Scripture, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards, Keller gives an in depth but practical guide for what prayer really is, how to do it, and why it is “the key to everything we need to do and be in life.” Full of wisdom and inspiring!
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin.
David O’Dowd often cited this book during our recent series in 1 Peter. Rebecca McLaughlin looks at 12 questions that keep many from faith today and how these are signpoints to Jesus as the best hope. Many of us wrestle with current issues or we have friends and family that do. This book can help you compassionately and wisely enter into conversations with others about Jesus.
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch.
The more our society increases the use of technology and social media, the more complex it seems to get regarding how parents and children should engage in these mediums with so much good and bad out there. Drawing on Barna research, Crouch dives into deeper considerations we may not have thought about in terms of how technology forms our character in healthy and unhealthy ways. His insights can help parents navigate this cultural moment with Godly wisdom and virtue.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
If you have children or grandchildren, this is a must read! Great for summer reading! Lewis’s Christian worldview bursts throughout this whole series of books. Kids love these stories. At the same time, even if there isn’t an opportunity to read to any kids, reading this series as an adult can be powerful. You will catch how imaginatively and brilliantly Lewis’s stories have been shaped by Christianity in a way that can reawaken your faith to a joy that points to Christ.
The Beautiful Community by Irwyn L. Ince Jr.
The church is at its best when it pursues the biblical value of unity in diversity. In The Beautiful Community, pastor and theologian Irwyn Ince boldly unpacks the reasons for our divisions while gently guiding us toward our true hope for wholeness and reconciliation.
Videos & Podcasts
- TGC Podcast: How to Share the Gospel for All to Hear by Sam Chan - Sam Chan delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled, “How to Tell Your Friends About Jesus Without Becoming That Guy.” Many of the things that we believe will help to convince others of the truth of the gospel—such as facts, evidence, and data—are actually the least powerful factors in doing so. Far more powerful are community and experiences. This means the most effective methodologies for helping others to hear and understand the gospel include experiences that merge Christian and non-Christian friends and offer opportunities to listen to and learn from one another. From these things, fueled by prayer, opportunities for gospel conversations will inevitably arise.