Truth For Life ‘Staff Picks’ For College Student Reading

Do you have a young adult, college student or prospective college student in your life? The new series, Lessons For Life, features Alistair Begg teaching university students the pitfalls of real-world dangers, namely jealousy, laziness and temptation. Alistair uses humor and relevant examples to navigate a young audience through the value of friendships, generosity, and a sustained devotion to Christ.

Lessons For Life Volume 1 and Volume 2 can be downloaded free of charge by the busy young person in your family, or can be heard anytime, anywhere, throughout May on our app for mobile phones.

To supplement this essential series, the staff at Truth For Life recommends the following practical books any college student will find pertinent and readily useful.

Christian Worldview: A Student's Guide by Philip Graham Ryken, Series edited by David S. Dockery

$11.99 Crossway

Everything we do, say, and think reflects our fundamental worldview. Whether we realize it or not, basic beliefs about God, man, good and evil, history, and the future inevitably shape how we view and interact with the world. In this accessible student’s guide, Phil Ryken, author and current president of Wheaton College, explains the distinguishing marks of a distinctly Christian worldview—exploring the existence of God, the nature of creation, the role of grace, and God’s plan for the future. Written for both Christians and non-Christians, this handy resource will help believers develop a cohesive worldview while offering unbelievers a succinct introduction to the foundational tenets of the Christian faith.

Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World! by Alex Chediak, Alex Harris and Brett Harris

$11.18 Amazon

Going to college can be exciting, anxiety inducing, and expensive. Parents want their children to get the most out of their college experience and are often unsure what advice to give. Thriving at College by Alex Chediak contains wisdom and practical advice from a college professor and student mentor. Thriving at College covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make, and how to avoid them.

Mind Your Faith: A Student’s Guide to Thinking and Living Well by David A. Horner

$13.60 Amazon

The university world can be a confusing place, filled with many competing worldviews and perspectives. Beliefs and values are challenged at every turn. David Horner offers advice to college students with this guide to thinking and flourishing as a Christian. Carefully exploring how ideas work, he gives essential tools for thinking contextually, thinking logically and thinking from a worldview perspective. Horner explores how to handle doubts, with an eye toward not just thinking clearly but also living faithfully.

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

$7.91 Amazon

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. "Too often," he writes, "God's people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven't found God's perfect will for their lives. Or, even worse, they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction." Just Do Something will resonate with young men and women looking for direction.

How to Stay Christian in College by J. Budziszewski

$10.62 Amazon

How do young men and women stay open about their faith in the face of potential ridicule? How to Stay Christian in College guides students through the maze of campus realities, including dating, sex, honesty, and more.

College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping Their Kids Choose a College by Thomas A. Shaw

$12.99 Amazon

Parents of teenagers in high school will appreciate this resource as they wade through a myriad of details concerning college applications, financial aid applications and admissions procedures. Tom Shaw, as a parent of college-bound teens, and as a seasoned educator and Christian college administrator, helps parents guide their teens to making the best choice for their college experience.

Tom Shaw helps parents answer questions like: Is college the right choice for my teen? Would my teen thrive best in a secular or Christian environment? What are the differences between private, liberal arts and big state schools? How do I get involved without appearing controlling or overbearing?

Written from the perspective of a Christian parent, this book places particular emphasis on the parent's role as nurturer and shepherd of their child's spiritual future.

Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey and C.J. Mahaney

$10.19 Amazon

Many think of ambition as nothing more than the drive for personal honor or fame. As a result, ambition, the God-implanted drive to improve, produce, develop, and create, is neglected and well on its way to paralysis.

Dave Harvey removes ambition from the heap of failed motivations and puts it to work for the glory of God. In Rescuing Ambition, Dave Harvey explains that "To understand our ambition, we must understand that we are on a quest for glory. And where we find glory determines the success of our quest."

Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

$11.55 Amazon

It's easy to slip through life without taking any risks or without making life count. But life is not to be wasted. John Piper teaches young men and women that they "don't need to know a lot of things to make a lasting difference in the world, but have to know the few, great, unchanging, and glorious things that matter and be willing to live and die for them."

John Piper's plea to a generation is, "Don't waste your life!" This book is a passionate call to make life count for eternity. He acknowledges that there are risks for those who seek to make a lasting difference by faith, yet believes that they are risks worth taking for the cause of the Gospel.

The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies

$13.45 Amazon

Even the least technical are pressed from all sides by advances in digital technology. In an "instant message" culture, many feel disconnected and question if all this technology is really good for the soul. In a way that is thoughtful and biblical, author Tim Challies addresses questions such as: How has life and faith changed now that everyone is available all the time through mobile phones? How does the constant connection to digital devices affect families and church communities? What does it mean that almost two billion people are connected by the Internet? Providing a framework that can be applied to any technology, Tim Challies explains how and why society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for daily life, and how it impacts the Christian faith.

Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just by Timothy Keller

$13.57 Amazon

It is commonly thought in secular society that the Bible is one of the greatest hindrances to doing justice. But Timothy Keller sees it another way. In Generous Justice, Keller explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace. This book will help young believers who find the Bible a trustworthy guide, as well as young men and women who suspect that Christianity is a regressive influence in the world.

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel

$9.99 Amazon

Lee Strobel applies his journalistic perspective to answer questions about Jesus by evaluating the credible evidence that proves Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God.

Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields. Strobel challenges them with questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?

Strobel's point-blank questions make this Gold Medallion-winning book a recommended read for college students looking for pragmatic answers.

Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue by Andreas J. Kostenberger

$11.97 Amazon

The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue explains that we are called to excellence in all activities of life, not least in scholarship and ministry. Outlining virtues directly related to vocation and scholarship, Andreas Köstenberger explains that there is a way to be a better person and a better scholar—without needing to sacrifice faith at the altar of academic respectability.

Made For His Pleasure: Ten Benchmarks of a Vital Faith by Alistair Begg

$5.75 Truth For Life

Spiritual fitness is not a series of straight, 100-yard sprints, but rather a life-long cross-country run of endurance and perseverance. In Made For His Pleasure, Alistair Begg helps us understand that a life that is truly fulfilling gives back to God the talents and abilities He has given us to be used for His glory.

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

$11.20 Amazon

Timothy Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside His most familiar parable. Within that parable, Jesus reveals God’s prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.

A Sneaking Suspicion by John Dickson

$12.95 Matthias Media

A Sneaking Suspicion is an evangelistic book that discusses topics that are most pressing to young people – subjects including life, death, relationships, sex, suffering, meaning and God – topics that are important but which are often not sufficiently addressed.

Hanging in There by John Dickson

$12.95 Matthias Media

Hanging in There discusses God, the Bible, prayer, church, relationships, sex, feelings, doubts, love and, above all, “hanging in there” as a Christian. For young Christians new to the Christian faith, or long-serving Christians who could use some encouragement, this book is a helpful resource.

If I Were God I’d End all the Pain by John Dickson

$9.95 Matthias Media

Why doesn't God do something about all the suffering in the world? Why does he allow bad things to happen? In fact, can we still believe in God in the face of all the suffering and pain still present? John Dickson looks honestly at these questions and provides compelling answers.

The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking: A Student’s Guide by David S Dockery and Timothy George

$5.93 Amazon

A college education becomes truly meaningful when faith affects what happens in the classroom every day. Surveying the long-standing history of Christian thinkers, ranging from the Apostles to the Reformers to the 21st century’s greatest theologians, this book introduces readers to the distinctive way that Christians throughout the years have read the Bible, formulated doctrine, provided education, and engaged the culture.