Books Recommended for Students:

For Guys or Girls

Boy Meets Girl
By Joshua Harris
What comes between "How do you do?" and "I do"?  How do you find a lifetime partner in a way that's God-centered, not self-centered?  Boy Meets Girl is an honest, romantic, and refreshingly biblical look at relationships.  It's about dating with a purpose. About friendship plus possibility.  About romance chaperoned by wisdom.  Join the guy who "kissed dating goodbye" ...and say hello to courtship.  Harris also includes a chapter on embracing your God-given role as a man or a woman.  More info
 
The Case for Christ: Student Edition
By Lee Strobel & Jane Vogel
There's little question that he actually lived.  But miracles?  Rising from the dead?  Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories.  A reasonable person would never believe them, let alone the claim that he's the only way to God!   But a reasonable person would also make sure that he or she understood the facts before jumping to conclusions.  That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself.  An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.  He was in for the surprise of his life.  Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith.  You'll consult expert testimony as you sift through the truths that history, science, psychiatry, literature, and religion reveal.  Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.  Click here
 
Choices

By Stacy & Paula Rinehart
Life is full of choices- How do you make the right ones?  The world says you can have it all - sex without responsibility, relationships without commitment, and easy marriages that are here today and gone tomorrow.  The Bible says you can have it all, too - but it gives you the big picture, spelling out the consequences of such choices.  In this book, Stacy and Paula Rinehart review many of the principles about relationships in the Bible and show you how to make decisions based on all the information.  If you have questions about sex, dating, marriage, or singleness, Choices has concrete answers.  You'll learn how to date with discernment, remain celibate before marriage, become content in singleness, and more! With questions for personal study and more for discussion at the end of every chapter, you'll discover for yourself God's plan for your relationships with the opposite sex.  Click here
 
Wait For Me: The Beauty Of Sexual Purity
By Rebecca St James & Dale Reeves
In Rebecca St. James' new book, "Wait for Me", a 176 page book based on her popular song by the same title, Grammy-award-winning Christian recording artist Rebecca St. James calls young people to remain sexually pure until marriage.  Everyone longs to be loved deeply by someone, and Rebecca St. James is no different, as demonstrated by her hit song "Wait for Me."  But while Rebecca shares the same desires as other young people, her resolve to remain sexually pure until marriage is not as common in our society.  Using Scripture, pop culture, and her own experience as a point of reference, Rebecca paints a relevant and appealing picture of the value of waiting.  But Rebecca also reaches out with compassion to those who have already made mistakes and reveals the mercy and healing that God brings.  Click here
 
It's Not About Me: Teen Edition
By Max Lucado
It's a "me-centric" world out there, and today's teens are bombarded with the concept of "Life is all about you."  Society has taught them since early childhood to look out only for themselves, so they are easily caught up in the mindset.  Best-selling author Max Lucado helps to free teens from this dangerous trap and sets their sights on a different goal.  By putting God and His glory at the center of their lives, "God-centric" teens will begin to live a fulfilled life of purpose and lasting contentment.  This teen edition is filled with inspirational stories of young people who have made the shift and put God in first place-and are now living life like they mean it!  Click here
 
40-Day Revolution: A Strategy to Impact Your World for Christ
By Richard Mull
Teen Turnaround!  Thousands of teens across the country have accepted the 40-Day Revolution challenge, and they have witnessed incredible results.  Can you imagine starting a prayer meeting with just two people that turns into a daily prayer time with over a hundred people - in just one week?  Or your principal breaking down in tears and asking you for prayer?  Sound unbelievable?  Well, believe it!  Things like this are taking place all over the country, and it’s happening to teens just like you!  With 40-Day Revolution, you'll find new ways to reach out to your unsaved friends and make a profound difference in your school, your neighborhood, and your world.  Click here
 
How to Stay Christian in High School
By Steve Gerali
It's not easy to be a Christian in high school.  There's so much pressure--A.P. English, relationships, hockey practice, SATs, getting into college; every day of high school has more than its fair share of demands.  Trying to follow God sometimes just adds to the stress.  How to Stay Christian in High School shows you how to deal with the rigors and temptations of high school life without giving up.  By looking at some of the most famous teenagers in the Bible-people like Joseph, David, Mary, and Timothy--you'll see that following God's will isn't always easy, but it definitely pays off.  Click here
 
Sex 180
By Tim Walker & Chip Ingram
On TV. In movies.  On the Web.  In magazines.  In high school.  Yet even with all of this exposure, a big part of the sex story is not being told-a whole dimension that goes way beyond the traditional answers.  If you're fed up with our sex-saturated culture and are tired of being told to "just wait until you're married," then check out the biblical understanding of sexuality.  It's something totally different.  A full 180 degrees different.  It's Sex 180 and it's a revolution.  Dive in and hang on, because this book will turn everything you know about sex upside down.  Turn the pages and join the rebellion against our culture's view of sex and grab onto what God really says about it all.  You'll relate to the opposite sex in a whole new way, and you'll never be the same again.  Maybe your world won't be either.  Click here
 
Religions A to Z:  A Guide to the 100 Most Influential Religious Movements
By James A. Beverley
Religions A to Z® is a complete, easy-to-use handbook of the origins, basic beliefs, and defining features of the world's religions, cults, and sects.  Written with the Christian in mind, these profiles provide the reader with the fundamentals of today's religions and how they compare to Christianity.  This will help all Christians-from the new believer to the seasoned pastor-better understand the religions, cults, and sects around them.  Each section includes:  a brief history of the religion, its central beliefs, an overview of its organizational structure, references for further study, and a chart summarizing essential information, including (when applicable): the deity/deities, beginning date, sacred texts, famous leaders, and websites and books for further study.   Click here
 

Just for Girls

When God Writes Your Love Story
By Eric & Leslie Ludy
In their most popular book, bestselling authors Eric and Leslie Ludy challenge singles to take a fresh approach to relationships in a culture where love has been replaced by cheap sensual passion.  When God Writes Your Love Story shows that God's way to true love brings fulfillment and romance in its purest, richest, and most satisfying form.  This new edition includes an extra chapter from Leslie Ludy about the surprises of life after marriage!  Click here
 
Authentic Beauty:  The Shaping of a Set-Apart Young Woman

By Leslie Ludy
In a world that seeks to destroy all that is princesslike and feminine within her, that mocks her longing for tender romance and exalts the empty charms of a painted face or a perfect figure - can today's young woman dare to long for more?  For every young woman who has asked herself that question, this book offers a breathtaking vision of hope.  Refreshingly candid and practical, Authentic Beauty explores the boundless opportunities God has for a young woman who is willing to let Him shape every aspect of her life.
Click here
 
Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood
By Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
Mothers and daughters have a lot to talk about.  That's how God designed it.  A mother is her daughter's first role model, teacher and friend, and she carries the responsibility of passing on to her daughter a legacy of Biblical womanhood.  Join mother-daughter team Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre as they give you insights and suggestions on how to talk - really talk-to each other about what it means to become a Godly woman. Tips and study questions make it easy for moms and their pre-teen and teenage daughters to read, share, discuss and grow.  Click here
 
A Young Woman After God's Own Heart: A Teen's Guide to Friends, Faith, and the Future
By Elizabeth George
What does it mean to pursue God's heart in your everyday life?  It means understanding and following God's perfect plan for your friendships, your faith, your family relationships, and your future.  As you read along, you will find yourself caught up in the exciting adventure of a lifetime--that of becoming a woman after God's own heart!  You will love the special "Heart Response" sections that are just for you, and the practical "Things to Do Today" will help you make instant progress in your desire to become a godly woman.  Click here
 
Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty
By Dannah Gresh
We live in the age of low-rise jeans, belly-button rings, and backless shirts.  Many girls and young women today could not even define the word modesty, let alone tell you how to live it out.  But Dannah Gresh has a new message for them: modesty itself is a delicate yet formidable power.  In Secret Keeper, she teaches that modesty not only issues a challenge for one man to romantically earn your virtue, but it also expresses your love for and obedience to God.  Click here
 
Secret Keeper Devos: A 40-Day Experience with the Delicate Power of Modesty
By Dannah Gresh
This companion to the Secret Keeper book offers handy tools to help you experience a life-changing 30 day journey.  Daily Scripture readings expand on six chapter topics in the Secret Keeper book.  Also featured are journal pages with questions from Dannah to help focus your thoughts, tear-out cards to keep you on track throughout the day, and a leader's appendix with creative ideas to aid weekly group meetings.   Recommended for ages 12 and up.  Click here
 
The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear?
By Nancy Leigh DeMoss
 In The Look, Nancy challenges Christians to ask themselves tough questions:  Who decides what I will wear and why? What message does my clothing communicate?  And, how can I reflect the glory of God in my wardrobe? Biblical, practical and motivating, The Look challenges women, parents, and teens to discover the Truth about clothing and modesty, and to make choices based on God's eternal perspective.  Topics include: 1. Sizing up Styles 2. Your Philosophy is Showing 3. Beyond Blushing? 4. Whose Reflection is That in the Mirror and more.  Click here
 

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat
By Elyse Fitzpatrick
This book addresses eating problems that often begin in childhood, including overeating and undereating (“anorexia” and “bulimia”).  Having discovered the power that food has over our lives, Elyse Fitzpatrick helps you; identify your destructive eating habits, surrender your desire for control, break the vicious cycle of emotional eating, gain confidence in God's ability to change you, develop a flexible plan suited to your unique situation.  God knows everything about you... where you've been and where you're going.  Because He knows you so well, He can deeply transform you, giving you the contentment you long for.  Click here
 
Teen Virtue:  Real Issues, Real Life... A Teen Girl's Survival Guide
Laid out in a stylish magazine, Teen Virtue tackles the top 40 issues teen girls face such as "Staying in line when you're online,"  and "Girl Politics."  This is a paperback book.  Order through www.lifeway.com/vickicourtney
 
A Young Woman's Call to Prayer
By Elizabeth George
God has given you an amazing gift--the ability to personally talk with Him every day!  Through prayer, you can share with God your joys and triumphs, hurts and fears, and wants and needs, knowing that He cares about every detail of your life.  Elizabeth George will help you: develop a stronger relationship with God, set a regular time to talk to Him, share sticky situations and special concerns with Him, discover and live His will, and worship Him daily.  Click Here

Every Young Woman's Battle
By Shannon Ethridge
Guys Aren't the Only Ones Fighting a Battle for Purity.  The world you live in promotes sex as the answer to just about everything. The pressure to go along with the crowd is greater than ever before, and it's easy to compromise in little ways that are a lot more harmful than they seem.  You and your friends may become caught up in destructive relationships or sexual activities without even knowing how you got there.  You just want to be normal-to fit in, to be liked, to look attractive to the opposite sex.  But are you paying too high a price?  This counterpart to the award-winning Every Young Man's Battle can help you:  Learn how the sexual battle begins in your heart and mind, Understand your hunger for attention from guys, Recognize and avoid the potential pitfalls awaiting young women on the journey toward adulthood and possibly marriage, Find out how the media, novels, fashion, internet chat rooms, and body and beauty obsessions influence your sexual choices-and what you can do about it, Guard your mind, heart, and body against sexual and emotional compromise, Develop a deeper, more satisfying level of intimacy with God.  Whether you have so far protected yourself emotionally and sexually, feel that you've been robbed of your purity, or have given in to temptation in some way, this book can help you achieve or reclaim sexual integrity.  It can also guide you through the temptations and pressures of young adulthood while demonstrating how you can live your life to the fullest-without regrets.  Click here
 
Do You Think I'm Beautiful? : The Question Every Woman Asks
By Angela Thomas
It's a question every woman longs to ask, but the search for the answer often leaves her feeling empty.  Thomas takes you on a quest to discover the deeper meaning of beauty.  Her humorous stories and biblical teaching will lead you to the Lover of your soul---the One who calls you beautiful.   Click here

 
The Ultimate Makeover: Becoming Spiritually Beautiful in Christ
By Sharon Jaynes
Ever wished you could indulge in one of those all-day beauty redos?  Well, here's a "spiritual spa" that will yield eternal results! Jaynes helps you to see yourself as God does, change your thinking, release your grip on the past, and more.  Her 12 "deep cleansing" Bible studies will leave you with a healthy glow! Click here
 
31 Girl
By Mary Simpson
Using stunning photography and graphic imagery, this book is dedicated to girls in their teens and twenties.  Learn to be a 31 girl, extraordinary, exceptional, and unique.  Click here
 
Mean Girls Gone
By Haley DiMarco
Take a closer look at what God has to say about the mean girls we encounter every day, including the one in the mirror.  Biblical insight, guided questions, and prayer tips.  Click here
 
And the Bride Wore White
By Dannah Gresh
Have you decided to live a lifestyle of purity?  n her warm, revealing writing style, Dannah Gresh exposes Satan’s lies about sex, gives a three-step plan to break off sinful relationships, provides compassionate guidelines for healing, and lists seven secrets of sexual purity.  Includes awesome insights by such well-known writers as Josh Harris, Josh McDowell, Becky Tirabassi, Rebecca St. James, and others.  Find out how to stand strong in a world of pressure and confusion. Click here
 
Passion & Purity
By Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot has made this book warmly personal, supporting her theme from memories, journals, and old love letters.  You'll find direction in areas such as dating relationships, putting God's desires ahead of our own, singleness or marriage, and knowing if a man or women is right for you.  Click here
 

Just for Guys

 
Thoughts for Young Men: Addressing the Greatest Challenges in a Young Man's Life
By  J.C. Ryle
Often called "the last Puritan," Bishop Ryle's writings have been used by God to inspire tens of thousands to greater standards of holiness and love for Jesus Christ.  This book is written for young men who hope to make something of their loves and transcend the mediocrity which has come to define our modern youth culture.  If it was difficult to be a young man when Ryle first penned these words in the nineteenth century, it is all the more difficult to be a young man in the twenty-first century world of image-overload, radical individualism, and rampant sensuality.  Thanks be to God, the answers available for the boys of Ryle's day remain every bit as potent today.  Click here
 
Every Young Man, God's Man
By Stephen Arterburn
"Every Young Man, God's Man" will take you straight to the heart of your frustrations and fears.  And give you the truth you need to hold on to-truth that will drive you forward and give you hope.  By learning to go to the dark and difficult places in your heart, and standing up in God's power in all the battles you face, you will find yourself full of spiritual confidence and courage.  You'll see how faith makes sense in the light of who God is and how much He cares about you.  And the bottom line:  You'll discover that it doesn't get any better than living as God's man-confident, courageous, and completely His.  Click here
 
Every Young Man's Battle
By Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker
In this world you're surrounded by sexual images that open the door to temptation. They're everywhere-on TV, billboards, magazines, music, the internet-and so easy to access that it sometimes feels impossible to escape their clutches.  Yet God expects his children to be sexually pure.  So how can you survive the relentless battle against temptation?  Here's powerful ammunition.  Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, the authors of the hard-hitting best-seller Every Man's Battle, now focus on the temptations young single Christian men like you face every day-and they offer workable, biblical strategies for achieving sexual purity.  The authors examine the standard of Ephesians 5:3- "there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality"- in a positive and sensitive light.  And they explain how an authentic, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to victory over temptation.  Every Young Man's Battle will show you how to train your eyes and your mind, how to clean up your thought life, and how to develop a realistic battle plan for remaining pure in today's sexually soaked culture.  As a result, you'll experience hope-real hope-for living a strong, pure life God's way.  Click here
 
The Man in the Mirror
By Patrick Morley
Tired of just “going through the motions” spiritually?  This significant book for men can help you develop a practical, daily reliance on God and His Word, and show you how you can experience the rich, meaningful, and abundant life available to His followers. Discover straightforward answers to the 24 most common problems men face, and learn how to lead a life that is pleasing to God. Includes thought-provoking questions and excellent action steps at the end of each chapter!  Click here
 
Who Moved The Goalpost?
By Bob and Dannah Gresh
Are you constantly crashing into that goalpost of lust?  Author, Bob Gresh will give you seven strategies to help you overcome defeat with temptations in our culture and media.  Who Moved the Goalpost?  Offers more than prayer and scriptures to help you attain sexual integrity.  You will move beyond the three sex lies to three powerful truths as Bob reveals his own struggles and how to overcome.  You can become pure!  Click here
 
 

Recommended Magazines:
 

Brio Magazine
What do faith, fashion and fun have in common?  Brio magazine!  It's packed with feature articles and stories that encourage teen girls 12-16 to make godly choices.  www.briomag.com

 
Brio & Beyond Magazine
Brio & Beyond is a segment of Brio which contains articles and information that will meet the needs of 16-to 21-year-old girls.
 
Breakaway
In Breakaway magazine, guys 13 and older have somewhere to turn when peer pressure and growing pains collide with doing the right thing.  With awesome graphics, hysterical columns and inspiring articles, it's one cool read!
 
Order Brio, Brio & Beyond, and Breakaway magazines through Focus on the Family:  1-800-232-6459